Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor FOREST PARK Looking at the audience gathered for a meeting with area legislators to speak about Springfield's future, State Representative Mary Rogeness said, "It's not your fault, but it's your problem." At a community meeting conducted at Forest Park Middle School on Jan. 30, residents were looking for answers and legislators were willing to share what they knew about the financial status of the city. The overall message given by State Representatives Cheryl Rivera, Benjamin Swan, Sean Curran and Mary Rogeness as well as State Senator Stephen Buoniconti was a measured mixture of cautious optimism and grim reality. The far-ranging nearly two-hour discussion was sponsored by the Forest Park Civic Association. About 100 residents attended the event. Buoniconti said that the city's problems are "complex and the solutions will be as well." He added that the city's condition is "not as painful as depicted in the "papers." Buoniconti recently released a 17-point plan to make further progress on straightening out the city's finances. He praised Mayor Charles Ryan for the job he has done, but said that if the city doesn't come up with a plan for closing the deficit more, then $52 million loan pledged to the city might be frozen. Rivera said that there are other communities in the state that "are right on the edge [of financial problems.]" She believes that the key to turning many of the city's problems around is the perception of the city and its safety. In the last six months, Rivera said, many categories of crime are on the decrease. Robberies are still high, but she believes that a surveillance system would help address those problems. She also reported that Springfield should be receiving "a good chunk" of the funding in a recently approved gang task bill. Those additional funds would go to fund more officers on the street, she added. When she asked the audience if they thought crime had decreased, she received a loud "No." One woman said that police are not coming to calls and there are instances on vandalism to parked cars. Rivera continued with the belief that "the biggest problem Springfield has is that 55 percent of the budget comes from the state." And, she asserted that "good things are taking place, but we just can't get the media to report it." When asked what eastern Massachusetts legislators think about allowing Springfield go into receivership or bankruptcy, Rivera said that many of the legislators with whom she has spoken are "very reluctant to give Springfield another dime. They feel the $52 million [loan] will never be repaid." And while they like reading about the decrease in the city's deficit, they are concerned about the stories involving FBI investigation in the city, she said. "They don't see receivership as a bad thing," Rivera added. "They don't see bankruptcy as people in the city see it." Buoniconti said that he would be doing everything he could do to prevent the city from entering bankruptcy. The reputation created by bankruptcy would "linger in everyone's minds." "I second what Steve said," Rogeness said. "It would linger forever." Swan said that although some in the Legislature have discussed establishing a formula for a fair distribution of Additional Assistance from the state to municipalities. Currently many communities receive no funding from the state in this category and Springfield, as the state's third largest city, receives a fraction of what other smaller communities receive. Swan added that Springfield might lose some funding if new ways to calculate state aid are put in place. "We can work it out, but not everyone's going to get what they want," Swan said. Swan disputed that the Big Dig drained money from western Massachusetts and also questioned the amount of a reported surplus in state funds. Swan asked people to go to the Massachusetts government website and read the proposed budget. "How would you go change the line items? Then call me where you would take away [funding] and where would you add. Call me. That would be helpful," he said. When one resident said the people of Springfield not only need more shares of the pie, but the Commonwealth needs a larger pie. Swan asked the audience how many people present would support keeping income tax at its current rate of 5.3 percent rather than lowering them, A 2000 binding referendum was approved by voters to lower income tax rates to 5 percent, but the Legislature over-rode it. Nearly all of the hands in the audience shot up in support of generating more tax revenue. Curran had one of the final words of the meeting when he said that he "feels optimistic." "Springfield has been here 350 years and we're not going anywhere," he said. |