It is, at the very least, premature to say that Springfield City Councilor Tim Rooke's campaign to stop the School Department from moving into the old federal building on Main Street is making headway; despite the councilor's efforts, City Hall shows no signs of altering that plan.
But it is also, at the very least, fair to say that Rooke's campaign to draw attention to the controversy is picking up steam. Over the past couple of weeks, his argument—that the city will be overpaying on its lease for the building, because it failed to shop around for the best deal—has received plenty of media coverage (including, last week, a Springfield Republican editorial slamming Rooke for his position. Also see "The Right Move?", Aug. 27)
Rooke contends that the city's plans to move roughly 150 School Department employees from their current home at 195 State St. to the former federal courthouse building at 1550 Main St. will come at an unnecessarily high cost to taxpayers. The city has signed a 10-year lease agreement with MassDevelopment, a quasi-public agency that is in the process of buying the old courthouse from the federal government. That deal calls for the city to pay rent of $10.86 per square foot, as well as contribute $2.8 million for upgrades to the building.
Supporters of the plan, starting with Mayor Domenic Sarno, describe it as a vital move to ensure the old federal building—left largely emptied when its previous tenants moved to the grand new federal building on State Street—does not become a vacant eyesore in such a prominent part of downtown Springfield. Rooke maintains the city should have gone through a competitive bidding process in its search for a new home for the School Department, which would have allowed private downtown property owners a chance to compete, and perhaps would have resulted in a more favorable price for the city.
The city had, in fact, drafted a request for proposals, or RFP, for new School Department offices last year. That RFP, however, was never issued.
Now Rooke is asking the state Inspector General to look into the matter. At deadline, he'd received a response from an IG attorney telling him the office was "moving forward at this time and will hopefully have more information for you in the near future." While the IG's official response is pending, locally, the political implications of the battle continue to unfold.
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For years, there's been talk about the need to relocate the School Department from its current home, a turn-of-the-20th-century building with inadequate parking and a lack of air conditioning that's keenly felt in the summer months. As city officials began looking in earnest for a new site, several prominent downtown landlords expressed interest, including Paul C. Picknelly, owner of Monarch Place, and Samuel D. Plotkin and Associates, owner of the former Sovereign Bank building at 1350 Main St.
They never got the chance to compete, however. Despite nonbinding votes by the School Committee and City Council calling for a bidding process, the Finance Control Board, which oversaw all fiscal matters in the city from 2004 until its departure this summer, opted instead to sign the lease with MassDevelopment. Because that lease is between two government agencies, it is exempt from state law that would otherwise require the city to issue an RFP.
Picknelly offers a measured response to the controversy. "I'm very pleased to know the mayor took the initiative to make sure [the School Department stays] downtown," he told the Advocate. "The mayor took the initiative to do whatever he could to make sure the old federal courthouse building wasn't dark. I think that was a critical part of the overall economic development of downtown Springfield. Had that building become dark, I think that would have become extremely devastating to downtown….
"That's all the good news," Picknelly continued. "But generally speaking, it may not have been in the best interest of all the property owners in downtown Springfield," many of whom have their own vacancies to fill. Picknelly added that he also believes the city might have gotten a better deal had it looked elsewhere.
"Yes, I would have liked the opportunity to bid on it, of course," said Picknelly. "But I take the position that what's good for Springfield is good for Springfield overall."
Picknelly's support of Sarno extends to the campaign trail, too. In June, he donated $250 to Sarno's re-election campaign. Indeed, the extended Picknelly family has given Sarno significant financial support since he was elected mayor in November of 2007. A month after Sarno's victory over incumbent Mayor Charlie Ryan, Picknelly's brother Peter and sister Mary Jean (both executives with Peter Pan Bus Lines, founded by their grandfather) and Peter's wife, Melissa, each donated $500 to Sarno. In 2008, Peter and Mary Jean again donated $500, the maximum annual individual contribution allowed by law. (Interestingly, the family's support of Sarno began only after his defeat of Ryan. From 2005 through 2007, Peter and Mary Jean Picknelly had made contributions totaling $2,250 to Ryan.)
Sarno's ability to maintain the Picknellys' support is significant, not just because of the family's deep pockets, but also because of the important symbolic role they play, as homegrown business leaders who've continued to invest in the struggling city.
Indeed, as Sarno faces a campaign challenge this November from veteran City Councilor Bud Williams, it looks like the incumbent has many Springfield business leaders firmly in his camp. Sarno's recent campaign reports show contributions from executives at MassMutual and Baystate Health, the Chamber of Commerce, F.L. Roberts and the basketball Hall of Fame, as well as representatives from local banks, law firms and real estate agencies—contributions that have swelled his account to just under $67,000.
Williams has $53,000 in campaign funds. About $34,000 of that was carried over from his City Council fundraising; the rest he's raised since declaring his candidacy for mayor in early April. Donors to Williams' mayoral war chest include a number of small-business owners and several union officials. Among the more notable contributors are former Mayor Mike Albano, state Rep. Ben Swan, and Norma Baker, executive director of Northern Educational Services.
