Springfield voters yesterday narrowly repealed the city’s expanded nondiscrimination ordinance, and ushered in four new council members, according to the preliminary elections results posted at
GreeneCountyMo.org.
Yesterday, 40,681, or 23.7 percent, of the 172,016 registered voters turned up at the polls.
Close call
Of the 29,840 votes cast on Question 1, 15,347 people, or 51.4 percent, favored striking sexual orientation and gender identity from the list of protected classes on Springfield’s nondiscrimination policy in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations.
The issue began in August 2012, when the measure was introduced to council. The governing body tabled the measure, sending it to committee before picking it back up in October, voting 6-3 to approve the expanded ordinance. An initiative petition calling for a repeal followed, leading to the public vote, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.
Proponents of the repeal said the expanded ordinance limited business owners’ rights to exercise religious freedoms, while opponents argued for fairness in public dealings.
Change of the guard
Council will welcome four new faces at its next meeting, scheduled April 13.
Voters elected Kristi Fulnecky, Ken McClure, Mike Schilling and Justin Burnett to join Springfield’s governing body, according to the election results
Fulnecky, an attorney who owns construction management firm Fulnecky Enterprises LLC, earned 16,810 votes, or 65 percent, to win General Council Seat C. She beat Len Eagleburger, a retired real estate broker who worked over 30 years in the local motion picture industry.
Ken McClure, Missouri State University’s vice president for administrative and information services, ran unopposed for General Seat D, which is being vacated by Mike Carroll.
Former state Rep. Mike Schilling, who’s recently been vocal in council chambers against Wal-Mart’s plans for a store at Grand Street and Campbell Avenue, won out over incumbent Jerry Compton for the Zone 3 seat. Schilling took home 3,022 votes, or 56.2 percent, according to the election results.
For Zone 2, Justin Burnett, department head for Mardel Christian & Educational Supply Inc., beat two other opponents for the seat being vacated by Cindy Rushefsky. With 2,489 votes, or 39.1 percent, Burnett won over Buckley “Buck” Van Hooser, account executive with Journal Broadcast Group, and Josh Mareschal, a civil litigation attorney and president of the Rountree PTA.
Incumbent Mayor Bob Stephens retained his seat with 16,740 votes, or 63.7 percent, beating competitor Steven Reed, a former bagger at Dillons and part-time political consultant.
Educated vote
Asked to choose three directors out of five candidates to serve on the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education, voters picked attorney Jill Patterson (21,461 votes), Francine Pratt of MSU (16,398 votes) and longtime educator Bruce Renner (18,928 votes).
The other candidates were Patty Ingold (13,767 votes) and Swayne Benson Loftis (10,335 votes).[[In-content Ad]]
