After several years of being unsatisfied with conditions of the homeless, several Springfield groups want Mayor Mike Houston to get more involved. On Feb. 13, Homeless United for Change, an advocacy group of homeless residents, pastors and other activists, gathered to talk to Houston about the conditions of the homeless. The group requested a meeting […]
Mike Houston
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Video gambling comes to Springfield
Springfield bars, restaurants and fraternal organizations will soon be able to offer video gambling legally, thanks to a 7-2 vote by the Springfield City Council on Tuesday. The nine aldermen seemed weary heading into debate on the video gambling proposal, following an hour-and-forty-minute hearing on a proposed tanning ban for minors that ended up being […]
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Gambling could pay for road repairs
Springfield could raise money for infrastructure improvements from video gambling if the city council approves a measure introduced last week. Springfield mayor Michael Houston introduced a proposal to allow video gambling in Springfield, incorporating a 2009 state law that legalizes video gambling terminals in bars, hotels, banquet halls and other facilities. The state law and […]
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Plan? What plan?
Springfield Mayor Mike Houston, who once said that he expected to have a plan to fix crumbling infrastructure without raising taxes within two months of his 2011 election, plans to present the city council with a plan for fixing streets and sewers by year’s end, Springfield public works director Mark Mahoney told the Citizens Club […]
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Springfield goes to Washington
As lawmakers in Washington, D.C., debate a far-reaching transportation funding measure that could mean jobs for Springfield, government and religious leaders here are making their voices heard in the nation’s capital. The U.S. House will likely vote on a five-year transportation bill this month, which could increase the number of transportation-related jobs for minorities and […]
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Municipal pensions eat more, but they’re still hungry
Whether the city of Springfield is facing a pension crisis in police and firefighter retirement systems depends on who’s doing the talking. Mayor Mike Houston and Bill McCarty, director of the city’s budget and management office, say that while pension costs are always a concern, the city is in relatively good shape. But Ward 7 […]
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Mayor Houston withdraws a controversial nomination
A short-lived nomination to a once-forgotten city commission has prompted concerns about Springfield Mayor Mike Houston’s vetting process for city posts. Houston on Saturday withdrew his nomination of former police chief Kirk Robinson to serve on the city’s Community Police Review Commission. Robinson resigned as chief of the department in 1993 after allegations of sexual […]
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Ready, set, GOvern!
Ward 1 Ald. Frank Edwards, never known for holding his tongue, was just getting warmed up. “We should set the goals,” the alderman declared two weeks ago as the city council pondered Mayor Mike Houston’s request for $50,000 to conduct a personnel audit aimed at reducing head count at city hall. “We should know what […]
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Mayor candidates break from the past
Reform is the theme in the race for mayor, as the candidates begin outlining their plans to change how the city operates. At a public forum on March 3, three of the four candidates for Springfield mayor addressed issues of transparency, political patronage, minority representation and more, each saying their administration would represent a break […]
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Will the next mayor please step forward?
Every candidate has ideas for what they will do when they are elected mayor. Spend more wisely, they say. Encourage business growth, develop the medical district and bring in more tourists. Get rid of unneeded political hires and look for inefficiencies in city government. These are positive ideas, but they are hardly visionary, and every […]
