SEPARATION OF POWERS IS REAL EVEN IN SPRINGFIELD
Springfield’s Mayor Domenic Sarno is learning the hard way that the concept of the separation of powers that anchors all real democracies is real since the courts have broken the back of his many years of dictatorial leadership, which he and his small cadre of sycophants used to dominate government at the expense of the people and at the expense of the people’s representatives on the city council, which he rendered almost powerless until the courts finally stepped in and slapped him in his arrogant face a few times, first on the issue of residency and most recently on the issue of the police commission. And like despots Putin and Trump, Sarno doesn’t seem to be handling his losses very well. Humble pie is hard to eat for despots.

RESIDENCY IS SIGNIFICANT
“Residency is important to Springfield for many important reasons. First of all, if we give jobs to people who live out of Springfield that can just as easily be filled by people in the city than we cheat our own citizens out of jobs and earned income. Second, when the earned income is paid to someone who lives outside of the city, the money will most likely circulate outside of the city and benefit the outside economy to the detriment of Springfield. Most people don’t understand that the number of times money circulates within a community is more important than the money. If I am paid by the city and buy my food, get my haircut, attend the symphony or a hockey game, contribute to my church, pay my rent or mortgage, and much more, that money not only circulates once but multiple times because each of those entities spends the same money again within the community and the cycle keeps going and multiplies the value of the money. So when our Mayor Sarno makes light of residency, besides violating the law, he is cheating city residents out of money in multiple ways. In addition, it’s not unreasonable to assume that people who live in the city are more inclined to care about its welfare. Fortunately, the courts recently ruled that Mayor Sarno must follow the existing residency rules passed by the city council long before Sarno even became mayor. Yes, he is still cheating in applying the ordinance that the current council revived and the courts upheld. But his cheating is now exposed for all to see which makes it even more likely that the people of Springfield will express their concern in the next mayoral election.

SPRINGFIELD WILL FINALLY GET ITS POLICE COMMISSION
No less than the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled decisively that the City of Springfield must establish a police commission and that police commission must be made up of people other than Mayor Sarno’s staff. (You might recall Sarno’s approach to his required marijuana selection committee to which he appointed all staff members and then got caught making decisions all by himself about whom to award marijuana license to.) Well, the highest court in Massachusetts made certain the same wouldn’t happen to the yet-to-be-selected police commission, although everybody knows that Sarno is already on the hunt for some flunkies to serve at his knees. But it won’t be that easy. Too many people have caught on to his fake methodology, which always starts out with a smile and than an end run around residents and the city council. This time, the people are watching and are demanding genuine input. The mayor and his “genius” aid, Tom Ashe, and his too-compliant lawyer, Ed Pikula, are most likely cloistered in his office plotting a way to circumvent the people and the council. He might pull it off but whatever he does will be in the public eye and the public won’t forget the slight, sweet mayoral smile notwithstanding.

“I MADE A CHOICE”
And what a choice she made. Jynai McDonald is running for state representative in the 11th Hampden District against Bud Williams who foolishly arranged to have the single mother of three fired from her job when he first heard that she might run. Now that is real “punk” power. Beating up on a woman, a single parent, a working mother! What is Bud afraid of! Maybe he is afraid that Jynai will expose the fact that Bud’s aid is under investigation by the ethics department, the secretary of state’s office and the attorney general’s office. Or maybe he’s afraid that she’ll talk about the fact that the only reason his aid didn’t get arrested for cheating in the last election was because the police first called Bud to come and get him or else…which he did. But that was the second election that his aid cheated in and Bud never said a word. Maybe Jynai will talk about that! Or maybe he’s afraid she’ll talk about how his constituents can rarely find him or how when they call he often doesn’t answer or how he promises to help them and disappears never to be heard from again. Maybe he’s afraid that she’s got a lot more to talk about…fund raising, cronyism, and maybe more. He’s worried about something. I can tell. You don’t attack a woman, single parent, working mother and take her job for nothing! Or maybe he’s just mad because he will have to work to keep his job and spend money from his robust campaign chest. We’ll soon see.

THE WHOOPEE OVER REACTION
The term “race” is confusing. And I defy anybody to define race in a manner that is agreeable to everybody. I’ve read books on race that go all the way back to the days of the Romans up to the current times and no word could be more confusing. What I was taught in school was about the three races. What I’ve been most exposed to is the Black and White race. When I was in college taking Spanish I was exposed to the concept of La Raza which is Spanish for “the race” but it means much more in a cultural sense (the people or the community?). Recently a prominent commentator challenged one of his guests about their willingness to bring Ukrainians into their country but not Syrians. He asked if it was because the Syrian’s were a different race. The first thing that came to my mind is “Is Syrian a race?” although I clearly understood what the commentator meant. If a person is a Jew one must ask “is that a nationality, a religion, a race or all of the above or some of the above?” Yes, Hitler called Jews a race. But is that what made Jews a race? Or were Jews a race before Hitler? Whoopee Goldberg said on television that the Holocaust was not about race and she was suspended from her television show for two weeks to appease people who were offended by her comment which, to me, were a reflection of the average person’s confusion about the meaning of the term “race” and had nothing to do with her understanding of the Holocaust about which I am certain she is reasonably well versed. I think Whoopee was unfairly handled. And I am well read on the Holocaust and very sympathetic toward the Jewish tragedy. And I know that Hitler was determined to eliminate what he called the “Jewish Race.” And I know he was for purity for the “Aryan” race. But I was taught in school that these were not races. So, I’ve always taken the Nazi terminology at face value but only in the historical context in which it was used. I am also well aware that Jews have been unfairly persecuted well before Hitler, a fact of which I am sure Whoopee Goldberg is also aware. So why punish Whoopee Goldberg for being confused about what is clearly confusing? I expect blowback for my comments but fortunately, I work for myself and I don’t intend to suspend myself whatever the blowback may be.

JOHN H. MURPHY PASSED
When I first heard of the passing of Eastern Contractors’ John Murphy, a story he told me about his struggle to start his business instantly came to mind. We were having a casual conversation; I don’t recall where. But he described to me how he went to SIS Bank for a loan to start up his business and they turned him down so he sat in their lobby and refused to move until he could talk to someone who would be responsive. He sat until closing time and they couldn’t lock the doors because he still refused to leave. They could have called the cops but they didn’t. Instead the president of the bank came down and invited him up and they talked and, at the end of the discussion, John got his commitment for his loan. The story inspired me and still inspires me to keep pushing against all obstacles. John went on to become a very successful contractor and I’m certain St. Peter met him at those pearly gate with those famous words, “Well done.”