Editor's note: This report was updated with Mary Collette's comments about running for mayor just after 1 p.m. on October 1.
It’s Tuesday, October 1.
We are reporting from the Busch building; that’s a big city office building right behind Springfield City Hall. Today is the first day for people to pick up paperwork if they want to file for Springfield mayor or city council seats in the upcoming April 8, 2025 election.
The mayor’s office is going to be open as Ken McClure, the current mayor, is retiring. And the next mayor will serve a 4-year term, up from a 2-year term. That was a change authorized by voters in recent times.
There are also four Springfield city council seats up for election: Zones 1 and 4, that’s northwest Springfield and southeast Springfield, are up for election. Monica Horton and Matt Simpson currently hold those seats, respectively. There are also two general seats up for election. Those are seats up for a vote by all eligible city voters. General Seat A and General Seat B are currently held by Heather Hardinger and Craig Hosmer, respectively.
Would-be candidates can return their paperwork to the City Clerk's office between December 9 and January 21 for that April 8, 2025 election.
As KSMU recently reported, so far local business leader Jeff Schrag has announced a candidacy for mayor, and we are going to be waiting to see what other candidates emerge.
Tuesday around 1 p.m., local business leader and former council member Mary Collette confirmed that she is running for Springfield mayor after picking up paperwork earlier in the day.
"It's a big thing," Collette told KSMU Ozarks Public Radio. "I was on the council for eight years, and there was a lot of work I wanted to do then. I'd like to finish what I started when I was on the council for eight years. Some things have not changed."
To learn more about the qualifications that a candidate for Springfield mayor and city council member must have, read this news release from the City of Springfield.
