Dear Letter to the Editor,
As a proud life-long resident of Springfield and in response to a City Council resolution – No, I will not be issuing a letter of consent to the White House, U.S. Department of State, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in support of continuing refugee resettlements here in Springfield. It’s time for other much more affluent communities to take on their fair share.
My position has been very clear on that this issue taxes our city and school services and calls into question the accountability and follow-through aspects of refugee agencies, who not too long ago placed a number of refugees in condemned housing units. We have a number of residents here in Springfield, who need assistance and that will continue to be my concentration of efforts. For the record, Springfield has proudly done more than its fair share on this issue.
As a recent Boston Federal Reserve report indicated about our Springfield – “you cannot continue to concentrate poverty on top of poverty.” “I ask, as those more affluent communities demand of Springfield, to step up to the plate and put their money where their mouth is “to take on their fair share of social justice responsibilities. The familiar tune I always hear from these much more affluent communities is that we do not have the capacities for refugees, the homeless, subsidized housing and methadone clinics. Well Springfield is at capacity – the ball is now in their court.”
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays – God Bless
Respectfully,
Domenic J. Sarno
Mayor of Springfield