The current Springfield city clerk is not seeking another term, leaving the seat open for either a government veteran or a newcomer to fill the seat.
City Clerk Chuck Redpath said he has mixed feelings about stepping away.
“I’m glad it’s over, but it’s going to be bad because I’ve been involved in politics my whole life,” he said.
Redpath holds the title as the longest-serving council member.
He was first elected to the Springfield City Council in 1987, initially representing Ward 4 for two decades, stepping down in 2007 due to term limits after the city’s form of government changed. Redpath was reelected to the city council in 2015, this time representing Ward 1, and served for nearly a decade before resigning to be appointed to his current position.
Regarding what he’ll do with his free time, he said, “I have five grandchildren, and I have a farm. My wife and I are finally going to get some alone time, maybe.”
Redpath said while he’s not seeking an elected position, he’ll stay politically engaged.
“Obviously my daughter’s the city treasurer, so I’ll be involved as long as she’s involved,” he said. “And, I’ll stay involved in local politics because that’s just what I do. I’m a public servant.”
Voters will see a familiar name in at least one candidate running for Springfield city clerk. Former Sangamon County Recorder Josh Langfelder is joining the race after much internal debate, he said.
“I’ve been asked to run for different things, and I’ve struggled back and forth because I enjoy my job. Then about a month ago I decided, ‘Yeah, I’m going to pull the trigger,’” Langfelder said. He told Illinois Times he plans to file his petitions Monday afternoon.
Langfelder works at the Illinois secretary of state in the Illinois State Archives as an archival program administrator.
“This (the city clerk job) falls right in the alley of my experience, of what I did previously and what I’m doing with my position now with the state archives,” he said.
Langfelder is married and has two adult daughters — one is a pharmacist, another a nurse — and a teenage daughter. He has an associate’s degree from Lincoln Land Community College.
Langfelder comes from a family with a long history in public service. His father, Ossie Langfelder, and brother, Jim Langfelder, both served as Springfield mayors.
He served as Sangamon County Recorder for 16 years, where he was in charge of maintaining documents.
Langfelder lost his 2024 reelection bid for a fifth term by 31 votes to Republican Frank Lesko, who was then in the role of city clerk. Lesko maintained his city clerk position even after he was sworn in as the county recorder; a discovery recount was still underway that allowed for Langfelder’s campaign to examine 25% of the ballots.
After that process was complete, Langfelder chose not to move forward with a court challenge for a recount of every ballot cast in Sangamon County. Meanwhile, Lesko was criticized for holding two positions simultaneously – one in the city and the other in the county.
Illinois Times reported that Lesko said he held off on resigning from the clerk’s spot because he was concerned a recount might go against him and he would become unemployed.
Once Lesko resigned as city clerk, then-Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath was appointed to fill his role during a contentious city council meeting where some council members criticized Mayor Misty Buscher for not providing a formal announcement and process for accepting nominations to fill the vacancy. Instead, Redpath was chosen in quick succession after Lesko’s resignation, a move that was heavily scrutinized since he was allowed to vote for his own appointment to city clerk.
“I had voiced on many occasions that we should have an open selection process because we were all basically just elected,” Ward 6 Ald. Jennifer Notariano recalled.
“So, It didn’t seem right to appoint someone in a closed process because they would be serving out essentially the whole term,” she said. “It was the impression of a lot of us — or some of us — that we would be putting names forward for discussion, not actually deciding that night.”
Notariano said Langfelder had contacted her about his interest in the position and she put his name forward during the meeting, but to no avail.
Langfelder said he’s motivated to enter the race due to his love of Springfield and his commitment to community service.
“I love working in government and with individuals and assisting them with everyday records that can help them with their daily lives,” he said.
Langfelder said if elected city clerk, some of his priorities will be “making it a more efficient office and more transparent.”
Another contender for the race is 53-year-old Spurgeon Johnson. He’s currently a board member on the Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission and previously ran unsuccessfully the Springfield Public School District 186 Board of Education.
Johnson is a U.S. Army veteran, an accountant and a job coordinator with the Springfield Urban League. He holds a masters in business administration and public health and a doctorate in religious studies. He’s married and the father of three children with his eldest serving overseas in the U.S. Air Force.
Johnson said if he wins, he’ll run the office with transparency and efficiency a top priority.
“I want to make sure that we bring the city clerk office to the 21st century and relieve ourselves from being indoctrinated with so much paper, and make us more accessible with information being available electronically,” Johnson said.
“I want to assist with creating a better link between all of our citizens and the government,” he added.
Monday, Oct. 26, is the last day to file petitions for the April 6 municipal election. A primary will be held Feb. 23 if any race has five or more candidates.
