Federal earmark boosts plan for new East Springfield Branch Library
Springfield received a financial boost to its plan to replace the undersized and outdated East Springfield Branch Library with a new building.
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Whitfield involved in conflict of interest violation, Davila calls for her to step down
After City Council President Tracye Whitfield was found to have violated a conflict of interest law that led to the rescinding of a Feb. 2 vote, City Councilor Victor Davila is calling for her to step down.
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YWCA receives federal earmark to maintain facilities
Among the earmarks signed into law on Feb. 3 was $1.22 million for the YWCA of Western Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter and programs for women and their children who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, teen pregnancy or human trafficking.
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Workers brave frigid temps to protest ICE actions
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — Bitterly cold temperatures did not stop more than 150 members of area unions from coming out on Feb. 7 to rally against actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis, Minnesota and elsewhere under the administration of President Donald Trump.
The “Working People Against ICE” rally on the steps of Springfield City Hall attracted representatives from members of 25 different labor organizations and unions, according to community organizer Joseph Bonilla, who emceed the event.
Bonilla read a list of demands for the state Legislature that included passage of state House bill H.1588 and its counterpart in the Senate, S.1122, which would prevent ICE from renting beds in local jails and end legal agreements that allow local and state law enforcement to perform immigration enforcement tasks for ICE. Also, on the list of demands is the mandating of virtual access to Massachusetts court hearings so people can participate without fear of ICE detaining them.
Speaking on behalf of the Western Massachusetts Area Labor Federation, Jeff Jones said, “We’re here today standing in solidarity with our fellow workers in Minneapolis, Chicago, L.A. or wherever the current regime sends its army of occupation.” He described ICE as an “unaccountable army” that is “targeting virtually everyone who is not white and English speaking.”
Like many people who spoke, he called for the abolition of ICE and defunding of Homeland Security. “If the Democratic party cannot deliver, they need to get out
See PROTEST
Top row, more than 150 people attend the “Working People Against ICE” rally at Springfield City Hall. Second row, from left: Organizer Joseph Bonilla addresses the crowd. People hold anti-ICE flags and signs. Third row, from left: People hold signs protesting deportations. State Sen. Jake Oliveira and School Committee member Gumersindo Gomez at the anti-ICE rally.
Reminder Publishing photos by Sarah Heinonen
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
Federal
training on your own; no one to explain anything, there’s just like no training at all, and I want to be a different president,” 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 creating 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, work-
ing 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.
earmark boosts plan for new East Springfield Branch Library
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield received a financial boost to its plan to replace the undersized and outdated East Springfield Branch Library with a new building. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal secured $500,000 for the project through recently passed congressionally directed spending, also known as earmarks. It was part of a bill, signed into law on Feb. 3, providing $124.58 million in earmarks for 116 community projects in Massachusetts.
The East Springfield Branch Library was built in 1932 and while it has served the neighborhood over that time, Assistant Director for Public Services
Jean Canosa Albano Canosa Albano said the library needs to be a “modern, accessible space.”
There is a ramp at the existing library, but it does not meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She also said the existing library simply does not have the space for the programs and activities that the neighborhood is asking for. Library Director Molly Fogarty explained that there are only 2,500 square feet of public space available in the library. “It’s one big room, so we have a little space over here for the teens, a little space for the adults over there,” she said.
In fiscal year 2024, the state Board of Library Commissioners awarded the city a $100,000 planning and design grant, matched with $150,000 allocated by the City Council, to renovate and expand the branch. However, Fogarty explained that the condition of the library and current building codes made an expansion
problematic. So, the scope of the project was changed, and a new library will need to be built.
Fogarty assured that the site would remain the same, which is important to the neighbors, according to comments made at public meetings. The meetings also revealed that people are looking for off-street parking, of which there is currently none. The desires of the neighborhood and the programming needs were used to create a detailed design plan, so detailed that it included how many chairs would be needed, Fogarty said.
The new design for the site was submitted in 2025, and Fogarty said the Board of Library Commissioners recently responded, scoring the plan nine out of nine and giving the project the go ahead. The new library will have 8,500 square feet of usable
space, nine parking spaces, including two for accessible parking, separate rooms for children, teens and adult programming and more computers.
