UPDATED: 1:29PM: For grammar and clarity. As a rule, Massachusetts city councils are weak bodies. Whether a city (or city masquerading as a town) has a mayor or a manager, councils’ powers are considerably weaker than those of their communities’ executive branch. There is a spectrum
SPRINGFIELD—MGM Resorts International’s charm offensive has entered its next phase as its whittled down casino project faces scrutiny from city and Massachusetts gaming officials. Some local officials, like Mayor Domenic Sarno, mouth both robust scrutiny and sticky-sweet support for the project. Yet, MGM could encounter a
UPDATED 9:33PM: To update the photo of councilor Walsh. SPRINGFIELD—Fresh off his reelection, Mayor Domenic Sarno spent last Wednesday writing letters. Not all of them were thank you notes. Three in particular went to members of the Springfield Historical Commission to thank them for their service
UPDATED 4:19PM: To include details of another candidacy for council president reported by Masslive. While Tuesday’s election results rocked the composition of the City Council in Springfield a little bit, one change not in the offing is in the body’s leadership. In a prepared release,
SPRINGFIELD—After an arduous two-part, nearly three hour special convocation of the City Council, there was some substantive action to show for it. Overall however, everything seemed to become an exclamation point on deterioration of both the Council’s own statutory authority and the body’s relationship with the
UPDATED 5:47PM: To reflect an addition of MGM’s response to the referendum. Following MGM’s announcement Tuesday that it was scaling back the height, if not the overall size of its hotel as part of its casino complex, it was immediately apparent this constituted a change
UPDATED 10/1/15 2:07AM: To reflect a correction. A previous version of this post credited MGM’s new rendering to us, when in fact it is MGM’s image obtained via the Springfield city website. SPRINGFIELD—The skyline will not undergo any dramatic changes when MGM Springfield opens after design
UPDATED 9/22/15 6:06PM: To reflect a correction. A previous version of this post misspelled the police grants officer’s name. It is Sgt. Brian Elliot, not Eliot. SPRINGFIELD—Monday night saw the revival of the infamous Rule 20, the filibuster-esque parliamentary rule that halt debates in the
UPDATED 7/26/15 1:11AM: For grammar. SPRINGFIELD—What looked like a dull election season now seems primed to be a more spirited affair as additional challengers pile onto the race for mayor and City Council. As of 3pm Thursday, the second to last day to pick up nomination
SPRINGFIELD—Breaking its summer fast, the City Council returned for its sole scheduled regular meeting in July and August. The agenda ranged from reports and grants to more consequential votes for bond authorizations, action on historic preservation, and ratification of labor agreements. But there was also