This just in.

PAT MARKEY CAMPAIGN KICKOFF AUGUST 16, 2007, 7 PM
AT COZY COURTYARD, 666 STATE STREET

Former City Solicitor Patrick J. Markey has announced that he will seek a seat on the Springfield City Council for the 2008-2009 term. The Committee to Elect Patrick J. Markey will hold a campaign kickoff event at Cozy Courtyard at 666 State Street in Springfield at 7:00 pm on Thursday, August 16, 2007. Parking is available off of Thompson Street behind Byron’s Funeral Home.

Mr. Markey served as head of the city’s law department from January 7, 2004 through January 7, 2006. He has also served as chair of the Springfield Library Commission and as a member of the Springfield Retirement Board. In addition, he was a member of the committee charged with identifying a site for a new Mason Square branch library.

Mr. Markey, who has been in private practice in Springfield since 1997, began his legal career as a clerk in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts in 1992. From 1993 through 1997, he was a trial attorney in the civil rights division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, DC. In 1996 and 1997, he was also a Special Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, DC. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1986 and received a cum laude law degree from Georgetown University Law School in 1992. From 1987 through 1989, he was a volunteer with the United States Peace Corps in Paraguay.

Mr. Markey and his wife, Jennifer, who have three children, Brendan (age 9), Nora (age 7) and Daniel (age 5), were both raised in Springfield. Mr. Markey indicated that when he and his wife began their own family, they could think of no better place to do so than Springfield, Massachusetts. “We both had very positive and supportive upbringings here in Springfield. We wanted our children to grow up near family and friends and to experience the racial and economic diversity Springfield offers,” indicated Mr. Markey. Mr. Markey remained upbeat about Springfield’s future. “Like businesses, cities go through good times and bad times. In order to survive and thrive, cities must be creative and, at times, reinvent themselves. We have just been through a dark period in Springfield’s long history. We are emerging into the light, and the future, if we make the right choices, is bright,” indicated Mr. Markey.

“We need to be vigilant in guarding against public corruption and in scrutinizing city budgets. We must ensure that tax dollars are being spent appropriately and effectively,” stated Mr. Markey. According to Mr. Markey, “financial mismanagement and what the United States Attorney’s Office has referred to as ‘a culture of corruption’ contributed to bringing Springfield’s municipal government to its knees.”

He pointed out that while the city’s finances remain in the hands of the Finance Control Board, it is currently anticipated that the control board’s tenure will end during the next City Council term. “It will be important to have the right team on the field when management of city finances is returned fully to municipal government,” stated Mr. Markey. “I believe that I have what it takes to serve effectively as part of that team,” added Mr. Markey.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 at 8:34 am and is filed under City Council, Events, Finance Control Board, Springfield, Urban Compass.