Mayor touts coronavirus response, community organizations in 'State of the City' address

Katie Kull
Springfield News-Leader
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure delivers the State of the City address at Evangel University on Thursday, June 6, 2019.

Mayor Ken McClure on Thursday praised city, nonprofit, health care and other local leaders for their responses to the coronavirus in his "State of the City" address. 

The video-streamed speech, which is normally given to a live audience at the Greater Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce's "Good Morning, Springfield" series, got off to a bit of a rocky start when an early morning storm knocked the power out at Evangel University. 

But shortly after 8:30 a.m., the event started with McClure emphasizing that the state of the area is "strong" despite recent challenges. 

He cited the area's colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, health department, major hospitals, mental health providers, businesses and faith and government leaders for their work to keep the community afloat during the pandemic. 

He referenced a recent City Council resolution condemning the actions of the white police officers in Minnesota that caused the death of a black man, calling on "all us to think twice about the dignity of all persons, the value of life and our responsibility as a community." 

"The inequities laid bare by the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd and the long history of discrimination and racism in this country make it painfully clear how far we are from a truly inclusive democracy that fairly and effectively serves all Americans," he said. 

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure delivers his State of the City address in 2019. This year's event was done over video stream due to the coronavirus.

But McClure acknowledged that the city and country have not been doing enough to make that vision of equality a reality. 

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"All of us should be asking ourselves and urging all Springfieldians to ask themselves: How can we do much more to build a community that truly works for everyone — not just right now, but in the days, weeks, months and years to come?" he said. 

He also highlighted the work of various city departments, focusing on some of the "placemaking" initiatives in the works, such as the Grant Avenue Parkway set to run from Sunshine Street to downtown. 

When speaking about local businesses, McClure highlighted several major company expansions, as well as efforts to use the city's loan program to help businesses recover from coronavirus-related closures. 

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But he noted the city will also likely face challenges following the coronavirus. One-third of the municipal budget relies on sales tax. 

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To mitigate that deficit, local leaders have in the past urged state lawmakers to approve rules applying local sales taxes to online purchases. 

"This is a fairness issue to our local employers, their families and employees," McClure said. "They deserve tax policies to be applied evenly and fairly." 

Despite those challenges, McClure said the city had a lot to look forward to, noting an ongoing effort to form a comprehensive plan for future growth, goals and land use. 

"Following the pandemic ... there will be a reset — our chance to re-imagine and re-create Springfield in a way we would never have experienced before this pandemic occurred," he said. "We will emerge from this stronger than before." 

Katie Kull covers local government for the News-Leader. Got a story to tell? Give her a call at 417-408-1025 or email her at kkull@news-leader.com. You can also support local journalism at News-Leader.com/subscribe.