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Category Archives: Springfield Municipal Election 2017

Briefings: Council Pres. Ramos Says He’s Cleared for Round 2…

Not 24 hours after the polls closed Tuesday, Springfield City Council President Orlando Ramos declared he had the votes to remain Council President for another year.  It was a swift, but not unanticipated announcement. By now it has become habit for Springfield council presidents to

Lederman

Edge of 2017: The Wide-angle View of Valley Election Day…

Edge of 2017 is a series analyzing the results and aftermath of the 2017 elections in the Pioneer Valley and beyond. SPRINGFIELD—Though just a blip against a national political earthquakes in New Jersey and Virginia, Election Day in the Pioneer Valley did mark both transition

Springfield City Hall

Endorsements on Parade: Springfield School Committee Referrals 2017…

The School Committee’s at-large vacancy is the first one since ward representation began. With schools and their reputation a perennial problem—fairly or not—for the city, this position has a great deal of import. Moreover, the School Committee controls nearly 2/3 of the city budget, giving

Springfield Council chambers

Endorsements on Parade: Effective Council in Springfield 2017…

Springfield has a unique opportunity with so many open seats, all at-large, in this year’s election. It represents a paradigm shift away from the pre-ward representation Council. With nearly all of the (incorrect) institutional memory about the Council’s weakness fading, there is a real possibility

Learning in Springfield—and Beyond—At-large: Denise Hurst…

This post is the fourth of several profiles of Springfield at-large School Committee candidates. School Committee members run for four-year terms and in that time a lot can change. Since she was on the ballot in 2013, at-large School Committee member Denise Hurst has seen

Staging a Comeback to School At-large: Jimmy Ferrera…

This post is the third of several profiles of Springfield at-large School Committee candidates. Springfield is no stranger to political comebacks. Candidates for office up and down the ballot have returned to office after defeats, both honorable and humiliating. While those comebacks happen, timing is

Courting 36 Court: Walsh & the Art of Experience…

Courting 36 Court Street is a series of quick interviews with Springfield’s at-large candidates. **All interviews are edited and condensed for length.** Should she be reelected, Kateri Walsh will become the dean of the Council. Over the years, Walsh has been adept at lining up

The Young Parent Looking Ahead At-Large: Ryan Hess…

This post is the second of several profiles of Springfield at-large School Committee candidates. SPRINGFIELD—A more frequent phenomenon is the tendency of the area’s young people to depart or not return after college. Job prospects or new ties draw them away. For the Valley, it

LaTonia Naylor

The Parent-Advocate At-Large: LaTonia Monroe Naylor…

UPDATED 11/5/17: For grammar and clarity. This post is the first of several profiles of Springfield at-large School Committee candidates. SPRINGFIELD—The battle for School Committee has, to the extent the populace is tuning in at all, been less prominent than the one for City Council. 

Preliminary Glimpse Favors Lederman, Ryan in Springfield…

UPDATED 9/21/17 11:28AM: To include a quote from Ryan. SPRINGFIELD—Amid anemic turnout, voters in the 413’s largest city narrowed its unusually large at-large fields for City Council and School Committee. Incumbents seeking reelection romped in their races, leaving most of the action among who those