Horton talks council plans at SBJ event

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Springfield City Council member Monica Horton, who was appointed to a vacant seat last year, on Tuesday discussed her plans to run in the April election.

Horton spoke before a live audience at The Backlot, Alamo Drafthouse Springfield's restaurant and bar, for Springfield Business Journal's 12 People You Need to Know live interview event.

In the interview with SBJ Editorial Vice President Eric Olson, Horton said she's seeking to finish out the term of her predecessor, former Zone 1 representative Angela Romine, that ends in 2025.

"It makes sense," Horton said of wrapping up the term. “As Zone 1 goes, so does the rest of the city,” she said. “As we invest public investment and really doing some targeted investment in Zone 1, so goes the rest of the city. A rising tide raises all ships.”

Horton is the lone candidate for the Zone 1 seat, according to city officials.

For Horton, applying for the vacant seat on council last year was a continuation of a career of volunteering.

She was a music therapist, and she cared and advocated for older adults, among other causes. She also cited her work as owner of Lenica Consulting Group LLC, which provides strategic planning, program evaluation and other services.

Horton looked to the Community Focus Report – which declares red flag and blue ribbon issues for the community – for guidance and says she nailed her interview.

“I have had a pattern of being involved and forming policy and making recommendations to decision-makers,” she said.

In a full term as a council member, Horton said she would focus on poverty issues, including a possible reboot of the Zone Blitz poverty reduction initiative.