A Springfield lawyer and recently appointed Republican precinct committeeman was named Monday to a seat on the board that oversees the Prairie Capital Convention Center.
Dan Wright, 31, was one of two people who applied for a District 1 vacancy left when April Troemper became an associate judge. Board chairman Mike Coffey Jr. recommended Wright Monday, and the seven board members in attendance unanimously approved the choice.
“I think the convention center is a tremendous asset to the community and (an) … integral part of the downtown economy,” Wright said after the meeting. “I thought it would be a great chance to serve the community, so I applied and it worked out.”
Wright said he commends general manager Brian Oaks and the staff of the center for shows and events in recent years. He said he reviewed a feasibility study done about a possible expansion of the facility, but sounded cautious about getting into a big building plan at this time.
While that study showed “some exciting ideas,” he said, with the troubled economy, “government officials at all levels have to do more with less.”
“That may be something to look at in the future,” he said.
Wright said he has diverse musical interests, which he said centers mostly on “indie rock,” but he also likes “a little bit of country, a little bit of rock, a little bit of jazz.”
An Alton native, Wright is a partner with the law firm of Brown, Hay & Stephens in Springfield and is chairman of the board of United Way of Central Illinois. He and his wife, Emily, a certified public accountant who is an assistant professor at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, have two children.
The 11 members of the board — officially the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition & Auditorium Authority — are unpaid.
Bernard Schoenburg can be reached at 788-1540.
Read the original article from The State Journal-Register.
