FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Councilman Doug Burlison will host an informal Q&A session for those interested in running for City Council 2:30-4:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Midtown Branch Library’s upstairs meeting room. Councilman Burlison, who is not seeking reelection, will be available to answer questions about serving on City Council. Filing opened Dec. 2 for those interested in running for City Council. Five of nine council seats are on the ballot. The following seats are up for election:
- Mayor (Stephens, who is seeking reelection);
- General Seat C (Burlison, who is not seeking reelection);
- General Seat D (Carroll, who is not seeking reelection);
- Zone 2 (Rushefsky, who is not seeking reelection);
- Zone 3 (Compton, who is anticipated to seek reelection, but has not filed his application yet).
Those interested in running for an open City Council seat or for Springfield mayor may officially file an application with the City Clerk’s office. The deadline for application and petition submissions is 5 p.m., Jan. 20, 2015. Regular office hours of the Springfield City Clerk are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Those wishing to file petitions must meet the following criteria:
- Qualified voter of the city;
- Resident of the city for at least two years immediately prior to their election; and
- Additionally, if filing for one of the Zone seats, must be a resident of their respective zone for at least one year prior to election.
To be valid, the petitions must meet the following criteria:
- Zone - 100 registered voters, who reside in the particular zone
- General - 200 registered voters, who reside within the city limits.
The General Municipal Election is Tuesday, April 7, 2015. For more information, or to reach Councilman Burlison, contact the City Clerk's office at 864-1650.