During the Oct. 8 morning show on Sports Radio 1450, talk show host Sam Madonia said, “I am told that Mike Murphy will be the new executive director of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce,” a claim he repeated again during a monologue about possible mayoral candidates for the city of Springfield.
Rep. Mike Murphy, R-Springfield, has said that he will not seek reelection in 2022 if the new legislative maps are upheld by the courts. Murphy has been critical of Gov. JB Pritzker’s redistricting process, which puts him in the same district as Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, calling it a “gerrymandering travesty.”
However, while Murphy confirmed that he had applied for the Chamber of Commerce position, he said he had no insight as to the outcome. “I have no idea where Sam got that; it was very premature,” Murphy said. “Sam hasn’t talked to me about it at all. I’m sure others have applied as well, and I know the process is ongoing.”
Mark Donovan, board chair for the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, confirmed that no selection has been made. “We’re in the middle of the interview process right now with multiple candidates and excited about the Chamber’s prospects. We’re also super fortunate to have Chris here to continue to lead us during the transition period,” he said.
Chris Hembrough, the president and CEO of the GSCC since July 2014, announced in August that he will be stepping down on Nov. 30 to take a new strategic and business development role with Peerless Cleaning & Restoration Services.
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