A third seat was was up for grabs during the race due to longtime commissioner Joyce Chilton deciding to not seek re-election after holding her seat for 12 years. Phillips replaced her.
Phillips, who was born and raised in Springfield, said she was encouraged to run due to wanting to bring more representation to the Springfield City Commission.
She is a special education administrator for the Springfield City School District, and grew up in the South End.
Phillips said it is an absolute honor to be able to represent her community and city as a commissioner. She said that she also received a lot of support and guidance from Chilton.
“I am absolutely overwhelmed. I am honored to be walking in the footsteps of Joyce Chilton. I would not be able to do it without her support and guidance,” Phillips said of her election victory Tuesday night.
Phillips was third in the race for Springfield City Commission, according to election results from the board of elections. She will be the only woman on the commission when her term begins n January, and she wants to use her voice to connect with and benefit residents across the city.
Commissioner Rue won his seat with 27.87% of the votes, followed by Estrop’s 26.33%. Phillips had 25.66% of the votes and political newcomer Julius Bailey came in last with 20.14% of the vote.
Bailey is a professor of philosophy at Wittenberg University. His decision to run this year as a first time candidate was due to wanting to do more to help residents.
Credit: Andrew Grimm
Credit: Andrew Grimm
“For me, that answer manifested in working with local stakeholders, holistically, to meet the needs of people, especially, but not exclusively, the marginalized. By holistic, I mean from economic to social, from emotional to spiritual, Springfield is in need of a renewal, revival and rebranding,” Bailey previously told the News-Sun, calling his electoral bid the care campaign.
As for election night on Tuesday, Bailey said he was disappointed in lower voter turnout in the city. But he wanted to show support to the winners of the race.
“I look forward to working with them and other stakeholders in the future,” Bailey said, noting that he wants to still be active in the community.
“I want to help where I can. Electoral politics may not be the answer for me at this time. But I want to help and lend my voice to where it is needed” he added.
Rue is a local business owner and the president and general manager of Littleton & Rue Funeral Home and Crematory. He said that he was running for re-election because he believed that the city has made many steps towards progress and wanted to continue to be part of those decisions during a second term.
“It is honestly such an honor,” Rue said Tuesday night of his re-election.
Rue said that he wanted to focus on bringing economic opportunities to Springfield as well as work with public and private organizations in order to save tax payers money.
“When I first ran I wanted to get to know the entire community and represent the entire community not just where I happened to be raised,” Rue said.
“This is a time in Springfield like no other, with the growth and people investing in our community. As a commissioner, I am happy to see that,” Rue added.
Estrop previously served as the superintendent of the Springfield City School District before being elected in 2017 as a commissioner.
Estrop said he wanted to seek a second term due to a feeling that there was much that could still be done in making Springfield a better place to live and work.
“We have made great progress in Springfield in the last four years. However, much remains to be done. I want to continue the work and move us forward together,” he said.
Estrop said Tuesday night that he was grateful to have the support of voters and to be given the opportunity to serve a second term.
“It feels great. I appreciate the confidence that people have shown in my continued involvement in the leadership of the city of Springfield. The progress that we have made and will make in the future is based upon our ability to work together,” Estrop said Tuesday night.
The city of Springfield is the largest city in Clark County and is the county seat. It has a population of 58,662, according to U.S. Census estimates as of 2020. The city operates with a general fund of around $48 million annually.
Commissioners serve four year terms, and winners of this election will begin their terms in January.
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