School Committee moves ahead to next budgeting steps
The East Longmeadow School Committee voted to formalize step one of its fiscal year 2027 budget at its meeting on Feb. 9. Page 4
LONGMEADOW
LACCF to celebreate America 250 throughout the year
To celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday, the Longmeadow Adult Community Center Fund is sponsoring a year long lecture and event series, focused on bringing people together through learning, reflection and community engagement.
Page 6
Town revokes liquor license from A’s Smoke Shop
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
EAST LONGMEADOW — Af-
ter a disciplinary hearing during its Feb. 10 meeting, the East Longmeadow Town Council voted unanimously to revoke the off-premises retail beer and malt beverage license of A’s Smoke Shop after going through over 70 pages of evidence.
Town Council President Connor O’Shea said that the allegations include the sale of alcohol to minors and the unlawful sale of individually packaged pills, suspected to be prescription medication. The council found these not to be isolated incidents, but occurred in the context of repeated compliance concerns involving age-restricted sales demonstrating a pattern of inadequate internal controls, insufficient supervision of staff and a failure to take corrective action after prior warnings.
Police Chief Mark Williams addressed concerns heard and observed regarding A’s Smoke Shop and allegations of alcohol sales to minors.
Williams said Detective Anthony Dieni received information about an investigation into the shop.
“Around the spring time of 2025, Detective Dieni was made
aware of an ongoing criminal investigation involving A’s Smoke Shop involving both state and federal agencies,” Williams said.
“Earlier in the school year, [East Longmeadow High School] Resource Officer Michael Healey started hearing rumors of A’s selling alcohol to underage students. SRO Healey spoke with multiple students and school personnel about these concerns, and some students admitted to being able to purchase alcohol at A’s without showing an ID at all.”
Williams also said some students admitted to buying smoking paraphernalia prohibited to minors. On Oct. 31, 2025, the Longmeadow Police Department located a case of alcohol in a vehicle being driven by a teenager during a traffic stop, who claimed he had purchased it at A’s.
He added that in December 2025, a parent had come into William’s office and showed an alcoholic beverage he had just taken from his teenage daughter.
“He told me she had purchased it at A’s and that she and other kids were regularly buying alcohol from there,” Williams said. “He expressed frustration over the seeming lack of enforcement efforts, which I completely understood, but had my reasoning. I’ll
make clear those decisions were solely mine on the steps that we took at that time and didn’t take.”
Williams said he spoke with Town Manager Tom Christensen about the concerns around the holiday period and in January, he was made aware of a warning letter sent by O’Shea to A’s. By that point, there were officers working with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Committee for surveillance operations. Customers going in and out were observed, but
nobody seemingly underage was spotted on that night. Other incidents include multiple responses to overdoses outside of A’s as well as a physical fight outside the building. Other claims about marijuana sales at the shop could not be verified. Williams said his request for the hearing was made because of the search warrant on Jan. 28,
A’s Smoke Shop Owner Ali Sher gives testimony to the East Longmeadow Town Council during a Feb. 10 meeting.
Photo credit: ELCAT01028
See LICENSE on page 4
STRM: Whitfield talks tenure as City Council president
By Dennis Hackett dhackett@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — On the latest episode of “So That Reminds Me,” hosts Ryan Feyre and Tyler Garnet sat down with Springfield City Council President Tracye Whitfield to talk about her tenure as City Council president.
Whitfield discussed what a City Council president does, which includes presiding over the meetings, coming up with the agenda for the meetings and deciding subcommittee assignments for the city councilors. She also said that there are new challenges as the president.
“I’m still learning the role and it’s interesting, I get a lot more calls, a lot more invites to events — I do try to attend as many as I can, but I also work with the other city councilors and try to get them the same exposure, I like to share everything, but it’s definitely challenging,” Whitfield said. She also discussed a recent conflict of interest violation from the Feb. 2 council meeting after she did not recuse from presiding over a public hearing involving a property on Wallace Street her son Jelani Bland had requested be discontinued. His company, which Whitfield is a part of, is interested in building on the land on the abutting property. For fuller coverage of this issue, head to thereminder.com or pick up the Feb. 19 edition of the Springfield Reminder.
Alongside the violation, Whitfield explained that one of the things she is doing as council president is creating a training framework to help new councilors.
“I was really interested in doing that because when I joined the council in 2018, there was like literally no training. You just sit down, you take conflict of interest training on your own; no one to explain anything, there’s just like no training at all, and I want to be a different presi-
dent,” she said.
Whitfield also said that she is planning on holding office hours as well.
“I just want the public to know that I am here and I’m obtainable, I am available and I hope that the community takes advantage of that,” she said.
She also discussed what it meant to her to be the first woman of color to be the Springfield City Council president and said that she never thought about being in politics when she was growing up.
“I mean it means everything to me, because now I am a role model. So even when I make mistakes, I have to own them and take accountability for the things that I do, and I’m always gonna do that because no one knows everything,” she said. “Just being a role model to other young people so they know that your path might take you in different directions then you planned, but everything you learn along the way is helping to build your skillset to go in different paths than you initially planned.”
Whitfield also reflected on how long it took for a woman of color to be the president of the council.
“It just means a great deal to just show, especially young girls, that they can be anything they want to be, because this is 250 years in the making. I hope breaking this barrier it’ll open other doors where a woman of color hasn’t been in a position,” she said.
Looking at the makeup of the council she is presiding over, she said it’s a good balance of people.
“I think there is a good balance on the council as far as race and ethnicity — well, we could use a couple more females — but we’re getting there, even the age differences within the council, I think it’s a good balance,” she said.
Whitfield said another area she wants to improve on is creat-
ing more “robust” small business support in the city.
“We have a lot of people leaving because there’s not a lot of resources for small businesses. I also run a statewide coalition, and so when I go throughout the state, I see other initiatives that I’m like ‘oh, we can do that in Springfield,’ but it’s not as easy to implement change in Springfield, so I think that is very much needed,” she said. “We have to get small business technical assistance going for our small businesses to make sure that they have their back-office supports services together, like their accounting, marketing, business plan, their legal, all that in place, so when it’s time to get loans and grants and things like that, they’re ready.”
One area Whitfield said Springfield could use some improvement in is with educating residents about clean energy practices.
“I do think we still have a lot more work to do as far as educating our residents on conversions, like maybe to fuel pumps and other clean energy types … the rebates and what it means to have a clean environment,” she said. “We have work to do, but I still think that it can be done.”
Whitfield added that she was looking at getting a fuel pump because she currently uses oil.
During the sit-down, Whitfield talked about challenges with creating affordable housing, working on the city’s budget, economic development and much more.
Whitfield added that she wanted to change the narrative around the city.
“We have a lot of great assets, we are the City of Firsts. [I] just want to change the narrative to a more positive narrative than what some of the surrounding communities may hear, think or speak, because it’s just really not true. Usually people that are involved in the violence live that life, it’s not happening randomly,” she said. “I just want to change the narrative on how people think and talk about Springfield, as well.”
