Springfield Mayor Ken McClure reflected on the past year in Springfield during his annual State of the City Address this morning, imploring Springfieldians to reimagine what will be in Springfield. 

"Today, I commemorate our community’s brave, innovative and critical work in the battle of our intersecting crises. The pandemic has illuminated vast inequities and now we are collectively feeling the post-traumatic reverberations and unpredicted ramifications ranging from workforce shortages to supply chain issues to mental health struggles,” he said.

“As I speak with people throughout our community, I encourage them to keep hope and faith alive. It is ok to reach out for help. It is OK to not be OK. We should always look forward, however, shining a light on meaningful efforts to heal and reimagine ‘what can be’ and turn it into ‘what will be.’ I have said it before, but will say it again: there is nothing wrong with Springfield that cannot be fixed by what is right with Springfield.”

The yearly address, which comprised the June Good Morning Springfield! program hosted by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, was live-streamed from Evangel University’s Robert H. Spence Chapel.

-View a replay of the livestream here.

-View the full text of the State of the City address here.

-View the slideshow here.

For more information, please contact Cora Scott, director of Public Information & Civic Engagement, at 417-380-3352.