Mayor Alex Morse said steps were progress in reducing the authority's burden on taxpayers.

HOLYOKE – The Holyoke Geriatric Authority will use recently received state funds to make its current employee-retirement payment to the city of $89,000, Mayor Alex B. Morse said Friday.

That will be followed within 30 days by establishment of a plan for the authority to repay $465,000 in retirement costs that the city paid in December to cover unpaid bills dating back to 2008, Morse said.

Alex Morse

Some city councilors said they were skeptical, but Morse said the steps show progress in the years-long effort to resolve the burden authority financial problems have put on taxpayers.

“I made a promise to the city’s taxpayers that I would work hard to resolve issues related to the Geriatric Authority. This is by far a great first step for the city and its taxpayers,” Morse said.

Morse and Patricia C. Devine, chairwoman of the authority board of directors, praised the work on the issue done by City Solicitor Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ross.

State law requires that entities such as the authority and the city make contributions according to a schedule to ensure retired employees’ pensions get funded.

The authority has stayed current on pension payments made from employee payroll deductions, but struggled with its own pension contributions, and other bills.

The authority is an 80-bed nursing home with another 80 daycare slots for elderly people at 45 Lower Westfield Road.

The facility is overseen by a board consisting of three appointed by the City Council and three appointed by the mayor, with those six choosing a seventh.

Authority officials have said financial problems are because federal reimbursements cover only 75 percent of costs. But councilors and others say management also bears some blame.

The $89,000 is part of $150,000 the authority has received from the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy under the Certified Public Expenditure Regulation. The mayor had to agree to release the money, and Morse said he signed the release only because authority officials agreed to pay the current retirement costs and enter a payment plan.

“I am confident that the agreement signed today marks a new era of fiscal responsibility at the Holyoke Geriatric Authority, and I thank the board of directors and the (authority) management for their cooperation. This type of action is long overdue,” Morse said.

But Ward 7 Councilor Gordon P. Alexander questioned how, short of getting additional government funding, a payment plan can succeed if the authority is strapped for cash.

“From what I’ve seen, there’s nothing to indicate they have a plan to increase revenue and from what I’ve seen, there’s nothing to indicate they have a plan to cut expenses,” Alexander said.

Todd A. McGee, council Finance Committee chairman, filed an order asking that the state audit the authority’s finances.

The audit was supported by Devine, a former city councilor who became board chairwoman April 25.

Devine said her understanding was authority Executive Director Sheryl Y. Quinn will seek more grants to try to repay the city.

“As a board we are committed to continue to work with the city to forge ahead with a repayment plan, more communication with the City Council and mayor’s office and most importantly to bring reassurances to the residents and employees that we are working hard for them,” Devine said.

File photo | The Republican

Not only has the lift drawn fish, but visitors, as well, with more than 4,000 viewing the migration since it began 2 weeks ago.

Staff photo by Don TreegerTwo American Shad swim past viewing window at Holyoke Dam fishway in 2005 photo.

HOLYOKE — The fishway at the Holyoke Dam is on a pace to break its record of 374,548 migrating fish.

As of Thursday, the lift at the Robert E. Barrett Fishway carried 352,035 fish over the dam, exceeding last year’s total at this point by more than 100,000, a press release said Friday.

“Over the next two days, it’s anticipated that the fish count will surpass the 2002 season total of 374,548 shad, the largest run this decade,” said Kate C. Sullivan, marketing coordinator with the Holyoke Gas & Electric Department, which owns the dam and the fishway.

The fishway consists of two lifts that carry American shad, sea lamprey, Atlantic salmon and other anadromous fish that swim up the Connecticut River in their annual spring migration.

Not only has the lift drawn fish, but visitors, as well, with more than 4,000 viewing the migration since it began two weeks ago, she said.

The fishway is off Bridge Street (Route 116), just west of the South Hadley-Holyoke Bridge. It is open Wednesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to June 17. It will be open Memorial Day.

Visitors can watch the lifts in action from an observation deck overlooking the Connecticut River. Behind the scenes, students from Holyoke Community College count each fish that passes through the flume, Sullivan said.

For information visit hged.com/fishlift.

DENVER — The money you're saving on gasoline may go toward buying steaks, ribs and chicken for the barbecue. Meat prices are expected to rise faster than overall food costs in 2012. Prices rose in the spring and may increase an additional 1 percent to 3 percent this summer. Grill masters will find bargain harder to come by as...

Associated Press

DENVER — The money you're saving on gasoline may go toward buying steaks, ribs and chicken for the barbecue.

Meat prices are expected to rise faster than overall food costs in 2012. Prices rose in the spring and may increase an additional 1 percent to 3 percent this summer. Grill masters will find bargain harder to come by as retailers attempt to recoup some of their higher costs.

Gas prices have dropped about a quarter recently in most parts of the country, which helps consumers. Still, shoppers should look to stock up when they do see sales on burger meat, steaks, chicken wings or pork chops.

Here's what consumers need to know:

HERE'S THE BEEF: Supermarket meat prices have increased because the number of cattle, hogs and chickens dropped last year in the U.S. Blame the weather.

A wet spring delayed corn planting last year. Traders drove up the price of corn futures because supplies were low and demand was robust from livestock producers, ethanol processors and overseas buyers. Corn futures jumped to an all-time high of $7.87 per bushel last June.

Feedlot owners who use corn to fatten up cattle before slaughter felt the pinch. Hog and chicken producers cut back on the number of animals they raised to offset higher corn costs.

In addition, a devastating drought in parts of the country dried up grasslands and ranges where cattle graze. Some ranchers sold off big numbers of animals instead of paying to truck in hay for feed.

In January, the U.S. Agriculture Department said that U.S. cattle herds were the smallest since 1952. Live cattle futures jumped to $1.3115 per pound in February, the highest level in decades. That meant higher costs for feedlot owners and meat packers. And those costs were passed on to consumers.

A scare about a beef additive dubbed "pink slime" and a case of mad cow disease in California seemed to have a limited impact on consumer demand, according to Mike Zuzolo, president of Global Commodity Analytics & Consulting LLC.

Higher corn prices also meant increased costs for hog and chicken producers.

PRICE CHECK: Meat prices are expected to increase 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent in 2012, said Ricky Volpe, an economist with the USDA's Economic Research Service. That is greater than the 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent rise in overall food costs the government is forecasting.

How much of your food budget is going toward meat depends on what type of meat you prefer. Steaks cost about 6 percent more this April than a year ago, USDA data showed. Pork prices were up just 3 percent, while chicken prices jumped 5.3 percent.

At a Denver supermarket on Friday, as Memorial Day weekend kicks off, you could buy a pound of lean ground beef for $4.49. Beef rib-eye steak was $9.99 per pound. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts were $3.49 per pound and boneless pork chops were $4.49 per pound. Using a rewards card could save a shopper anywhere from 70 cents to $3 depending on the item.

Summer prices usually increase 1 percent to 3 percent from the spring as more consumers take advantage of warm weather to grill meat, Volpe said.

SHOPPER BLUES: Shoppers have adjusted to higher costs by buying less beef and pork and more chicken, which is more economical and can be used in a variety of recipes, said Sherry Frey, a vice president at Nielsen Perishables Group.

