Next week marks the departure of Springfield's Finance Control Board, which has overseen financial matters in the city for the past five years. And while, in theory, it's good news that local control will finally return to city government, it's hard not to have some significant worries about what that local control will look like.
The Control Board was imposed on Springfield by the state Legislature in 2004, as a last-ditch measure just short of placing the city under state receivership. At the time, Springfield was struggling with a $41 million budget deficit, brought on, in part, by cuts in local aid and exacerbated by years of corruption and mismanagement in city government.
The Control Board has not exactly been universally beloved. City labor unions decried the board's hard-line stances in contract negotiations; others in the city objected to its penchant for awarding large consultant contracts; and residents resented the board's general lack of interest in public input, at least in its early years, Still, the board did bring a much-needed degree of professionalism to the management of the city, and transformed a budget in deficit into one with cash reserves.
While the city's finances are in a much stronger position than they were five years ago, the overall economy, of course, is still in shambles, which leaves Springfield, like most communities, in a vulnerable position. Add to that the fact that this promises to be a volatile year politically for the city as incumbent Mayor Domenic Sarno faces a challenge from veteran City Councilor Bud Williams, who, while hardly drumming up Obama-scale enthusiasm among the electorate, could capitalize on the missteps and difficulties that have plagued Sarno during his two years in office. Meanwhile, the City Council is losing three of its best members, Pat Markey, Bruce Stebbins and Rosemarie Mazza Moriarty, all of whom have announced that they don't plan to run for re-election.
There is cause for some optimism. This November's election will see the long-overdue arrival of ward representation on the City Council and the School Committee. That change, it's hoped, will make those elected bodies more accessible to grassroots and neighborhood-based candidates, lessen the importance of name recognition, fundraising skills and political connections to get elected—and release the death grip deadwood incumbents have had on their seats.
But while a number of promising candidates have already stepped forward, this year's election season also features a number of names closely associated with former Mayor Mike Albano, whose time in office was marked by deficit-causing corruption and mismanagement. Williams, for one, is a long-time ally of Albano's, and has received $600 in campaign contributions from the former mayor since last fall. (Albano has also contributed money to Councilors Jimmy Ferrera and Jose Tosado.)
Meanwhile, other Albano friends and supporters have also emerged as candidates, including Peter Murphy (the attorney for Anthony Ardolino, Albano's one-time chief of staff, who in 2007 went to federal prison on tax fraud and conspiracy charges), who's seeking a seat on the School Committee, and Brian Santaniello, who's running for City Council. Santaniello previously served 24 years on the Council, stepping down in 2001 when Albano appointed him head of the city's Elections Commission.
The election of Charlie Ryan as mayor in 2003, and the arrival of the Control Board the following year, provided Springfield with a welcome relief from the shenanigans and bad dealings of the Albano administration. Let's hope that reprieve doesn't end this election season.
