In a narrow vote, Springfield City Council has officially hired David Cameron , the city administrator from nearby Republic, as Springfield's next city manager. Council voted 5-4 at a special meeting Tuesday, May 27, to approve Cameron's employment contract and voiced both support and concerns for the man known for his "disruptive" leadership style.

Those voting against Cameron's hiring, council members Brandon Jenson, Monica Horton, Craig Hosmer and Bruce Adib-Yazdi, raised concerns about Cameron's lack of experience in a city Springfield's size. While the Tuesday meeting did not include a public comment portion, the meeting was well attended by members of the public, especially representatives from several neighborhood associations, with standing room only.

Cameron was not present at the Tuesday meeting but provided a statement via the city's Public Information Office.

"While I won’t be present for the official announcement due to a previously scheduled mental health retreat, I want to express my deep appreciation for the trust the Mayor, City Council, and community extended to me," Cameron said in the statement. "This is not about one individual; it’s about what we can accomplish together in Springfield, across the region, and throughout Missouri. I understand this decision was not unanimous, and I respect those who voted differently. Their commitment to public service is evident, and I look forward to earning their trust through our shared work ahead."

The final vote on the employment contract came after a months-long search since former city manager Jason Gage announced his resignation in October and departed in January after receiving a hefty severance package. Cameron's employment contract includes a salary of $350,000, a significant increase from the $267,644.52 Gage was making when he left.

During a public hearing May 19, differences of opinion about Cameron's aptness for the Springfield job emerged both from the council and the public. While representatives from the business and philanthropic sectors rallied behind Cameron and praised his "disruptive" leadership witnessed in Republic, a neighborhood advocate was wary of the lack of experience Cameron had in a city Springfield's size and the negative consequences that disruptiveness could bring.

Vote for tabling fails

The final vote was taken outside of the council's regular processes, which some council members had previously argued against before Mayor Jeff Schrag indicated he would not budge on the decision. Council typically votes on council bills, outside of emergencies, at its regular meetings that take place Monday evenings. The bills are read twice at two consecutive meetings with a public hearing at the first and council members making comment ahead of their vote at the second.

The final vote was scheduled for a special session meeting on a Tuesday afternoon, though council members were allowed to make comment during the first reading May 19, at the more public and accessible meeting. Schrag mentioned he did not want to have the vote within a 30-day window from Cameron's start date on July 7, and Councilman Abe McGull had indicated earlier he would be absent from the June 9 regular meeting. Hosmer motioned to table the vote until the June 23 meeting, but the motion failed 4-5 with only council members Hosmer, Horton, Jenson and Adib-Yazdi in support.

Although Hardinger voted against tabling the vote Tuesday, she had previously made comment favoring a more public vote. While Schrag called the vote “time sensitive,” Hosmer said there was nothing in the contract that would require rushing the process and straying from council’s typical processes, calling it likely “the most consequential vote” the community will see. Darla Morrison, the city’s director of human resources, said if the contract was approved within two weeks from the start date, the department would make the onboarding process work and did not foresee any challenges with the timeline.

Council members divided on Cameron's qualifications

At the May 19 meeting, Jenson indicated he was going to vote against Cameron's employment because he believed the search had not turned up the type of candidates the city was in need of right now, especially with the increase to the salary. The $350,000 salary point was set as the starting salary, exceeding the range advertised for the city manager position in Kansas City, at $250,000 to $325,000.

Hosmer expressed similar concerns with the high salary point, the highest for a city manager in Missouri, and the inclusion of a nine-month severance package in the contract, especially as Springfield struggles with an above-average poverty rate.

“We also promised ourselves that that $350,000 salary was going to attract someone from a big city that's dealt with the big city problems that the city of Springfield faces. Instead, we're going six miles away to a city that's one-tenth the size of the city of Springfield, and that's not a criticism of Mr. Cameron, but he hasn't dealt with the big issues that we have to deal with,” Hosmer said. “To get the issue right on development is a relatively easy solution, but to get the issues right on poverty, on homelessness, on mental health, on drug and alcohol, on crime — those are hard. You need the city manager that's got experience in those issues, because those are the issues that are going to impact Springfield more than whether or not we're open for business.”

Horton said she received feedback from more than 70 members of the public within the past week and noted those largely asked the council to table the vote and start the search over.

“To the extent that that matters, that we have a latent response from our public, but also the feedback that we have received from the staff, in terms of the lowest ratings of the candidate of the simple majority,” she said. “It's one of those things where my vote is not against this candidate, it is a ‘no’ vote for the people.”

Council members Derek Lee and Callie Carroll expressed their support for Cameron at the May 19 meeting, leaning on their past experience working with him and witnessing his work in Republic. Cameron has been credited for significant growth and development in Republic in his nine-year tenure, including landing an Amazon fulfillment center and Convoy of Hope's distribution center.

With the hiring of the past two city managers, council has been much more aligned in their vote. For Gage, the vote was unanimous, while for Greg Burris, the vote in 2008 saw just one vote in opposition. Schrag told media after Cameron was announced as the final pick that he did not think a unanimous vote was necessary, as long as there is a majority to get the hiring across the finish line. Those voting in opposition to Cameron's contract said they will still be committed to the city manager's success moving forward, emphasizing hopes that the man recognizes the different needs Springfield has.

"I caution City Council, and I caution the city manager to understand that Springfield is not Republic," Hosmer said. "Springfield has different issues than Republic."

Both Schrag and Adib-Yazdi joined the hiring process late after being elected in April. The three finalists for the job were announced the day after the municipal election .

Now that Cameron's contract has been officially approved, he will start on the job July 7.

This story has been updated to include additional information and photos.