Springfield City Council, School Committee will have new members

Nov. 9, 2017 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

City Councilor-elect Jesse Lederman is seen his fiancee Emila Ponikiewski to whom he proposed as part of his victory speech.
Reminder Publications photo by G. Michael Dobbs

SPRINGFIELD – Two new at-large candidates will join the City Council, while there will be two new members of the School Committee.

The Nov. 7 election was marked by a low voter turnout of only 9.9 percent in the city and several races that only involved one person.

Former City Councilor Tim Ryan and Jesse Lederman made it to council, while LaTonia Monroe Naylor will be on the School Committee in an at-large seat. Maria Perez ran unopposed for the District 1 School Committee seat. There were no additional changes to either the council or the School Committee.

On the City Council there were no changes in ward council positions.

Ryan admitted with a smile he was “relieved” he had won. He said the concern for him was from the low voter turnout. “You don’t know who is showing up,” he said.

This is a return to the council for him as he served from 1994 to 2003.

Speaking with Reminder Publications at his victory party at the Red Rose, Ryan said his legislative priorities include the formation of a civilian Police Commission to oversee the Police Department. He wants to bring it forth for vote in the first quarter of 2018.

He is also ready to provide a check and balance for MGM. “We have to make sure they live up to the agreement. As it moves forward I’ll work with other councilors to make sure MGM is fulfilling its promises,” he said.

Revitalizing the city’s neighborhoods is also a priority for Ryan who said there is no “magic wand” to accomplish that goal. He believes there has been “too much focus places on MGM at the cost of other things.”

Ryan said he would work to improve the city’s housing stock and increase more home ownership.

He believed the voters had a “good field” of candidates this election. “I was honored to be part of it,” he added.

For Lederman, the second try proved to be the charm. Celebrating his victory at Nathan Bill’s Restaurant, Lederman said his win was “the greatest honor of my life.”

The evening marked another milestone for him: his long-time girl friend Emila Ponikiewski accepted his marriage proposal as part of his victory speech.

Lederman had run for the council two years ago and he said what he learned was the importance of old fashioned grassroots campaigning strategies.

“The first campaign gave us an introduction to the voters and residents of Springfield,” he explained. “It’s not just about earning a vote, it’s about earning trust.”

He is most interested in pursuing quality of life issues while on the council while assisting the city’s public safety efforts by encouraging innovation and building on existing successful programs.

Coming up with ways to improve the city’s snow plowing services is also a priority with Lederman.

Like Ryan and councilors, Lederman is a long-time supporter of a civilian police commission. He said the commission increase the public’s accessibility to the Police department as well as make the decision-making process more transparent.

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