Chamber may not accommodate ward representation

Date: 8/12/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD Will the city be ready for its historic City Council election this fall? The answer is yes and no.

While the election procedure itself is progressing, the problem is finishing the renovations to the City Council chamber in time for the new term starting on Jan. 5, 2010.

At a City Council sub-committee meeting on Wednesday, City Councilor Jose Tosado heard from Elections Commissioner Kathy Fleury that despite the challenges posed by the new ward races for City Council and School Committee her office is ready.

"Knock on wood, we're on track," she said.

Fleury explained that except in Wards One and Three, there will be preliminary elections on Sept. 15 to narrow down the field to two candidates. The final election will be Nov. 3. There will be additional expenses in the printing of the ballots and the number of ballots needed is still undetermined because turnout for this election has not been easy to predict, she said.

Some voters will receive postcards indicating a change in their polling places and Fleury said her office has been liming up the necessary number of poll workers.

Because many of the potential ward councilors will be new to city government, the city officials attending the meeting told Tosado there would be a number of orientation sessions. Tosado said the ward councilors would be paid the same as the present at-large councilors and have the same level of power and responsibility.

Rita Coppola-Wallace, the director of the department of Capital Asset Construction, told Tosado, that renovations to the council chamber are "behind schedule." The chamber has to be modified to include all of the new councilors and will have to be handicapped accessible.

Coppola-Wallace explained that although plans have been made for the renovations, the bidding process has not started because the city has not yet identified from what source the funds for the renovations will come. Without this designation, the bids can't go out and a final budget can't be determined.

T.J. Plante of the Finance Department said that Acting Chief Administrative and Finance Officer Steve Lisauskas would meet with Mayor Domenic Sarno to approve funding sources.

Coppola-Wallace noted the city has applied for a grant from the Springfield Media & Telecommunication Group, Inc. for $140.598 to add a sound system for the room that will improve acoustics for both viewers of broadcasts from the chamber as well as people in the chamber. The grant, if approved, would also low-energy lights to the chamber as well as an electronic voting system.