To hear the full episode, visit thereminder.com/our-podcast or search “So That Reminds Me” on your favorite podcasting platform.
Springfield City Council President Tracye Whitfield (center) sits down with “So That Reminds Me” hosts Ryan Feyre and Tyler Garnet.
Reminder Publishing photo by Chris Maza
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EAST LONGMEADOW
School Committee moves ahead to next budgeting steps
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
EAST LONGMEADOW — The East Longmeadow School Committee voted to formalize step one of its fiscal year 2027 budget at its meeting on Feb. 9. The district will be requesting a level services budget, which takes the same services from the current year and projects them into the next.
At the meeting, the committee needed to vote on level one of the budget so it can be brought to the town to move on to level two.
With everything totaled for FY27, the projected level service budget is a 6.24% increase in the budget, which comes out to around $2.3 million. The committee has already had conversations with the town on the budget, and Assistant Superintendent for Business Pamela Blair said that the town will most likely not af-
ford that increase.
Blair said that she needed a directive from the committee on what she and Superintendent Gordon Smith can submit as the level services budget. She added that last year, there was an 8% increase that ended up being reduced.
“There’s two ways to go about it,” Blair said. “Level one is to show, what are your level services, and that is the true number. We’re not gonna get that, as we all know. I don’t think it’s time now to start on anything we can reduce yet. I think we need to digest this and bring it to the town manager, because they are ready to flip.”
Smith said the town can look at getting to 3.2%, which leaves a difference of around $1.12 million. For the past few meetings, the committee has discussed ways to reduce that budget to be
more affordable.
One thing that can be done surrounds the curriculum renewal, which is already on hold from FY26 to reduce the current year’s budget. It is a placeholder of around $80,000. Smith said in past years, there were attempts to raise it to $100,000, but it wasn’t achieved, and now the committee is freezing it again.
The current sports fee for the district is $199, which was raised for the current year from $149. Blair said there were conversations about putting the $8,500 sports insurance back to the parents, but after a survey, it was suggested against.
“The higher sports, such as football, can be very costly, like $200 in addition to the sports fee,” Blair said.
She added that after looking at strategies, there is still a shortfall of about $370,000 to $400,000 if
they were given the 3.2% increase by the town. Smith said it might be easier to be under $400,000 to avoid a situation from last year’s strategizing, where there was still about $850,000 to reduce. He added that some positions
may need to be reduced in the coming year, which can be done by looking at positions that have a vacancy or retirement and not filling it. He said those do need to be looked at carefully because some might have an urgent need.
which was executed as the result of a joint investigation between Massachusetts State Police, the ABCC and the FBI.
East Longmeadow police officers assisted with the execution, during which Dieni found individually wrapped pills underneath the cash drawer in the register.
“The initial investigation suggests these pills are prescription medication sildenafil, commonly sold under the brand name Viagra,” Williams said. “The packaging, as well as the location of these pills, suggests to me that they are being offered for sale, which A’s is not legally licensed or authorized to do.”
Williams said he is not aware of any criminal charges filed for the pills, but added the existence of the pills could result in a criminal charge, such as possession of a class E substance with the intent to distribute.
Healey and Dieni joined the hearing and Healey said as the resource officer, he spoke to multiple students in a confidential setting regarding the purchase of alcohol at A’s.
“It was very concerning, the information that I was being told,” Healey said. “I was being told, at some points, the students would be at the smoke shop and would
observe students from East Longmeadow High School going into A’s, purchasing alcohol, as well as students from other jurisdictions purchasing alcohol, as well as smoking paraphernalia that they are not allowed to possess.”
Both officers said the department was made aware that “large numbers” of East Longmeadow and Longmeadow students were making purchases at A’s.
O’Shea said the evidence dates to 2019 while under a different LLC and doing business as Zain’s Smoke Shop, with tobacco compliance check violations continuing through 2023 until their tobacco sales permit had been revoked. He added that while it was a different business name, the paperwork still did have A’s Smoke Shop owner Ali Sher named.
Without the town’s knowledge at that time, the ABCC did an alcohol compliance check in 2023 that resulted in a violation, which led to the current allegations. Councilor Kathleen Hill said there are currently 29 establishments with active alcohol related licenses.
She said that in the past six years, the other 28 establishments combined only committed one violation, when a package store sold to a minor without checking ID, which resulted in a warning. Hill said there have been an excess of 12 violations from A’s since 2019 and that Sher was on premises as an employee before taking over ownership.
Sher explained that he took over ownership in 2023 and said the previous owner, Zain Tahla, was having issues with the tobacco, beer and wine licenses, as well as paying off his fines. Sher said that the search warrant was for Tahla.
O’Shea asked why Tahla would still be connected to the smoke shop, and Sher said that Tahla has family living nearby and paperwork from the FBI was for the previous store’s name, Zain’s Smoke Shop.
O’Shea also asked if there were any written policies and procedures on ID and compliance checks, and if anyone is turned away for being underage or for presenting fraudulent ID. Sher said there are posters from the Food and Drug Administration and Amazon posted on the front door and counter displaying customers need to be 21 or over. He added that the store is still manually checking IDs and that he is working on finding a device to scan and ensure if an ID is real or not.
Sher added that he does see a lot of students come into the store with a Connecticut ID, mostly under 30 years old. He said cameras will clearly show that IDs are checked upon entering the store and that the FBI currently has the footage. Without an ID scanner, Sher said it is difficult to determine if the Connecticut IDs are fraudulent and said he would need
help from police to make sure they were real.
Hill said the police could follow up, but the obligation rests on Sher’s shoulders to make sure the ID is real.
“I’m not convinced that just because they had Connecticut, fake or real IDs, that that is a defense that you can use, unfortunately,” Hill said.
O’Shea said that ID scanners have existed for quite some time and that when Sher purchased the business, there were already a number of age related violations. He asked why Sher hasn’t acquired a device yet, and he responded that he is still working on finding the right one. Councilor Anna Jones added that an ID scanner can be delivered by Amazon within two days. Councilor James Leydon told Sher he was using technology as an excuse and not as a method of verification.
“You’re falling on the sword of needing technology instead of using common sense,” Leydon said. “I just want to make that known because all this talk about ID scanners seems hollow … instead of blaming Amazon, it would be nicer to hear some accountability.”
Leydon said popping up on a federal investigation isn’t an accident.
“If you have state police and federal personnel at your door, that to me is a huge red flag, and you’re stuck talking about scan-
ners,” Leydon said.
Despite Sher saying the agents were only there searching for Tahla and his family members, Leydon said to obtain a warrant, you need probable cause and to go through a judge, meaning they had probable cause to be there.
During discussion among the council, Hill said the establishment is a public safety hazard for the town and school system. She said every teenager in East Longmeadow is at risk if no action is taken, and that teenagers can even take the products home and have them accessible to somebody even younger.
O’Shea said he agreed with Hill’s severity given the 70 pages of evidence dating back years.
