Citing Financial Losses, Peter Pan Pulls the Plug on its Fleet of Hybrid Taxis. The Departure Leaves the City with Only One Licensed Taxi Cab as City Officials Scramble To Enforce the Regulation of Illegal Operators.   By  DAVID REID NORTHAMPTON – The Green Cab Company, an off-shoot of Peter Pan Bus Lines from Springfield, [...]

NORTHAMPTON — Following up on a campaign promise, Mayor David J. Narkewicz has named an 11-member economic development commission to guide his decision-making when it comes to business growth and retention in the city. The commission, which will be advisory in nature, draws ambassadors from a number of different economic sectors — banking and finance, [...]

NORTHAMPTON — Soundslide: Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, and the Pioneer Valley Gay Men’s Chorus graced the stage at the 31st Annual Noho Pride rally at the Three County Fairground on Saturday. Audio Mary Serreze; Photography Paul Shoul; full speeches at bottom of post. Audio: Elizabeth Warren Audio: [...]

One week from deadline, the mayor and his finance director are crunching numbers, identifying savings, and meeting with department heads in an effort to present a balanced budget to the City Council next Thursday.   NORTHAMPTON — It’s not going to be easy, but Mayor David Narkewicz says he’s confident he can find enough savings [...]

The new mayor, working hand-in-glove with his finance chief, held the parking director’s feet to the fire over the course of two months — until the heat became a bit too much to bear, newly-revealed records show. By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — In a series of three recent formal memos to now-deposed “Parking Czar” William [...]

By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — It’s official. Mayor David Narkewicz now has his city solicitor of choice on tap, following a brief swearing-in ceremony at City Hall Friday morning. “I feel great,” said lawyer Alan Seewald immediately after City Clerk Wendy Mazza administered the oath of office to him. “I’m honored to be able to [...]

With help from touring Occupy Wall Street activists, local protestors disrupted a City Council meeting with chants and demands for “conversation” — then seemed confused when Council President Bill Dwight asked them to set a date to meet. By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — The Occupy Wall Street Northeast Road Trip rolled into town Wednesday on [...]

With some city revenues falling short and free cash at an histsorically low level, the mayor tells department heads to tighten their belts. Until further notice,there will be  no spending over $250 and no new hiring without an OK from Room One. By DAVID REID NORTHAMPTON – Mayor David Narkewicz today sent a “spending advisory” memo [...]

Lawyer Alan Seewald’s request to withdraw from a lawsuit against the city and the BID has been delayed by a judge until at least Feb. 15. Now, after expressing displeasure with what he sees as Seewald’s backroom negotiations with the mayor over a job offer, one of his clients has asked the Board of Bar [...]

Although the city’s computer chief says neither she nor her computer consultants have ID’ed the exact cause of the problem, the corrupted files are deleted and massive amounts of data have been transferred to a secure server. Several departments, meanwhile, are still trying to figure out what data they lost over three days last week.   [...]

Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup says there’s no reason to stop lawyer Alan Seewald from dropping the BID lawsuit against the city to take the city solicitor’s job. But the judge said Seewald can’t make the move yet, describing the timing of his emergency motion as “unfortunate and problematic.” Below, Northampton Media provides you with [...]

Alan Seewald wants to be the new mayor’s top lawyer, but first he needs to drop a group of high-profile clients who are locked in a legal battle with the city. Alan Scheinman and Eric Suher don’t trust Seewald to keep their secrets, and are trying to block his going to work for their arch [...]

In his first address as mayor, Narkewicz said he’ll hold town hall meetings on the city budget, appoint an economic advisory committee, and seek feedback from rank-and-file city workers to help him steer the ship of state through turbulent economic times. By DAVID REID NORTHAMPTON – David J. Narkewicz, sworn in Tuesday as the city’s 44th [...]

The council’s newest member and highest vote-getter appears to have the council presidency sewn up two weeks before the formal vote on inauguration day.   By DAVID REID NORTHAMPTON – William “Bill” Dwight, who was elected Nov. 8 to an at-large seat on the City Council, will become that body’s junior member shortly after he [...]

Teri Anderson, after 25 years in the public sector, eleven working for the City of Northampton, has accepted a position with Common Capital, a regional non-profit economic development organization. NORTHAMPTON — City Economic Development Director Teri Anderson will leave her post in mid-January to take the newly-created position of Business Development Director at Common Capital, [...]