SPRINGFIELD—The day before his hearing to object to the qualifications of one of his opponents, Ward 7 Councilor Timothy Allen secured some political reinforcements in his quest to matriculate from the City Council to the State Senate. Allen, representing the ward that includes the city’s
SPRINGFIELD—Another light agenda greeted the City Council Monday night shortly after it city finance officials presented the budget for fiscal year 2015, which begins on July 1st. Few if any items engendered much discussion most had virtually no opposition ahead of the beginning of the Council’s
SPRINGFIELD—Despite the best efforts of the its finest inertia, the City Council finally agreed to dip its toe into social media while tackling a budget that was more complex than it appeared. A slew of financial measures ahead of the new fiscal year and a
SPRINGFIELD—The filing period has yet to close in Massachusetts, but the race for the 1st Hampden & Hampshire Senate district has essentially gelled. Indeed, it is already moving onto the next phase, especially for Eric Lesser, the former White House aide, whose campaign has churned
UPDATED 3/29/14 1:16PM: For grammar. SPRINGFIELD—The City Council’s brief meeting Monday night reflected well both the city broadly and the council’s difficult embracing technology and also the latter’s battle for respect as a branch of the city’s government. A light agenda greeted councilors including an
SPRINGFIELD—In a victory for organized labor, the City Council unanimously approved an arbitration award, securing a contract between the city and it’s the International Brother Hood of Police Officers, Local 364 through July 2016. Despite fears that the mayor’s office was maneuvering to kill the
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
SPRINGFIELD—Earlier this month, City Council President Mike Fenton had urged residents to apply for four ad hoc committees he was forming, prompting a flood of applications into the Council office. The response exceeded expectations, leading Fenton to regret Monday night that he had “turn down” many people who had
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
This is the second post in a series analyzing the results of the 2013 election. Last Tuesday was a big day in Springfield. The turnout was embarrassing, but the result was historic. Both the City Council and School Committee will feature a majority of minorities