They're also stocking up when they see sales. And they might use meat in recipes that produce more than one meal or even look for meatless recipes, she said.

A drop in gasoline prices should help. The national average has dropped to $3.67 per gallon from $3.94 since early April That will leave more money in the household budget for food.

"Gas prices, with them coming down, that really breathes life into the summer grilling season if we had good weather without too much rain," Zuzolo said.

The school has received an improved ranking, moving from 34th to 20th on a list of the best public high schools in Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD - Central High School has moved from no. 34 to no. 20 on a list compiled by The Washington Post of the best public high schools in Massachusetts.

Central similarly moved up the national list to no. 1,400 from no. 1,873 last year.

More than 1,900 schools are on the list.

The Post began ranking U.S. high schools in 2011 using its "Challenge Index," a measure of how effectively a school prepares its students for college, according to WWLP.

The Post's index is explained more here.

News of the ranking has been posted on Central High School's website with a message of congratulations.

Eighty-one percent of Central's students graduate in four years, and 37 percent go on to study at four-year colleges, according to The Post.

The average SAT score is 1251.

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a way to make one's visit to the doctor less painful: they have invented a device that jets the medicine through the skin without using a needle, the International Business Times is reporting.

AP Photo/NASAThis image provided by NASA shows Subtropical Storm Beryl along the South Carolina Georgia coastlines. The image was acquired Friday May 25, 2012 at 11:30 p.m. EDT. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the Southeast coast from north Florida to South Carolina as a cluster of thunderstorms was gathering strength Friday night and expected to become Tropical Storm Beryl over the Memorial Day weekend. The National Weather Service said that the storm's maximum sustained winds were at 45 mph. But they are expected to increase as the storm moves over the waters of the Atlantic. (AP Photo/NASA)

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Warren and DeFranco will each have 1 last chance to make their case to the delegates, who will then vote for 1 of them in a process that goes through 3 re-checks to ensure accuracy. Watch video

06.06.2009-SPRINGFIELD- Staff photo by Christopher Evans - Democrats wave campaign signs outside the MassMutual Center in Springfield during the Massachusetts Democratic Party Convention on June 6, 2009.

SPRINGFIELD - With thousands of people expected to descend on the city of Springfield for the Massachusetts Democratic Convention on June 2, only one U.S. Senate candidate will walk out of the MassMutual Center with the party's official nod to take on Republican Sen. Scott Brown in November.

In fact, without a vote from 15 percent of the state's delegates, a candidate will not appear on the party's primary ballot, effectively ending their candidacy.

Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren and Middleton immigration attorney Marisa DeFranco will each have a chance to make their case to the delegates, who will then vote for one of them in a process that goes through several re-checks to ensure accuracy, according to John Walsh, Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

“Following roll call, each Senate candidate will have 15 minutes to make their pitch,” Walsh said. “Some use the time for an introduction from another Democrat and others use a video, but it is up to the candidate how they want to allocate the time.”

From there, delegates will vote in what Walsh described as “a fairly involved process that is triple-checked to make sure the count is accurate.”

In February, Massachusetts Democrats held 557 caucuses to elect delegates to the 2012 Convention. An additional slate of delegates were also elected by the Democratic State Committee to ensure diversity.

DeFranco, the underdog in the Senate race, said she will take the stage following an introduction by her supporters and explain what she believes sets her apart from Warren.

"I'm not a walking talking point. I'm a real person with actual ideas," DeFranco said. "We deficit spent following World War II and with the right investments, we could do it to instantly put people back to work in this country. It's not that we don't have the ability to turn things around, what we lack is the drive and desire to get it done."

When asked if she was confident that 15 percent of the delegates would give her the nod to appear on the primary ballot in September, DeFranco said she wasn't taking anything for granted.

View full sizeMiddleton immigration attorney Marisa DeFranco, left, and Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren, will each have 15 minutes at the state Democratic Convention in Springfield to address the delegates before the vote. (Associated Press File Photos)

"We are cautiously optimistic and have been taking it one delegate at a time," DeFranco said. "We do feel great about the process and look forward to the weekend in Springfield."

Kevin Franck, communications director for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, noted that since 1982, delegates have never cleared the path for only one candidate to appear on the primary ballot, adding that it is likely DeFranco will get support from at least 15 percent of delegates.

Warren said she is looking forward to the convention and the opportunity to address so many of the state's Democrats at one time.

"I am excited about the convention in Springfield next week and the opportunity to continue building our strong grassroots momentum. Thousands of individuals have joined our efforts to level the playing field for middle class families across the Commonwealth," Warren said. "The people of Massachusetts know that there’s a clear choice in this election - it's about whose side you stand on. While Scott Brown stands with Wall Street, oil companies, and millionaires and billionaires, I stand with working families, and will fight to make sure they have a fair shot at success."

Gov. Deval Patrick, a co-chairman of President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, will address the convention, as will Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, Secretary of State William Galvin, Treasurer Steven Grossman and Auditor Suzanne Bump.

With Patrick's decision not to run for a third term in 2014, these state officials may use their respective speeches to hint at whether a run is likely in their future.

When working to decide which Bay State city should host this year's convention, Walsh said Springfield was a good fit because of its amenities and tourist attractions.

View full size(Staff Photo by Robert Rizzuto)Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh has served as the head of the Bay State Democrats since 2007. In 2006, he served as Deval Patrick's campaign manager during Patrick's successful gubernatorial run.

"Whenever you go to a convention city, you get lots of feedback about where to go next," Walsh said. "We've been to Springfield a number of times in past years and people always rave about the restaurants, the convention facilities and the other attractions which make it an appealing destination for the delegates and their families. I'm sure many people will be visiting the Basketball Hall of Fame for example."

Easthampton resident Nicole LaChapelle, co-chair of field services and executive member of the Democratic State Committee, helped plan this year's convention, a process which took nearly a year.

"About six to eight months ago we began looking at how we could improve over the 2010 convention," LaChapelle said. "We reached out to new and existing businesses in the area to negotiate discounts for the delegates and their families and now, hotels from Connecticut to Springfield, West Springfield, Holyoke and Chicopee are booked solid for the weekend. We've set up a double-decker Peter Pan bus to shuttle the delegates around the area and following the convention, they will be checking out the attractions Western Massachusetts has to offer. Six Flags New England and the Springfield Museums at the Quadrangle are popular destinations."

On Friday night ahead of the actual convention, there are several parties scheduled including one at Theodore's Blues Club on Worthington Street where Warren and Democratic U.S. Rep. Richard Neal will be among the Democrats in attendance. U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray will also host a party at McCaffrey's Public House on Main Street.

In short, the city's bars, restaurants and hotels will be occupied by Democrats from every level of government in Massachusetts.

"Obviously it's great to have the convention coming here to Springfield. We are rolling out the red carpet as we always do and there is no doubt that the convention is an economic shot in the arm for the hotels, restaurants and the surrounding areas," said Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. "One year after devastating weather and the tornado, we will have the whole state and national eyes focusing on us and how we've rebounded. We welcome everyone to give Springfield a second look."

Tornado recovery is expected to be a significant focus of the democrats while in the city as Murray will be speaking about the efforts of the non-profit Rebuilding Springfield organization.

