ABSTRACT
Springfield was well positioned for the transition to the cybernetic frontier. Its economic base had long consisted of service sector industries. Springfield is a bustling city, sustained, like Champaign-Urbana, by a major public institution, in this case the state capital. The cliche "the more things change, the more they stay the same," provides an apt description of Springfield politics since the city adopted the mayor-council form of government. The old state capitol, which thirty years ago still served as the Sangamon County courthouse has been restored to the way it was in Lincoln's day, situated in the very center of town as Springfield's focal point, and surrounded by a nice public square. The change was prompted by a federal lawsuit brought under the Voting Rights Act, and resulted in an out of court settlement of this dispute.
