Springfield Council member Justin Burnett held a town hall last night, Thursday the 25th of February. The turnout was higher than normal with representatives from several Neighborhood Association Committees as well as those that had been involved in the movement to recall Justin Burnett from city council. Cora Scott noted the large gathering stating that past meetings only had 12 people, and 9 of them were city employees. Weeks ago Justin Burnett had resigned his council seat only to quickly rescind his resignation before it became official. At that time he promised a Town Hall and an attempt to unite the political divide in Springfield.

The first half of the meeting included a variety of speakers including Dan Smith, Police Chief Paul Williams, Sarah Kerner, Cora Scott, and City Manager Greg Burris. Smith encouraged citizens to vote on on continuing a 1/4 cent sales tax and another 1/8 cent tax on Tuesday, April 5th. Police Chief Williams discussed crime and the resources available to work with neighborhoods, and Mr. Burris discussed the Impacting Poverty studies in great detail.

The remaining half of the meeting centered on Justin Burnett answering questions which seemed to mostly come from the group attempting to recall him. Justin avoided taking stances on issues that have caused controversy in the past. Katie Webb, spokesperson for the Recall Justin Burnett campaign, started with the issue of refugee settlement. In contrast to previous statements in opposition to refugee resettlement in Missouri, Burnett stated, “I’ve thought about that issue, and I think that is something we will let the politicians fight over in Jefferson City. I’ll stay out of that one. It’s highly controversial on both sides, I think on some of those political issues I’m going to keep myself out of it, and let the politicians who are partisans delve into that.”

Ms. Webb revealed that she also works with Springfield Welcome Home, an organization that helps resettle refugees, and she pressed harder asking, “So I can feel comfortable telling the new refugees that are coming here, ‘Springfield Welcomes you’.” Without hesitation Justin responded, “Yes, we welcome anyone that comes here legally.”

Mr. Burnett faced the repeated question of whether he would vote on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) if it came up in city council. Burnett avoided taking a stance on the issue stating only that he would have to investigate what his constituents wanted in that hypothetical situation. However, when he was asked if building bridges included the LGBTQ community, he replied, “Absolutely, I think it includes all aspects of the community. As an elected official, we can’t just say it just includes certain groups.”

A written question wanted to know if he would still pursue “In God We Trust” being placed in Council Chambers in which he felt the issue had already been discussed. He was ready to move on with the many other concerns our city faces. He was then further asked if religion played a role in his decisions. He continued to remain neutral stating, “When I approach a decision, what I do when we get council agendas, is I look at the topic and all of the background of the topic. You know, so it’s looking at the logic.”

Some of the questions dealt with poverty and the homeless. Justin pointed out that a meeting will be held on February 29th to address the issue of crisis sheltering. He dug into his notes and brought up the fact that a local organization named One Door was being utilized for helping homeless find resources, but they were in need of additional staff.”I think that is what we need to advocate for in the budget.”

Director of Philanthropy for The Springfield Skeptics, Cora Hanf, who also works with Springfield Welcome Home, Hearts for the Homeless and The Veterans Coming Home Center challenged Justin more directly on this subject. She pointed out that as the city cracks down on nuisance properties, they are also displacing homeless residing there overnight. Her concern was that the homeless have no alternative with the shortage of crisis shelters. Without giving details, Burnett simply acknowledged that other programs may be needed.

After the meeting, the Recall Justin Burnett spokesperson Katie Webb was gathering feedback from others in the movement, “If they want to continue we will. If they want to wait and see we will do that.”

No definite decision was made at the meeting, but the reactions of others in the movement seemed to be a mixture of satisfaction and caution.

Bon Tindle, who has announced her intention to run for a seat on City Council after being vocally opposed to Burnett in the past, had this to say, “I was impressed with how well Justin handled himself. There were rocky moments but he seems sincerely committed to change. Now it’s time to watch and see what he actually does, because without action none of this means anything.”

Eric Wells, sitting among some of the Recall members stated, “I think it was an overall success! Definitely worth the price of admission. Some good info was passed onto the public and some hard questions were asked. Midway through the Q&A Mr. Burnett got a bit choked up. I think he did a good job facing the firing squad this evening.”

Steven Olsen seemed to be genuinely swayed, “I’m going to be cautious about him, but if his recent actions represent a sea change, I’ll lose interest in the recall…it’s important to be willing to lower your weapons when the conflict is resolved.”

Whether Councilman Justin Burnett has swayed the entire movement is still unclear, however the purpose of the meeting to connect with citizens was achieved. Greg Burris was able to communicate what they had learned from neighborhoods with the Impacting Poverty studies. Police Chief Williams presented individuals available to help Springfield neighborhoods prevent crime, and Justin Burnett demonstrated he was willing to answer tough questions from his constituents in Zone 2.