Following the convention, delegates won't simply be packing up and heading to their respective corners of the Bay State. Walsh explained that they will be engaging in the grassroots practices that he has again popularized as the head of the state party.

"By pooling the resources of the delegates together, we are hoping to register more voters across the city of Springfield," Walsh said. "We will be out in the neighborhoods knocking on doors and phone banking to reach out and explain what we are doing to best represent the voters."

Democrats in Massachusetts hold a convention annually whether it is a nominating year or not while the state's Republican Party holds conventions only once every four years to coincide with gubernatorial elections.

As two finalists surfaced for the superintendent job, names of past superntendents surfaced on job references.

Daniel Warwick, left, and Jesus Jara have been named finalists to succeed Alan Ingram as superintendent of Springfield schools.

SPRINGFIELD – Jesus F. Jara and Daniel J. Warwick, the newly chosen finalists for superintendent of schools in Springfield, are pointing to their employment histories, their work with urban youth and their local ties in their quest for the top job.

But while Warwick points to his nearly 36-year tenure in the Springfield school system, rising through the ranks from teacher to current deputy superintendent, Jara points to his nearly four-year tenure as a Springfield principal and assistant principal, his subsequent work in Florida with minority and underserved students, and his current job as superintendent in Monroe County, Fla.

In addition, Jara said he has been tied professionally to two former Springfield superintendents – Joseph P. Burke and Peter J. Negroni – since leaving Springfield in 2005. He said he considers Negroni a close advisor and mentor and has him as a job reference, and he used Burke as a reference for a superintendent job application in Palm Beach, Fla., in January.

Jara, who has served the past nine months as superintendent in Monroe County, lost his bid for the Palm Beach superintendent job in February.

Jara said his ties to Negroni and Burke are multi-fold.

In 2010, Burke, then superintendent of schools in Monroe County, hired Jara as his chief operations officer. When Burke left Monroe County last year for a superintendent job in Lee County, Fla., Jara was appointed superintendent in his place by Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

In Springfield, Jara served as principal of the High School of Science and Technology from February 2003 to December 2005, working for Burke. He previously was assistant principal at Van Sickle Middle School beginning in August 2001.

Daniel Warwick Application and Resume

Warwick served as assistant superintendent under Burke and was made a principal at Glenwood School by Negroni. He has been assistant and deputy superintendent since July 2004.

Warwick’s references include both Burke and Negroni, and he said he has also worked well with current Superintendent Alan J. Ingram.

“I had a great relationship with all the superintendents,” Warwick said. “Nothing but admiration and respect for all of them.”

Jara said his efforts were instrumental in turning around discipline issues at the High School of Science and Technology. Warwick said that in his past service as principal at Glenwood School was key to turning it from one of the worst performing schools in the state to one of the best.

Jara, in addition to his application in Springfield, has also reapplied for the Monroe County superintendent job. As approved by voters, the superintendent is now an appointment made by the School Committee, rather than by the governor. Jara is one of nine finalists for the job, while still employed.

Monroe County School Committee Chairman John Dick said this week he is aware of Jara’s dual applications there and in Springfield.

“I am very satisfied with his performance so far down here,” Dick said. “I hope the best thing happens to Dr. Jara and I hope that Monroe County is part of what he thinks is best.”

Jesus Jara Application and Resume

Warwick, since beginning work with the school system in 1976, has served as a teacher, special education supervisor, principal, assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent.

Warwick said he has not applied recently for any other jobs and wants to stay in Springfield.

“I love Springfield, and I have lived here all my life and spent my career here,” Warwick said.

Jara, prior to working in Monroe County, worked for The College Board in Florida, first as senior educational manager in 2005, and then as the executive director for College Board Partnerships in Florida in 2006. Jara said he worked on urban school issues with Negroni, who is senior vice president of The College Board in New York.

Jara said he wants to return to Springfield.

“It’s a great city with a lot of potential,” Jara said. “There is an uncapped potential. I consider Springfield a diamond in the rough.”

Jara said he knows the city was interested in local candidates.

“I know the city, I know the students,” Jara said.

Warwick said he brings a “wealth of experience at every level, a wealth of experience in urban education and a proven record of success at every level.”

The 21,000-square-foot building will include an exercise room, a 200-person all-purpose room and multiple classrooms and lounges.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublcianPeople in a crowded hall listen to the presentation of the proposed new Chicopee Senior Center Thursday at the current senior center from Tim Eagles of edm, an architectural and engineering firm.

CHICOPEE – Architects and engineers unveiled this week plans for a new two-story senior center that includes two exercise rooms, a specially-designed art studio and plenty of space for socializing.

“Oh happy day...This is the best day ever in a senior center,” said Sandra Lapollo, executive director of the Council on Aging.

The new about 21,000 square-foot center, estimated to cost $8 million, is to be constructed on West Main Street, at the site of the former Facemate plant. Demolition is underway and officials are hoping to start construction this fall.

Thursday drawings for the center were unveiled to more than 100 seniors. Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said plans were not finalized and encouraged the audience to suggest revisions.

“Ultimately what we came up with is a building which respects the past while looking forward,” said Tim Eagles, an architect for edm who designed the building.

The outside of the building will have a brick facade and long windows reminiscent of the former mill buildings. It will also have large panels of glass in some areas to give more natural light and a better view of the Chicopee River.

Because the site is sloped, the two-story building will be build into a hill, similar to the Chicopee Public Library. From West Main Street, people can enter the second floor through a street-level entrance. A roadway will lead to the main parking lot below and there will be another entrance from the back leading to the first floor.

One of the key elements is the design goes beyond handicap accessibility laws to make it easy for people with mobility issues. There is an elevator, parking lot sidewalks are flush with the pavement so there is no tripping hazards, there are specially-designed rest rooms throughout the building, said Ellen Gallow, of Lifespan Design Studios, who assisted with interior design.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanAn artist's rendering of the proposed Chicopee Senior Center.

“This is a very social facility and that is one of its strengths,” she said. “There are a lot of public spaces and the corridors are deliberately wide,” she said.

Other features include a fitness room with exercise machines, an exercise room for classes, changing rooms with showers, a lounge with a cafe and a gift shop, said Douglas Gallow, of Lifespan Design Studios.

There will also be a billiards room, a multi-purpose room for 200 people and multiple classrooms and gathering rooms of different sizes.

During the unveiling the Friends of the Senior Center also made its pitch to ask people to assist with the fund-raising effort. The group has pledged to raise $2 million toward building and furnishing the building.

Richard J. Kos, a lawyer and the former mayor who is serving as a fund-raising chairman, reminded people of the June 15 event where painted models of C5 Galaxy jets will be auctioned to raise money.

It is a start, but it is just the first component of what is expected to be a huge effort.

“It is going to be a challenge but it is one we can achieve collectively,” Kos said.

Senter Center Site Plan

Westfield Improvement District will again host a Farmers Market beginning June 14.

Photo by Ted Laborde / The RepublicanMaureen L. Belliveau is the new director of the Westfield Business Improvement District.

WESTFIELD – Maureen L. Belliveau needs no indoctrination in her new job as director of the Westfield Business Improvement District.

A volunteer and member of its board of directors since it was started in 2006, Belliveau was elected to succeed the BID’s first director Lisa G. McMahon who left in March.

