Editors note 3/9/23

By Fletcher Farrar

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Springfield yearns for a bold leader with a strong vision for downtown, a proposal for a cool Central Park and a preservation ethic that won't allow historic buildings to be torn down for parking lots. A plan for a city planner would win a lot of support, as well as a vision for developing older neighborhoods and reforming the trash pickup system. Springfield is not going to build a second big lake, so why won't somebody oppose that idea? The city's police and fire departments have a woeful lack of racial diversity, so why isn't that an issue in the campaign for mayor? There's still time for the current mayor's articulate, well-funded, union-supported, very cautious challenger to take some strong positions and draw some clear distinctions in this campaign. Otherwise, voters will do well to stick with the pretty good mayor they already know. – Fletcher Farrar, editor