Troy Allen wants to give back to Springfield, and help the city grow in a positive way.

The Effingham County native and Springfield City Council candidate grew up in Clyo, where he lived until 2005.

He said growing up in Clyo, Springfield was the town he would go to.

Allen said he and his wife bought a house in Springfield because it’s not congested, and they have plenty of space.

“The street where I live I know the people who live there, and knew them before I moved there,” he said. “That is something that means a lot to me. I know who my neighbors are, and have grown up with them, and grown up knowing them my whole life that made a difference in us moving to Springfield compared to somewhere else.”

He said like the county, Springfield is a place where residents know each other.

“The city of Springfield is unique in that it’s a close-knit community,” Allen said. “It seems in a way that everybody still knows everybody in the city of Springfield. I could go to probably three quarters of the houses in Springfield and know who lives there, or know of them, and that’s unique in the growing area that we’re in.

“Most people know each other in this town. There’s a majority of people who have lived here forever and still live here. That’s one of the things that I think characterizes Springfield as being different from a lot of cities.”

There were multiple reasons he decided to run for the council.

“I always had the interest in politics, but also this is a community I’ve grown up in, I live here now, I’ve gone to church in,” Allen said. “I want to give back to the community, and that’s one of the main reasons. Another reason is I want to be a part of what is going to come to Springfield. I think the positive growth that’s going to be coming in the future, and I want to be a part of it.”

He said not only does he work in Springfield, but his wife owns a business in Springfield, so he has an interest in the future of the city.

Allen said he thinks the downtown area of the city is unique, and would like to see improvements made to it to attract more business to the area. He would also like to see the bypass used as an alternative location for businesses.

“I’d like for us to see improved looks of our downtown, main street area, which in turn I think would bring some more local shops in and create some business that people would like to open in this area,” Allen said. “Of course, that’s kind of like a chain reaction bring in a few more business that’s more tax revenue, and maybe take some tax pressure off the citizens. I think it would be good to have some more shops and that kind of thing that people don’t have to travel to go to.

“The bypass is I think a real asset to the city of Springfield if we were to have some more businesses come this way,” he said. “This area on main street can only have so much, and the bypass would be a good way if there were some more businesses that want to come they could open businesses on the outskirts of town, and not congest the downtown area so much.”

Allen said the council is working to alleviate the water concerns in the city, and that is an important area to address.
“Whether we’re expecting a lot of growth or a little bit of growth we have to have the water issue resolved to handle any of it,” he said.

He said he is not the most familiar with the water concerns, but if elected “I will learn a lot about it in a short period of time.”

“I think whether we want it or don’t want it we’re going to have some more expansion and growth,” Allen said.

Allen said one of the unique qualities he would bring to the council is his enjoyment of working with people.

“I’ve never meet a stranger,” he said. “I enjoy dealing with the public. I care for the community, for this city and the people in it,” Allen said. “I’ve grown up here. I do care about what goes on in the city of Springfield.”

He said he would also be bringing his financial background. Allen has been a banker for three years, which would help when dealing with budgets for the city.