Jim Springfield seeks to bring solutions, diverse experience to St. Augustine City Commission

Jim Springfield accomplished quite a lot over his life in different arenas, and is running to make a difference in another one, the St. Augustine City Commission. The lifelong educator, musician and former restaurant owner isn’t done yet, he said.

The inspiration is another man who ended up having his largest impact later in life, Benjamin Franklin. At 50 years old, Franklin wrote a letter to the evangelist George Whitefield about his goals for the rest of his life.

“Life, like a dramatic Piece, should not only be conducted with Regularity, but methinks it should finish handsomely,” Franklin wrote. “Being now in the last Act, I begin to cast about for something fit to end with. Or if mine be more properly compar’d to an Epigram, as some of its few Lines are but barely tolerable, I am very desirous of concluding with a bright Point.”

At the time, he said the intention was to be of service to God, country and the public good.

Twenty years later to the day, at 70, he was there as a Founder of this nation. Whitefield, a founder of Methodism, would probably find it interesting that Springfield points to his father’s Methodist ministry as providing him a view toward public service.

It’s also about providing solutions and seeing those solutions through to deal with problems that may have been allowed to linger.

“Eventually I had some authority to be able to make some changes, like dress codes and student parking, which are big issues at schools,” Springfield said about his move from teaching to an administrative role. 

“One reason I got into administration is … you know how you sit around the teachers’ lounge or you sit around the water cooler wherever you are, and people complain — they complain about their boss, they complain about the company, and I used to always say, ‘Why don’t you become an administrator and solve the problem.’”

Usually, people would say they wouldn’t want to deal with everything that comes with being an administrator, but Springfield felt like a problem shouldn’t be allowed to continue if there was a solution for it waiting in the wings. When he himself started complaining, Springfield felt it was time to move into administration and do something about it.

A similar situation led him to pursue Seat 5 on the City Commission. He faces Melinda Rakoncay for the seat presently held by Vice Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline. Sikes-Kline ran for and won the Mayor’s seat.

Springfield has raised more than $11,400 for the campaign so far and spent close to $5,000. Rakoncay raised $6,500 according to the latest reports, and so far spent a little more than $1,400.

“We would gather at the mailbox in my neighborhood and we would talk about stuff, and when I heard myself complain about what the city is not doing, I said I need to get involved,” Springfield said.

Being involved has been part of Springfield’s life from his time in education in Alachua County, to briefly running a restaurant, to being a member of the Hogtown Creek Family Band and becoming the first president of the Gamble Rogers Music Festival, along with also previously serving as the president of the Florida Section of the American Camping Association. The camping connection came from his years as an outdoor educator and former outdoor education director.

The Franklin quote, Springfield said, resonated with him. Regardless of his own 70 years, Springfield says he’s healthy, works to maintain that, feels good and more like 45 years old than what his driver’s license would indicate.

“I don’t want to just sit on my back porch, have the chore of mowing my grass, doing crossword puzzles and Wordle,” Springfield said.

It’s not just about being active, he added, it’s about being of service.

“I took some training with Joe Joyner, who was Superintendent of schools here for years (in St. Johns County) on servant leadership,” Springfield said. “Servant leadership is kind of one of those popular terms right now, but we really concentrated on servant leadership with the school district, and we took it from 30th in the state to No. 1.”

The district, he noted, was able to continue and build upon that level of excellence.

“We made a commitment and then we worked toward those goals,” Springfield said. “I just learned that’s a good way to do public business, is to hear what people need and want, and then make long-range plans, and everything you do is for your vision.”