This post is the first in a series on the debate over Management of the Police Department in Springfield. SPRINGFIELD—At a rescheduled committee meeting residents pled their case for a return of the Police Commission while a few representatives from Mayor Domenic Sarno’s administration vehemently
SPRINGFIELD—Eliciting boos from the gallery for hesitating on one issue, the City Council moved a matter to committee, while finally making progress on another Monday night. Nevertheless, the issue set the stage for what may be many confrontations between the mayor and the Council in
UPDATED 4:20PM: For a new link, grammar and clarity. Everyone knew a changing of the guard on Pearl Street was coming, but the swiftness of Mayor Domenic Sarno’s announcement that he would be selecting a new Police Commissioner from the ranks of the city’s deputy
SPRINGFIELD—The new City Council President moved quickly only a day after his election to appoint committees for the Council’s 2014 term. Ward 2 Councilor Michael Fenton shuffled the seats on the Council’s committee Tuesday and announced the formation of two policy-centric proactive committees, which will
Even before the Pioneer Valley has rung in 2014, the year’s musical chairs and political calculus is well underway. At this early stage, the moves fall into two categories: those seats we know are open and those that may be pending a retirement and its
SPRINGFIELD—With a burst of legislation and a handful of grants, the City Council here closed out the year and, for that matter, itself with the last bit of business before the new year and the new Council is sworn. After some deliberation on a new
UPDATED 12/5/13 10:57AM: To reflect a CORRECTION. Upon reviewing the tape of Monday’s council meeting, neither the Fire nor the Police Commission ordinances received first step. They were both referred to committee. SPRINGFIELD—This Monday at its penultimate regular meeting of the term (there is a
SPRINGFIELD—Not quite two weeks after voters went to the polls, the Springfield City Council got back to work grinding out its last meetings of the new year. Tackling a modest, but diverse agenda, the tenor of the meeting was largely restrained and positive. Council President
UPDATED 4:51PM: For grammar and to reflect details from Fenton’s release. Please Email editor for prior version of this story. In the aftermath of Tuesday’s election among the upheavals will be the selection of the City Council president. Although defeated at-large Councilor Jimmy Ferrera was
SPRINGFIELD—For years demographers and policy makers have raised concerns that Massachusetts’s third largest city and its region is suffering from brain drain. Its best and brightest were packing up and moving on. As bad as that problem was, its families, too were increasingly eschewing Springfield