Belliveau, a Russell native and former co-owner of Optimum Health on Elm Street, has a similar vision for the downtown to that of McMahon.

“I want to work with all downtown partners to communicate to the rest of the world how fabulous Westfield is,” Belliveau said.

“I love Westfield and its feels like home to me,” she said.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said “Maureen, a person who originally sought out Westfield to start a business, is someone who realizes the value of Westfield and can communicate that value to others. I can think of no better person to fill the position of director of Westfield Improvement District.”

Belliveau said her involvement with the business group for the past five years allowed her “to hit the ground running. I did not need a formal indoctrination to this job.”

Immediate goals is to ensure the annual Farmers Market starts on June 14 and to “foster and nurture existing relationships with the city, Chamber of Commerce and Westfield State University, all partners in an on-going effort to revitalize the downtown and Westfield as a whole,” she said.

The Farmers Market will again operate on Thursday afternoons on Franklin Street where if moved two years ago because of downtown reconstruction that includes Park Square Green.

“The downtown reconstruction is nearing completion,” said Belliveau. “That is due late next month and we should be able to return the market to the green next season,” she said.

The BID and Westfield on Weekends sponsored summer concert series will return in August and again operate at Church Street Commons until they too can return to Park Square Green, said Belliveau.

“We are now working on details for our fall annual projects and new programs for the downtown,” the director said.

Brown is one of the top recipients of donations from the financial industry this election cycle, as his opponent Democrat Elizabeth Warren campaigns as a "tough cop" regulating Wall Street.

File photo | Associated PressSen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., addresses the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce in Boston, Monday, Nov. 15, 2010. Brown called for government to focus on creating a better business environment. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

The financial industry is lining up behind Republican U.S. Senator Scott Brown’s reelection campaign, making him one of the top recipients of cash from financial, insurance and real estate companies during the current election cycle.

While Democrats are trying to portray Brown as beholden to Wall Street, the reason for such strong support may have as much to do with Brown’s Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Warren, who has portrayed herself as a “tough cop” policing Wall Street.

“There are some in the industry who are concerned about her positions or comments relating to the industry,” said Scott Talbott, senior vice president for government affairs at the Financial Services Roundtable, a lobbying group that represents some of the country’s biggest financial institutions. Talbott pointed to Warren’s work creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – an agency created by the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill to protect consumer interests.

According to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, donors from the finance, insurance and real estate industries gave Brown $2.3 million between January 2011 and April 30, 2012. The only Senate candidate to raise more money from those groups was Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York. Warren has gotten just $307,000 from those industries.

The four companies whose employees or political action committee gave the largest donations to Brown are financial or insurance companies, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. Fidelity Investments gave Brown $168,000; Liberty Mutual insurance company and investment bank Goldman Sachs each gave around $74,000; accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers gave $68,000. (Employees or political action committees gave the money, not the companies.)

Employees of Bain Capital – the Massachusetts-based private equity investment company started by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney – gave Brown $55,000. MassMutual Life Insurance gave $59,000. Employees of other financial companies – including TA Associates, Barclays, Bank of New York Mellon, and J.P. Morgan Chase are also among Brown’s most generous contributors.

Many donors who gave the maximum allowable contribution to Brown’ campaign committee are top players in financial firms in Massachusetts: James Mooney, managing director of the Baupost Group hedge fund; Mark Hastings, managing partner of the private equity group Garvin Hill Capital Partners; James Benson, CEO of Benson Botsford, a financial services investment company; Paul Edgerley, a managing director at Bain Capital, who is also a major donor to Romney; and others.

Brown also has a joint fundraising committee with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which can accept donations of up to $35,800, with $5,000 going to Brown and the rest to the NRSC. A Boston Globe analysis of Brown’s joint committee found that nearly half the donations to that committee came from the financial industry. Among those who gave the maximum donation, according to Federal Election Commission filings, were: Timothy Barrows, a general partner at the investment firm Matrix Partners in Boston; Howard Cox of Florida, an advisory partner at the Greylock Partners venture capital firm; and Walter Donovan, chief investment officer of Boston’s Putnam Investments.

The graphic below shows campaign finance data for the 2011-2012 election cycle.

The Massachusetts Democratic Party has attacked Brown for taking donations from Wall Street, arguing that Brown is beholden to financial interests.

After J.P.Morgan Chase lost $2 billion in a trading error, the Massachusetts Democratic Party pointed out that J.P. Morgan employees donated $50,000 to Brown.

Warren spokeswoman Alethea Harney said, “Scott Brown is taking care of Wall Street and Wall Street is taking care of Scott Brown. They’re investing in Scott Brown because they know he will be there for them and Elizabeth Warren will be there taking them on, standing up for hard-working families and seniors to protect their investments.”

Democrats say that although Brown was one of three Republicans to support the Dodd-Frank bill, he used his leverage as a key vote to get Senate Democrats to eliminate a $19 billion fee on major financial institutions and to weaken a provision that would have prohibited banks from making certain types of investments.

Brown, asked about his donations from the financial industry after a speech at Bunker Hill Community College, said, “I’m raising money like every other member of the delegation.” Brown pointed out that Massachusetts is one of the top financial centers in the country.

Brown spokesman Colin Reed said, “Scott Brown’s fundraising is no different than President Obama, Elizabeth Warren, (Democratic Massachusetts Senator ) John Kerry or the rest of the Massachusetts delegation, except Professor Warren hypocritically attacks Scott Brown for it. Scott Brown was the tie-breaking vote in favor of the Wall Street reform bill which imposed new regulations on the financial industry.“

Obama, a Democrat, received $7.5 million from the financial, insurance, and real estate industries this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics; Romney got $17.9 million; Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, got $53,000 this election cycle and $20 million during his career.

But Brown’s totals are unusually high. Brown has received a total of $4.1 million from the financial sector since he ran for Senate in a 2010 special election.

Brown’s predecessor, Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, got $3.7 million from the financial sector between 1989 and 2010. Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, a Democrat and former chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, took in $1.3 million from the financial sector during his last run in 2010 and $4.4 million since 1989.

Messages left for several of Brown’s major donors in the financial industry were not returned. Talbott, of the Financial Services Roundtable, said he believes support for Brown is not based on one particular vote. “If you look at his track record, he has an understanding of issues facing the financial services industry,” Talbott said.

Economist Brian Gottlob, principal at PolEcon Research, who is unconnected to either campaign, said it is natural that people in finance would be wary of Warren, given that she was considered to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Warren also chaired a congressional committee overseeing the use of federal money for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the bailout of financial institutions.

“An aggressive role around consumer protection would naturally, in any industry, make those in the industry that are regulated more nervous about a candidate,” Gottlob said. “People in the financial services industry had concerns about the financial protection agency, what it was, what it might do.”

Warren has been a strong proponent of government regulation of the financial industry. She fought against changes to the U.S. bankruptcy code, passed in 2005, that made it harder for individuals to file for bankruptcy. Banks and credit card companies supported the changes. Recently, she called for the re-implementation of a law separating commercial and investment banks – a move banks are likely to oppose.

