Missouri Chamber of Commerce employee plans run for Columbia mayor

A Missouri Chamber of Commerce employee plans to run for mayor of Columbia.

Chris Farnam filed paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission in July as a candidate for the mayoral election in April 2019. Mayor Brian Treece is the only other person with a registered campaign committee for the position.

Farnam told ABC 17 News that he moved back to Columbia earlier this year. He said he currently works in member relations for the state Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the organization’s think tank.

“My decision to run for Mayor of Columbia is based out of the necessity of rebuilding the community that I cherished growing up here in Columbia,” Farnam said. “My city needs someone to step up and make the tough decisions that will fix our crumbling infrastructure as the city continues to expand. The right leadership is paramount for making Columbia the greatest city in the state of Missouri.”

While Columbia’s city council and mayoral elections are nonpartisan, Farnam registered himself as a Democrat with the MEC.

Columbia’s Third and Fourth wards will also be up for election in 2019. No one, including incumbents Karl Skala and Ian Thomas, have filed paperwork seeking those offices.

Treece’s campaign committee currently has $3,029 on hand, according to its July 2018 MEC report.

Both Farnam and Treece must turn in a certified petition to the Columbia city clerk’s office to get on the ballot. The petition needs at least 100 signatures from registered voters in the city.

The city charter only requires a mayoral candidate to be a registered voter in Columbia and “hold no other lucrative public office nor any lucrative position in the city government during their terms as council members.”

Treece, a lobbyist with TreecePhillips in Jefferson City, won 52 percent of the vote for mayor in April 2016, beating Columbia attorney Skip Walther.