SPRINGFIELD—Ahead of its summer slowdown, the City Council ripped through a potpourri agenda featuring new ordinances, support for added rail service and derailment of a labor contract. Earlier in the evening, the City Council had unanimously passed Mayor Domenic Sarno’s budget without any cuts. Similar
SPRINGFIELD—On December 3, 1990, amid disputes over the bargaining process, a grim City Council voted 8-0 to approve a contract awarded after “interest arbitration” that ended city cops’ obligation to live in Springfield. The move effectively killed what was left of the residency ordinance as
SPRINGFIELD—Without dissent, the City Council approved Mayor Domenic Sarno’s $629 million spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The budget included several topline increases in preparation of several downtown projects, most notably the opening of MGM next year. The mayor also touted the
SPRINGFIELD—Responding to a wave of threats and vandalism targeting Jewish institutions and facilities that had lapped into the Pioneer Valley, an interfaith crowd of hundreds representing multiple faiths rallied in solidarity with the local Jewish community and against hatred and bigotry of all kinds. Dozens
Media remains an essential part of the landscape within which politicians and government officials operate. This is true on almost all levels except, perhaps, very small towns—where it is possible to get to know everybody—and some small cities that behave as such. Springfield is not
UPDATED 2/10/2017 1:52PM: For clarification. A previous version of this post described Mayor Sarno’s parents at WWII refugees. They did live through that era in Italy, but WMassP&I cannot confirm they were came to US as refugees. It should be relatively straightforward. Springfield does not participate
For the City of Springfield, 2016 proved notable on multiple fronts. It briefly saw itself as the center of attention in the presidential contest. MGM evolving complexity dodged for at least another year a threat from Connecticut. A bevy of police controversies throttled City Hall
SPRINGFIELD—City councilors called Mayor Domenic Sarno’s bluff and overrode his veto of an ordinance reviving a commission to oversee operations of the city’s police department. The veto had come within hours of the Council’s initial approval of the changes two weeks ago, but Sarno has signaled
SPRINGFIELD—Every schoolchild in America hears about separations of powers and checks and balance. They exist on all levels of government. In Massachusetts’s third largest city, however, another phrase wins out: “Plan A,” often shorthanded as strong-mayor. The city charter and other state laws do endow
UPDATED 8:35PM: The Republican reports that Sarno has vetoed the ordinance. Tells paper on his flip-flop from 2007, “Quite frankly you learn that campaigning is much different than governing.” SPRINGFIELD—Edging closer to its second major rebuke of Mayor Domenic Sarno this year, the City Council