Total funds raised by the two campaigns in the 2025 Springfield mayoral race amount to just over $164,000.
While that sum dwarfs the annual incomes of most residents in southwest Missouri, it’s likely not the costliest race for Springfield mayor.
The most expensive race?
That was probably the 2017 contest between then-councilmembers Ken McClure and Kristi Fulnecky. As the Springfield News-Leader reported at the time, the two campaigns spent some $355,000 on the hard-fought 2017 race — a sum worth roughly $463,000 in 2025 dollars, due to inflation.
Campaign fundraising in 2017 between candidates McClure and Fulnecky reflected a more head-to-head money race than in 2025. In this city election cycle, the vast majority of campaign fundraising — and spending — has been on behalf of candidate Jeff Schrag, who's facing candidate Mary Collette. Both are local business leaders; both have been heavily active in public affairs for decades.
"We're really proud of the fundraising efforts that we did," Schrag told Ozarks Public Radio Tuesday morning. "It takes organization, follow-through, communication — all the same things that make you a good mayor. When we started, we didn't know what the field would look like, or all of the resources to run for mayor. We prepared for multiple contingencies, which is a business strategy that I've prepared for, for years."
"I think it's sad if the race is about money," Collette said Tuesday morning. "I actually had a forum last night, and I told them I was the candidate with the smallest budget but the largest heart. I think we should be looking at campaign-finance reform. We need to — it needs to be a more even playing field for our public offices.
Campaign finance report from mayor candidate Mary Collette
On Monday morning, Springfield mayor candidate Mary Collette filed her campaign’s finance report for 8 days before the election, as required by state law. Collette’s campaign reported a fundraising haul for this election cycle totaling $7,320. At the time the report was filed, they’d spent $2,459 and had $4,345 in cash on hand for other campaign expenses.
The 8-day reports itemize campaign contributions from late February through late March. Collette’s campaign listed 27 relatively small donors, among them her campaign treasurer Joe Gidman ($200), local attorney Stacie Bilyeu ($300) and League of Women Voters volunteer Maggie Castrey ($500 — full disclosure: Castrey is a volunteer host of KSMU’s “Making Democracy Work” broadcast; this reporter does not have any role in the production of that broadcast).
Collette and her husband, Paul Parker, each gave her mayoral campaign $2,000.
The Collette campaign says it spent its funds mainly on yard signs, banners and website design during the reporting period.
Collette is a former Springfield City Councilmember who served on the governing body for eight years back in the 2000s. She has worked as an entrepreneur and community advocate on Commercial Street for many years.
Campaign finance report from mayor candidate Jeff Schrag
Springfield mayor candidate Jeff Schrag also filed his campaign’s 8-day-before finance report Monday morning. Schrag’s campaign reported fundraising $156,994 for this election cycle. At the time the report was filed, Schrag’s campaign said it spent $51,873 and had $98,201 in cash on hand.
In terms of contributions from late February through late March, Schrag’s campaign listed 15 donors, with many making relatively larger contributions compared to the opposing campaign. They include $1,500 from the Associated General Contractors PAC, of St. Louis; $1,500 from Tom Fowler Jr., president of State Bank of Southwest Missouri; and $1,500 from Joseph Manzardo, owner of Springfield Striping & Sealing.
The Schrag campaign says it spent its funds mainly on printing and postage, yard signs and data-related expenses. Schrag’s campaign also reimbursed candidate Schrag on March 26, spending $1,615 on “Phone Signs General Campaign Expenses.”
Schrag is an entrepreneur known for starting Mother’s Brewing Company in 2011, which he later sold to former Springfield City Councilmember and chamber of commerce official Jeff Seifreid.
Councilmember, mayor roles are largely volunteer positions
While in office, the Springfield mayor and members of city council don’t receive a paycheck from Springfield taxpayers. Language in the city charter, approved by city voters back in 1986, provides for $200 to be paid as a “salary” each month for the mayor. Council may vote to reimburse the mayor up to $100 more each month for “incidental expenses.”
The councilmembers and the mayor can also be paid back “for any necessary specific expenses incurred in connection with their duties,” so long as a city ordinance or resolution has been passed beforehand, specifying the nature of those expenses.
The council and mayor also typically get a meal provided by city taxpayers each Tuesday during their lunch workshop meetings.
Anyone can check Missouri campaign finance records
In Missouri, campaign finance reports are collected by the Missouri Ethics Commission. The commission's website — mec.mo.gov — is frequently used by campaigns and ordinary members of the public to learn more about campaign finance, lobbying and other areas regulated by state ethics law. When visiting the website, select "campaign finance" and "searches" to quickly locate many types of campaign-finance reports.
