08-04-2025
SGF Mayor reflects on time in office, highs and lows, and city's future
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Springfield Mayor Ken McClure isn't sure if emotions will get the best of him when his final days as mayor are over.
One thing he's sure of is that he's ready to focus on his next chapter.
'I'm ready to be done. I'm grateful for the opportunity, the honor of a lifetime, but it takes a toll on you physically and mentally,' McClure said. 'I've been in office eight years as mayor, it's time.'
Elected in 2017, McClure says their focus was on tax issues to improve various departments in the Queen City.
'The purpose of that was to deal with some very real public safety problems we had made for two new fire stations. We were not able to fund those. We went to the voters and said, we need your approval, we can do this, and that was the real key,' McClure said. 'We were able to add to that with renewals again for our quarter rates for capital approval, tax, transportation and taxes. We were able to extend those which had been three and four years at a time to 20 years to allow us to go out and do longer term projects without having to splice them up in the various segments.'
Then, 2020 happened.
'That was something that certainly no one anticipated, but no one anticipated the depth of the impact that it was going to have. We declared a state of civil emergency. I read the city code, and once that happens, that responsibility falls on the mayor and the things that I had to do, I never dreamed would be something with which I would be faced,' McClure said. 'I'm so proud of the way the city stepped up those who were wanting to protect, those who were wanting to express their views, those who were wanting to protect them, and everyone did their job. That was a tough time. 2021, we were the hotspot in the nation for the Delta Variant. People were calling us all the time on national media. I went on Face The Nation on one Sunday morning to talk about where we are, and my advice was, 'be prepared for this because it's coming, make sure that you get your vaccination plans out.'
In 2023, McClure was on the Council for one of the largest purchases in city history: Hammons Field.
'We were faced with a very real possibility that the Springfield Cardinals were going to leave. We had to do something with Hammons. I like to say that I was tied up with the Hammons' bankruptcy, and I tell people I learned more about bankruptcy law than I ever cared to know.' McClure said. 'We finally got where we needed to be signed, a long term lease with the Cardinals, and we were able to purchase Hammonds Field, and I think that's going very well, both for the city and for the team. We're grateful for that.
McClure says they were able to get more done in his last years in office.
'We got a comprehensive plan done, got our housing study done, where we're looking at how best to deal with housing needs,' McClure said. 'Those are areas that we had some highlights and the new capital last November with the voter approval on the three quarters and sales tax. No tax increase, but it recognized the obligation that we have for police, fire, pension fund, but also the fact that we've got several opportunities to implement our comprehensive plan, and the voters, 63% of them said, yes, we want to do that.'
The mayor says there's been a fair share of stress in the volunteer role.
'It was a stressful time, but the stress came up until you weighed what you have to do. Once I made the decision, I was fine with that. The stress came in weighing all the pros and cons, but I want to say this. We have a united Council, nine members counting myself, and we're on the same page. I want to give credit to all of my colleagues on there; One for being supportive. Secondly, voicing their support, and then third, standing behind their decision, and that really made it easier for me,' McClure said. 'I remember telling some folks in 2020, I will do what I need to do, but there's no way I could win another term as mayor. I was willing to do that. You do what you have to do for the community and well, if I did end up costing me an election in 2021, so be it, but the stress came in weighing all the consequences and the pros and the cons. Typically, once I make a decision, I'm at peace.'
McClure, like many, agrees that hindsight is 20/20 and Ozarks First asked him if there was anything he would have changed over his last eight years.
'I would only take one vote back. Of all the votes I can, and that was when we had the request in front of city council to take the property to the extreme southern end of a national and sunshine. There was a request from a couple to turn that into a grandpa's house, simliar like a Ronald McDonald house, for people who had patients at Mercy and the neighborhood was very, very opposed to that. We ended up as a council voted 9-0 and killed it. I was one of the nine. I think had we approved that, much of the controversy you see now would not be there,' McClure said.
McClure says zoning and disputes between neighborhoods and developers may never go away, but there needs to be a solution.
'They are contentious and both sides need to be heard and be listened to. You need to try to meet their objectives. I believe sometimes it's easier done than others. Most of our rezoning cases for approved by unanimous vote in council and planning and zoning. So you talking about really, the ones that are the most controversial ones but I look at these issues as really growing pains that the city has. We're at 170,000 plus, the third largest city in the state. We're going to continue to grow. Our metropolitan statistical area is the fastest growing one in the city,' McClure said 'These are growing pains and I still feel that in spite of a lot of positive input for growth and high growth element in this community, and some people do not want to grow, I think we have to grow. We do not grow, we're going to go into a death spiral. As you look forward to that in the next few months and years, I think the community is going to have to wrestle with that if we want to grow or do we want to say, no, we're satisfied with where we are.'
The two running for McClure's seat, Jeff Schrag and Mary Collette have both said to an extent, they're encouraged by development on a local level.
'I know both of the candidates well and that makes me feel good that we'll be headed in the right direction. I think the job for the successful candidate is going to be to manage all of that debate, all of that discussion that goes on, and you have to be you have to be willing to listen to folks and hear what their concerns are,' McClure said. 'Sometimes you can address them, sometimes you can handle problems. Many times you can't address them in the way that they would like, but managing all of that is key. It's a challenge.'
One issue McClure won't have to deal with is any potential impacts from newly imposed tariffs from President Donald Trump, but he's hopeful there's no negative impact at all.
'That will be a challenge that I've had not had to face. I'm trying to follow news reports like everyone else on the tariffs and the impact that they have. We saw what happened with the stock market Thursday, Friday of last week. I think somebody said $4 trillion of wealth was lost and conveyed how the tariffs will impact us,' McClure said. 'We are on the cusp of a lot of good things happening with manufacturing coming in, business is coming in, and we're looking at how best to implement a comprehensive plan. I do worry about that and that's a challenge. I am very optimistic about the future of Springfield. My advice right now is to keep your powder dry. Wait to see how it all plays out and make sure that when you act, that you act accordingly.'
OzarksFirst asked McClure if he had any advice for whoever wins Tuesday's election.
'If I can be of help to my successor, I'm more than willing to do that, but they need the time to get themselves acclimated and have a new direction, and I intend to give them my full support and be of help which I can. My best advice to them and learn the lay of the land and just see how things are structured. You have to get to work. You have to work with the council and the mayor is just one of nine members,' McClure said. 'We've got a great city staff, we've got a great set of resources in our community, We've got a great field of collaborators within our community. We've got to be able to capitalize on that, and so the next mayor will have a lot of resources.'
McClure says it's been a fulfilling eight years.
'I've been honored to serve the city. A lot of people say it's bittersweet and I know there's no bitter about it. It's sweet for me to be able to do this,' McClure said. 'I would do it all again. But I'm glad I don't have to do it again.
The still-current Mayor says he has no plans, except what he keeps telling his grandson.
On April 22, he'll have a good breakfast, maybe make some coffee, and if the weather's nice, maybe sit outside for a bit.
'I feel good about my time, and I feel proud of that. I'm grateful for the support,' McClure said. 'I'm just grateful for the community giving me the opportunity. It's something I never would have dreamed that they wanted me [to do].'
Springfield's next mayor will be sworn in on April 21.
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