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Springfield City Council Will Vote Again To Revive Police Commission

The Springfield City Council will again take up an ordinance proposal to restore a citizen police commission with hiring and firing authority.

City Council President Mike Fenton said he’ll introduce the measure at Monday’s council meeting.

In order to comply with an existing contract with Police Commissioner John Barbieri that grants him hiring and firing powers, the ordinance would take effect after Barbieri’s contract expires in 2019. Fenton said the current community police hearing board, who’s recommendations are strictly advisory, was designed to fail.

“This is about creating a better system. A better system for transparency and for accountability in the department. And we think that this legislation can accomplish it,” said Fenton.

Unlike several past attempts to revive the commission, Fenton said there are enough councilors on board to override a suspected veto. Mayor Domenic Sarno said in a statement that the proposal sends a bad message of “politics and patronage,” and accuses the council of trying to usurp his authority.

 

Springfield City Council Approves Zoning District For Proposed MGM Casino

The Springfield City Council voted Monday to approve a zoning ordinance outlining the footprint of MGM’s casino. The vote is another procedural step in bringing the project to fruition.

The casino overlay district map approved by the City Council will enable MGM to begin clearing the 14-acre South End parcel to make way for a casino. Council President Mike Fenton says that includes work on some nineteen buildings, some of which will face demolition.

“It allows them to do prep work on the site within the footprint that they’ve proposed. Put another way, this evening’s vote says where the casino will be, not what the casino will be or how the casino will be,” says Fenton.

What the casino will look like will be the subject of hearings Fenton is scheduling sometime in mid to late January. That’s when the council votes on MGM’s proposed design changes and amendments to the host community agreement that was approved by Springfield voters in 2013.

 

Springfield City Council To Lose One Of Two Female Members

The Springfield City Council will have only one woman among its 13 members, come January.

Election Day was not a successful one for gender diversity on the Springfield City council. All but one of six women who ran for a seat lost, including incumbent ward councilor Zaida Luna, who was also one of three Latinos on the board. That concerns veteran councilor Kateri Walsh, who retained her at-large seat.

“I think that’s a shame. I wish there were more women on the council,” says Walsh. “I think we…women work well together and they’re problem solvers. They look at things differently; they like to have things work out.”

Walsh says perhaps more women would have won if voter turnout was higher. Less than 17 percent of registered voters cast ballots Tuesday.

As for the ethnic makeup of the incoming council, there will be one fewer Latino and one more African-American.

MGM Presents Proposed Casino Design Changes To Springfield City Council

MGM says it remains committed to its planned Springfield casino project despite having to adjust to unforeseen circumstances. The company presented city councilors Tuesday night with some proposed design changes that include eliminating a 25-story glass hotel tower.

MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis told councilors delays brought on by the statewide casino referendum and the Interstate-91 viaduct project have considerably driven up the costs associated with building a tower. But he says a six story structure would more ideally suit the boutique hotel concept the company wants to build in the city.

“You can go to any major city and stay in a high-rise tower. Now make no mistake, we believe the tower would have been successful. But the point is that what makes New England and New England cities very unique is to provide a very high end hotel product in a historic Main Street environment,” says Mathis.

Most councilors reserved judgement on the changes until MGM presents a more detailed plan in mid-November. However many councilors, including E. Henry Twiggs, expressed annoyance at Mayor Domenic Sarno and his staff that the council learned of the plan only after it was released to the media and public.

“A couple of us could have gone in on that meeting, but we don’t get the information. But they send it to us at the last moment and want us to be in full agreement. But that ain’t the way it works,” says Twiggs.

City Council President Mike Fenton withdrew a proposal for a  ballot question on the proposed design changes after a disagreement with Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola on a petition deadline.

 

Fenton: Springfield City Council Looks To Pursue Appeal Of Biomass Plant Ruling Without City Funds

An appeal of a Massachusetts Land Court decision to allow the construction of a wood-burning biomass plant in Springfield will go forward. But that appeal will happen without the city’s money.

Mayor Domenic Sarno says it makes no sense for the city to fund an appeal despite a nearly unanimous city council vote to do so. Council President Michael Fenton says while Sarno has effectively vetoed Springfield’s financial role in any future court action, his chamber is not out of options in its fight against the biomass plant.

“The mayor has indicated that he will not fund an attorney to represent us, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t find pro-bono counsel to take the matter on,” he says.

In advance of a Monday deadline, Fenton filed a notice with the Land Court on Friday that he says effectively preserves the council’s right to pursue an appeal.

Earlier last week, another appeal was filed on behalf of three residents of East Springfield, where the 35-megawatt biomass plant would be located.

 

Barbieri Discusses Summertime Policing Strategy With City Council Committee

Hot weather and crime sometimes seem to go together. But Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri told members of the City Council Tuesday that the crime stats were looking far better this year than last. Still, the city’s new top cop says there’s no easy explanation for the decrease.

Barbieri told the council’s public safety committee that overall crime is down 26 percent as compared to last year. And homicides are down 54 percent. But Barbieri, who only took over the department last month from retiring Commissioner William Fitchett, isn’t gloating.

“It’s been 5 weeks and my plan is going to take time to implement,” he notes.

Barbieri says he’s already begun to put that plan it into action, such as using more real time crime analysis to determine so-called hot spots, and shifting more officers to patrol those areas.

“To implement parts of my plan that I’ve been able to, I’ve increased supervision on all uniformed divisions to try to improve accountability, and to try and put the officers in the right spot with some police supervision to make sure they are patrolling in the areas we need them to, at the times we need to,” Barbieri says.

Barbieri says the crime decrease could be a sign of an improving economy, or have something to do with the department’s recent crackdown on what he called “prolific offenders.” But he stresses that crime stats can turn in the course of a bad weekend.

Barbieri says one continuing problem is getting witnesses to come forward and cooperate with police about criminal activity in their neighborhood. City councilor Orlando Ramos says offering cash incentives through the city’s text-a-tip service could help make a dent in the no snitch code prevalent in many communities.

“It could be privately funded; it could be funded through the DA’s office. But financially to be able to give anonymously…to give rewards to people in exchange for information. It’s a conversation that we need to continue,” says Ramos.

Fellow councilor Tom Ashe, who chairs the Committee, says he was worried Barbieri’s  focus on generally high-crime areas would sacrifice police presence in other parts of the city.

“We know that there are hot spots or neighborhoods that right now are generating the bulk of the attention, and that’s…those are appropriate measures to beef up patrolling. But the other neighborhoods, I think, we have to strike a balance to make sure that they’re getting attention they need too. And the commissioner certainly demonstrated that he understands that that balance needs to be met,” says Ashe.

The Springfield police will have some help to find that balance. As in previous years, Barbieri says State Police will assist in patrolling hot spot areas this summer.