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| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor SPRINGFIELD Bruce Stebbins wants to use his experience in business development to aid the city of Springfield and has decided to run for City Council. Stebbins believes that members of the city government must show leadership at this time. "We got ourselves into this mess and we have to show that we can get ourselves out of it," Stebbins told Reminder Publications. "We have to work with the Control Board." Stebbins is the senior regional manager of the National Association of Manufacturers, a national trade group with headquarters in Washington, D.C. He is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of Springfield Technical Community College and is the chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Zoo in Forest Park. Stebbins also worked for eight years at the state Department of Economic Development. Before working for the state, Stebbins served on the staff of Governor William Weld and in Washington during the administration of President George H.W. Bush. At the White House, Stebbins was an Associate Director in the Office of Political Affairs coordinating the political agenda of the President of the United States in 12 Northeast states plus the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. He said that his first priority if elected would be to focus on business development. "We need to use the tools we have available," he said, which include the Smith & Wesson industrial park and the riverfront. Springfield has many assets which would be the envy of other communities, Stebbins said. Those include a Fortune 100 company, MassMutual; the location of being at the intersection of Interstates 90 and 91; a national sports hall of fame; Forest Park; four colleges; and Baystate Medical Center. He would work not only to draw new businesses to the area, but also to help existing businesses so they stay in the city and grow, he added. Formerly a resident of East Longmeadow, Stebbins served as a member of the School Committee in that community and said he has first-hand experience with issues such as contracts with municipal unions. He also said that while he lived in East Longmeadow, the town decided to change the police chief's job from civil service to a contractual one. Stebbins said he would vote to change the Springfield police chief's job to a contracted position. "Civil service's design doesn't allow it to [promote accountability] right now," he said. Creating accountability for city government is also an issue for Stebbins. He would like to see goals established for the mayor and department heads that could be measured and would assist in establishing budgets. Stebbins would also support an evaluation process for all city employees. On the on going flight of teachers from the city, Stebbins said, "We need to treat our teachers as professionals." Making sure that the teachers have competitive salary and benefit package is important to the city, he added. Stebbins doesn't support the proposed "under ride," which would take $15 million from the city's property tax revenue streams. "At this point it shouldn't be something we should be considering," he said. And Stebbins also supports ward representation. Although he is not sure what forms it should take, he said that he doesn't think a City Council larger than nine councilors would be advisable. Stebbins will be making a formal announcement of his candidacy in the near future. |