SPRINGFIELD—Speaking before a crowded hall at the Cedars on Island Pond Road after delaying the start to his campaign several months, city resident and activist, Ernesto Cruz kicked off his bid Thursday for one of the City Council’s five at-large seats. In a speech capped
UPDATED 7/24/13 10:44PM: Additional comments from City Solicitor Ed Pikula added. SPRINGFIELD—To the surprise of many and for legally shaky reasons, Mayor Domenic Sarno vetoed the City Council’s attempt to reform the city’s residency ordinance. The veto was Sarno’s first according to the City Clerk’s
UPDATED 7/18/13 12:29PM: To reflect a quote from Councilor Fenton. SPRINGFIELD—Returning to the chamber for one of two summer meetings on Monday, the Springfield City Council finally moved several issues long-festering on its docket bringing closure after months of indecision. Despite a substantial passage of
Tonight Springfield voters approved MGM’s plan for a “resort style” casino. The Yes vote won by 16 points for a 58-42% win. By most measures this would be a dramatic victory for MGM and its supporters and an ignominious loss for the opponents. While it
During tonight’s City Council meeting, the local NAACP, AWAKE and other community groups in the city held a vigil on the steps of City Hall following the verdict that found George Zimmerman not guilty of killing Trayvon Martin last year in Sanford, Fla. Those at
EDITED 7/12/13 2:01 PM: For grammar The casino vote is nearly upon us. It is, in a way, one of the most important in the city in a long time, including actual elections for office. Faced with such a situation, the only approach for us
UPDATED 7/6/13 12:05AM: For accuracy. In stark contrast to 2011, the City Council election cycle for 2013 is shaping up to be competitive with numerous ward councilors facing challenges in addition to at least some competition among at-large seats and the School Committee. The Ward
Twelve days after the Springfield City Council suddenly veered off course from an assured passage of common sense, if painfully realistic residency ordinance reform, how it happened should get as much attention as that it happened. The latest derailment of an agenda item came upon
SPRINGFIELD — Politics and its progeny populism were at play in Monday’s meeting which partially reignited an old debate while the other was just theater. An issue long ready to be put to bed was put off as last minute and uninformed objections led to
UPDATED 6/6/13 1:42 PM: For additional comments from DYS & the Atwater Park Civic Association. SPRINGFIELD—Once more the City Council faced another light agenda Monday as it made some final steps for ordinances affecting fees in the city and transferred funds within departments, a typical