SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Misty Buscher has been elected as Springfield's new mayor. She will be the city's second female mayor.
Current Mayor Jim Langfelder conceded to Mayor-Elect Buscher on Tuesday night. He served three terms as city treasurer before serving two terms as Springfield mayor.
During her campaign, Buscher told WAND News, after eight years in the city treasurer's office, she's ready to see a change in Springfield.
"It was not growing in the way that I wanted it to grow with economic development, infrastructure. I wanted to see more neighborhood policing, less crime," Buscher said.
Misty Buscher
With 25 years in the finance industry, eight in the city treasurer's office and decades of charity work, she feels that she has the skills to lead the city.
When asked about her priorities for after elections, Buscher said said she wants to focus on city beautification and better communication within city government.
Buscher wants to create a public/private partnership between the city and local businesses to encourage them to keep the areas in front of their businesses clean.
"Things like asking the owner to once or twice a week to commit to policing the area around your place and pick up any rubbish or garbage that goes along the railways or around the front and sweep up," said Buscher. "We would then display a public/private partnership cool artistic sign from the city to show that the business is participating in it."
The mayor-elect says she has also heard a lot of complaints from city council members about not having enough time or information to research new issues before voting on them. Buscher says she is planning on having meetings each week to talk to the alderpeople and see what issues they might have and share the issues she will present.
Buscher's inauguration will take place on May 5 with more details to come.
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