Former City Councilor Bruce Stebbins is returning to City Hall. As of last Monday, Stebbins, who served two terms of the Council, from 2006 to 2009, is the city’s business development administrator.
According to a press release from Mayor Domenic Sarno’s office, Stebbins will “be responsible for managing the City-wide business retention and development program, cultivating development and business opportunities, providing professional guidance to entrepreneurs involved in new or expanding businesses, promoting the City and its assets and programs, collaborating with economic development agencies, [and] maintaining outreach with community and business groups including those from minority and underserved populations.” No easy task, given the city’s difficulty attracting and retaining businesses.
Stebbins, who will earn $62,000 in the newly created position, will report to John Judge, the city’s chief development officer. Most recently, he was senior regional manager for the National Association of Manufacturers. During the Bush administration, he was the White House’s associate director of political affairs.
In the same release, the mayor made a less-surprising announcement: Gerry McCafferty has been appointed the city’s housing director. McCafferty has been the acting housing director for more than a year; before that, she was the deputy housing director. Her resume also includes five years as a housing attorney for Western Mass. Legal Services.
“As Housing Director, McCafferty will direct all of the City of Springfield’s housing programs, work with housing developers to evaluate and develop housing opportunities, assist the Office of Community Development with the administration of grants, manage the City’s portfolio of residential properties including the maintenance and disposition of properties, and inform city residents, citizens groups, businesses and other stakeholders of municipal housing policy and activities,” the mayor announced.
McCafferty, who will earn $95,000 in her new job, will also report to Judge.
In other news about old faces, Chris Asselin, of course, failed to win back the 9th Hampden state rep seat he’d held before his conviction on federal corruption charges. Among his transgressions: accepting household services, campaign help and other bribes from contractors seeking work with the Springfield Housing Authority, which for decades had been run by his father, Ray Asselin Sr. After initially proclaiming his innocence, the younger Asselin entered a guilty plea, and in 2007 was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
Going into Tuesday’s Democratic primary, smart money had Asselin losing handily to incumbent Sean Curran. And, indeed, Curran pulled in 79 percent of the vote.
Still, Asselin has been known to pull out surprise victories in the past—most notably, defeating rival Nick Fyntrilakis in 2000 to take the seat formerly held by Dennis Murphy. Asselin and Fyntrilakis had both worked as aides to Murphy, and when Murphy announced plans to leave the seat, it was Fyntrilakis who was his hand-picked successor—but Asselin who somehow managed to win over the district’s voters.
Asselin’s lucky streak didn’t continue this time, despite his insistence, on the campaign trail, that he’d learned his lesson and emerged from prison a changed man. Remarkably, those professions of contrition did, however, win over 589 voters, who cast their ballots for Asselin.