Councilor Ralph Page described the situation as a troubling snowball effect.
Jones said that Sher’s demeanor in addressing the issues made it seem like he doesn’t care.
“There’s young kids coming in and buying alcohol, and the only thing you can come up with is ‘well, we ID them,’” Jones said. “I think that, as a license holder, if you can’t catch on that there’s a bunch of young looking 30 year olds from Connecticut coming into your establishment often, that doesn’t say ‘hm, why are they coming to East Longmeadow? Why do they look so young?’ I don’t think you care.”
The council ultimately voted to revoke the liquor license.
The East Longmeadow School Committee all voted in favor to move on to the next step in the level services budget. Photo
TOWN EVENTS
www.TheReminder.com
Feb. 23 at 12:30 p.m.
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EAST LONGMEADOW
EAST LONGMEADOW PUBLIC LIBRARY
The following events are organized by the East Longmeadow Public Library, 60 Center Square. For more information or to register, head to eastlongmeadowlibrary. org or call 413-525-5420.
Adult programs:
• Blood Drive at ELPL — Monday, Feb. 23 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
February book groups:
• Funny Bonz Book Group (grades 3 and 4) — Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 4:30 p.m. This month’s selection is “Murray and Bun!: Murray and the Viking” by Adam Stower.
• Page Turners Book Group (for grades 5 and up) — Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 4:30 p.m. This month’s selection is “The Pocket Bear” by Katherine Applegate.
Book Buddies (for kindergarten and first grade) — Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 4:30 p.m. This month’s selection is “Grumpy Monkey: Valentine Gross Out” by Suzanne Long.
• Bookworks (second grade) — Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 4:30 p.m. This month’s selection is “Poppleton in Winter” by Cynthia Rylant.
PLEASANT VIEW SENIOR CENTER
The following events will be hosted at the Pleasant View Senior Center, 328 North Main St. For more information or to register, call 413525-5436.
• Living with Hip and Knee Arthritis — Friday, Feb. 20 at 10:30 a.m.
• Vanderbilt Mansions of the Gilded Age Part 1 — Monday,
• The Ben and Ed Show — Thursday, Feb. 26 at 11 a.m.
HISTORICAL MUSEUM
HOURS
The East Longmeadow Historical Museum, located at 87 Maple St. East Longmeadow, will open Saturday, Feb. 21 from 1-3 p.m. with free admission. The mueseum boasts an impressive display of artifacts from East Longmeadow’s Redstone mining era from the town’s many quarries along with many treasures such as period furniture and clothing displays, antique quilts and Native American relics. The mueseum welcomes any donated heirlooms for our revered and growing collections. Guided tours are available by calling Bruce Moore at 413-525-3072. Find us on Facebook at the East Longmeadow Historical Commission page for up to date information of events.
EAST LONGMEADOW UNITED METHODIST CHURCH DRIVE-THRU PANTRY
East Longmeadow United Methodist Church will be hosting its drive-thru pantry were people can get a free bag of groceries from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday Feb. 21, March 7 and March 21. The church is located at 215 Somers Road. Attendees are asked to enter the church parking lot from Somers Road and to stay in their vehicles.
EAST LONGMEADOW DEMOCRATS TO ELECT DELEGATES
On Saturday Feb. 21 at 9 a.m., Democrats will convene at the East Longmeadow Pleasant View Senior Center, located at 328 North Main St. to elect nine delegates and four alternates to represent East Longmeadow at the 2026 Massachusetts State Democratic Convention. Registered and pre-registered Democrats in East Longmeadow, who are 16 years old by Saturday, March 29, may vote and be elected as delegates or alternates during the caucus. The 2026 Convention will be in person at the DCU Center in
Worcester on Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30.
HAMPDEN
HAMPDEN SENIOR CENTER
The following events are organized by the Hampden Senior Center, 104 Allen St. For more information or to register for programs, call 413-566-5588.
• Common Threads Led by Joan Tompkins, PhD — Monday, Feb. 23 at 12:45 p.m. Pickleball Clinic with Mary Grassetti — Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 11 a.m. Call to sign up for the clinic. Space is limited. Lobby Learning: STCC Dental — Thursday, Feb. 26.
• Seamstress visit — Friday, Feb. 27 from 10 a.m. to noon
Memory Café: Music with Renee — Friday, Feb. 27 at 10:15 a.m.
LONGMEADOW
RICHARD SALTER STORRS LIBRARY
The following events take place at the Richard Salter Storrs Library, 593 Longmeadow St. For more information or to register for programs, call 413-565-4181, or head to longmeadowlibrary.org.
Youth programs:
• First Line Book Club (grades 2-3) — Tuesday, Feb. 24, 3:30-4 p.m. This month’s book selection is “The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales” by SJ King.
• Gaming Zone: Mario Party Mini Games — Wednesday, Feb. 25, 3:30-4:15 p.m.
• Successfully Navigating College Admissions This Fall — Wednesday, February 25, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
• Let’s Laugh Book Club (grades 4-5) — Friday, Feb. 27, 3:30-4 p.m.This month’s book selection is “The Daredevils” by Rob Buyea.
Adult programs:
• VIRTUAL: Play Along Ukulele from Home! — Monday, Feb. 23, 7-8 p.m.
• Library Virtual Speakers: Smithson’s Gamble: The In-
credible History Behind the World’s Largest Museum with Smithsonian Curator Emeritus Tom Crouch — Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2-4 p.m.
Lisa Ruch Presents: Literary Reimaginings: “Forever and a Day” by Anthony Horowitz — Wednesday, Feb.y 25, 6:307:30 p.m.
WILBRAHAM
WILBRAHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY
The following programs take place at the Wilbraham Public Library, located at 25 Crane Park Drive. For more information or to sign up for programs, head to wilbrahamlibrary.org or call 413-596-6141.
VIRTUAL: (how to avoid) Death in Glacier National Park with Author Randi Minetor — Monday, Feb. 23 from 7-8 p.m.
• VIRTUAL: Job Search Assessments: Working From The Inside Out — Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• VIRTUAL: Burglary At The Louvre: How Can Writers Top This? — Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 7-8 p.m.
WILBRAHAM DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE CAUCUS
The Wilbraham Democratic Town Committee will host its Democratic Caucus on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Wilbraham Public Library, Brooks Room, as part of the official delegate selection process for the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s 2026 Nominating Convention. Registration will open at 9:30 a.m. and close promptly at 10:15 a.m. The caucus will begin at 10 a.m. All registered and pre-registered Democrats in Wilbraham are eligible to participate, vote and run for delegate or alternate positions. Same-day Democratic registration and pre-registration will be available. At the caucus, Wilbraham Democrats will elect delegates and alternates to represent the town at the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s 2026 Nominating Convention, which will be held at the DCU Center in Worcester on Friday and Saturday, May 29 and 30.
Film to show threat of microplastics on human health
By Peter Tuohy
ptuohy@thereminder.com
LONGMEADOW — On Feb.
