Charter Commission Study Question Passes

According to the official count from the 2012 Springfield municipal election, the Charter Commission question has passed by 170 votes.

The five-member commission is charged with studying Springfield's needs and recommending a form of government for it to adopt. The question of whether such a commission was necessary was put to Springfield voters on the 2012 ballot. 

According to numbers provided by the Union County Clerk's Office, 2391 Springfield voters favor the Committee's formation and 2221 oppose it.  

The formation of the Charter Commission was supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats. The Democrats have charged Republican Mayor Ziad Shehady with engineering the commission to change our form of government to a directly elected mayor and creating a full-time job with executive powers for himself. In debates and other public comments, Republicans have stressed that as the Commission is composed of residents, it is a way for the people to decide their own form of government. 

In addition to voting for or against the commission, Springfield residents also voted for prospective members. The votes, including absentee ballots, are as follows:

• James Bonacorda     933
• Denise DeVone         1164
• Hugh Keffer              1150
• Mark Cunningham    1122
• Geri Ann Bujnowski  1000
• David Mitchell           919

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