City Councilor Williams Making Headlines
by Bill Dusty
Springfield City Councilor Bud L. Williams has been ruffling feathers for several weeks now leading up to his announcement on Friday via CBS-3 News that he is close to declaring his candidacy for Mayor of Springfield in this fall’s election.
Williams has already voiced dissent over the planned redevelopment of the former Longhill Gardens Condominiums, in the Forest Park section of the city. That plan, put forward by real estate developer WinnCompanies, would create over one hundred low-income housing units in an area of the city already struggling with poverty, crime, and blight. The Republican reported last week that Forest Park topped all neighborhoods in killings last year, with five homicides. A Republican editorial backed the Winn plan, calling it “a winner.”
More recently, Williams has called for the re-establishment of the defunct Police Commission. The Commission, which reviewed complaints brought forward by residents, was disbanded in 2005 after the creation of the position of Police Commissioner (which in turn replaced the position of Police Chief). In place of the Commission’s review, a nine-member Community Complaint Review Board (CCRB) was established by Mayor Charles Ryan in 2007. The CCRB was created as part of a racial bias settlement between the city and the Pastors Council of Greater Springfield, according to this Republican story. The Board was headed up by a full-time coordinator, Mellinda Pellerin-Duck, who conducted regularly-scheduled meetings and who was in the midst of organizing training sessions for its members before the November elections changed everything. The newly-elected Springfield mayor, Domenic Sarno, opted to remove Pellerin-Duck from her position and hand it over to his newly-appointed chief-of-staff, Denise Jordan, who performed the job on a part-time basis. Many members of the Board, too, were subsequently replaced soon after Pellerin-Duck’s dismissal.
Thus began a long period of silence from the CCRB and its coordinator before voices began to be raised this past July, asking what had happened to the Board. Jordan insisted that it took time to get things organized, and that meetings had been held. When questions arised about the CCRB’s adherence to Open Meeting laws, the Mayor’s Office asserted that the CCRB was not required to conduct open meetings. Assistant District Attorney Katherine McMahon later ruled in favor of the Mayor’s Office.
In the Republican article on Williams’ call for a re-constituted Police Commission, Jordan is quoted as saying that Williams supported the CCRB when it was first created. What Jordan didn’t say was that many things have changed since the Board’s establishment by Mayor Ryan back in September of 2007. When McMahon ruled that the CCRB was not subject to Open Meeting laws, it was Williams who voiced his displeasure with the ruling.
From the Republican article:
“I am very disappointed by that ruling,” Williams said. “I just think it’s wrong. The public has a right to know, the media has a right to know, the citizens have a right to know.”
Williams told CBS-3 News on Friday that he was almost certain about running for Springfield Mayor this year.
PDF
11 Responses for “City Councilor Williams Making Headlines”
Comments are closed
ADVERTISE AT THE SI
 |
 |
New leadership is needed in Springfield. This city needs a chief executive who has a vision. We need to become noted for economic development, safe streets and positive quality of life. Let’s hear what Bud Williams has to say.
At least there’s one thing that can come of this. Win or Lose, Bud has made it possible for a great councilor like Stebbins to win re-election.
It seems there is hope to have a voice with Bud Williams==he’s a man who speaks out and does not wink-wink—-and have a photo-op as his only communication with the voters.
Now maybe a Mayor who understands Longhill-Mason Square and the southend.”GO Bud Go”
Can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!
I will vote for anyone who puts the welfare of this City before the welfare of a developer and the connected civic associations. So Bud, what can you do to stop this destruction of Forest Park at the hands of it’s civic association and an out-of-town developer? What can you do to reinstate a Library in Mason Square? What can you do bring Taxpaying, WORKING people back into Springfield? I am ready to listen and ready to stand up for you if you can actually do something about these important issues.