25 in the Longmeadow High School auditorium, a coalition of town committees and organizations will show “Plastics People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics” to inform the public on the impact microplastics have on human health and the planet. The event is free for all residents of Longmeadow and the surrounding towns. It will be followed by a Q&A, led by Matt Casale and Susan Waite. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the film will begin at 6:30 p.m. Longmeadow Energy and Sustainability Committee Chair Andrea Chasen said microplastics are in everything, whether
it be in the food we eat — such as fish or meat — or the water we drink. Instead of decomposing, plastic breaks down into microplastics, which drift in the air and dust, float in all bodies of water and mix into the soil. Scientists first discovered microplastics in the human body in 2018.
Katia Savchuk from Stanford Medicine wrote in “Microplastics and our health: What the science says,” that scientists have estimated adults ingest the equivalent of one credit card per week in microplastics.
Savchuk said research is just beginning, but that particles have been found in multiple organs and tissues, including the
See PLASTIC on page 6
LACCF holding year long history series for 250th celebration
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
LONGMEADOW — To celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday, the Longmeadow Adult Community Center Fund is sponsoring a year long lecture and event series, focused on bringing people together through learning, reflection and community engagement.
The LACCF is a nonprofit organization founded in 2019 and delivered by the Council on Aging for the purpose of raising funds to support critical service, capital needs and programs for seniors. While this series is designed for adult learners of age 45 and over, the LACCF said anyone interested in national and local history is welcome.
Hosted by historians, scholars and local experts, the series will focus on a wide range of historical topics, including regional history and institutions such as Hazard Power Company in Enfield, the Forbes Library, the Springfield Armory and more, according to the LACCF. Events will be taking place at
Plastic
Continued from page 5
brain, testicles, heart, stomach, lymph nodes and placenta.
She added that a “large-scale review of research by scholars at the University of California, San Francisco, concluded that exposure to microplastics is suspected to harm reproductive, digestive and respiratory health, and suggested a link to colon and lung cancer.”
Chasen said she hopes that one thing attendees leave with is
the Longmeadow Adult Center at 211 Maple Road.
Aside from lectures, the series will also present film screenings, two musical performances, a theatrical performance by History At Play and interactive programs, such as trivia, guided discussion and celebratory dinners.
Events began in January, and one on Jan. 3 featured Wes Moore’s TED Talk about his time in Afghanistan as a paratrooper and captain for the U.S. Army. An event on Feb. 3 featured historian Elliot Levi, who dressed in full Civil War Artillery officer’s uniform to discuss the 140 Longmeadow men who fought in the war and the 27 who died.
On Feb. 19 at 6 p.m., local historian Roger Comeau will present “Soldiers Buried in Longmeadow Cemetery.”
The event will discuss the 549 known veterans buried in Longmeadow Cemetery. On Feb. 24 at 6 p.m., a lecture on the assassination of JFK will dig deep into the question of why it might
a checklist of things that can be done to reduce the use of plastics in their own homes and how they can become advocates for reducing plastics in commercial components.
She provided examples of potential ways for advocacy and said that she hopes the film gives people ideas to speak out, such as speaking with grocery stores to lessen plastic on food items or for restaurants to use cardboard instead of plastic containers to package meals.
“If you take out your Chinese food in a plastic container, the heat is going to help create a
have happened.
Program Assistant Taylor Mistry said the series looks to foster a sense of patriotism and get people excited.
“We have a lot of older adult learners who want to learn at all ages of life and are really interested and drawn to these sorts of topics and events,” Mistry said. “I think that’s one of the driving forces with LACCF, trying to recognize what the community they serve is interested in, promoting it for them and giving them as many options to participate in related things as they can.”
One of the performances will be “For Love! For Liberty!,” a new musical by Springfield Community Theater set partially at the Springfield Armory. The Massachachusetts 250 website states the show “bridges centuries,” and tells the story of Henry Knox, a young Boston bookseller who hauled 60 tons of cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston in January 1776 to “save the American Revolution.”
“They’ve worked really
way of having more microplastics dissolve into your food,” Chasen said. “The hope for attendees is developing their own self awareness, the knowledge that this is happening to what they can do within their own lives to reduce and mitigate their own use of plastics.”
Another way she said consumers can be proactive in their daily lives is to choose products at the grocery store that are more easily recyclable, which can be found in food items packaged in glass and not plastic.
She added that a potential way to start mitigating the pres -
hard on it,” Mistry said. “It’s supposed to be a great production, and so they’ve been kind enough to agree to come do select scenes at the adult center.”
Another performance will take place in June and feature the West Mass Brass Band for people to come enjoy “classic American music,” according to Mistry.
Mistry said she’s excited to give people a chance to socialize
ence of microplastics would be for her committee to propose bylaws to the Select Board, such as banning the sale of nip bottles from liquor stores.
“We don’t need them here,” Chasen said. “A number of communities around the state have already done that…I also chair the Earth Day clean up here in Longmeadow and I can tell you, one of the largest sources of damage is the nip bottles that get thrown out into the environment. They show up in all sorts of places, damaging our wildlife, damaging our community.”
She said this is just the begin -
while interacting with history.
“Giving the community a chance to connect with each other under the umbrella of a shared scene that kind of gives that opening for conversation, I think that’s really exciting,” Mistry said.
The series will happen all year, and current scheduled events or future events of the series can be seen in the monthly LACCF newsletters.
ning of educational outreach for what needs to be done to make changes in the community, and that one of the next steps would be working with the state government on what they should be aware of to reduce plastics.
“I want to be practical,” Chasen said. “There’s probably almost no way we’re going to get to zero plastic. I wear specialized contact lenses, they’re made of plastic. I don’t think I can put glass in my eye, you know, but it’s what we can do to encourage recycling and appropriate recycling.”
The Longmeadow Adult Center at 211 Maple Road
HAMPDEN/WILBRAHAM
Puppolo hosts informational session on tax credits
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
WILBRAHAM — With tax season upon us, state Rep. Angelo Puppolo hosted an informational event to educate people about tax credits they might not know they’re eligible for at the Wilbraham Senior Center on Feb. 12. The event included a presentation from Healthy Families Tax Credits Coalition members Carley Ruemmele, Daniel Welch and Kwabena Ayim.
The coalition is led by Boston Medical Center and is a group of about 80 organizations across the state that share information about available tax credits to families. Since the start in 2015, the coalition has helped increase the earned income tax credit three times and advocated for investing state dollars into volunteer income tax assistance programs.
“This was a great opportunity to inform my constituents about the tax credits they may be eligible for,” Puppolo, a Springfield Democrat, said in a press release. “I enjoyed hearing questions from Wilbraham residents and hope they are able to use this information to make the most out of this year’s tax season.”
The presentation went through three major tax credit opportunities, the senior circuit breaker credit, the earned income tax credit and the child and family tax credit.
“It might sound a little bit intimidating, but really think of this as cash going back into your pockets,” Ruemmele said. “Cash that you are owed, and that you can claim on your tax form.”
