Council taps next city manager

Springfield has a new incoming city manager, pending a public hearing and a formal City Council vote.

David Cameron, 52, has been tapped for the role, according to a news release. He was selected from a pool of finalists that also comprised Bob Cowell and Brian Weiler, and the three were interviewed last month by Springfield City Council and other city stakeholders.

“I’m excited about the opportunity, and I’m very excited for Springfield,” Cameron said in an interview with Springfield Business Journal.

Cameron, who has served as Republic’s city administrator since July 2016, is set to succeed former Springfield City Manager Jason Gage, who exited the position in January. Deputy City Manager Collin Quigley has been leading the city in the interim.

“With over 30 years in local government, David has demonstrated a consistent ability to lead and manage city operations effectively and is the right person for our community at a time when Springfield is on the rise,” Mayor Jeff Schrag said in the release. “We are excited to have him join our leadership team and help us build on the foundation of this great city – the Springfield we have always imagined.”

Cameron hails from Miller, a Lawrence County city 40 miles due west of the Queen City. He said Springfield was a city that meant a lot to him when he was growing up.

“It’s special to be a part of it now,” he said.

He acknowledged that Republic, with a population of just over 20,000 compared with Springfield’s roughly 170,000, is a smaller city, but said, “We have a big heart, big vision and big plans.”

He added that the decision to leave his longtime role with Springfield’s southwestern neighbor was not an easy one.

“It’s bittersweet to leave a place you poured so much of yourself into,” he said.

The other two finalists for the role had more experience with budgets approaching the size of Springfield’s half-billion-dollar annual spending plan. Weiler manages a budget of $25 million as aviation director of the Springfield-Branson National Airport but oversaw a budget of up to $100 million when he was multimodal director for the Missouri Department of Transportation. Cowell last managed a $379 million budget and 1,800 employees as city manager of Roanoke, Virginia.

By comparison, in Republic, Cameron oversees an operational budget of close to $60 million with a staff of 375. In Springfield, he would lead a staff of 1,900-plus.

Asked to identify the difference-maker for his candidacy for the job, Cameron credited his willingness and ability to seize opportunity, as evidenced by the siting of an Amazon fulfillment center in the city. The land deal was finalized in November 2020, and the 1.3 million-square-foot center opened nine months later.

“We capitalized on that opportunity, and I think the council recognized that,” he said.

Under his leadership, according to the news release, the city of Republic has delivered $1.4 billion in capital investments and created 3,000 new jobs. In his previous role as city administrator in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, Cameron successfully negotiated the sale of a city-owned hospital, resulting in a $10.6 million benefit to the community.

The proposed hire is scheduled to be on the agenda for the May 19 Springfield City Council meeting, when a public hearing will be held. Council is then slated to vote on the hiring measure at its next meeting. Cameron is expected to start on July 7.

Cameron's salary will be $350,000. Gage departed the role at a salary of $268,000, according to past reporting.