Nobody laid a glove on the popular and confident Mayor Jim Langfelder during his appearance at Citizens Club last week. In answer to questions, the mayor made clear he has no intention of reducing police or fire personnel. This is despite growing evidence that Springfield can ill afford its force that numbers far more than that of other Illinois cities of comparable size. When Langfelder reiterated his opposition to the Welcoming City resolution, based on the obscure reasons that his immigrant father had a sponsor and that welcoming would be divisive, he got no pushback from the audience. The mayor’s work ethic, accessibility and accomplishments – including CWLP financial stability, rail relocation progress, downtown TIF renewal – seem to give him enough political support to cover for his mistakes and flaws. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and CEO
This article appears in Dec 21-27, 2017.