The senior circuit breaker tax credit has a maximum cred-
it amount for tax year 2025 of $2,820 and available to those who were 65 or older by Dec. 31, 2025. It is designed to offset high housing costs for adults and is based on the actual real estate taxes or rent paid on the Massachusetts residential property one may own or rent, and occupy as a principal residence.
For the senior circuit breaker credit, if the credit someone is owed exceeds the amount of the total tax payable for the year, the additional amount will be refunded without interest. The income limits to qualify are less than $75,000 for single filers, less than $112,000 for joint filers and less than $94,000 for heads of household.
Eligible residents can claim
WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT’S LIST
SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University takes immense pride in recognizing the outstanding academic achievements of nearly 600 students who have been named to the president’s list for the fall 2025 semester. Students are named to the president’s list for achieving a semester grade point average of 3.80 or higher. The following local students were named to the list: Garrett Moran, Giovanni Ferrentino, Sara Moriarty, Lucas Garcia, Abbey Brunette, Jayden Turner, Tyler Dudley, Benjamin Biggins, Ahsan Awan, Stephanie Saykin, Faiz Farooqi, Victoria Carrano, Dominic Burack, Brian Nguyen, Nolan Moore, Anna Turnberg, Quinn Quartulli, Veronica Ciarla, Cole Davis and John Parker of East Longmeadow; Jacob Motyl, David Noel, Elsa Cable, Mary Cable and Sophie Laird of Hampden; Johan Jeffrey Moulema Douala, Madeline Jarvinen, Robert Ravosa, Robbie Harrington, Aidan Douville, Kevin Fajardo, Ava Collins, Kristiana Lauser, Mya Zheleznyakov and Illia Chernysh of Longmeadow; and Rebekah Sherman, Ella Henry, Jeffrey Duperre, Emily-Jane Sullivan, Sydney Bonsant, Steven Pollard, Joseph Finnegan, Ryan Lee, Theodore Klostri, Zachary Vigneault, Caydence Pellerin, Johanyliz Torres, Cayla Bartosz, Jeremiah Martin and Brady Suomala of Wilbraham.
PLYMOUTH STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT’S LIST
PLYMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Natalie Merrick of East Longmeadow, has been named to the Plymouth State University president’s list for the fall 2025 semester. To be named to the president’s list, a student must achieve a grade point average of 3.70 or better for the fall 2025 semester and must have completed at least 12 credit hours during the semester, at least nine of which must confer grade points, at the time the lists are finalized.
this credit by submitting a Schedule CB with their 2025 tax return. Additionally, local volunteer income tax assistance centers provide free support to help determine eligibility and complete filings. Centers can be found using the IRS VITA site locator tool.
The EITC is designed to support low and moderate income workers, which means an earned income is required to earn this credit, according to Ruemmele.
The amount for the credit is an equation based on income, the number of children you have and your marital status. Ruemmele said the child doesn’t need to be biological and taking care of a grandchild counts, but you, your spouse and qualifying
child must have a valid social security number.
The income limits are $26,214 if you have no qualifying dependents, less than $57,554 with one child, less than $64,430 with two and less than $68,675 with three or more. On average in 2023, the average credit put back into pockets was around $900.
The child and family tax credit provides $440 for each qualifying dependent, including children under age 13, a dependent or spouse who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care and lives with the taxpayer, a dependent age 65 or older and a dependent with a disability.
This credit does not require an earned income and is immigrant inclusive so it can be earned uni-
versally as long as the filer has a qualifying dependent.
Ruemmele provided an example for this credit through a family with two children, ages 15 and 11, who also provide care to one of the parent’s 75-yearold mother. This filer would qualify for $880 under the child and family tax credit because of a child under the age of 13 and an older adult who qualifies as a dependent.
Walsh is the district coordinator at AARP and he said there are about 18 locations all over Western Massachusetts that are free to use. He encourages booking an appointment and that walk-ins aren’t accepted so that the most people possible can get their returns done each day.
From left to right: Kwabena Ayim, Carley Ruemmele, state Rep. Angelo Puppolo.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
Local students named to dean’s lists across the country
The following local students have been named to a variety of dean’s lists.
Vermont State University
Vermont State University is pleased to recognize Abby Davis, of East Longmeadow, for earning a place on the Dean’s List for fall 2025. Dean’s list designation is reserved for students who maintain full-time status and a semester grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
Plymouth State University
James Hannigan of East Longmeadow has been named to the Plymouth State University dean’s list for the fall 2025 semester. To be named to the dean’s list, a student must achieve a grade point average between 3.5 and 3.69 for the fall 2025 term, be a matriculated student with at least 12 credits, at least nine of which must confer grade points at the time the list is finalized.
Western New England University
Western New England University is proud to announce
SPRINGFIELD — A few cents at the register turned into a powerful show of community support as Rocky’s Ace Hardware customers once again stepped up for children’s health. This year’s Round Up for Kids campaign raised $113,930 across Rocky’s locations, directing critical funding to Children’s Miracle Network Hos-
the outstanding academic achievements of nearly 800 students named to the fall 2025 semester dean’s list including: Robert Weithofer, Caroline Bocwinski, Polina Shulga, Isabella Giard, Michael Naglieri, Sang Nguyen, Lam Dang, Gage Abdelmaseh, Christopher Piela, Victoria Mazzaferro, Lauren Card, Jack Langan, Jenna Kelley, Devin Li, Ethan Sherman, Brianna Ottoson and George Macphail of East Longmeadow; Justis Barbeau, Jessica Leary, Jason Degray of Hampden; Katherine Romoser, Samuel Wisnouskas, Ryan Anderson, Aidan Diblasio, Daniella Sandler, Dominic Giampietro of Longmeadow, Maelee Warren, Caitlin Reilly, Jennie Budrecki and Gianna Reed of Longmeadow; Patrick Sherman, Jacob Keller, Hayden Vreeland, Noah LoveWalsh, James Kumpulanian, Demetrios Patrakis, Bella Loddo, Christopher MacPhail, John Dafonseca, Kyler Ittner, Alex Rickis, Davis Nelson, Morgan Conchinha, Jolene Lewis, Madison Duperre, Daniel Greene, Colin
pitals serving the communities where customers live and shop.
Leydon, Alexander Melluzzo, Jorden Dietz, Abdullah Khan, Taylor Labadorf, Brodie Martin and Gavin Lee of Wilbraham.
University of Rhode Island Dean’s List
The University of Rhode Island is pleased to announce that several area students have been named to its fall 2025 dean’s list. Among them are: Delaney Borello, Abby LePage and Gianna Piemonte of East Longmeadow; Casey Bottass of Hampden; Kyle Ceccotti, Emma Cervasio, David Dulaimy, Grace Kimball, Geneva Outhouse and Maeve Ryan of Longmeadow; Zack Capen, Madelynn Grono and Caeli Whitcomb of Wilbraham.
