City Council Liveblog

8:57: Meeting adjourned.

8:52: Under suspension: Apparently crossing guards are on target to be cut from some parochial and private schools. The councilors are asking they all be restored; Clancy says that we shouldn’t discriminate between school children. In other words: Private schools should have publicly-paid crossing guards. (The logic is a 180 degree turn from the prevailing attitudes that private businesses like bars should be held responsible for police details on public ways at closing time).

8:28: Councilor Kate Toomey is calling for the city to research moving some employees to a 4-day extended day work week.

8:23: After a rushed subcommittee meeting yesterday, CitySquare agreement changes were just approved. Young Park is in the audience, but remained silent.

7:59: The budget is approved. There is applause from the crowd. Weird.

Just to clarify, a total of $650,000 is being divvied up: $400,000 from contingency; $250,000 from airport savings. $450,000 will go to the schools, $200,000 to the library.

7:56: Clancy’s motion to take $612,000 from the airport for other expenses fails on the floor.

7:54: Quick friendly reminder from Frank Raffa that the firefighters are going to be contractless in the coming year, and that money HAD been set aside for salary increases at one point.

7:42: And Palmieri plays to the activist-sprinkled crowd, saying he isn’t going to congratulate his colleagues, but rather congratulates the activists for “lighting the fuse” and “holding…our feet to the fire.”

7:31: A lot of self congratulation among the 11 councilors for “coming together” over the budget, specifically on directing money to the schools and libraries.

7:23: City Councilor Paul Clancy wants $400,000 from the City Manager’s contingency fund & the airport to be divided 50%-50% between the library and the schools. Any surplus free cash that comes in would then go back into the City Manager’s contingency fund. He and Councilor Phil Palmieri have also requested the council consider directing any new city monies to keeping the library open on Monday. Councilor Rick Rushton says that the motion is a “good start.”

Don’t buy liquor Downtown

The liquor license seemed like a shoe-in: A group of well-respected businessmen – they had a retired Worcester cop speak on their behalf – already operating a Front Street convenience store, looking to add wine and alcohol to their retail mix. Their lawyer presented a petition from customers and neighbors vouching for them, and the License Commission didn’t seem to have a problem with their plan.

Until the other package store owners showed up.

One after another proprietors including Bill Randell (Randell Package Store), Bob Largess (McGovern’s), and Bob Kirsch (Kirsch’s) spoke out against the new license, claiming that a liquor store downtown was unneeded, and that the area had a history of failure for licenses. They pointed to the recent closing of Bancroft Liquors on Franklin Street; Kirsch said his business didn’t even experience a bounce when it shut its doors. Thus, he claimed, there wasn’t a demand for another liquor store. (Of course, as soon as CitySquare comes online….)

Despite a complaint from the convenience store’s lawyer that the group was merely trying to stop competition, Commission Chairman Kevin O’Sullivan said public opinion was against the new operation; the Commission ruled against the new license.