With the next round of city elections taking place in less than two weeks, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure indicated in a written statement late Thursday that there's "no specific timeline" for the hiring of a new Springfield city manager.
That means it's not clear whether a new manager will be hired before or after that April 8 election, in which Springfield will choose a new mayor alongside several city council and school board seats.
The city manager is the top city government employee in Springfield, reporting directly to the elected city council and mayor and overseeing the execution of Springfield's $507 million budget.
Former manager Jason Gage was hired in 2018 to run Springfield's government. He resigned in January and has since been named city manager for a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee.
McClure's Thursday statement said more than 70 applicants threw their hats in the ring seeking to replace Gage as city manager. Council is working with a national search company, SGR, to find the right candidate.
Council has identified key priorities for the next city manager: fostering economic growth by creating good-paying jobs to retain younger residents; working strategically to diversify the City’s revenue sources; and expanding the local job portfolio to reflect a more diverse community.
Collin Quigley, one of Springfield’s deputy city managers, is currently serving as interim city manager.
