Captain Springfield: First round of 7th season begins
The seventh year of the News-Leader's Captain Springfield contest begins today. Below are the 16 people who received the most nominations.
As always, readers are asked to vote no more than once per hour. If we discover mass voting, those votes can be deleted.
Each round will last approximately 24 hours. Here are your 2022 Captain Springfield contestants. The voting poll can be found at the bottom of this story.
1. Patrick Nett vs. 16. Steve Williams
Patrick Nett is the owner of Thai Express. His restaurant gained a following on social media in the last two years as he posted about his restaurant's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Steve Williams is the owner of Crosstown Barbecue. The Division Street staple recently celebrated 50 years in business.
2. Art Hains vs. 15. Katie Towns
Art Hains is likely the most recognizable voice in Springfield radio. He's the longtime host of Sports Talk on the JOCK and the "voice of the Bears," calling games for Missouri State sports.
Katie Towns is the director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department. She has been a leader in the fight against COVID-19 and other health issues the region faces.
3. Bob Belote vs. Jennifer Moore
Bob Belote is the director of the Springfield-Greene County Parks Department. His department oversees numerous parks, golf courses, community centers and sports complexes.
Jennifer Moore is the News Director at KSMU, the local NPR affiliate in Springfield. The West Plains native calls Springfield home after years covering issues in the Middle East.
4. Daniel Ogunyemi vs. 13. Kris Inman
Daniel Ogunyemi is the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Ozarks Technical Community College. Ogunyemi has previously been a leader for local nonprofits including Burrell Behavioral Health and CASA of Southwest Missouri.
Kris Inman is the director of Springfield-Greene County 911. Prior to his appointment, Inman worked with the emergency dispatch operation for 25 years.
5. Claudette Riley vs. 12. Keith Guttin
Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has covered both K-12 and higher education in the community, focusing both on daily updates on long-term investigations and analysis.
Keith Guttin has been the head coach of the Missouri State baseball team since 1983. He is third all time in wins for Division I baseball coaches. Among his many accomplishments was leading the Bears to the College World Series in 2003.
6. Carrie Richardson vs. Steve Grant
Carrie Richardson is the executive director of Leadership Springfield. The Leadership Springfield program is designed to educate and train people who strive to be leaders in the community.
Steve Grant is a longtime anchor for KY3. He is a graduate of Evangel University and president of the NATAS Mid-America Chapter of the Emmy Awards.
7. Grenita Lathan vs. 10. Brandon Beck
Grenita Lathan is the superintendent of Springfield Public Schools, the largest district in Missouri. She was interim superintendent of the public school district in Houston prior to being hired in Springfield in 2021.
Brandon Beck has been a meteorologist for KY3 since 1996. He has reported on numerous weather events including the 2007 ice storm in Springfield.
8. Betsy Fogle vs. 9. Jesse Wiser
Betsy Fogle is the current representative for District 135 in the Missouri House. Fogle is a former public health worker and sits on the House budget committee.
Jesse Wiser is the owner of Wiser Living, a real estate company focused on educating people about real estate and wealth management.
Vote: https://news-leader.secondstreetapp.com/Round-1/
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Captain Springfield: First round of 7th season begins
