A key committee of the city council in Springfield, Massachusetts has endorsed spending taxpayers’ dollars on a marketing campaign intended to highlight the city’s assets.
The Springfield City Council Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend the full council approve $100,000 as the city’s contribution to what is expected to be a $1 million “image campaign.”
Before the vote, councilors spent about an hour questioning Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, which is coordinating the marketing effort.
" This campaign came about really with the notion that Springfield does have a good story to tell," said Sullivan.
The full council at its March 3rd meeting sent to the Finance Committee Mayor Domenic Sarno’s request to use $100,000 in surplus cash from the fiscal 2017 budget for the image campaign. Councilors wanted to know more about the program and who is in charge of it.
Sullivan said if the city contributes the $100,000, the EDC, whose members are the 30-largest employers in western Massachusetts, will put in $400,000. He said local media companies have volunteered in-kind services totaling $500,000.
" There is a real excitement and buzz about what is happening around Springfield," Sullivan said.
The campaign is expected to launch this fall, after MGM finishes an expected media blitz promoting the opening of its Springfield casino in September.
" I can report, and want to make this very, very clear: this is not an MGM campaign," Sullivan said, adding that no cash from MGM would be accepted for the campaign.
Sullivan assured concerned councilors that the marketing effort, which will be supervised by the city’s economic development office, will not just focus on downtown tourist attractions, but will highlight the city’s neighborhoods and promote Springfield as a good place to live.
" When ( people) have choices about where to go to spend recreational dollars, or chose to buy a house, that they take a look at Springfield and don't immediately dismiss it because they either don't know or have a bad impression," Sullivan said. "We are looking to change that because there are a lot of really good things happening."
Acknowledging there have been failed marketing attempts in the past, City Councilor Tim Ryan, who chairs the Finance Committee, said he believes this latest effort is worth risking taxpayers’ dollars on.
" I think everyone is very conscious of the fact that we want a hit with this one," Ryan said.
City Councilor Jess Lederman said he expects the council’s Economic Development Committee to hold regular oversight hearings as the image campaign progresses.
" Something I am really interested in seeing is the possibility of a member of the city council being part of the committee that is beginning the messaging process," said Lederman. " We are talking about a major campaign, a major partnership and I think having that voice as the closest elected body to the people would be valuable."
The resolution to donate the $100,000 to the marketing effort is expected to be on the agenda for the April 9 council meeting.
