Biography
Howard Wright was of Counsel to Carnahan Evans Cantwell Brown. Wright served as City attorney for the City of Springfield for almost 34 years and as City attorney for the City of Cape Girardeau for 3 1/2 years. He also served as an assistant attorney for the Missouri Highway Commission (MoDot) for 2 ½ years. Wright concentrates his practice in the area of government law with an emphasis on economic development, planning and zoning, eminent domain, employment, civil rights, state and local taxation, contracts and construction law.
While serving as Springfield City Attorney Wright was directly involved in key economic development programs for Springfield such as the Downtown Business District, the development of University Plaza, the acquisition of land for the Springfield Ice Park, the Cardinal Baseball Stadium, Jordan Valley Park, the Exposition Center and the downtown parking garages including the development of these properties and other properties through the use of economic development tools.
In 2005, Mr. Wright was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Missouri Municipal League, having served on that organization’s Board of Directors for a number of years. He also served two terms as President and Vice President of the Missouri Municipal Attorneys Association, and Howard Wright was the first recipient of the Lou Czech Award for outstanding service as a Municipal Attorney.
In addition, Wright has authored numerous articles on municipal law, including a Missouri Bar CLE chapter on Public Employer-Employee Law and a Chapter on a CLE publication relating to the Sunshine law. He was appointed by Governor Blunt as a member of the Eminent Domain Task Force for Missouri, and was Special Counsel to the City of Springfield until January of 2011. He also edits the Missouri Municipal Attorney’s monthly newsletter and regularly writes about Missouri public policy and law on his blog. Wright has taught Business law at Southeast Missouri State University and has taught Employment Discrimination Law at Missouri State University.
Wright has served three terms as the Chair of the IMLA Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Taxation and the IMLA Committee on Employment Personnel and Employment law. He has also served several terms as the IMLA Chair for Missouri and represents the Missouri Municipal League as its chair to State Leagues. Wright regularly presents papers at the annual meeting of the Missouri Municipal Attorney’s Association and has written numerous amicus briefs on behalf of the Missouri Municipal League on important public policy issue.
Wright is a member of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, Missouri Bar Committee on Local Government Law, and the Missouri Bar Association.
Education
University of Missouri at Columbia, B. S. Public Administration, 1963
University of Missouri at Columbia, J. D. 1966
Practice Areas
Economic Development
State and Local Taxation
Planning and Zoning
Eminent Domain -Condemnation
Local Government Law – Employment, Discrimination, Civil Rights, Construction, Administrative and Contracts
Biography
Howard Wright was of Counsel to Carnahan Evans Cantwell Brown. Wright served as City attorney for the City of Springfield for almost 34 years and as City attorney for the City of Cape Girardeau for 3 1/2 years. He also served as an assistant attorney for the Missouri Highway Commission (MoDot) for 2 ½ years. Wright concentrates his practice in the area of government law with an emphasis on economic development, planning and zoning, eminent domain, employment, civil rights, state and local taxation, contracts and construction law.
While serving as Springfield City Attorney Wright was directly involved in key economic development programs for Springfield such as the Downtown Business District, the development of University Plaza, the acquisition of land for the Springfield Ice Park, the Cardinal Baseball Stadium, Jordan Valley Park, the Exposition Center and the downtown parking garages including the development of these properties and other properties through the use of economic development tools.
In 2005, Mr. Wright was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Missouri Municipal League, having served on that organization’s Board of Directors for a number of years. He also served two terms as President and Vice President of the Missouri Municipal Attorneys Association, and Howard Wright was the first recipient of the Lou Czech Award for outstanding service as a Municipal Attorney.
In addition, Wright has authored numerous articles on municipal law, including a Missouri Bar CLE chapter on Public Employer-Employee Law and a Chapter on a CLE publication relating to the Sunshine law. He was appointed by Governor Blunt as a member of the Eminent Domain Task Force for Missouri, and was Special Counsel to the City of Springfield until January of 2011. He also edits the Missouri Municipal Attorney’s monthly newsletter and regularly writes about Missouri public policy and law on his blog. Wright has taught Business law at Southeast Missouri State University and has taught Employment Discrimination Law at Missouri State University.
Wright has served three terms as the Chair of the IMLA Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Taxation and the IMLA Committee on Employment Personnel and Employment law. He has also served several terms as the IMLA Chair for Missouri and represents the Missouri Municipal League as its chair to State Leagues. Wright regularly presents papers at the annual meeting of the Missouri Municipal Attorney’s Association and has written numerous amicus briefs on behalf of the Missouri Municipal League on important public policy issue.
Wright is a member of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, Missouri Bar Committee on Local Government Law, and the Missouri Bar Association.
Education
University of Missouri at Columbia, B. S. Public Administration, 1963
University of Missouri at Columbia, J. D. 1966
Practice Areas
Economic Development
State and Local Taxation
Planning and Zoning
Eminent Domain -Condemnation
Local Government Law – Employment, Discrimination, Civil Rights, Construction, Administrative and Contracts