Canosa Albano said her favorite part of the plan is the community room, which exists in the other Springfield Library branches, but not in the existing East Springfield branch. “It’s all about community,” she said. “Nowadays, a community can get fractured so easily. This will bring people together. It will be beneficial to the neighborhood.” Another aspect
she is excited about is the ways the library will reflect the people who live around it and “who they are as a neighborhood,” including the use of motifs and decor. Fogarty said she was most looking forward to the indoor-outdoor spaces, including a reading garden and screened porch area. The project cost estimate is underway. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2027 and last about 18 months. Fogarty said that the library is working to find a temporary alternative space for programming during that time.
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: Mandy Morrissette, Sayal Gurung, Justin Gould, Nevaeh Bell, Umberto Calvanese, Alexa Walker, Anthony Ramos, Giovanni Calvanese, Matthew Valois, Timothy Arendt, Ryan Leonard, Gabriella Robinson, Nia Santos, Thomas Ford, Christopher Calvanese, Nylan Baldwin, Camden Kaufmann, Kavya Hiteshkumar Parikh, Maahi Shah, Brianna Beadle, Matthew Walz, Geddiel Lopez, Nicole Zancan, Weronika Kaczor, Weronika Kaczor, Gabriel Cintron Rivera, Sandy Viruet, Bao Do, Kacie Schwarzenbach, Marwa Dreah, Lisannie Almanzar, Lisannie Almanzar, Esosa Aiguosatile, Madysen Wells-Bisson, Yaxiel Lopez, Anna Shlemanov, Jasmine Lam, JoiLee Key-Washington, Yinmairy Reynoso Jimenez, Jordyn Vanmourik, Michael Arillotta, Noah Jewell of Springfield; and Cameron Touchette and Fejer Hasan of Indian Orchard.
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
The East Springfield Branch Library.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
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
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — Federal funding for organizations in Massachusetts has been limited over the past year, with many grants and programs canceled. Because of this, a slate of congressionally directed spending, otherwise known as earmarks, has been especially crucial to many nonprofits.
“The Massachusetts delegation secured over $200 million for hundreds of local projects across the Bay State,” U.S. Sen. Edward Markey said in a press release. “I am proud to have collaborated with my colleagues to secure funding to construct affordable and supportive housing, expand early education programs and buy new equipment to expand patient access to care. With so much federal funding under threat, direct funding to our communities is critical.”
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said it was “a no-brainer that we’d fight hard to invest in our people.” She cited many of the same earmark priorities as Markey.
Among the earmarks signed
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
into law on Feb. 3 was $1.22 million for the YWCA of Western Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter and programs for women and their children who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, teen pregnancy or human trafficking.
The fifth-largest YWCA in the country, the Western Massachusetts organization operates a 63bed shelter for women and children, which she said is “always full. Someone leaves and that bed is taken within an hour or so.” The organization also has a residential Young Mother’s Program in Holyoke. CEO Elizabeth Dineen said the YWCA collaborates with the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, the state Department of Children and Families and Baystate Health to serve people in need.
The YWCA is mainly funded through grants, including from the cities of Springfield and Holyoke, and departments in the state and federal governments. The organization also receives private grants from the Davis Founda-
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
tion, the Women’s Fund and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. “When we see a grant that looks like it lines
up with what we do, we go for it,” Dineen said. However, Dineen explained that most grants are designed to
cover program costs, leaving few sources of funding for building
See
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 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, Buonicon-
ti 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
STEP TEAM — The Martin Luther King Charter School of Excellence
Step Team performed a routine at the second annual Taste of Culture on Feb. 11. Hosted by the The Family Resource Center at the Gándara Center in Springfield, the event coincides with Black History Month. It offered traditional foods from Black traditions, culturally significant dance routines and an art gallery.
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.