Ohio University
Ohio University Scripps College of Communication student Evan Sullivan of Wilbraham has been named to Ohio’s fall 2025 dean’s list. The dean’s list recognizes undergraduate students who complete a particular semester with a GPA between 3.5 and 3.999 with a minimum of 12 credit hours attempted for letter grades that are
The fundraiser ran during two high-traffic periods, one in the spring and another during the late fall and holiday season, giving customers multiple opportunities to round their purchase totals up to the nearest dollar. Those small contributions added up quickly, with Baystate Children’s Hospital receiving more than $23,925 from participating Rocky’s stores in Western Massachusetts.
“Round Up for Kids shows what happens when local communities come together around something bigger than a single transaction,” said Rocco Falcone, president of Rocky’s Ace Hardware. “Our customers understand that these hospitals are there for
used to calculate GPA.
St. Lawrence University
Tommy McMahon from Longmeadow has been named to St. Lawrence University’s dean’s list for achieving academic excellence during the fall 2025 semester. To be eligible for the dean’s list, a student must have completed at least four courses and have an academic average of 3.6 based on a 4.0 scale for the semester.
University of Mississippi
Ayslin Dziedzic, of Longmeadow was named to the University of Mississippi’s fall 2025 honor roll lists. The dean’s honor roll is reserved for students who earn a semester GPA of 3.503.74. To be eligible for honor roll designation, a student must have completed at least 12 graded hours for the semester and may not be on academic probation during the semester.
Hamilton College
Lily Spencer, of Longmeadow, has been named to the dean’s list at Hamilton College for the fall
families on their hardest days, and they’re proud to support care that can change a child’s future.”
Eight Rocky’s locations in eastern Massachusetts took part in the campaign. One hundred percent of the funds raised at those locations were directed to Baystate Children’s Hospital to support pediatric care, medical innovation and family-centered services.
“This campaign continues to
2025 semester. To be named to the dean’s list, a student must be a current member of the class of 2026 or 2027, have carried a course load of four or more graded credits throughout the semester, and earned an average GPA of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale.
Fairfield University
The following Fairfield University students received dean’s list honors for the fall 2025 semester. In order to be placed on the Dean’s List, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours in a semester, have no outstanding or incomplete grades for that semester, and have attained a semester grade point average of 3.50 or better. Kayleigh Lukasik of East Longmeadow; Ty Cosenzi and Lauren LoMascolo of Hampden; Grace Cherichetti, Mary Desrosiers, Zack Healy, Konstantinos Kollias, Jack O’Toole and Hannah Rooney of Longmeadow; Rose Caltabiano and Anna O’Keefe of Wilbraham were named to the list.
grow because people believe in it,” Falcone said. “Looking ahead, we’re excited to keep building on this momentum and finding new ways to support the hospitals that do so much for our communities.”
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised nearly $10 billion since 1983, helping fund vital treatments, research and programs that improve the lives of children nationwide.
TheReminder.com
Every week we will provide you with a complete listings of deaths from the preceding week from throughout Greater Springfield. We are doing this as a convenience to our readers in case you miss an obit in the daily paper. We hope you find this useful and that you will refer to it weekly.
NORTHAMPTON — The Bombyx Brass Collective is gearing up for its next show, a pre-spring concert called “Musical Flurries,” on Sunday, March 1 at 3 p.m. at the Bombyx Center in Florence.
The 35-member, semi-professional brass ensemble led by Music Director Juli Sansoucy was founded in January 2022 and plays a mix of musical genres from classical to jazz to pop.
Members include active and retired music teachers, working professional musicians and talented amateur musicians.
The pre-spring “Musical Flurries” show is just one of the group’s regularly scheduled programs. They aim to put on three per year at a minimum.
“Basically, it’s kind of a potpourri of different styles of music, different types of music, basically all 20th-century music, but definitely different genres,” said Ira Brezinsky, an organizer and member of the collective.
A donation of $25 is suggested for the concert, but admission to all Bombyx Brass performances is free of charge, and donations are always accepted. To learn more about this upcoming event, as well as all the other programming at the Bombyx Center, visit bombyx.live.
The diverse, family-friendly program features two original works for brass choir: the iconic “Symphony for Brass and Percussion” by Alfred Reed and “Overture in F Minor” by Jean Sibelius. The concert will also include well-known music from John Williams and Hans Zimmer, and standards from the rock group Chicago.
Brezinsky said the show’s first section of performances is very well known among brass players and brass music fans.
“It will be an exciting piece. The middle movement is really beautiful. The first and the third movements are just super exciting, a lot of percussion. Just big, big sound,” said Brezinsky. “‘The Overture in F Minor’ is also an original piece for brass, which is kind of cool because oftentimes, we’re playing transcriptions and
SPRINGFIELD — On Saturday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Young@Heart and Hope Center for the Arts are proud to present “Hope and Glory,” a show that will combine the Hope for the future as represented by the Hope Center’s students, faculty and staff at the newly renovated center at 150 Bridge St. in Springfield. The Glory represents the life and times of the recently deceased Evelyn Harris, who was a member of Young@ Heart for the last 2.5 years of her life and who had such a magnificent impact in our region, nation and the world.
Special guests for the show will include:
Members of Sweet Honey in the Rock, an all-female, African American a cappella ensemble that started in 1973. They are a
arrangements for brass that are normally played on different instruments. It’s also something that really demonstrates really solid, nice brass writing and playing.”
Brezinsky added that the process of transcription pieces of music to fit the brass collective’s form can be challenging, but often leads to interesting adaptations of beloved work for audiences.
“Trying to get the right kind of sound, sometimes just the technique is different. It can be challenging, but it’s also interesting. Sometimes, if we’re playing something that’s super well known, like the Chicago tunes — those were obviously originally written and played for a rock band with horns, but also a vocalist and that sort of thing. So, the arrangements we’re playing have to be switched up to accommodate our instrumentation. It’s just a different take, oftentimes, on music that people are familiar with and hearing it a different way,” explained Brezinsky.
Brezinsky said the show’s
three-time Grammy Award-nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance and sign language. Evelyn Harris was a member of the group from 1974-1992.
Yasmeen Betty Williams is an American gospel singer and former member of the Sweet Honey in the Rock from 1976 to 1986. Williams grew up during the gospel explosion in Washington, D.C. As a youth, she received her training in gospel music from her cousin, Dr. Shirley AblesStarks of the Joy Gospel Singers and her aunt, Vara Simpson, the founder of two gospel groups –The Service Gospel Singers and The Spiritualettes, who were often featured on the Metro D.C. WOOK Radio Station for early Sunday Morning worship. After
second half is the lighter side. Performances will feature wellknown movie themes and more Brass Collective adapted performances of music from the rock band, Chicago, with percussion accompaniment.
“I suppose the reason for making it such a diverse program is because we’re doing it on a Sunday afternoon. Hopefully making it really attractive for families and young kids who will be interested in different types of music and keep their attention,” added Brezinsky.
