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Local News Briefs & Tidbits: 06-25-08

by Bill Dusty

FERRERA IN THE CROSSHAIRS:
Rarely missing the opportunity to spank Springfield City Councilor Jimmy Ferrera on its editorial page, the Republican took Ferrera to the woodshed on Tuesday for championing budget cuts in the city’s Personnel Department – specifically targeting a payroll consultant fee of $260,000 per year.

Whether or not any cuts are necessary in the Personnel Department’s budget is perhaps debatable. But the Republican certainly does seem to enjoy finding a place for Jimmy Ferrera on its editorial pages.

And it’s not a happy place.

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UNREASSURING WORDS:
Also from the Springfield City Council, debate on a proposed ethics ordinance appears to be headed for possible long-term storage as the Council moved to carry on the discussion without actually setting a date for a resumption of talks. According to this Republican story on the City Council’s Monday night meeting, City Councilor Patrick Markey was concerned about Councilor Jimmy Ferrera’s refusal to schedule a date for the next meeting to discuss the proposed ordinance, since the Council tends to meet less frequently during the summer season.

Meanwhile, City Councilor Bill Foley pressed on with his bewilderment over the necessity for such an ordinance. “As far as handling the public’s money,” he’s quoted as saying in the Republican article, “I think we’ve done a good job of that.”

Apparently, Foley hasn’t caught up with the news, yet.

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AGENCY RIVALRY HEATS UP:
There were sore feelings on Monday as the Springfield Finance Control Board denied a $144,000 loan to Open Pantry Community Services. The agency is struggling in the wake of a state Senate vote that sent its budget request of $400,000 to conference committee. The agency’s request had already passed in the state House of Representatives.

Now the Open Pantry is running on fumes. And it’s executive director, Kevin Noonan, is fuming.

“I’m stunned,” he reportedly said after Springfield’s deputy director of homeless and special needs housing, Geraldine McCafferty, said that another agency, Friends of the Homeless, could pick up any slack in the event Open Pantry could not continue its food supply and meals services.

“We never expected to be sandbagged like this,” said Noonan in this Republican article.

For some time, now, Open Pantry has taken up the role of the poor step sister to Friends of the Homeless, which many folks see as being the beneficiary of bad blood between Noonan and the City. Open Pantry has had funding problems dating back to earlier this year, at least, when it was reported that their financial woes would result in service cuts by the end of April unless more funding could be found.

Blogger Michaelann Bewsee was furious about the FCB’s decision.

From her post on the Control Board meeting:

Kevin presented to the Control Board (in the speak-out, even though he’d asked to be on the agenda) about who the Open Pantry serves and what kind of help the agency needs to keep going.

Then James Morton called on Gerry McCafferty, who said that if the Open Pantry was no longer able to serve, that other agencies would step up and provide the services. She said that Friends of the Homeless serves 300 people on Sunday (?) and would be able to handle the Soup Kitchen. She said that Springfield Partners for Community Action would be able to take over the Food Pantry. (SPCA currently rents space to the Open Pantry for the Pantry) and Paul Bailey confirmed that. then she said that of course, if FOH and SPCA were to do so, they would need to get money. Gabrieli agreed and said the city would have to put out a Request for Proposals.

So let me get this straight: They won’t give the money to the Open Pantry but they will give the money to FOH and SPCA to provide the same service.

If this doesn’t completely indicate the malice of the city toward the Open Pantry, I don’t know what does. And agencies, which once upon a time stood in solidarity with each other, stab each other in the back.

Looks like rough times in the homeless services business.

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MEET YOU AT THE LIDO:
Two weeks ago while perusing the Springfield Forum at Masslive, I happened upon a post that mentioned the Lido Ristorante, located on Worthington Street in downtown Springfield, would soon be closing down. The next day, as I strolled around downtown, I took the opportunity to swing by the Lido and snap this photo of the place….

While I was there, I decided to step inside to have some lunch. And I asked a guy manning the lobby area (owner? manager? maître d’?) if it was true that the Lido was closing down.

“No,” he said with a smile, “We get that rumor going ’round every year.”

I chose a pork dish – two pork chops with steak fries, a salad, and bread. It was delicious!

And what made it even better: The Lido isn’t closing down.

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Posted by Bill Dusty on Jun 25th, 2008 and filed under Cities & Towns, City Hall, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.