Two business leaders vie for mayor’s seat

Two candidates are vying for a seat being vacated by term-limited Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, who is serving his fourth and final two-year term.

The April 8 ballot will feature a contest between two businesspeople, Mary Collette and Jeff Schrag. With a voter-approved lengthening of the mayoral term to four years, but still limiting the mayor’s time in office to eight years, the winner will be eligible to serve two terms.

Collette, a former member of Springfield City Council, operates Commercial Street event venue Historic Firehouse No. 2 and is president of the Commercial Club, a civic group centered on preserving and promoting Historic C-Street.

Schrag is founder and minority owner of Mother’s Brewing Co. and owner of the Springfield Daily Events newspaper.

Springfield Business Journal held separate interviews with the candidates for this story and asked each the same set of questions.

Additionally, an interview with the mayoral candidates is below from the nonpartisan Informed Voter Coalition, a 13-member group of which SBJ is a part.