Brezinsky said he hopes to see another great turnout for the Brass Collective’s March 1 “Musical Flurries” show, and expressed gratitude for the Bombyx Center for their partnership in helping them bring these performances to the community.
“We love to play for an audience. More often than not, the audience we get at the Bombyx Center is pretty good. A couple of hundred people might typically show up for one of our shows and
meeting in Sweet Honey in the 70’s, Yasmeen remained Evelyn’s most cherished friend for the remainder of her life.
Kayla Staley is the director of vocal ensemble at the Hope
having a pretty full house to play for is very gratifying. Most of our concerts that we do, we don’t get paid for. Whatever we collect at the door or in advance in terms of donations, [it] all just goes back into the pot to purchase music or equipment, advertising, that sort of thing,” said Brezinsky. “We haven’t been around all that long, but we’ve developed a little bit of a following. We always see new faces, but we also see a lot of faces returning time after time, people that just appreciate and enjoy the kind of music and the kind of sound that we have.”
Other Bombyx Brass Collective happenings
The Bombyx Brass Collective will also feature as performers on a parade float during this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Holyoke. About eight to 10 members will perform class horn band music on one of the floats throughout the parade route.
Aside from the show and parade, Brezinsky also emphasized
the group’s established special program, where they visit public schools throughout the region to share their talents and enthusiasm for music with students of all ages. The one-day program provides guidance to students during the school day and gives public performances in those communities the same evening.
Since 2023, the collective has visited music students in Holyoke, Monson, South Hadley, Sturbridge, Westfield and Wilbraham. Coming up on April 2, the Bombyx Brass Collective will partner with Enfield Public Schools to visit with middle and high school music students during the day before putting on a community show that evening.
For more information and to inquire about having the Bombyx Brass Collective come to your community, school or organization, email bombyxbrass@gmail.com.
Center’s after school. Kayla is a bright fireball of energy based in Springfield Massachusetts.
A thriving freelance soul vocal artist, actress, dancer, social activist, and educator. Staley is the director of vocal ensemble at the Hope Center after school program.
Buy tickets at the Hope Center website hopecenterforthearts. org/events/youngatheart/
The Bombyx Brass Collective.
Reminder Publishing file photo
City Council rescinds ‘tainted’ vote, Whitfield apologizes
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield City Council called a special meeting to rescind a vote, after Springfield City Council President Tracye Whitfield failed to recuse herself from deliberation of a matter that she had financial and familial connections to.
At the council’s Feb. 2 meeting, Whitfield’s son, Jelani Bland, came before the council to request a piece of land that is part of Wallace Street on maps, but is essentially a vacant lot, be discontinued. He explained that his company, JETS Property Development, owns an abutting property at 23 Wisteria Lane and is interested in building on the land. Whitfield is listed as a resident agent and manager of the company.
Whitfield remained at the podium in her capacity as council president for nine minutes of deliberation on the matter before Fenton asked her if she was planning to recuse herself. Whitfield responded, “Oh, do I recuse now? Do I step down now?” She later said, “This is a learning experience for me. I wish you had said something sooner.”
After the meeting, Whitfield contacted the state Ethics Commission and City Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti for guidance on the incident. In an opinion issued on Feb. 5, he said that Whitfield violated the state law that regulates the conduct of public officials and employees. Specifically, he said the actions that violate the statute included not recusing herself at the start of deliberation, failing to disclose Bland was her son and business partner, and that she had a financial interest in the
matter before the council, and failing to file those disclosures with the city clerk’s office.
Buoniconti went on to say that during Planning Board meetings in 2024 about a zone change for 23 Wisteria Lane, Whitfield declared herself to be a city councilor and said the zone change would be a positive improvement for the city. She did not disclose that she had financial and familial interests in the matter.
The solicitor recommended the council rescind its vote to discontinue the section of Wallace Street because it was “tainted and rife with conflict-of-interest violations.” He referred the matter to the Massachusetts Ethics Commission. Whitfield had contacted the Ethics Board about the matter the day after the council’s meeting.
On Feb. 6, seven of the 13 city councilors — Victor Davila, Michael Fenton, Kateri Walsh, Melvin Edwards, Brian Santaniello, Gerry Martin and Jose Delgado — hosted a press conference in the council chambers. While Councilor Maria Perez was ill and unable to attend, Davila said she was “here in spirit with us and in full support.” Davila briefly explained the issue and said the seven councilors had signed a petition to call a special council meeting to rescind the vote taken on Feb. 2. That meeting was scheduled for Feb. 13.
Davila said, “Rescinding the vote is not only the wise thing to do, as advised by the Law Department, but is also the right thing to do. We must ensure public trust in the process is open, fair and free of undue influence.” He went on to announce that he would personally request the Law Department to review all the city’s
transactions involving Whitfield and JETS Development “out of an abundance of caution.”
Fenton agreed with his colleague. He said, “Transparency and maintaining the public trust is of the utmost importance to the integrity of city government and the integrity of the City Council.” He described rescinding the vote as “corrective action.”
“I think it’s a responsibility to address any mistakes so that the public can have confidence that
it’s a fair and transparent procedure,” said Walsh. “It’s a difficult thing to be doing, but I think it’s the right step.”
Whitfield hosted her own press conference in the chambers that morning. “I want to take full responsibility and publicly acknowledge my mistake in not recusing myself immediately from discussion related to the discontinuance of a city street,” she said. “Public service is a privilege, and I take seriously the responsibility that comes with serving as a public official.” She said she had “misunderstood the rules” regarding conflicts of interest and thought she was supposed to recuse herself for the vote only, and not the deliberation. “While this was not intentional; it was my responsibility, and I fully own that,” Whitfield said.
Whitfield also commented on bidding on two properties at a recent public auction. She said that she was at the proceedings “in full public view,” along with Bland and is “proud that we are investing in our hometown.” She said, “I acknowledge that I should have been more mindful of how these matter could be perceived.”
She did not address her participation in the Planning Board meetings Buoniconti referred to.
Moving forward, Whitfield
announced that she will meet with the City Council legal counsel before every meeting to discuss each item to ensure there are no other conflicts. She also said she would undertake more ethics training.
“Public service is real, on-thejob learning and while leaders do make mistakes, what matters is how we respond,” she said. She apologized for the mistake and thanked her colleagues and Springfield residents for their dedication to transparency. She said she would “endorse” the decision of the council regarding the rescinding of the vote.
Whitfield also joined the latest episode of “So That Reminds Me” and discussed the situation and said that her confusion came from a misunderstanding about when she was supposed to recuse herself from the meeting.
“I didn’t realize I had to step down from preceding over the deliberation itself, and I was supposed to recuse myself from the beginning because I am part of JETS Property Development, the person who was testifying in front of the City Council is my son, I own my responsibility,” she said. “I didn’t follow the conflict of interest laws to the T and I have been reading them over and over and over again so that doesn’t happen again.”
Whitfield also added that she immediately contacted the Law and Ethics departments after the meeting.