CHICOPEE
Abel S. Carvalho
Louise C. Hebert
Mary Jo Moson
Gail L. Rogers
Edward J. Szydziak
Winchell Ping Chiu Woo
EAST LONGMEADOW
John Stotek
Gerald F. Triggs
HOLYOKE
Theresa “Terry” Allen
William T. Baxter
Christine A. Daisy
Keith E. Sicard
Lisa M. Mahoney
Anthony F. Piaggi
Richard A. Pratt
INDIAN ORCHARD
Alan A. Dargis Sr. LONGMEADOW
Rosalie “Rose” Craven (Saccamando)
James W. Henrikson
George Sachs
LUDLOW
Herbert Brumer
Leon T. Fredrick
Beverly E. Shea
Paul Trigilio
SOUTH HADLEY
Thomas L. Bernard
Janet A. Chagnon
Rabbi Yechiael Lander
Gaetano J. Milano
Maureen Parker Murray Tessie O’Neill
Robert J. Valenti
SPRINGFIELD
Rev. Lionel Edward Bonneville
Elaine G. Comeau
James R. Farioli
Marie Landers
Jesse Melvin Lanier Sr.
Frank Lango
John S. Musiak
Marguerite V. Oakes
Margaret Sarkis
Joanne F. Shapiro
Irene O. Theberge
WILBRAHAM
Deborah Ann Gero
John T. Liebel
Bowman Dean Franklin Milner Sr.
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
Whitfield
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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
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.
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.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
Springfield City Councilor Victor Davila calls for Tracye Whitfield to step down as council president. Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
of the way.”
Between speeches, the crowd was led in protest chants and songs, including one in which the lyrics of “Hit the Road Jack,” by Ray Charles, were changed to “Hit the road, ICE, and don’t you come back no more, no more, no more, no more.”
Adrien, who only wanted to give their first name, is a member of SEIU Local 509 and a co-chair of River Valley Democratic Socialists of America. They told the crowd, “We just watched two U.S. citizens — unarmed, nonviolent — murdered in the street and they tried to tell us that what we saw wasn’t true.”
Adrien shared a quote by Upton Sinclair: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” They went on to say, “We are living in a system in which we are living to work so that we are too tired to stand up for what’s right, too tired to see what’s going on behind the scenes and the systems in place that keep us down.” They added, “The same systems that have been locking up Black and brown U.S. citizens are the same systems locking up immigrants.”
Massachusetts Nurses Association member Claire Shillington called ICE “a threat to public health.” She said that the nursing community was mourning Alex Pretti, the Veterans’ Administration intensive care nurse who was killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, as well as “the people not receiving the same attention.” Like others, she called for the abolition of ICE and urged elected officials to “do whatever is necessary to hold the Trump administration accountable for its ongoing violation of our constitutional and human rights.”
Jesse Lederman, regional director for U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and former Springfield city councilor, read a statement from the senator at the rally. “Trump may be trying to break our backs, but no one knows how to fight better than our unions,” Markey’s statement read. “And here in Massachusetts,” he said, “We know immigrants built our nation. We know what a true democracy looks like because we created it here 250 years ago.”
Markey stated that Trump’s homeland security adviser, Stephen Miller, had conducted a “reign of terror” and called for the abolition of ICE and the end of qualified immunity. “Qualified immunity prevents Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s families from suing the men who murdered their loved ones, and it must end,” Lederman read.
Emphasizing that ICE raids and detentions are not only an issue on other parts of the country, Bonilla shared the story of Juan
David, “a Springfield father with no criminal record and a survivor of labor trafficking. He was detained by ICE at a December 2025 immigration check-in.
Bonilla explained that David had been granted T-nonimmigrant status, a legal temporary immigration status enabling certain victims of severe human trafficking to remain in the United States. Despite this, an immigration judge denied his ability to remain in the state. David now faces potential deportation. Bonilla said ICE has been targeting David’s family and that his wife was detained for months early last year after a “brutal arrest.”
Bonilla urged people to reach out to members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to secure an emergency stay of removal for David, so he is not deported before his legal case is decided. “Our neighbor is just as deserving of the dignity and respect that we all hold. So, show up, speak out and call today,” he told the protesters.
“What’s happening in this country in unconscionable,” said state Sen. Jake Oliviera. He said people are afraid to walk their children to school, go to hospitals or even leave their homes because of ICE raids.” He said ICE was “terrifying” the people and families in the United States. He added that he had attended the rally because, “People need to come out into the streets.”
Agawam City Councilor Tom Hendrickson, who is running against state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, attended the rally. He said his opponent introduced legislation to require local and state law enforcement to cooperate with ICE.
