UPDATED 12/7/2020 8:07PM: A previous version of this post incorrectly identified Williams as vice-president this year. He was vice-president in 2019. The conclusion of the 7th Hampden House race means an end to the 2020 cycle in the Pioneer Valley. However, part of that district,
Springfield politicos are no strangers to the Rumbleseat, a Chicopee pub just across the city line. Some have even held fundraisers here. Earlier this month, Ward 1 Councilor Adam Gomez sat at an outdoor high-top seat counter, as he had many times before. Come January,
SPRINGFIELD— Ever since former Ward 1 Councilor Zaida Luna won the seat in the city’s first ward elections since 1959, the Latino establishment in the North End had tried to dislodge her. She had faced opposition in some form each election, but Luna’s own campaign style
Afterglow 2015 is a series analyzing the results of the 2015 municipal elections in the Pioneer Valley and beyond. SPRINGFIELD—For one of the last times as a city councilor, Zaida Luna rose and implored her colleagues to support a resolve urging Congress to allow Puerto
SPRINGFIELD—During the final meeting for two city councilors defeated for reelection November, the City Council closed out the year with new ordinances and approval of grants for parks in the city. Several weighty issues will be delayed until next year when the new council is
By default, almost any NIMBYism should be approached with suspicion. There will always be facilities, services and outlets that are not desirable neighbors. The best we can do is try to place them as equitably as possible to serve the intended population. Nevertheless, the opposition of
UPDATED: 3:30PM: For grammar and clarity. SPRINGFIELD—On the surface, last week’s Committee of the Whole meeting seemed to be a dispute about casino jobs. However, complaints that the job training program is available only to certain residents of the city belie a broader mistrust, one that has grown up
SPRINGFIELD—Entering after a rousing introduction from his political mentor E. Henry Twiggs, longtime city activist Jesse Lederman, a McKnight neighborhood resident, formally kicked off his bid for City Council at-large Wednesday night. Promising to bring a smarter, more innovative direction to 36 Court Street, Lederman called
SPRINGFIELD—A Monday déjà vu agenda consisting largely of repeats from the last meeting made for a relatively prompt hearing. Items that returned either were dispatched with remarkable speed compared to the pace that sent them to committee two weeks ago. Both the agreement between the
SOMERVILLE—The mood of the room defied the typical political event. Martha Coakely sat at the far end of a circle of tables and chairs, each seat filled by a woman, a mom, in fact. Each was talking about the struggles with addiction their children and