“It was not deliberate, I would never do anything intentionally like that,” she said.
Regarding the vote to rescind the one taken on Feb. 2, Whitfield said, “I think it’s the right thing to do.”
At the Feb. 13 meeting, the City Council voted to rescind the Feb. 2 vote 11-0 with Whitfield and Councilor Lavar ClickBruce absent.
Managing Editor Dennis Hackett contributed to this report.
Springfield City Council President Tracye Whitfield spoke at City Hall about the issue of not immediately recusing herself while presiding over a Feb. 2 meeting when her son requested that a city-owned parcel of land be abandoned for other use.
Photo credit: Douglas Hook/The Republican
Davila calls for Whitfield resignation, councilors withhold judgement
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield City Council met on Feb. 13 to rescind a vote, but City Councilor Victor Davila called for Council President Tracye Whitfield to step down from her position amid controversy stemming from a financial and familial conflict of interest.
The issue began on Feb. 2, when JETS Property Development co-owner Jelani Bland requested the city discontinue 600 square feet of land that is a street in name only at the intersection of Wallace Street and Wisteria Lane. As it abuts property owned by JETS Property Development, if discontinued, the company would absorb half of the land. Bland said he planned to purchase the remainder of the property to build a house on it.
Whitfield presided over the council’s discussion on the matter for about 10 minutes, despite Bland being her son and her being a part-owner of JETS Property Development. Whitfield recused herself after being reminded by Councilor Michael Fenton. She stated at the time, and again at a press conference four days later, that she misunderstood when she was required to recuse herself.
After the meeting, Whitfield contacted the Law Department and City Solicitor Stephan Buoniconti investigated the matter. It was then that the issue grew from a one-time snafu to a controversy spanning several years. Buoniconti released a legal opinion that Whitfield had violated the state law regulating conflicts of interest for elected officials on multiple occasions by acting in her official capacity while failing to disclose her familial relation to Bland or her financial interest in JETS Property Development.
Buoniconti alleged that her failures to disclose conflicts include a zone change hearing with the Planning Board in 2024, at meetings with other city departments and at a recent city auction, during which Whitfield and Bland successfully bid on properties. The Law Department had been contacted in July 2025 by the DPW about Whitfield’s potential conflict of interest.
In a matter separate from JETS Property Development, Buoniconti said Whitfield stepped in when there was a dispute between resident Desi Jackson and the Old Hill Neighborhood Association. Jackson alleged the association owned him $2,000, and, according to Buoniconti, Whitfield said she would request the city audit of the association’s finances as a result.
Buoniconti said the incident “reeks of improper and undue influence,” particularly in “leveraging a threat of an audit to generate payment to Mr. Jackson.” The association’s vice president/treasurer contacted the city to object to Whitfield “using her position of influence,” Buoniconti said.
The solicitor said rectifying the zone change is “a complicated legal picture” because a duplex has been built there based on “the city’s authority.” When asked why this string of incidents had not been investigated earlier, Buoniconti said that many of the city’s departments are “siloed” from the others, making it difficult to see incidents in different departments as a pattern of behavior.
“I think it’s just one that people weren’t aware of until you put all the pieces of the puzzle together,” he said.
The findings from the Law Department recommended that the incidents be forwarded to the State
Ethics Commission for review.
Whitfield addressed the City Council and auction incidents at a Feb. 6 press conference, before Buoniconti released the Law Department’s most recent findings. She apologized for her error in recusing herself and said she has put safeguards in place to prevent future conflicts. The matter was “a learning experience,” she said.
Whitfield has been on the City Council since 2018. When asked, Delgado said city councilors receive required training on conflicts of interest every year or two. “I can’t speak to what other folks may take from those trainings or may not,” he said. “This has been, obviously, an eye-opening experience for everybody. So, I think, from here on out everybody will be checking, crossing their Ts and dotting their Is. At the end of the day, the public trusts us to do the right thing when we’re voting, so we’ve got to hold ourselves — and the public holds us — to a higher standard.” Buoniconti issued a memorandum reminding councilors of the rules around conflicts of interest as recently as January 2026.
Whitfield had been “consistently, persistently, recklessly violating ethics laws since 2021,” Davila said. “I fear the president has broken the trust that the council president requires” and “I have lost faith in the City Council president.” He called for her to step down from the position of president. If she does not, Davila said he will call for a vote of no confidence at the council’s Feb. 23 meeting.
Most of the other councilors spoke in favor of waiting to see what the state Ethics Commission determines. Ward 7 City Councilor Gerry Martin said it was “inappropriate” to take that step before the board rules. “We are not judge, jury and executioner,” he said. Ward 8 City Councilor Zaida Govan agreed that it was “premature” to take such action and wanted to hear from the Ethics Commission first.
Ward 1 City Councilor Maria Perez admitted that she felt “upset” about the matter and described it as “embarrassing,” but said she was only prepared at the moment to rescind the Feb. 2 vote. She said, “We should look at all that has gone on. This is not to be taken lightly, but let’s do it right.”
Davila said the council could wait for the state Ethics Commission to render its findings, “But we are a sovereign body.” When people ask why the council did not act once they were aware of Buoniconti’s findings, he said, “You will have to explain, not me. I’m being very clear because this body means a lot to me.” He reiterated his plan to call for a no confidence vote should Whitfield not step down.
In an interview about the controversy, Delgado said, “It’s not a good look for the city. It’s a distraction for all the more important things that we as city councilors should be focused on. We should be focusing on the city, the residents and on what’s going on. To me, I want to get back to focusing on that.” He said Whitfield had done “the right thing” in immediately bringing her recusal error to the Law Department and the state Ethics Board and felt the council should let that process play out.
Later, when asked, Davila said he did not think he was alone in believing Whitfield stepping down was required to preserve public trust. “I believe some of them are afraid,” he said, citing “political reasons.” However, he added, “Now is not the time for politics.”
After the Feb. 13 City Council meeting, Whitfield told Reminder Publishing, “As you can imagine,
I’m still processing all of these allegations,” She added that she planned to address the issue at a press conference on Monday, Feb. 16, after press time.
Springfield City Councilor Victor Davila calls for Tracye Whitfield to step down as council president. Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
Asher Sparks of Longmeadow finished his giant slalom race in 34.59 seconds.
Izzy Usher’s time of 1:20.74 won her a 9th place finish.
Graham Foy was East Longmeadow’s top skier with a
The Lancers Ella DeMichele hurtles down the GS course in 34.41 seconds.
Margaret McQuade earned fifth place among female skiers with a time of 1:18.07.
EAST LONGMEADOW, LONGMEADOW & MINNECHAUG
SKIING
On Feb. 10, athletes from East Longmeadow, Longmeadow and Minnechaug competed in the PVIAC Individual Ski Championships at Berkshire east in Charlemont.
East Longmeadow’s Thomas Rehbein skis the boys giant slalom.
Kashton Ryan from Longmeadow won the boys ski championship, posting a combined time of 1:10.03.
