What is the Springfield Good Government Committee?
The Springfield Good Government Committee (SGGC), is a partnership of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield. It has been in place for more than 10 years. The Committee has its own bylaws, a separate governing board and finances from the Chamber and the HBA. The Committee is registered as a political action committee with the Missouri Ethics Commission and reports all donations, expenditures and contributions, etc., as required by law.
The governing board of the SGGC recruits, endorses and supports candidates for Springfield, Missouri, City Council. SGGC has supported candidates with proven track records of community and board service, professional skills sets that include data and budget analysis/fiscal literacy, and an understanding of the fundamentals of local economic growth.
Does the Committee have a platform?
The Springfield Good Government Committee platform prioritizes job creation, small business growth and investment in transportation among other core responsibilities of city government such as public safety. The platform includes principles of governing that result in good government such as not being motivated by a personal or narrow agenda, ensuring local control, input from the governed and those impacted by policy, administrative efficiency, and accountability/specificity for tax proposals. To see the full platform document click here.
Does the Committee report contributions received, money spent and donations to candidates, etc.?
Yes. The Committee is a registered political action committee with the Missouri Ethics Commission and reports all donations received, expenditures and contributions, etc., in compliance with the law.
Committee financial records are transparent and publicly available through the Missouri Ethics Commission website. Donors to the committee are primarily small businesses. In 2022, the SGGC received 340 contributions from donors. Over 250 of those were $100 or less – nearly 80 percent of total contributions in ’22 were from small businesses. Over the past several previous years, more than 700 contributions have been made to the Committee and of those, more than 75% were $100 or less – mainly from small businesses.
Is the Spring Field Good Government Committee a “Dark Money” organization?
No. In general, “dark money” refers to spending to influence elections where the source of the money is not disclosed to voters. Most commonly, a 501(c) (4) nonprofit organization, often called a social welfare organization, may spend on campaigns without disclosing donors. In contrast, Springfield Good Government Committee is fully transparent in reporting donors/donations received, expenditures and contributions made. The SGGC is a registered continuing committee with the Missouri Ethics Commission and complies with all statutory reporting and related requirements.