City of
Springfield Inspector General Roger Holmes issued a report to the Springfield
City Council during their meeting Tuesday, Feb. 21. The IG’s report came in the
aftermath of an executive session held on Nov. 2, 2021, where aldermen
apparently discussed forgiving $240,00 worth of debt
owed by Wyndham Springfield City Centre to City Water, Light and Power.
Holmes noted
that executive sessions are normally convened in order to discuss personnel
matters or contract negotiations, and that recordings of those meetings may be
released by a vote of the City Council. He praised the aldermen for voting to
release a recording of the Nov. 2 meeting as an example of transparency in
government.
Holmes called
on the City Council to review the city code to make it clearer what sanctions,
if any, would be appropriate for the improper release of information from
executive sessions of the City Council. Currently, there is no provision for
punishing aldermen for revealing the contents of closed door meetings.
Read the full report here:
This article appears in Wedding.
