SPRINGFIELD—The Dean of the Springfield City Council may have summed it up best himself. “I think people are still trying to figure me out,” at-large Councilor Tim Rooke said, contemplating his place in the city’s politics. Rooke, who has served on the Council since 1995,
SPRINGFIELD—Three incumbents. Three challengers. Two-thirds of the field for the at-large City Council race appeared Wednesday evening for a debate at American International College for the at-large seats on the City Council. It was a debate that featured differing styles among both the challengers and
SPRINGFIELD—Even as a candidate, Cruz seems to be working overtime. He has motored to events across the city, attended candidates forums, organized his digital strategy and even helped out friends running for office in neighboring communities. His parents were the same, working 80 hours weeks
Only a week out from Election Day in Springfield and throughout the region, there is precious little time other than Wednesday’s big debate to make news. Luckily in the past week, there is just enough Council news to worth a brief mention. The Republican had
SPRINGFIELD—It was not too long ago that Salvatore Circosta was on his way to the priesthood. A whirlwind of events seemingly led him out of direct service to the church and to seeking public service in the city where he grew up. The proprietor of
UPDATED 11/20/13 10:23AM: For grammar & additional facts. The Springfield City Council can’t help, but bring up a number of things before this upcoming election. Some like the raise for the mayor have been floundering for years. Another, new regulations for pawn shops, has been
SPRINGFIELD—The battle for Ward 8’s council seat is a familiar one. Incumbent John Lysak is seeking reelection and the challenger is Orlando Ramos, whom Lysak beat twice, sometimes very narrowly. Even if the race may seem like rerun, the players are anything but conventional in
EDITORS NOTE: We apologize that this post was delayed two weeks due to illness and other events. SPRINGFIELD—Miles away from ocean and acclimated to the extremes inherent in New England weather, Springfield seems better insulated from the catastrophic effects of climate change than Boston. But
UPDATED 10/10/13 3:32PM: Comments from the Council’s Public Safety Committee Chair Thomas Ashe added; clarification between last month’s defeated pawnbroker ordinance and the one referred to committee; and confirmation as to when the old holding period was shortened to the current 10 days. SPRINGFIELD—With elections
It is often forgotten that the return of ward representation to Springfield was a jarring change not just to the City Council, but to the School Committee as well. Because the body has a four year term, this is the first time it is up