Voters will likely have two candidates to consider for Springfield mayor in the upcoming spring election, as a well-known figure seeks another shot at the city’s top job.
Gail Simpson gave an impromptu speech to a small group of supporters on Monday and announced her intention to challenge incumbent Mayor Misty Buscher for her seat.
“We can’t continue to do what we’re doing in Springfield and expect a different result,” Simpson said in a clip posted on the Facebook page of Ken Pacha, a local Democrat activist.
“That’s not a cliche, that’s for real. If you look around the city of Springfield, there’s a lot that’s wrong.”
Simpson represented Ward 2 for two terms beginning in 2007 and became the first African American woman to sit in the Springfield City Council’s horseshoe. She succeeded Frank McNeil, who sued the city in 1984, resulting in the current aldermanic form of government and ushering in representation from the city’s Black community.
Simpson didn’t run for a third term on the council in 2015, instead seeking the mayor’s seat. She lost to city treasurer Jim Langfelder in a four-way race.
In 2019, she ran for her former seat in Ward 2 and lost in a draw to break the tied vote against then political newcomer Shawn Gregory. Gregory was re-elected in 2023 and is running again for a third term.
Simpson retired in 2018 after working for several decades for state government.
“The issues that were prevalent when I was an alder and that were also prevalent when I was running for mayor are still plaguing the city of Springfield,” she told Illinois Times. “There’s an imbalance of development.”
She added, “There’s been no real effort to make sure that every citizen in Springfield has a decent quality of life, and that’s why I’m running.”
Candidate petition filings for the consolidated elections begin on Oct. 19 with last day on Oct. 23.
