To many political insiders in and around Springfield, the top cop is the second most important position in the city after the mayor. In a large (by New England standards) minority-majority city of 150,000, which, to many, has seen its revival bedeviled by both the
SPRINGFIELD—Another light agenda greeted the City Council Monday night shortly after it city finance officials presented the budget for fiscal year 2015, which begins on July 1st. Few if any items engendered much discussion most had virtually no opposition ahead of the beginning of the Council’s
EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is a version of the May 19 story published immediately after the budget press conference, updated with subsequent reporting. The original post has been archived and is accessible here. SPRINGFIELD—Less gloomy than usual, the annual release of the municipal budget by Mayor
EDITORS NOTE: This story, originally published May 19, 2014, has been republished on May 22, 2014 to reflect additional reporting and details. The below is an archive of the original post, collapsed for visual tidiness. You may access it by clicking the “continue reading” text
SPRINGFIELD—Despite the best efforts of the its finest inertia, the City Council finally agreed to dip its toe into social media while tackling a budget that was more complex than it appeared. A slew of financial measures ahead of the new fiscal year and a
SPRINGFIELD—Cheryl Coakley-Rivera may have resigned from the legislature, but she does not want people to think she has stepped away from politics. The same outlook that led her to a 15 year career representing the 10th Hampden House district, borne out of her formative years,
UPDATED 1:45PM: For grammar and clarity. Maybe it was the familiar picture on the Facebook feed of that friend who loves The New York Times. Or it was the teasing (and misleading) lead on the Grey Lady’s Twitter account. DC denizen and missed it Sunday night?
SPRINGFIELD—Once again a light agenda confronted the City Council Monday evening. Even divisive and controversial concept like a Council Facebook page were not voted on that night. Most of the city and the region’s attention was focused a couple of miles away at Van Sickle
SPRINGFIELD—The filing period has yet to close in Massachusetts, but the race for the 1st Hampden & Hampshire Senate district has essentially gelled. Indeed, it is already moving onto the next phase, especially for Eric Lesser, the former White House aide, whose campaign has churned
UPDATED 3/29/14 1:16PM: For grammar. SPRINGFIELD—The City Council’s brief meeting Monday night reflected well both the city broadly and the council’s difficult embracing technology and also the latter’s battle for respect as a branch of the city’s government. A light agenda greeted councilors including an