“I think he’s totally wrong about that,” Hendrickson said.
“When it comes to immigra-
tion policy, I’m informed by my own family,” said Hendrickson. “My grandparents immigrated here in the mid-20th century, and I often think about how I would have wanted them to be treated when they came here. Is it with the support and the resources and the tools that people need to live the American dream — a pathway to citizenship; a good-paying job; a safe, affordable place to live? Or is it with the chaos and cruelty that we have seen in Minneapolis and throughout the country under this administration?” Hendrickson added, “So, to me it’s clear. I believe in the humanity of all people and the dignity of all people and my opponent disagrees.”
Among the last people to speak were representatives of Luce, the Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts. They shared information on how to “keep your
own communities safe” from ICE raids. Luce operates a hotline people can call when they spot ICE in their area. She urged people to donate money, volunteer to answer the multi-language hotline or become a “verifier.”
Staff Writers: Sarah Heinonen, Deb Gardner, Amy Porter, Trent Levakis, Cliff Clark, Tyler Garnet, Peter Tuohy
Graphic Design Manager: Beth Thurber
Graphic Design Department: Leigh Catchepaugh, Lorie Perry, Sophia McClellan, Susan Bartlett, Jim Johnson-Corwin, Molly Arnio
Sales Manager: Scott Greene
Account Executives: Matt Mahaney, Paula Dimauro, Lisa Nolan, Jeanette Grenier, Paul Poutre, Andy Shaw, Laura Tassistro
Classified Account Managers: Roxanne Miller-Longtin, Evan Marcyoniak, Shannon Spada
Sales Support: Carolyn Napolitan
Financial Department: Nancy Banning
Above, people hold signs protesting deportations. At right, a protestor stands with a full-sized American flag and an anti-ICE sign.
Reminder Publishing photos by Sarah Heinonen
HOCKEY
The Pope Francis Preparatory School girls’ hockey team lost 4-3 to Nauset High School as they hosted their Senior Night on Jan. 31, at Amelia Ice Center in Westfield.
REMINDER SPORTS PHOTOS TAKEN BY DAVID HOSMER
Adrianna Baltazar fights through traffic in the offensive zone.
Elise Musa gets a good scoring chance in front of the goal.
POPE FRANCIS PREP VS NAUSET
Nolan Craven lets the shot fly from along the wall.
Maceo Walsh looks for a shooting lane on the attack.
Adalyn Murray loads up for the shot.
Keighley Gworek drops to a knee to make sure she gets her stick on the puck.
Avery Savage makes the blocker save.
Sophia Larsen jumps on the pile after the Cardi nals score late in the game.
Ava Moltenbrey looks for the pass in open space on offense.
Cassie Dion works the puck out from behind her own goal.
Senior Natalia Elson gets introduced before the game
HOPE Center receives $5 million earmark to improve building
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — An organi-
zation providing free arts and literacy education and college preparation services to Springfield students has received a $5 million windfall of federal funding to continue its mission, repair its facility and expand its reach.
On Feb. 3, a bill was signed into law providing $124.58 million in congressionally directed spending, also known as earmarks, for 116 community projects in Massachusetts. When combined with previously secured funding for fiscal year 2026, U.S. senators and representatives have sent a total of $221.55 million in earmarks flowing into the state.
“The Massachusetts delegation secured over $200 million for hundreds of local projects across the Bay State,” U.S. Sen. Edward Markey said in a press release. “I am proud to have collaborated with my colleagues to secure funding to construct affordable and supportive housing, expand early education pro-
repairs and infrastructure costs. For example, she said the parking
grams and buy new equipment to expand patient access to care. With so much federal funding under threat, direct funding to our communities is critical.”
Markey and the rest of the delegation representing Western Massachusetts — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal — worked to secure earmarks for two dozen projects in the Pioneer Valley, including improvements to the HOPE Center for the Arts.
“I think it was a mistake,” quipped Robert Bolduc, CEO of the center’s parent organization, Hope for Youth and Families. Referring to the gridlock and tense political environment in Congress, he said it is “unbelievable” that such a large amount was approved for the organization’s project, the legislation’s largest single earmark for a Massachusetts project. He credited the “compelling” nature of the organization’s mission and needs.
