Springfield council appoints Alderman Chuck Redpath city clerk after heated debate over process

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield City Council voted on Jan. 7, 2025, to amend ordinance 2024-497 and appoint Alderman Chuck Redpath as city clerk, passing the ordinance by a 5-3 vote with two members recorded as present.

The vote followed nearly two hours of council debate and more than a dozen public comments that pressed for a formal, published application process before the council filled the vacancy left when former city clerk Frank Lusko resigned effective Jan. 1, 2025.

The dispute centered on process rather than qualifications. Alderman Hanauer moved amendment No. 1 to insert Alderman Chuck Redpath’s name into the draft ordinance; that amendment passed. Opponents argued the council had time under the consent decree to craft a public selection process and that appointing a sitting alderman without a broader recruitment period would look like backroom politics.

Alderman Chuck Redpath, who addressed the council before the votes, outlined priorities he said he would pursue if appointed: filling vacant positions in the clerk’s office, restoring a deputy clerk chain of command, improving records and FOIA processing,…