This is an edited version of remarks Paul O’Shea delivered to the Citizens Club May 27.

I agree when Bob Gray says that the 1925 Myron West City Plan of the City of Springfield was exemplary. This was the first, and perhaps the only, city plan for Springfield. That was nearly 100 years ago.

Discussions continue on city planning and the need for a city planner. It seems clear that a city needs to look to the future, have a vision of what it wants to be, and have a plan on how to get there. Without a plan, how do we know if we’ve arrived at our destination?

My personal history saw that in the 1950s there were people I knew working in the City Planning Commission office as draftsmen, etc. Around 1957 the commission was authorized to appoint an executive director. I believe that was Brad Taylor, who might have served 17 years in that position. Apparently in the 1970s the city planning commision was absorbed by the county planning commission and hasn’t been seen since.

So now the city hires the Springfield- Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission to do planning work for the city, for more than $170,000 a year. But the SSCRPC has another large portion of their work in service to the remainder of county planning needs.

Before 2006, the late Wally Henderson was one of several others, including the R/UDAT Team in 2002, and later the SDAT Team in 2012, that pursued the need for a city planner. It was in 2006 when then Mayor Tim Davlin said to me, “Paul – I need a city planner.” I responded by saying, “Yes, Tim, you do need a city planner, whom we haven’t had for many years. But I’m an architect and I respect those who possess the education, formal training, experience and expertise of a city planner, so it’s best for me not to assume the expectations of that role.”

The mayor acknowledged the need for someone with those planning qualifications, but reaffirmed his desire to have me come on board and use my years of architectural design and planning experience, as well as my many years of service to the city and community organizations and engagement with community leaders and the public at large, as the city’s Planning and Design Coordinator.

Over these past 10 years, my ongoing appeals, as well as those of Wally Henderson and others, for a city planner, have been met with opposition, due to various concerns including the city budget and perceived lack of need for more plans, studies and “pretty pictures,” so they say. But does that imply perhaps a fear by those people that they will lose control? Or that it will tie their hands from serving some special interests?

We feel it would actually provide an independent professional approach to issues. A city planner can help the community make informed decisions by showing alternatives and the implications of the alternatives.

Additionally a planner can help make decisions that aren’t siloed. So instead of investing in just a transportation project, can that investment also be a public health, economic or beautification solution as well?

We need a city planner to focus attention 24/7 on the bigger and more thoughtful vision for the city’s future, which is now being given very low priority. If it’s thought the price to pay a city planner is high, we believe the price we pay for not having one is a lot more. And not just in dollars and cents.

Downtown alone has issues to consider, with the city-acquired full city block (North Mansion Block) for potential development. Why did we receive only two official proposals? Were developers put off by prior city actions? Could it be because the city refused to fund the services of a planning firm to help promote and encourage potential developers for what former Mayor Houston described as the most available developable block in downstate Illinois?

Or could it be because the city previously voted against financial assistance for a $10 million Bluffstone housing project for young people, that could bring more businesses and supporting amenities for those residents?

What about the months/time spent finding the right suitable site for the Salvation Army, only to later recommend moving? How about where our next TIF district should be located? Time is running out.

Other planning needs include the completion of Capitol Avenue; relocation of bus transfer center off Capitol Avenue, to the potential development site of the Multi- Modal property on the 10 th Street rail corridor that has taken years to acquire; potential Transit-Oriented-Development in that area of need around the Multi-Modal site; the Jackson Street Corridor from the Lincoln Home to the Capitol, passing by the Mansion and the North Mansion Block; long-term storm water management; parking and traffic control; more pedestrian-friendly downtown neighborhoods attracting young professionals and others to live, work, play and worship downtown and expanding the potential of our two major industries of medical and tourist accommodations. The importance of addressing the issues of downtown doesn’t exclude the need for full citywide planning and thus, the ultimate impact on the strengthening of the entire city.

Paul O’Shea, FAIA, a native and a lifelong resident of Springfield, is a licensed architect, having worked with local area architectural firms from 1961 until 2006, when Mayor Timothy Davlin appointed him to the position of Planning and Design Coordinator for the City of Springfield, which concluded in June 2015.