SPRINGFIELD—After nearly two months of kulturkampf seizing the city and local body politic, Springfield councilors took final action to enact the Welcoming Communities Trust ordinance (WCT). Mayor Domenic Sarno had vetoed the measure hours after the Council passed it last month, but Monday the City
In a late-morning ceremony Monday, at-large City Councilor Justin Hurst took the oath of office as President of the Springfield City Council. Five years after joining the body, the significance goes beyond the office itself. It grants him a more prominent platform after a high-profile
SPRINGFIELD—Earlier this month, at-large city councilor Justin Hurst announced he had the votes to become City Council President in 2019. The news was widely expected and Hurst had no serious behind the scenes opposition. By comparison, Orlando Ramos only had the votes for another year
SPRINGFIELD—It is possible 2018 may go down as one of the most legislatively active years for the City Council in recent memory. Though not all efforts succeeded, the body aggressively moved multiple bills Some passed. Some did so over the mayor’s veto. Others did not
For those obsessively following every whimper and groan of the Springfield City Council, the revelation that some councilors were plotting to raise their own pay was not a shock. Five years after the last hike, councilors were again lining up into a spectrum of eager
SPRINGFIELD—After nearly two hours of debate, City Councilors nudged Springfield closer toward new rules that would keep the city away from immigration enforcement. The Welcoming Communities Trust (WCT) Ordinance did not pass final step as expected after councilors raised some concerns. Despite the slowdown and
SPRINGFIELD—Days before Thanksgiving, the City Council ingested parts of its massive agenda Monday night while leaving some leftovers for later. Although the sprawling to-do list included myriad financial items and orders, the legislative prerogatives had the most attention. Some were continuation of prior approvals while
Over the last few years, the Springfield City Council has expressed increasing boldness in its lawmaking power. Discarding the long-believed and largely false trope that the Council is principally a land use body, councilors have now put forward legislation regarding diversity, police management, and the
SPRINGFIELD—Compared to recent meetings, Monday’s City Council meeting was mellower than most. More throat-clearing than the advance of policy, it set the stage for a few issues like a plastic bag ban and tighter state health code standards. However, neither had the effect of law
SPRINGFIELD—In a comparatively—and mercifully—short meeting Monday night, the City Council’s responsibilities were largely financial. Although many of the meeting’s fiscal items veered toward the banal, a wistful to frustrated air fell over the body around two of them. Councilors had to approve over a million