SPRINGFIELD—Determining the tax rate for commercial and residential properties is within the ambit of the City Council, but this year it became a rare display of municipal harmony. In a unanimous vote Monday night, the Council adopted rates recommended by the mayor, a special Council
SPRINGFIELD—While some transitions at 36 Court Street have been defined by acrimony and suspicion, others have commenced with broad approval and acclaim. The City Clerk’s term expires at the end of January and the incumbent, Wayman Lee, has opted to retire. Yesterday, city officials unveiled
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,
While the mayor’s race may be somewhat anticlimactic, the City Council races are not. Moreover, the City Council is an integral body in Springfield government. True, its power and its potential are weighted down by misperceptions of its power, even among its own members. However,
Before the casino referendum vote in July of 2013, we urged Springfield residents to vote with their whole heart, their whole soul and their whole mind. It was crucial that they rise and register their opinion that day. Tuesday’s mayoral election in Springfield, may not
In Pioneer Valley cities this municipal election year are a number of questions submitted to the voters. Some are binding and some are not, but all could have an impact on how Holyoke and Springfield and how they each govern themselves.
UPDATED 11/1/15 10:25AM: For clarity. SPRINGFIELD—Seeking to quell the biggest public relations catastrophe since helicoptering into the city three years ago, MGM Resorts International bigwigs stood shoulder to shoulder with Mayor Domenic Sarno and reaffirmed their commitment to the city and the multimillion dollar casino
SPRINGFIELD—With barely two weeks left until Election Day, the City Council’s regular meeting—a hearing meeting is scheduled for next Monday—featured little controversy. It was neither in councilors’ interest or frankly the mayor’s to stir up anything that might move to electorate. Indeed the agenda’s most
SPRINGFIELD—There may not be much debating in the mayoral contest with the incumbent resisting public accountability, but the City Council races are far different. At least three at-large debates/forums are planned and the first, last week’s debate at American International College, offered a window into