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Concepcion would do for the whole city what he has done in 16 Acres

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD Clodo Concepcion maintains that "what you see is what you get."

The president of the Sixteen Acres Civic Association is running for City Council and, although he wants to be on the Council, he told Reminder Publications that "if I don't get elected, I will continue doing what I'm doing" in his neighborhood.

"I want to use my time to make a difference for the city and the community," he added.

Concepcion said that his concerns are with public safety and quality of life issues.

Now retired, Concepcion is a native of Cuba who came to Springfield 50 years ago. He is an United States Air Force veteran, a union organizer, and a teacher.

He recently received the endorsement of Teamster Union Local 404.

"Your labor background, presentation and proposed direction for the City of Springfield will certainly bring to the Springfield City Council a positive influence as a member of the Council," Frank Rossi, president of the local, wrote Concepcion.

Because of his experience with negotiating union contracts, Concepcion wants to see the municipal unions receive fair contacts so the members "would have a good quality of life."

Concepcion is opposed to the privatization of any city worker. He also would work toward a residency requirement for new municipal employees.

He has called for a return to community policing and an increase in the ranks of the city's firefighters. As a Red Cross volunteer, he said he knows the kind of challenges firefighters face.

He feels that with increased revenues from more aggressive tax collections the city should have the funds for additional police.

Additional state aid is also a priority for Concepcion, who said that he reads about a surplus in state revenues and has wondered if Springfield will get its fair share.

Concepcion is among the challengers for the City Council who support ward representation, despite the fact if enacted it might mean an end to their tenure on the Council.

"You shouldn't make a career out of a City Council job," he asserted.

He is also among the challengers who has pledged his support of incumbent Mayor Charles Ryan.

"We need the continuity," he said. He believes that Ryan is capable of leading the city back to the way it was like when Concepcion first came here.

Another concern for Concepcion is the status of senior citizens in the city.

"I've been all around the city and seniors can't afford to live here any more," he said.

He said that 90 percent of them told him, without being asked, that they are "fed up with the City Council."

"I don't make any promises. I only promise to work hard," he said.