The financial industry has historically been the single biggest source of money in U.S. elections. Bob Biersack, senior fellow at the Center for Responsive Politics, said the industry will be particularly involved in a year when the balance of the Senate is up for grabs. “When control of the Senate is at stake and every Senate race is going to count for a lot this year, industries that feel there’s a big regulatory agenda where the makeup of Congress is important to them will be involved in lots of places,” he said.

The Democratic Senate candidate has received more than $1.5 million in donations from affiliates of four liberal advocacy organizations. Warren has gotten large numbers of out-of-state donations through bundling by these groups.

02-18-2012-SPRINGFIELD - Candidate for the U.S. Senate, Elizabeth Warren, left talks with Agnes Kearon of Springfield before the Ward 5 Caucus at the Mill Pond School in Springfield on Feb. 18, 2012 morning. (Staff Photo by Dave Roback)

Six months before the election, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee has raised more money for Massachusetts Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren than it has for any other candidate in the organization’s three-year history. A spokesman for the liberal group MoveOn.org called the amount of money MoveOn has raised for Warren “unprecedented” in a Senate campaign.

Warren is the likely Democratic opponent facing Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown in his reelection bid. Liberal advocacy groups from around the country are rallying behind Warren, using their extensive fundraising networks to fill her campaign coffers. Donors and advocacy groups say they are swayed largely by Warren’s work on consumer protection in the financial industry.

“She’s been such an important voice for reigning in Wall Street and rebuilding the middle class,” said Daniel Mintz, national director of coordinated campaigns for MoveOn. “Those are issues our members care about a ton. She’s really a hero for many of them.”

It is difficult to track exactly how much money these organizations have raised for Warren. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) solicits donors, but directs them straight to Warren’s campaign, so the PCCC is not listed on Federal Election Commission reports. The FEC only requires disclosure of donations over $200, and donations received after March 31 have not yet been reported. But based on the organizations’ records and FEC data, four organizations alone have funneled more than $1.5 million to Warren’s campaign.

The PCCC says it has directed $740,000 to Warren, making it the largest single source of funding. Emily’s List, a political action committee supporting pro-choice, female, Democratic candidates, has bundled at least $311,000 in contributions to Warren, according to FEC filings. MoveOn says it has bundled at least $400,000. The Council for a Livable World, which advocates for nuclear arms control and a progressive national security policy, has given $107,000.

ActBlue, a donation aggregation website that directs individuals to Democratic causes, claims to have raised more than $5 million for Warren, with an average donation of $46. But that figure includes all the money given through the PCCC and money raised at local events, where attendees RSVP through ActBlue.

The graphic below shows campaign finance data for the 2011-2012 election cycle.

Republican groups generally have not been using the same kind of fundraising strategies, though a non-partisan group called VoteSane has directed close to $10,000 in contributions to Brown, according to FEC filings. Brown did receive around $450,000 from “ideological” political action committees, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Bob Biersack, a senior fellow at the Center for Responsive Politics, said these groups have been building support over time and are becoming more effective in fundraising. “They’re giving those supporters around the country cues about which candidates are worthy of their support,” Biersack said. “They have a cadre of people who over the years have contributed to them over and over again.”

Carol Adler, a retiree and progressive Democrat living in Portland, Oregon said she gets multiple emails a day from political groups like the PCCC. “I’ve been sending money all over the damn place,” Adler said. She gave $1,125 to Warren – and plans to give more.

Adler has followed Warren’s advocacy for increased financial regulation. She donated after getting an email from a progressive group. “I jump when I see her name,” Adler said. “She’s smart, she understands what goes on in the money markets…The fact that she’s a woman doesn’t hurt.”

The progressive groups have contributed to the large number of out-of-state donations Warren has gotten. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 59 percent of Warren’s money has come from outside Massachusetts, compared to 42 percent of Brown’s.

Brown spokesman Colin Reed said, “Elizabeth Warren is very popular with out-of-state liberals and Hollywood elites, but in Massachusetts she’s simply known as the woman who falsely claimed to be a Native American minority law professor….Scott Brown is extremely proud that two-thirds of his donors come from Massachusetts.”

Warren spokesman Alethea Harney pointed to Warren’s support in Massachusetts. “The incredible enthusiasm we have seen from people across the Commonwealth who are contributing to this campaign shows the strong grassroots momentum behind Elizabeth’s fight for middle class families,” Harney said. “More than 30,000 people from across Massachusetts have contributed, and 70 percent of these donations have been $50 or less. This is the kind of strong grassroots effort we need to be able to take on the big banks and corporations that are lining up against Elizabeth.”

While the candidates have signed a “People’s Pledge,” preventing outside groups from advertising, the pledge does not prevent organizations from fundraising – which can benefit both Warren and the organizations. The PCCC, which supports a variety of progressive causes and candidates, launched a “Draft Warren for Senate” campaign in July 2011, and raised money to help Warren get into the race. The group urges Massachusetts members to volunteer for Warren. Before Brown and Warren signed the pledge, the PCCC spent $10,000 on online advertising, according to FEC filings.

PCCC spokesman Neil Sroka said members are enthusiastic about Warren’s message of holding Wall Street accountable and helping the middle class. “Tons of folks from Massachusetts and across the country are excited about someone who is giving voice and saying the things that so many of them are feeling,” Sroka said.

Warren also helps the PCCC. Warren is collaborating with the group to advocate for a law separating commercial and investment banks. A PCCC fundraising page for Warren on the ActBlue website solicited $490,000 for Warren and $134,000 for the PCCC.

Similarly, Emily’s List co-hosted a fundraiser for Warren in October (along with liberal financier George Soros) and features her on its website. Warren wrote a fundraising letter and held a conference call to help Emily’s List.

MoveOn, which was founded in 1998 and claims to have more than 5 million members, is the most well-known group. An opponent of the Iraq war, MoveOn was criticized for running a 2007 ad in the New York Times titled “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?,” referring to General David Petraeus, head of coalition forces in Iraq.

Mintz said MoveOn members respect Warren’s work chairing a congressional panel overseeing the use of federal bailout money. Mintz said progressives were frustrated when Obama did not nominate Warren to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which she helped start, out of concern that Senate Republicans would block her nomination.

MoveOn urges members them to donate to and volunteer for Warren, and Mintz said the group’s fundraising for Warren has been “off the charts.”

Similarly, the Council for a Livable World has raised more money for Warren this cycle than for any other candidate. Though Warren has not made foreign policy a big part of her campaign, Executive Director John Isaacs said the group endorsed Warren after meeting with her and having her complete a survey. Isaacs said the group looks for close races, where a candidate has the potential to lead on national security. “She has inspired people across the country,” Isaacs said. “She’s a fighter on economic justice issues in way very few others aren’t.”

Warren has also been helped by alliances with other progressive candidates. Warren did two fundraisers with Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat, in Seattle in December. A Cantwell-Warren joint committee raised $210,000 as of March 31, according to the FEC. In November, Peter Buttenwieser, a major Democratic donor, hosted a luncheon for Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democratic Senate candidate, and Warren in Pennsylvania, with tickets costing $250 to $10,000. A Baldwin-Warren PAC has raised $171,000, apparently mostly from that event.

Contaminants in the ground at the 18-acre West Holyoke site along Mountain Road south of Cherry Street include lead, antimony and arsenic.

File photo | The RepublicanHolyoke City Hall.

