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SPRINGFIELD - Springfield mayoral candidate Johnnie Ray McKnight has criticized Mayor Domenic Sarno's proposed budget on several fronts.

SPRINGFIELD - On the heels of Mayor Domenic J. Sarno's announcement of his proposed $595 million balanced budget for the new fiscal year, mayoral challenger Johnnie Ray McKnight called the proposal fit for "a fantasy town" but not for this city.

In particular, McKnight teased out a proposed $10 million in investments in city parks which focused heavily on fully-staffed golf courses and named only one neighborhood park: Nathan Bill in East Forest Park.

"Unfortunately, the suggested budget works better for a fantasy town than for our very real City of Springfield. If wondering where to play my next round of golf was among my top concerns, I would say our city is in a golden age," McKnight wrote in a press release. "Money that goes into these luscious lawns is money we are not spending on those decrepit squares of grass that we call parks, where our children should have the ability to run and play, but have no playgrounds for them to climb, and are tainted by the surrounding narcotics deals on every other corner."

Sarno on Thursday filed a budget with the City Council that maintains core services, avoids layoffs and keeps a "rainy day" fund intact with the help of $4 million from MGM Springfield. It is the first of annual guaranteed revenues the city will be able to build into its budget as a result of its host agreement with the casino developer.

McKnight also criticized what he perceives as the kid-glove treatment of the rainy day fund.

"While I applaud the ideal of leaving our rainy day fund for a rainy day, our rainy day has come. If we cannot muster the confidence to tap into these funds sensibly now, why have them at all? Any drive down one of our city streets is an invitation for a damaged vehicle and a new investment in automobile repairs. The potholes abound and these hazards have simply become commonplace," he said.

The mayor's proposed budget represents a 2.2 percent increase over the previous year and is the first budget to avoid using reserve funds since fiscal year 2008, Sarno said in a letter to the City Council presenting the spending plan.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Chief Administrative Financial Officer Timothy Plante and mayoral assistant Denise Jordan unveil the city's $595 million budget during a City Hall press conference on May 7.

The budget also includes an increase in police officers and firefighters.

McKnight is among a half-dozen challengers to Sarno, a three-term incumbent seeking a fourth term. The others who took out nomination papers include Salvatore Circosta; Michael Jones; Michaelann Bewsee; Jeffery P. Donnelly; and Beverly Savage.