grinding decline in springfield is the strongfinancestrong control board.pdf

Grinding Is the Decline in Finance Control Board Springfield the Answer? Robert Forrant Springfield, Massachusetts, the Bay State’s third largest city, suffered staggering manufacturing job loss over the last thirty years of the twentieth century. In 2004, the financial impact of job loss, coupled with dubious fiscal management, plunged the city into near bankruptcy. In response, state government passed legislation appointing a Finance Control Board to manage city business. Wage freezes for City workers were continued and cuts in numerous essential services occurred to deal with the debt. But the question remains, can a Control Board approach grow a large stock of well paying jobs — large enough to grow the city’s and the Connecticut River Valley’s economies? The December 2004 fire that destroyed the closed American Bosch plant on the Chicopee-Springfield, Massachusetts line and the announced closing of its neighbor Danaher Tool in the same week are the latest mani- festations of Connecticut River Valley deindustrialization. When I visited the fire scene, it felt like I was at a friend’s wake; vivid memories of my several years working there flooded back. Workmates had often showed up for work an hour early, started coffee pots, and spent the time arguing about sports and politics and bragging about their children. People sold donuts and newspapers to raise money for their children’s college tuition or some local charity. The union and company-sponsored Athletic Association supported teams in the city’s thriving industrial leagues and organized trips to Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, Yankees, Rangers, and Knicks games. Every year the Athletic Association sponsored a children’s Christmas Party and rented Mountain Park — a local amusement park — for a family outing. This ended when United Technologies Corporation closed and the plant laid