**This post has been edited for accuracy. ** When the Springfield City Council voted 7-4 to approve a higher than requested trash fee in exchange for reopening neighborhood library branches, it was clear the side the crowd was on. A sustained applause greeted Councilors who took
As 2010 faded into 2011, Springfield and its largely Forest Park neighborhood-based Ward 6 faced a tumultuous transition. Councilor Keith Wright had resigned from the seat only a year after his and seven other ward-based seats were created in the city’s 2009 Council reorganization. The
The Springfield City Council inched closer Monday night toward an increase in the fee and a deal has emerged to reopen closed neighborhood library branch. The discussion reopened wounds leftover from this year’s eleventh hour budget process. Elsewhere the Council approved some reports and grants
**This post has been edited for accuracy.** This post is the third in a series about the Hampden Senate District Primary Election In the modern political campaign, the announcement almost certainly predates the real campaign. This happens all the time. Candidates announce and then little
More than five months after it had overturned Palmer Renewable Energy’s permit to begin construction, the Zoning Board of Appeals once again ruled against the proposed biomass plant. Left unresolved from that January meeting was the Springfield City Council’s appeal. The ZBA sustained the Council’s
**This post has been edited for clarity.** Housing advocates and community activists breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday as United States District Court Judge Michael Ponsor killed a lawsuit by various banks to strike down Springfield’s new foreclosure ordinances. Ponsor’s ruling sided with the
For weeks now, tension has been building among city councilors over the mayor’s budget. Even before Mayor Domenic Sarno presented his budget two weeks ago, many councilors were almost livid over the process. Consequently, when the budget faced its annual scrutiny Wednesday evening, it was
This post has been updated to reflect confirmation from the Department of Revenue on the Hotel Tax. With tension high following last week’s release of the mayor’s budget, on Monday the Springfield City Council staked out its own position on the proposed financial plan and
The following Post refers to the 6/17/12 Council Meeting postponed from its originally scheduled date on 6/10/12 due to the death of Ofc. Kevin Ambrose on that day. We apologize for the delay in its posting. Less than twenty-four hours before Mayor Domenic Sarno released
As Domenic Sarno rolled out his budget for the 2013 fiscal year on Tuesday, most of the observers in the crowd, largely just reporters and department heads, knew or had known for some time it would be bloody. On paper, the layoffs were limited to