The vote was close but Springfield voters on Tuesday rejected an anti-discrimination ordinance meant to protect gay men, lesbian women, and transgender people. The Springfield City Council added those protections to the city's broader anti-discrimination ordinance last October.
With all the votes tallied, about 51.4 percent of the Springfield voters on Tuesday said they wanted to repeal the City Council's action, while 48.6 percent wanted to retain it. The raw numbers are 15,347 people voted "yes" to repeal the anti-discrimination ordinance and 14,493 people voted "no" to keep it on the books.
For a brief time on Tuesday night, when about 60 percent of the precincts were counted, the "no repeal" votes had a slim lead over the "yes, repeal" votes. As more precincts were counted, however, the "yes" votes went back on top.
Nearly 24 percent of registered voters in Greene County went to the polls on Tuesday. That is the highest turnout in decades for a Greene County election in April. Most years, turnout for those city and school district elections is 15 percent or less. In April 2011, when Springfield voters approved a much debated anti-smoking ordinance, 16 percent of registered voters in Greene County went to the polls.
The amendment aimed to provide protection from discrimination for gay, lesbian and transgender people in the areas of jobs, housing, and public accommodations. Those are the same protections guaranteed in the ordinance to women and people of color in Springfield.
Opponents of the protections for gay, lesbian and transgender people collected petition signatures to force the City Council to either repeal the anti-discrimination amendment or to put it before voters. The City Council chose to put it on the ballot.
The campaign to repeal the amendment and the campaign to keep it both raised thousands of dollars to buy signs, ads, and mailings to support their position. Each side held news conferences and rallies to try to persuade people.
The "yes, repeal" supporters said the amendment means transgender women (men who feel like women or are transitioning to women) have permission to use restrooms of women and girls. They also said it would have violated the rights of conservative Christians who oppose the lifestyles of gay men and lesbian women, and don't want to serve them in their businesses.
The "no repeal" said the amendment is necessary to show Springfield is a progressive community that is accepting of people of all walks of life. They argue that transgender women already may use women's restrooms if they wish -- and that transgender people have no more proclivity to be rapists and molesters than anybody else in society.
In other Springfield City Council races,
- Mayor Bob Stephens (64 percent, 16,740 votes) won re-election over Steven Reed (36 percent, 9,531 votes);
- For General Council seat C, Kristi Fulnecky (65 percent, 16,810 votes) beat Len Eagleburger (35 percent, 9,072 votes);
- For General Seat D, Ken McClure was unopposed and collected 22,270 votes.
- In Zone 2, Justin Burnett (39 percent, 2,489 votes) beat Buck VanHooser (33 percent, 2,074 votes) and Josh Mareschal (28 percent, 1,810 votes).
- In Zone 3, Mike Schilling (56 percent, 3,022 votes) unseated incumbent Jerry Compton (44 percent, 2,355 votes).
Stephens was elected to the City Council in 2009 and became mayor in 2012 when Mayor Jim O'Neal resigned to tend to his struggling trucking company. Fulnecky replaces Doug Burlison, who served two four-year terms on the council and did not run again. McClure replaces Mike Carroll, who was appointed to an open seat in 2013 and chose not to run for a full term. Burnett replaces Cindy Rushefsky, who served two four-year terms and did not seek a third term. Compton has served six years on the council.
The four newcomers will join Stephens, Craig Fishel, Craig Hosmer, and Jan Fisk on the nine-member City Council. The council will soon fill an unexpired term after the resignation in February of Jeff Seifried, who took a job in Branson as president and chief executive officer of the chamber of commerce there.
