Councilman questions Good Government Committee's process of recruiting, endorsing candidates

Long a critic of Springfield's business community, councilman Craig Hosmer again called into question the city's relationship with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and affiliated Good Government Committee — this time alleging the Chamber-backed PAC's endorsement process in the upcoming April election.

"I've heard from (candidates) running for council that they never got interviewed by the Chamber. They never got any questions from the Chamber, and the Chamber has made endorsements," Hosmer said — conflating the Chamber and Good Government Committee. "We're a member of the Chamber. It seems sort of counterintuitive that you wouldn't want to interview people to make sure those people have the same values that our city does — the priorities that we think are important for the city."

Formed in 2008, the Good Government Committee is a joint political action committee created by the Springfield-Area Chamber of Commerce and the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield. The committee has its own bylaws and a separate governing board and finances from the chamber and the HBA, according to its website.

"The Committee recruits, endorses and supports candidates for Springfield, Missouri, City Council. SGGC has supported candidates with proven track records of community and board service, professional skill sets that include data and budget analysis/fiscal literacy, and an understanding of the fundamentals of local economic growth," reads its own description.

Hosmer has previously criticized the Chamber of Commerce and the SGGC. According to the councilman, the distinction between the two entities is dubious and the city's membership in the Chamber has a conflict as long as the Good Government Committee endorses city council candidates.

"They run our races. They are the biggest donors to anybody's campaign. They run campaigns out of the Chamber office, and the city is a member of the Chamber," Hosmer said last year. At the time, Chamber President Matt Morrow said the criticism amounted to "political retaliation" because the SGGC refused to endorse Hosmer's 2021 reelection.

The Good Government Committee has endorsed Mayor Ken McClure, Zone 2 incumbent Abe McGull, General Seat C candidate Callie Carroll, and General Seat D candidate Derek Lee in the April 2023 elections.

Several candidates in the ongoing election who were not endorsed by the Good Government Committee confirmed to the News-Leader they were not interviewed or contacted by the committee before endorsements were made.

In a statement to the News-Leader, Good Government Committee board member Debra Shantz Hart explained that unlike many other groups that endorse city council candidates, the SGGC also recruits city council candidates. The recruitment process means that a selection is often made by their board before candidates for the election file their intent to run.

"For more than a decade, the Springfield Good Government Committee has been recruiting and endorsing candidates for Springfield City Council. The process of recruitment is ongoing and can result in an endorsement taking place in advance of/very early in a particular election cycle," Hart told the News-Leader.

"Consequently, an endorsement may occur before other individuals have announced their intention to run, submitted petitions or been certified. That is why on occasion, for example, someone has been endorsed for a seat in an election cycle in which there is ultimately no opponent."

On their website, the SGGC states that candidates are endorsed after "a rigorous interview and survey process about their views on a wide range of issues affecting business and the community."

Hart clarified that this statement is only meant to pertain to the candidates endorsed, not necessarily all candidates in the race. She also pointed out that Hosmer's opponent was not interviewed by the Good Government Committee when the group endorsed him in one of his previous city council elections.

Those who are selected for an interview by the SGGC are "requested to fill out a questionnaire prior to meeting with the committee and they also receive a copy of the SGGC Platform in advance of that," she added.

"There are a variety of other organizations that endorse among the certified candidates but do not necessarily focus on recruiting candidates. It is common for them to conduct an interview process following candidate certification. The emphasis for Springfield Good Government Committee has always been on recruiting qualified candidates early in the process who have the background, professional expertise and leadership experience that equip them to serve on city council."

Hosmer questions city relationship to Chamber

In an attempt to point out an alleged conflict of interest, Hosmer suggested during Tuesday night's meeting that the city should have an influence on the Good Government endorsement process since the city is a member of the Chamber of Commerce.

City Manager Jason Gage said staff would refuse to be involved in any such discussions.

"We don't get involved in any way with those types of activities..." Gage told Hosmer. "I don't know what their criteria is. And quite honestly, if they did ask staff to be involved because of our separation from the elected aspect, we would decline that."

Hosmer went on to say that voters could be "confused" because they "see the chamber endorsing and they see the city being a member of the chamber."

"I think it leads to some misunderstanding of where the city should be and where the city is."

Hosmer also questioned city staff's participation in Chamber of Commerce "Growth and Development" meetings.

Gage explained such meetings are a "convener" for a "variety of aspects of the development community to talk about a variety of topics."

"There's no voting, there's no directive or direction. Technically here's no requests of the group or anything like that. It's really a conversation opportunity for everybody. We listen … Sometimes there are things we might not agree with. Just like I said — a typical discussion," Gage said.

Staff attends these meetings because they are invited by the Chamber, Gage added.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Chamber-backed Good Government Committee recruits council candidates