SPRINGFIELD—For the second year in a row, Mayor Domenic Sarno’s municipal budget achieved passage without any modification from the City Council. The $594.9 million spending plan was touted for needing no reserves or layoffs to bridge deficits. However, councilors did express reservations about the city’s
It was a little more than two weeks ago that the Springfield City Council did something it so rarely does. The body voted 12-1 to both assert the power it is imbued—power that it actually holds exclusively—and harness it for a cause that is not
This post is the second in a series on the debate over Management of the Police Department in Springfield. Since the debate to reform Police leadership has begun in Springfield, Mayor Domenic Sarno has employed a number of legal and rhetorical arguments to halt the
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
Edited for Clarity This is a developing story, more details will be added when we have them. SPRINGFIELD—In defiance of Constitutional concerns and contractual obligations, at-large Councilor Jimmy Ferrera will introduce an ordinance Monday that would cancel existing waivers and potentially lead to a flurry
SPRINGFIELD—Determined to revive the city’s moribund residency ordinance, a Council committee announced it would ask for a vote Monday to override Mayor Domenic Sarno’s veto of an ordinance designed to limit the use of waivers to city employee residency requirements. Other actions will appear on
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