Hope for Youth and Families’s mission is threefold. The organization works to improve literacy among Springfield students. Despite Mas-
lot at the YWCA’s headquarters on Clough Street in Springfield needs to be repaired because frost heaves and cracks have made it a safety concern. “Not a sexy project,” she said, adding, “There’s no real grant for that.”
sachusetts standing as one of the most educated states in the country, Bolduc said, “Staggering amounts of our underserved population cannot read.” The organization collaborates with schools and other literacy organizations to address the reading gap.
When high school students have college aspirations, they often seek help with the application process from parents, college preparation services and other resources. Bolduc said many low-income students do not have those same resources, whether because they cannot afford them or because people in their lives do not have experience applying for college. Hope for Youth and Families offers help with the process, including filling out applications, essays and federal student aid forms.
The last leg of the organization’s programming focuses on the arts. “All the arts,” Bolduc said, including visual arts like photography, filmmaking, painting, drawing; performing arts, such as dance, acting, singing, hip hop, percussion, ballet, jazz quartet, clarinet, trum-
Additionally, new flooring is needed at the YWCA’s facility on Quirk Street in Holyoke, which houses eleven teens and young women and their children. HVAC work is needed agency wide. Most of the remaining items on
pet, band, violin and beats; as well as creative writing, blogging and poetry. Bolduc said many cities have had to cut their arts programs due to funding. The HOPE Center works to fill the gap left behind with after school sessions and an all-day summer program complete with free breakfast and lunch. Students learn using professional equipment with instruction from qualified teachers, he said. Last year, Bolduc said 150 people attended lessons throughout the summer, while 185 are enrolled for afterschool programming during the current 2024-25 school year.
Hope for Youth & Families bought the former CityStage facility at 150 Bridge St. for $1 million from the city of Springfield in 2024. “Everything in that building was 50 years old. Everything had to be gutted,” Bolduc said. Renovation of the space was an extensive undertaking, and Bolduc said the first $10 million of the project’s cost was mainly funded by the family foundation that also funds the center’s operations.
However, there are many
the list are replacements for vehicles that have reached the end of their useful life. They include two passenger vans for transporting teens to programs, a vehicle for the Holyoke program, two plow trucks and a tractor. Dineen said the Clough Street location has 11 acres of land, and a tractor will allow the organization to be self-sufficient in its maintenance, rather than paying to have it cared for.
issues in the building that still need to be addressed, including the replacement of the original HVAC system. As it stands, there is no air conditioning in the summer, and the heating system has been faulty. The organization applied for the federal earmark to tackle this and other remaining projects, including procurement of a second bus to transport kids to the programs after school.
Bolduc is excited that the funding came through and is already thinking about the future of Hope for Youth & Families. He said the goal is to expand to Chicopee and Holyoke, two other cities with large populations of low-income students who need the help Hope for Youth & Families provides.
“Nobody else does anything like this,” Bolduc said of offering all three programs free of change to area students. From his perspective, the help the organization provides is essential for students. He said, “They are growing and expanding and learning things. They discover they have talents they never knew they had.”
can become catastrophic” financially, she said.
Roxanne:
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Eventually, Dineen said, she would like to see the organization build on the land, expanding its programming and the number of people it can help. When that happens, she fears the existing buildings will be less of a priority. For that reason, she said that she wants to ensure that as many repairs and projects as possible are completed.
“If you don’t stay on top of that, a small leak or a small crack
That is why the YWCA applied for the earmark the first time it pursued the funding source. She said that she worked closely with the regional directors from Warren’s and Markey’s respective offices. Dineen praised Markey’s regional director, Jesse Lederman, who was familiar with the Clough Street site from his time on the Springfield City Council. She also said she was impressed that Warren’s regional director, Mark Antonio Williams, toured the site, visited the shelter and became acquainted with the organization’s needs.
“Here are two advocates that are men that helped work with an organization that serves mostly women,” Dineen said.
More information about the YWCA and its programs can be found at ywworks.org.
DINING ENTERTAINMENT
By Trent Levakis tlevakis@thereminder.com
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 www.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 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 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 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 enthusi-
asm 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.
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 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 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 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/
