Springfield Week in Review

The big story in Springfield this week was the reaction to the proposed changes to the township Board of Health. Under the proposed changes, the board, currently composed of seven volunteers appointed by the , would be replaced by a board of health made up of Township Committee members and two residents with public health backgrounds.

The issue took up the lion's share of Mayor Ziad Shehady's , where he argued that the board's autonomy was not an inherent virture. He said that having the Township Committee absorb the board's functions would streamline processes and create efficiencies. 

Springfield Board of Health Chair Dr. Samir Shah doesn’t think the whole story was presented in Shehady’s message. In an , Shah enumerated his concerns about the changes to the board.

at the June 12  meeting to make made their feelings on the proposed changes known. Former officials, political candidates, board of health members and residents expressed dismay at the changes under consideration for the board during the meeting’s public comment section. 

In news not related to the Board of Health, Mayors representing communities in the Rahway River Watershed to seek support for the funding in the next state budget to begin a project that could alleviate flooding. The proposed South Mountain stormwater project involves the construction of a dry detention basin in the South Mountain Reservation that is expected to significantly reduce water elevations during peak storm conditions in several towns.

And in far funkier news, Springfield resident and former James Brown drummer Bernard Purdie celebrated his 70th birthday with a