Holyoke City Council

A Holyoke City Council member is stepping down from leadership roles and promising to make amends after a December drunk driving arrest. The pledge comes amid continued calls for his resignation from local police unions.

Two police unions in Holyoke, Mass., are calling for a city councilor to resign — citing the councilor’s drunk driving arrest in late-December.At-Large City Councilor Israel Rivera has said he’s looking to rebuild trust following the incident. With body camera footage of his arrest surfacing, police union members are calling for Rivera's resignation and an ethics review.

Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia says despite federal tailwinds, the city is in good fiscal shape and on the upswing, from city schools to policing and more. It’s progress that he says could go even further if the council green-lights a series of reforms that have been put on the table.

A week ago, the city council for one of the largest communities in western Massachusetts failed to get past the first few items of its agenda amid infighting. But on Monday, the body regrouped - and managed to pass some time-sensitive matters in the process.

Next week, Holyoke's city council will take another stab at passing its agenda — after this week's meeting struggled to clear the first few items and frustrations boiled over.