Weeks after reports appeared that MGM Resorts International is considering selling MGM Springfield, another blow has come to a city economic anchor. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportations Authority, or SEPTA, has cancelled a contract with CRRC. The post Briefings: Philly Transit Agency Drops CRRC As Future Railcar Work Dwindles… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & Insight ..read more

The Springfield City Council digested a simple agenda quickly on Monday. The only scent of discord arose from a split vote to transfer funds over a lawsuit. However, that conversation took place in executive session. The public highlights involved revised handicap parking and revival of The post Take My Council, Please: Atoning for the Acts of Omission… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & Insight ..read more

UPDATED Another major staffing change has hit Springfield City Hall with the exit of City Solicitor John Payne. Mayor Domenic Sarno has chosen former legislator and onetime district attorney candidate Stephen Buoniconti to replace Payne. Given his late-career return to City Hall, Payne’s exit should not be a shock. The post Sarno Imports Familiar Name from across the River for Next City Solicitor… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & Insight ..read more

EASTHAMPTON—Despite years of involvement with Democratic politics, it is no secret that the 2016 election was a turning point for Nicole LaChapelle. Two reelections later, LaChapelle will not seek reelection as mayor here next year, although there is another presidential election before that.  “I was out at the Brass Cat and one of the bartenders is like, ‘Hey, Trump can be president again. Does that mean you're gonna run again?’” LaChapelle recalled. The post A LaChapelle Mayoralty & a Mayors Presidency…or What Happens When Making Plans… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & ..read more

Nearly four years after the shroud of the coronavirus fell upon Holyoke and the then-Soldiers’ Home, its final legal drama has apparently concluded. The only two people to face criminal charges from the outbreak changed their pleas, essentially throwing themselves upon the mercy of the court. A judge obliged. The post Analysis: Soldiers’ Home Justice Is a Bigger Project Than Two Defendants’ Sentences… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & Insight ..read more

SPRINGFIELD—A relatively tame agenda before the City Council Monday quickly unraveled into much longer discourses. The body spent a considerable amount of time mediating on technical changes to legal documents. However, the body also had a pair of resolutions backing legislation in the legislature. Former city councilor and now-Senator Adam Gomez appeared with Westfield Senator John Velis to discuss the firearm legislation. The post Take My Council, Please: Aspirations for a City on the Hill… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & Insight ..read more

Slowly but surely, Mayor Domenic Sarno is backfilling the parade of retirements and reassignments that have emptied leadership in Springfield city government. Since his reelection—or before if you count former finance czar Timothy Plante—multiple high-ranking and long-serving department heads have exited.   The post Briefings: New Springfield City Hall Hires Telegraph Broader Transitions Afoot… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & Insight ..read more

SPRINGFIELD—A quiet agenda reached the City Council after a rollicking couple of weeks in February. If anything, what defined the March 11 meeting was what did not happen. The Council did not take action on a new version of a tree ordinance, opioid funding or two street discontinuances. The post Take My Council, Please: Calm, Cool & Referred to Committee (for Now)… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & Insight ..read more

BOSTON—Governor Maura Healey announced Wednesday she would submit one of the furthest-reaching pardons of marijuana convictions in state history to the Governor’s Council. Barring Council opposition, the move could wipe out potentially hundreds of thousands of convictions for simple possession dating back to the dawn of the War on Drugs. The post Healey Supplies Reefer Relief with Pardon for All Adult Possession Charges…Ever… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & Insight ..read more

A touch under 300 employees at MGM Springfield have voted to join a union in an election the National Labor Relations Board held last week. The results from 247 poker and table game employees out of 282 eligible employees in the bargaining unit considerably expands the number of MGM employees with union representation. The post MGM Dealers Now All-in with UNITE HERE after Narrow Union Vote… appeared first on Western Mass Politics & Insight ..read more