HOLYOKE — The city has received a $200,000 federal grant to continue cleaning 18 acres in West Holyoke contaminated with lead after decades of use as a shooting range, Mayor Alex B. Morse said.

“This funding couldn’t have come at a more critical time for the project. We are about to start work on the first phase of the cleanup this summer and this funding will allow us to make great headway on completing the project,” Morse said Friday.

The cleaning of the city-owned property involves removing soil from three target pits that gun users frequented from the 1920’s to the 1970’s along Mountain Road south of Cherry Street. Besides lead, other contaminants there are antimony and arsenic, which are metallic elements, city Senior Planner Karen Mendrala said.

The city eight years ago identified the site as a “brownfield,” a federal term for an area whose reuse is complicated by the presence of hazardous substances, she said.

An EPA grant three years ago of $200,000 has been used to identify the contaminants and begin some cleaning, she said.

Proposals will be sought from contractors in July and the cleanup could be done by fall, she said.

The City Council recently voted to designate 14 acres of the area conservation land. The remainder will be sold as two, 2-acre house lots, officials said.

The designation came at the urging of Ward 7 Councilor Gordon P. Alexander, former Conservation Commission chairman.

The conservation designation means the 14 acres will stay free of development. The city could at some point plot hiking trails there, he said.

“It’s a very good thing. This abuts water department land on a very long boundary on the back,” Alexander said.

Holyoke was one of 245 cities, towns and tribes nationwide that got a total of $69.3 million this month from the Environmental Protection Agency. The money is to clean and redevelop contaminated properties.

“Restored ‘brownfield properties’ can serve as cornerstones for rebuilding struggling communities. These grants will be the first step in getting pollution out and putting jobs back into neighborhoods across the country,” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said, in a press release.

An estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites exist in America, the press release said.

There also will be a ballot question asking if the road commissioner position should be appointive, rather than elective.

WALES - There is a three-way race for a position on the Board of Selectmen at the annual election on Tuesday, though one of the names will not be on the ballot.

Incumbent Jeffrey P. Vannais, of 185 Union Road, is facing a challenge from former selectman Richard J. Learned, of 58 Mt. Hitchcock Road, for a three-year term. Meanwhile, a write-in campaign has been launched to get David W. Worth, of 4 Church St., elected.

Worth, 68, is the Historical Society president and a cemetery commissioner. A retired railroad dispatcher, he is a lifelong resident of Wales and also was the fire chief for 16 years and road commissioner for 18 years.

"If I will win, I will serve," Worth said, adding the write-in campaign was started by a group of people who are unhappy with the two selectmen candidates.

Worth is married to selectmen's secretary Kaye Worth. If elected, he plans to get the Town Office Building hot water; he said it hasn't had it 10 years. He also wants to expand the parking there. Working on making the tri-town dog pound a reality is another goal, he said.

Vannais, 61, is seeking his third term as a selectman.

"I enjoy it. I love the citizens . . . the whole atmosphere of the town is a wonderful place to be," Vannais said.

Vannais said he inherited a sense of civic duty from his parents. He said he is interested as a selectman to continue to maintain and grow the town's financial stability.

Vannais said he is concerned about the aging library and Town Office Building, and said the town needs something better for the future. Vannais is a communications supervisor with the East Hartford, Conn. Police Department.

In 2011, voters shot down a proposal to appropriate $1.1 million to buy and renovate 2 Main St., the former Tedore's restaurant property, for town offices, the library and the Police Department.

Learned, 61, said he has missed not being on the board, and said his main issues are public safety, and improving the town buildings. But he doesn't think money should be put into the Town Office Building on Hollow Road due to its poor condition, and said the old Town Hall on Main Street is not viable either as it has no parking.

Learned said he thinks Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary should be approached to see if it has any land available for new town buildings.

"I don't think it would hurt," Learned said.

Learned served for three years; he lost last year to Michael Milanese. He is a retired, disabled Army veteran.

"I love doing this work and I love being involved in the community," Learned said.

There also is a four-way race for the $48,000 road commissioner position. The current road commissioner, Michael Wasiluk, is not running for reelection.

Competing for the three-year position are highway employee Charles Smith III, of 125 Main St.; transfer station employee Bruce Cadieux, of 37 Lake George Road; Thomas L. Brown, of 138 Stafford Road; and Stephen J. Machnik, of 25 Shore Drive.

Selectman Michael J. Valanzola, of 68 McBride Road, is running for reelection as the Tantasqua School District representative, while Lynne M. Serrenho is running as a write-in candidate.

Serrenho, of 48 Tiderman Road, also is challenging incumbent Charles Smith for a three-year constable position.

There will also will be a question on the ballot asking residents if they prefer having a road commissioner appointed, rather than elected.

Voting will be from from noon to 8 p.m. at the Senior Center on Router 19.

For the second time this calendar year, West Springfield needs to hire a principal assessor.

File photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanLauren J. Elliott, of Longmeadow, is seen with West Springfield Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger after she was hired in March. After two months on the job, she is leaving West Springfield for a higher paying job in Greenwich, Conn.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – After just two months on the job, Principal Assessor Lauren J. Elliott has given notice to the city that she will move on to a much higher paying assessor’s position in Greenwich, Conn.

Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger said Friday Elliott is leaving her job with the city because she has the opportunity to make about twice as much working for Greenwich, Conn., an affluent suburb of New York City. Her pay here is $69,878 a year, but according to a recent story in Greenwich Time newspaper, the salary range for her new position is $110,702 to $166,053.

Elliott, a 50-year-old resident of Longmeadow, is expected to make a salary about midway between those figures, according to the report.

“People were coming into my office saying thank you for hiring someone I feel I can talk to, who is pleasant and fair,” Neffinger said of Elliott, who could not be reached for comment.

Elliott is expected to start her new job June 25. She will spend about another month working here, according to Neffinger.

A lawyer who has represented cases before the state Appellate Tax Board, Elliott has served as an assessor in Canaan, Salisbury and Goshen, Conn., as well as in Portsmouth, N.H.

She was sworn in to work for West Springfield in late March. Elliott replaced Christopher Keefe, whom the mayor fired Feb. 8 following a dispute about tax abatement hearings for social clubs. Neffinger had argued that social clubs should not have to pay property taxes, while Keefe has said that they are required to by state law.

The mayor has maintained that Elks Club, the Tatham Memorial Club, the Dante Club and the Verdi Club, all of which got property tax bills for the first time last year, should not have to pay local taxes.

Neffinger said he anticipates that Elliott will help decide the issue before leaving office.

The mayor said he is hopeful of a having a new principal assessor in place by the time Elliott departs. Neffinger has asked Chief Financial Officer Sharon A. Wilcox to research the position in Western Massachusetts communities of similar population to determine if the salary the city has been offering is competitive.

The city needs someone on the job with both assessing and appraising experience, according to Neffinger.

The Palmer school will be featured on an upcoming segment of "Rock Center with Brian Williams" on NBC.

PALMER - It was a star-studded day at Old Mill Pond Elementary School on Wednesday, as special guests included the author of the Magic Tree House book series, Mary Pope Osborne, and television personality Meredith Vieira.