News Item – Spring 2010:
Winn completes rehab of Longhill Gardens, now named Forest Park Condominiums (how’s THAT for a joke!) – a 100% low-income only subsidized warehouse. The entire working, tax paying population of Forest Park neighborhood has moved to Longmeadow, East Longmeadow and the surrounding retion. The remaining Forest Park neighborhood goes low-income only and becomes the crime center of Western Mass. Everyone shouts out a BIG “THANK YOU” to the FPCA, CCS, Mayor Ryan, Mayor Sarno, Winn Development and The Republican Newspaper for destroying this neighborhood quicker than a New York minute. And let’s not forget to show our appreciation to Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, Senator Buoniconti and David Panagore, without without whose assistance and diligent work on behalf of Winn Development, this low-income warehouse could not have become a reality.
When asked by this publication for comment, the FPCA, CCS, Ryan, Sarno and Republican Newspaper responded “We are innocent. We don’t understand how this could have happened!”
Next week’s headline story: Springfield repeats the process neighborhood by neighborhood until entire working, tax-paying population moves to Longmeadow , East Longmeadow and Agawam, finally leaving Springfield the dead City it has been striving to become for the past decade.
Update: Holyoke, Chicopee, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Wilbraham and Agawam obtain restraining order against FPCA, CCS, Ryan, Sarno, Winn and the Republican prohibiting them from coming within 5 miles of their Cities.
Speaking of Arthur Winn aka Winn Development…Read the Globe….Winn gave $10,000 to Wilkerson for working on his “Columbus Center Folly”…….Wonder who else is getting paid for Longhill? Oh how I wonder.
Bet the Feds are wondering too.
Well I agree with the first comment, Springfield needs new leaders and I mean all new leaders. We have had the long runnings of an unproductive council, councliors who sleep or walk out during open meetings, and even one who insists on talking all the time when people are talking. I pray that someone NEW and FRESH comes to the plate, they will have my vote but I will tell you if we dont change Springfield politics, then time to move because I dont want another Albano System.
I’m interested in the comments about the Longhill Gardens project. This is in fact a continuation of shameful policies that have promoted racial and economic segregation in Springfield, in violation of the Federal Fair Housing Act. This has damaged neighborhoods around the City for decades, and can only be explained by the fact that a small group of insiders benefit from these projects, and manage to dominate elected officials.
In other cities programs have been adopted to preserve working and middle class families inn communities. We should all make this an issue this year and insure that candidates commit to stop allowing developers to bring in these projects, and instead work to bring in programs that provide support for working families.
Amen David Gaby! Folks only need to read the Boston Globe and Boston Herald to learn that WinnDevelopment is part of the Federal investigation in the bribery scandal surrounding Dianne Wilkerson. In the 1/24/09 Globe, Dianne Wilkerson states that Arthur Winn gave her a $10,000 “gift” while she was pushing for funding for his project at Columbus Center. On Monday, 1/25/09, Winn’s California partners spoke about canceling their contract with Winn because of concerns that Winn breached clauses regarding “standards” (ethics?!?). On Thursday, 1/29/09 in the Herald, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority said they are concerned about continuing their relationship with Winn due to ethical lapses. So far, everyone who has been doing business with Winn is now putting distance between them and Winn — EXCEPT FOR THIS CITY, THE FPCA AND CCS. Now why on earth would anyone, especially The Republican Newspaper, think that Winn redeveloping Longhill Gardens into 100% low income housing is a good thing? Connections maybe?
THIS COMMUNITY DOES NOT WANT THIS PROJECT and no matter what you think about Bud Williams, HE AT LEAST HAS STOOD UP AND SPOKEN OUT AGAINST THE WINN REDEVELOPMENT OF LONGHILL GARDENS. That’s ONE public official willing to take a stand for the benefit of the community and City.
Dave Gaby: You are right on the money. This City needs elected officials who do NOT cater to the connected few who are the only ones to benefit from a deal like Longhill Gardens. The City is dying and drowning under the ever increasing subsidized housing and programs required to support it. The former Mayor, the current Mayor, the FPCA and CCS just keep pushing for projects that benefit them, and are willing to destroy the city to do so. Where once they were giants trying to do good, they have now devolved into a very sorry crew.
You Go Bud!