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Tag Archives: Jose Delgado

EPA

Springfield and Attorney General Coordinating to Recover $20 Million Feds Snatched…

The federal government has confirmed its cancellation of a $20 million environmental grant to the city of Springfield, but officials are not giving in. There is a formal, administrative appeal process. When city officials learned of the grant’s cancellation, it said it was considering all options. Since then, the city has been in touch with the office of Attorney General Andrea Campbell. That could add some firepower to Springfield’s response.

Springfield City Council DCAMM

DCAMM and Springfield Discuss Their Long-term Relationship with the Courthouse…

SPRINGFIELD—Residents of the city and state officials agree something must replace the aging and possibly dangerous Hampden County Courthouse. Yet, they aligned on little else during a nearly two-hour meeting at City Hall. Ward 7 Councilor Timothy Allen, who chairs the City Council’s Finance Committee, convened the meeting to provide residents with another opportunity to hear from state officials and provide feedback.

The Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance (DCAMM) is moving forward with a new courthouse secured via a lease.

Springfield

Take My Council, Please: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once…

SPRINGFIELD—There is plenty of precedent for police officers to fill the City Council chamber. Usually, it is to oppose or support some substantive policy. This past Monday the room was full, if not packed with cops. Ostensibly, they were there to support Superintendent Lawrence Akers’s body camera financial package.

Springfield

Take My Council, Please: Riding off into a Sunset, Together…

SPRINGFIELD—The City Council wrapped up 2024 with a brief two-item agenda and its usual caucus to select the body’s officers for next year. With so little to consider there were few surprises. Free street parking for veterans achieved final passage. Council President Michael Fenton will have another year leading the body, though there will be a new Vice President.

Springfield

Take My Council, Please: A Pension Plan That Could Work…

As summer heats up, the Springfield City Council begins to slow down, holding fewer meetings than during the rest of the year. The body’s July 8 sitting was its only scheduled regular meeting until September. Despite the policy and finance-heavy agenda, there was little of major controversy before councilors last Monday.

Springfield

Take My Council, Please: Make Springfield Aggregate Again…

SPRINGFIELD—Eons ago on Monday, before the meltdown with the outgoing school superintendent, the City Council held a relatively uneventful meeting. What occupied the most attention was the Community Choice Power Supply Aggregation (CCPSA) Plan. The city entered the program on the initiative of former Councilor Jesse Lederman and is now lumbering toward realizing its goals.

Springfield City Council

Take My Council, Please: The (Off-)Center of Power Holds on Police Commission…

SPRINGFIELD—Mayor Domenic Sarno and the City Council averted a political crisis Monday by agreeing to sunset what now amounts to suspensions of key parts of the Police Commission ordinance. The change ostensibly arose to ensure Deputy Police Chief Lawrence Akers, who would be the city’s first Black police leader, will have the same powers his four predecessors had.

However, the pair of ordinances, which reallocate most of the Police Commission’s power other than to mete out discipline, prompted sharp pushback.