The visit was Osborne's second to her "adopted" school, and she was back again for a feature Vieira is doing about her for the show, Rock Center with Brian Williams, on NBC, to commemorate Osborne's 20th year writing about the adventures of Jack and Annie, the brother-and-sister team who discover a magical treehouse and use the special books inside it to travel back in time to the Middle Ages, ancient Egypt, the age of the dinosaurs, the wild west and other long-gone destinations.

The Palmer school was chosen for Vieira's visit because the school uses the Magic Tree House series in lesson plans. Vieira said she wanted to feature the school in the segment to see how the kids were doing after a year of using the lesson plans.

Two teachers who pioneered using the Magic Tree House series at the school - second grade teacher Lynn A. Logsdon and Title 1 third and fourth grade reading teacher Mary L. Beaulieu - also contributed to the author's website, www.mthclassroomadventures.org. Their Magic Tree House lesson plans are on the website for other teachers to use.

"These teachers were a great help to us," Osborne said.

Beaulieu explained that the district's technical director, Thomas Barnes, was the one who helped forge the Osborne connection, putting them in touch with Jack
Desroches, who works with the author. Osborne ended up donating books to the school last year during a visit, and she donated more on her recent visit.

Logsdon said the books help engage the children in their lessons.

"They're excited about learning and they're excited about reading," she said.

Osborne visited some first- through fourth-grade classrooms, including Karen Chudy's fourth-graders. She was with her husband Will, who has written several of the "Fact Trackers" that go along with some of the books. The non-fiction Fact Trackers give readers more information about the places and subjects featured in the stories.

Osborne had Chudy's pupils vote on the next book she would write. The majority of Chudy's class wanted her to write about World Cup soccer, not Russia 300 years ago, the Mayan civilization or the magician Houdini.

"Well I just might do them all," Osborne said. "The next one might be Houdini, and the Fact Tracker might be magic tricks that you can do yourself."

The pupils responded with "oohs."

Chudy said she uses the books in the classroom and the pupils enjoy them. The story about Titanic - the ill-fated ocean liner that hit an iceberg in 1912 - is used for a lesson on immigration, she explained.

"They really do enjoy them," Chudy said about the Magic Tree House series. "It doesn't matter if you're a second-grader or an adult. They're good to read."

Sam E. Midwood, 10, said he prefers the historical books by Osborne, such as "Civil War on Sunday," because he said he is a history buff, like his father. He said he is looking forward to her upcoming book on Alexander the Great.

Payten R. Tardy, 10, and Olivia R. Nichols, 10, said they also enjoy the books.

"They leave me hanging so I want to start reading more and more," Olivia said.

Olivia said she felt "overwhelmed" that Osborne was actually in her classroom.

Said Principal Jacqueline A. Haley, "I think it's amazing. I think we're so fortunate. We're able to meet the author of these books that they're reading."

Three students were interviewed by Vieira for her upcoming segment on Osborne.

Under the bright lights set up in the school library, second-graders Mia Murray and Madalyn Theriault and third-grader Nadia Champagne talked about why they like the Magic Treehouse books.

Mia and Madalyn were in togas, as part of a lesson Logsdon was teaching about the Olympics that incorporated one of Osborne's books.

Mia revealed she has read 15 Magic Tree House books. Madalyn, 14, and Nadia, 10.

"What's special about her books?" Vieira asked.

"They're like an adventure . . . They're easy, but also fun, and not boring," Nadia explained. "I enjoy sitting down after playing with my friends and reading her books."

Madalyn said she asked for the books for Christmas, and said she thinks she's better reader because "there's a lot of tough words in them."

The girls said they were very happy that Osborne was at their school.

"It was awesome," Madalyn said.

"I was so glad when she walked into our classroom," Nadia said.

Vieira said Osborne is a "great profile" because of the impact she has made on thousands and thousands of children.

"She's really trying to change lives in a positive way," Vieira said.

Shea turns 57 on July 23. He said he is in pretty good health and feeling young enough for a great overseas adventure.

Republican columnist Tom Shea is bidding farewell to The Republican and Western Massachusetts to accept a job at The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi. Today is the last time his column will appear.

SPRINGFIELD – After 17 years and some 2,000 columns in The Republican, Tom Shea is packing up his notebook and moving on.

Shea, the Irish-Catholic kid from Hungry Hill, is concluding his 42-year career with the Springfield newspapers. He has accepted a job literally on the other side of the world.

Sometime in June, he will report to the foreign desk at The National, an English-language daily newspaper in Abu Dhabi, the capital and second largest city in the United Arab Emirates.

Read that again: Shea is going to work in Abu Dhabi.

That’s OK, he says. He’s been getting a lot of that lately when people ask him what he’s up to. The typical response is, “What?” followed quickly with, “Why?”

Why indeed?

“It just seemed like a cool opportunity,” he said. “And I love the heat.”

He’d better love warm weather; Abu Dhabi, located on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf, has average high temperatures of 100- 
plus degrees in the summer months.

It is also one of the fastest growing cities in the world. For the last decade, it has been undergoing a massive transformation. The population in 2007 was 930,000, and it is expected to hit 1.3 million people next year and 2 million by 2020.

Shea said he had barely heard of it five years ago, and now, he said, “it seems everyone knows someone in Abu Dhabi.”

One of his former students from a journalism class is working there. And he found out during a recent physical that his doctor has a cousin who works there in the construction field.

Since Shea started spreading the news, there’s been no shortage of his Facebook friends telling him to look up their cousin, sister, brother, uncle or whoever as soon as his plane touches down.

At The National, he will be an editor on the Foreign Desk. He won’t know his exact duties “until they put me to work,” Shea said.

The paper was founded a few years ago, and the editor-in-chief is a former New York Times editor. The staff is made up of British and American expatriates.

Shea turns 57 on July 23. He said he is in pretty good health and feeling young enough for a great overseas adventure.

“I took the job in Abu Dhabi because I thought it would be a great opportunity to do journalism in a place that wasn’t home,” he said. “It’s a challenge I want to take on. I just feel... how do I say it? As I got older, I always felt I should have had a New York experience. Abu Dhabi will be my New York experience.”

Shea’s family was initially shocked, but is now supportive, he said.

“My mother at first was surprised but is now all for it,” he said.

Shea’s wife, author Suzanne Strempek-Shea, has commitments in the United States. He said she will make it over as her schedule allows. “We don’t have kids so our schedules are flexible,” he said.

Republican file photoA young Tom Shea in 1973 at the start of his career with The Springfield Newspapers.

Shea’s 42-year career with the Springfield newspapers began in 1972 while still a student at Cathedral High School.

He began in sports, covering high school games for the Springfield Daily News. “My first assignment was covering a Tech High vs. Westfield football game,” Shea recalled.

He would meet Suzanne while covering a high school hockey game.

In time, he’d graduate to covering the Boston Red Sox, but covering sports began to lose its luster for him, Shea said. Part of it was knowing what the players and coaches would answer before he asked the questions, he explained.

In the early 1980s, he was approached by then-city editor Wayne Phaneuf about making the jump from sports writing to news.

“Then, of course, I was thrust into all kinds of situations that had nothing to do with runs, hits or errors, and had a whole bunch of questions that I had no idea what the answer was going to be,” Shea said.

As a general assignment reporter, every day was different.

