Endorsements pay off in Springfield school board race
via the Springfield News-Leader
The newest members of the Springfield school board benefited from a string of high-profile endorsements and the campaign donations that followed.
The campaign contributions reported by attorney Jill Patterson and college official Francine Pratt constitute nearly $24,500 — or roughly 75 percent — of the nearly $33,000 raised by all five candidates, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Patterson, Pratt and sole incumbent Bruce Renner were endorsed by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Springfield National Education Association and Teamsters Local No. 245, among others.
Renner was No. 3 in contributions but — after 21 years on the board — had strong name recognition. He was endorsed by the same groups but likely spent less time raising funds this year because he had a small reserve left over from previous elections.
On April 7, voters picked Pratt, Renner and Patterson to serve six-year terms on the board. The three were sworn in the following week.
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