Jim Langfelder (born January 16, 1960) is the mayor of

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

, the

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and

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

Sangamon County Sangamon County is located in the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 197,465. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is included in the Sp ...

. Prior to his election to Mayor of Springfield, he served as the

city treasurer The municipal treasurer is a position of responsibility for a municipality according to the locally prevailing laws. The treasurer of a public agency is elected Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Early life

Langfelder was born in 1960 to Midge and

Ossie Langfelder Ossie Langfelder (August 2, 1926 – October 21, 2015) was the Democratic mayor of Springfield, Illinois, the state capital and seat of Sangamon County. He served from 1987 to 1995. He was the father of Jim Langfelder, who served as the mayor o ...

(who served as mayor from 1987 to 1995). He grew up in Springfield, one of thirteen children, attending both public and private schools. He went on to earn degrees at

Lincoln Land Community College Lincoln Land Community College is a public community college in Springfield, Illinois. It has extended branches in different locations, including Beardstown, Jacksonville, Litchfield and Taylorville, Illinois. The main campus is less than half ...

and the

Sangamon State University The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois s ...

. After college, he went into banking working in multiple roles at First of America Bank between 1988 and 1998 and later as business development officer at Security Bank.

Political career

Langfelder was elected City Treasurer in 2003 defeating former state legislator Gwenn Klingler. In August 2014, Langfelder formally announced his candidacy for Mayor of Springfield joining a field that included incumbent mayor J. Michael Houston and Springfield Auditor Paul Palazzolo. During the campaign Langfelder campaigned on being a consensus mayor in a very political city with a platform that included a free wifi zone in the downtown area, targeted employment sectors, boosting redevelopment of old downtown buildings, a focus on renewable energy at the public utility, and assisting city council members in creating individual plans for their ward that could serve as part of the city plan and having at least one member of his cabinet be African American. He won the February primary election in a five candidate field with 40% of the vote and won the April runoff election against Paul Palazzolo with 55% of the vote. During the election, he earned the endorsements of the Sangamon County Democratic Party, the Inner City Older Neighrborhoods organization, the State Journal-Register, and local labor unions including the Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council, the Central Illinois Trades and Labor Council and

AFSCME Council 31 AFSCME Council 31 is the Illinois state chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), a union of public service workers in the public, private and non-profit sectorsAFSCME Council 31has "100,000 active and r ...

. In 2019, Langfelder was elected to a second term, defeating Republican Frank Edwards. Langfelder is currently (2023) running for a third term as mayor, against Springfield city treasurer Misty Buscher.

Electoral history

References

21st-century American politicians Illinois Democrats Living people Mayors of Springfield, Illinois University of Illinois at Springfield alumni 1960 births {{Illinois-politician-stub