“I would always tell people who wanted a job in journalism that it’s a smorgasbord. Anything you are interested in you can write about,” he said. “And I ended up being an example of that.”

He would go door-to-door with Jehovah’s Witnesses making their rounds, talk with the families of murder victims, and interview grave diggers about preparing a plot when the ground is still frozen.

In 1991, he was among the first reporters writing about the priest sexual abuse scandal in New England.

In 1995 came a new assignment, as a columnist for The Republican, a position he’s held ever since.

His first column, which appeared April 25, 1995, was headlined: “Delivering the news with a personal touch.” It set the tone for the next 17 years.

He wanted his column to be about the unsung heroes, “the people who don’t get their names in the paper,” Shea said.

Republican file photoRepublican columnist Tom Shea marches in the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade in 2008, the year he was named grand marshal.

He would write about recovering alcoholics trying to reconnect with the children they abandoned, people who worked tirelessly on behalf of the handicapped, and the guy who works the goal lamp at hockey games, just to name a few.

“I always want to write about the janitors and not the principals, the workers and not the bosses,” he said. “There are a lot of janitors, a lot of workers out there.”

He recalls the greatest compliment he ever received was the time he went to the wake of a man he had written about, and there in a frame by the coffin was the column he had written.

“I recognize that as something beyond me, that maybe I did a little good shining a light on someone who deserved it,” he said.

His final column appears in today’s Sunday Republican and on MassLive.com. Other than an editor’s note at the end announcing it as his final piece, it focuses on the men whose names are on a veterans memorial at Brightside.

A goodbye column, he said, just wasn’t in him. “And who knows? Maybe I’ll be back.” 

Even at 99 years, Forest Park resident Thomas D'Amato is still called by his boyish nickname of Tommy.

View full sizeSubmitted photoFrom left: Maddie Allen, Forest Park Elder Affairs Center coordinator; Thomas Walsh, communications director for Mayor Domenic Sarno; Candra Cripps, resident service coordinator of the Springfield Housing Authority; Thomas D’Amato; Springfield City Councilor Kateri B. Walsh and Janet Rodriguez-Denney, the city’s director of elder affairs.

‘Tommy’ a youngster at 99

Thomas D’Amato, a resident of Forest Park Manor in Springfield, celebrated his 99th birthday recently with family, friends and city officials, and with a formal tribute and “best wishes” from Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

A proclamation from Sarno declared that May 8 was “Thomas D’Amato Day” in Springfield, in recognition of D’Amato’s birthday.

The proclamation was delivered by Sarno’s communication’s director, Thomas T. Walsh, at a birthday celebration conducted on May 7.

Walsh said he could hear many of the attendees referring to D’Amato, who is a former poll worker, as “Tommy.” Walsh said it served as a reminder that he, too, will probably never outgrow being called “Tommy.”



James Thompson

“I’m speaking only for myself,” Thompson said, “but as a graduate of Cathedral, I want to make sure Cathedral has a home. I don’t want to see Cathedral out on the street.”

Selectman Robert Boilard said he supports it, too; “I agree with Jim. I don’t want to see Cathedral out.”

Charles T. Blanchard

A majority supported the zoning changes but not the needed two-third's vote.

AMHERST – Planners will need to take another look at the two village center zoning proposals after Town Meeting opposed the rezoning for a second time.

The plan to create village centers in South and North Amherst both garnered a majority but not the two-third’s vote needed for approval.

Last fall, a majority supported the proposal offered as one article but not the two thirds needed for passage.

John Musante

This rezoning is part of the town’s effort to implement the master plan and a way to reduce sprawl, situate new development near existing transportation and to increase economic vitality in the town centers.

Since November, planners have held a number of meetings and hearings to address concerns in bringing the rezoning back. They separated the two village centers into two separate articles and addressed density concerns raised by North Amherst residents and revised the proposal.

North Amherst residents were concerned that denser housing would be built if a section of Montague Road north of the Mill River Recreation Center had been rezoned from neighborhood residence to village center residence.

When it came back to Town Meeting, that section remained neighborhood residence.

Also the village center zone and the form-based zoning areas were reduced in size from the former proposal. Form-based zoning regulates the overall design of new development in relation to how it fits with the environment.

In North Amherst the size of the new zone was further reduced on the Town Meeting floor. The proposal failed by three votes 137 in favor to 73 opposed.

The South Amherst proposal failed during a Town Meeting session last week.

“There was a thorough debate,” said Town Manager John P. Musante. “There was strong support, not quite the two –third’s needed.”

“We’ll think about what are the lessons of last night’s vote,” he said, referring to the vote on the North Amherst proposal.

The planning and select boards favored the adoption of the new centers. Musante had written a memo supporting the measures as well.

“Amherst has responsibly protected its critical open lands for more than 50 years. But continuing to resist directing new growth and development into existing built centers will actually, I believe, encourage sprawl. I believe this rezoning is a long overdue as a step toward balancing Amherst’s approach to determining its future,” he wrote.

Planning Board director Jonathan Tucker said that in the next several weeks the Planning Board will schedule zoning forums as it does after every town meeting and look at potential zoning changes. The board will listen and then make recommendations of what to pursue.

“I’ve been doing this for a really long time, even minor things that are troubling can take a long time.”

He said this is more complex and take several town meetings before all the issues are addressed. “I’m not at all surprised.”
And he said, “It never hurts to listen more.”

Police said two Hispanic males, in their late 20s or early 30s, made off with an undisclosed sum of money.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD – Police are investigating an armed robbery that was reported just after 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Shell gas station at 940 Belmont Ave.

Lt. Alberto Ayala said two Hispanic males, in their late 20s or early 30s, made off with an undisclosed sum of money. One firearm was shown during the robbery, he said.

The men were seen leaving the store grounds on bicycles, in the direction of the “x” intersection, he said. One was reportedly wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call the detective bureau at (413) 787-6355.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Ann Nadeau Britton

Ann Nadeau Britton, 77, of North Mankato, Minn., passed away on May 15. She was born in Holyoke and raised in South Hadley, where she showed early prowess as a pianist. She attended the Oberlin School of Music, after which she traveled to Paris on a one-year scholarship. She spent a year there performing and studying, and worked as rehearsal pianist for the famous flutist, Jean-Pierre Rampal. When she returned to the United States, she received a master's degree from the University of Illinois, Champange. She headed the piano department in the school of music at Mankato State University. She also taught piano at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. She received a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Artiano, Aldo
  



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  Britton, Ann Nadeau
  



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  Campfield II, Donald G.
  



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  Charette, Irene (Theroux)
  



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  Ciscon, Barbara G.
  



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  Cox, Dr. Loren D.
  



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  Dagradi, Martin S.
  



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  Gay, Lisa D. (Harris)
  



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  Goodkowsky, Evelyn "Lynn"
  



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  Hunter, Patricia (Browne)
  



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  Knudsen Jr., John
  



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  Kogut, James
  



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  Leavitt, Deborah H. (Veremey)
  



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  Parrish, Barry J.
  



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  Reay, James Eugene
  



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  Reed, Everett John "E-Jay"
  



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  Shearer, Richard E.
  



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  Wesley Sr., Robert H.
  



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  Wiencek Sr., Richard F.
  



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  Woods, David Maxwell