Were Springfield at-large Councilor Bud Williams to find something to blame for the rising temperature in this year’s Council election, unfortunate serendipity should come to mind. Positive headlines aside—some real, others just text belching “progress”—discontent remains afoot in the Land of Springfield, permeating its competitive
UPDATED 9/22/15 6:06PM: To reflect a correction. A previous version of this post misspelled the police grants officer’s name. It is Sgt. Brian Elliot, not Eliot. SPRINGFIELD—Monday night saw the revival of the infamous Rule 20, the filibuster-esque parliamentary rule that halt debates in the
SPRINGFIELD—With a more competitive than expected race for City Council rapidly developing here, at-large City Council candidate Jesse Lederman sought to foment further momentum by rolling out high-profile political support. State Representative Benjamin Swan endorsed the young, upstart candidate, whose campaign has drawn attention in
UPDATED 7/26/15 1:11AM: For grammar. SPRINGFIELD—What looked like a dull election season now seems primed to be a more spirited affair as additional challengers pile onto the race for mayor and City Council. As of 3pm Thursday, the second to last day to pick up nomination
SPRINGFIELD—Breaking its summer fast, the City Council returned for its sole scheduled regular meeting in July and August. The agenda ranged from reports and grants to more consequential votes for bond authorizations, action on historic preservation, and ratification of labor agreements. But there was also
On Wednesday, the commonwealth and its 351 municipalities began anew, as localities closed the books on fiscal year 2015 and began FY2016. The state itself has not delivered a full-year spending plan. Others squeezed it in at the last minute. Springfield did not get its
SPRINGFIELD—Entering another competitive election for his seat in Ward 3, Councilor Melvin Edwards formally touched off his bid to remain in office for another two years. Surrounded by supporters and friends new and old at Samuel’s in the Basketball Hall of Fame Thursday night, Edwards
SPRINGFIELD—As she arrived at her June 11 kickoff in the heart of the Forest Park Historic District, almost everything about Kim Rivera seemed to befit the office she was seeking. Dressed sharply in a dark jacket and skirt, focusing on hyper-local issues and meeting supporters in a
SPRINGFIELD—With the close of the fiscal year anon, the City Council spent much of its time Monday night approving budget transfers to balance out accounts. There was a fair amount of policy afoot, too, from historic preservation to labor relations, although little of it generated
SPRINGFIELD—For the second year in a row, Mayor Domenic Sarno’s municipal budget achieved passage without any modification from the City Council. The $594.9 million spending plan was touted for needing no reserves or layoffs to bridge deficits. However, councilors did express reservations about the city’s