One of these six people will be the newest member of Springfield City Council

Six people are vying to become the newest member of Springfield City Council.

One will be selected to represent Zone 4 in the southeast quadrant of the city. The seat was recently vacated by former councilman Craig Fishel, who is now running for the state legislature.

City Council will interview applicants on March 6 before selecting an appointee, according to a city news release. The last day to submit applications was Friday.

The interviews will be held at 11:30 a.m. on the fourth floor of the Busch Municipal Building, located at 840 Boonville Ave., the release said. The meeting will be open to the public.

A live broadcast of the interviews will be available online at cityview.springfieldmo.gov, through the city's Facebook page as well as on TV.

Below are the candidates and their backgrounds, as described in their applications. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Jennifer Colwell

• Current employer: Advanced Sleep Technologies, member of the executive team
• Work history: JP Morgan Chase, Aaron Sachs & Associates
• Education: Bachelor of Science from William Woods University
• Community activities and offices held: Junior League of Springfield, More Wishes and Hugs, former chair of Citizens' Sale Tax Oversight Committee

Colwell wrote: "I love Springfield. It is difficult to hide my passion for this town. When I graduated college and moved away, I thought you had to live in St. Louis or Kansas City. I realized Springfield has more opportunities in which I would not be able to pursue in a larger city. This is WHY I am establishing my future here. Not only do I have the opportunity to work for an international business, but I am able to establish a personal business with my husband in Springfield's Zone 1. By developing an abandoned property into a business, this will allow us to leave an impact on the community in which we love."

Edward Griesbaum

• Retired
• Work history: Branch manager with Meyer-Blanke, fleet manager with U.S. Postal Service
• Education: Bachelor of Science from Southwest Missouri State University
• Community activities and offices held: CBC volunteer driver, reserve officer, Springfield Traffic Board, Library Board, Knights of Columbus, Council of Churches and more

Griesbaum said he is specially qualified to serve on City Council due to his business knowledge. He wrote he used to own Glendale Automotive.

Andrew Lear

• Retired
• Work history: BKD LLP, certified public accountant, elected partner and national quality reviewer
• Education: Bachelor of Science from the University of Kansas where he majored in accounting and business administration. He received additional credit hours toward a Master of Science in Administration from Missouri State University and Drury University
• Community activities and offices held: Past chairman of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and previously served on the board of the Springfield Business and Development Corporation, Springfield Family YMCA and the Developmental Center of the Ozarks. He has also been involved with the Civility Project, The Good Community, Trustee of Brentwood Christian Church and other organizations

Lear wrote he has direct experience in governance, pointing to his service on BKD's Board of Governors. He said he has represented Springfield in a "variety of economic development venues."

Derek Lee

• Current employer: Lee Engineering, owner and civil engineer
• Work history: City professional engineer with the city of Springfield
• Education: Bachelor and master's degrees in civil engineering
• Community activities and offices held: Board of Adjustment, previous member of the City of Springfield Development Core Team and Chamber Development Issues Input Group and also participates in Springfield Sister Cities Association as a host family for student exchanges

Lee said he is qualified to serve in city government because he is familiar with development issues. 

Matthew Simpson

• Current employer: Ozarks Technical Community College, director of research, strategic planning and grant development.
• Work history: Adjunct instructor at Middle Tennessee State University & Nashville State Community College and research and teaching assistant at Vanderbilt University
• Education: Bachelor of Science in Political Science with minor in economics from Missouri State University, Master of Arts in Political Science from Vanderbilt University, Association of Institutional Research Data and Decisions Academy
• Community activities and offices held: President of the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools Board of Directors, Springfield-Greene County Library Board of Trustees, Leadership Springfield, Downtown Springfield Association, Friends of the Zoo and The Network

Simpson said he has a strong background in research that he could bring to council, pointing to his work on public policy as the Missouri Community College Association Research Council Legislative Chair. Simpson won an internet bracket set up by the News-Leader to become the inaugural Captain Springfield.

Stephanie D. Smith

• Current employer: Missouri State Alliance of YMCA, project specialist
• Work history: Community outreach specialist with Ozarks Regional YMCA, legal assistant to Ray B. Marglous, PC, development manager for grants and data with Beyond Housing/Neighborhood Housing Services, associate with Public Eye, Inc., assistant campaign manager for a gubernatorial campaign
• Education: Bachelor of Arts from Drury University with a major in political science and focus on global studies and religion
• Community activities and offices held: Current chair of the Community Partnership of the Ozarks' Food Collaborative, current vice president of the board of directors at Farmers Market of the Ozarks, current member of the Drew Lewis Foundation's Board of Directors, current member of Springfield Community Gardens Community Advisory Board, current member of the Springfield Public Schools Farm to School Leadership Team, current member of the statewide Missouri Coalition for Activity and Nutrition and more.

Smith wrote: "With a background in fundraising, grant writing, marketing, public relations and political campaigns, I hope to bring my passion for bettering our community to the City Council. I currently reside in the Southern Hills neighborhood. It is an ideal place to own a home with access to the Greenways trail, Sequiota Park, and walking distance to the elementary school where my son attends middle school. I also have the pleasure of working with my community on issues of importance throughout our city specifically around food access, nutrition, economic development and supporting all things local."

Whoever is appointed will serve in the Zone 4 seat until the next council election in April 2019. More details are available on the city's website.

The current members of City Council include the following:

• Ken McClure, mayor
• Jan Fisk, General Seat A and mayor pro tem
• Craig Hosmer, General Seat B
• Kristi Fulnecky, General Seat C
• Richard Ollis, appointed to General Seat D
• Phyllis Ferguson, Zone 1
• Tom Prater, Zone 2
• Mike Schilling, Zone 3