Whitfield survives City Council no-confidence vote

City Council Vice President Jose Delgado presided over the City Council’s discussion regarding a vote of no confidence in President Tracye Whitfield.
Photo credit: Focus Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — City Council President Tracye Whitfield survived a vote of no confidence held by the council one month after she presided over the body’s discussion of a petition by her son to discontinue a street, a move that would have financially benefited the company she co-owns.

The single conflict of interest snowballed into an investigation by City Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti, memos sent to the state Ethics Commission and an effort to remove her from the post of president.

She has since stepped down in her role as a managing agent from JETS Property Development and vowed to not do business with the city during the remainder of her time as an elected official.

The City Council chamber was full during the March 2 vote on a resolution that would have asserted the councilors did not have confidence in Whitfield’s “fitness to continue serving as the presiding officer” and asked her to step down from the presidency. Those who could not find seats stood along the back wall or watched the proceedings from an overflow room. Before discussion on the matter began, Whitfield recused herself and City Council Vice President Jose Delgado took the gavel. The typically ceremonial tool was used heavily during the meeting to quell arguments between councilors and outbursts from those gathered to watch the vote.

Councilor Victor Davila, who had spearheaded the effort to pass a no confidence resolution, said his position had not been taken lightly. Buoniconti laid out in memos to the council several conflicts of interest involving Whitfield over the past five years. Whitfield has repeatedly stated that she misunderstood the conflict of interest laws and that she has taken steps to ensure compliance in the future. Despite that, Davila said, “This was not a mistake, but rather a clear pattern of self-interested behavior.”

Davila said residents were under the perception that he and his fellow councilors knew about and simply ignored the conflicts of interest that became public after Buoniconti released his findings. That undermined the public’s trust in the body, he said, adding, “I’m not going to pay for someone else’s mistakes. I will only pay for my mistakes.”

Councilor Justin Hurst said that if the memos had come from anyone else in the Law Department, he would “accept it as gospel.” However, he said Buoniconti “has no moral standing.” Hurst said, “He can’t possibly be the one educating us on any ethical standards considering his own transgressions.” Hurst referred to a 2016 reprimand by the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers for signing a loan on behalf of his then-wife without permission and failing to disclose his position with the Hampden County Regional Retirement Board while serving as a state senator. Hurst said Buoniconti, whom he described as Mayor Domenic Sarno’s “political appointee,” should be disbarred for his previous conduct. He also noted that Buoniconti had sent his findings to the Ethics Commission and the media before sharing it with the council.

Hurst then set his sights on Councilor Michael Fenton, who co-sponsored the no confidence resolution with Davila and Councilor Melvin Edwards. Hurst said Fenton had been party to a similar vote to discontinue a street without disclosing that he would benefit by absorbing a portion of the street into his property once discontinued. He also said Fenton had improperly spoken with department heads, which is also among the allegations against Whitfield laid out in Buoniconti’s memos. He finished his comments by stating the Davila, Fenton and Edwards were “on the wrong side” “of history.”

Fenton responded, saying he was “not going to dignify” Hurst’s allegations, but then said that a neighborhood council had been the petitioner in the matter involving his street, that he recused himself and that the discontinuance did not pass, and therefore he did not “directly benefit” as Hurst had alleged.

Later, Fenton told Reminder Publishing that he was “shocked” by Hurst’s comments. “It’s materially untrue” and “an attempt to deflect from the issue that’s at hand.”

Gonzalez reminded the councilors of the body’s rules and said, “We’re not supposed to attack each other.”

(Related: So That Reminds Me: “Inside Springfield City Hall: Tracye Whitfield on City Council Leadership, Priorities and Controversy“)

Striking a conciliatory tone, Councilor Malo Brown said all the councilors are “good people.” Regarding the resolution, which he pointed out was non-binding, Brown said, “I do believe this thing has become too much of a distraction.” He said, “Of course, we’re going to make mistakes,” and “It’s not up to me to judge.” He went on to say that if the councilors feel strongly, they can vote for a different council president in January 2027.

On the resolution, Fenton said the matter was settled when Whitfield recused herself from the discontinuance on Feb. 5. He asserted that his only concern regarding that discontinuance was that Whitfield’s son, Jelani Bland, had stated he wanted to build on the land, which is generally not a reason for street discontinuance. Were the matter “an error or mistake,” Fenton said he would not support a vote of no confidence.

However, two incidents detailed in Buoniconti’s memos caused him concern. He said her participation at a city auction the day after the recusal misstep showed she understood that the there was a conflict of interest regarding her company having business with the city that morning, when she emailed councilors and reached out to the Ethics Commission, but not that evening, when she and her son successfully bid on city property.

The second incident occurred in December 2025, when Whitfield, interceding on behalf of a constituent, wrote in an email that she would contact the city to have the Old Hill Citizens’ Council audited. Fenton said that was “particularly threatening.” Taken with the other information, he said Whitfield disregarded the conflict-of-interest laws with “reckless abandon.”

Councilor Zaida Govan advised waiting for the Ethics Commission to make a decision regarding the matter. She said no “crimes” were identified in the solicitor’s findings. “I’m not condoning unethical behavior,” Govan said, but added, “we have to give grace” and not “rush to judgment.” She noted Whitfield is the council’s first Black woman president and said that if it were any other councilor, the matter would not have gotten to the point of a no confidence vote.

This comment reflected a narrative that had developed that the controversy was racially motivated. Edwards pushed back on that. “I am not convinced of character assassination,” he said. Addressing the “small, but vocal group” of people who had been espousing the idea, he said, “Feel free to speak your truth, but you do not speak for all Black people, nor do I. Please note, we all live in glass houses, so be careful throwing stones.”

Brown agreed. “We can’t make it a racial thing,” he said. “Just because someone has a different view, it does not make they racist.”

Edwards said, “For me, this vote is about the fact that the council president’s personal, professional business dealings and the associated investigations have resulted in, clearly make it impossible for her to effectively carry out the responsibilities of the presidency at this time.”
Before a vote on the question could be called, a verbal altercation broke out between two people in the audience. Another person stepped between them and de-escalated the situation, at which point Gonzalez called a three-minute recess. During the recess, Whitfield returned to the chamber to thank people for supporting her but encouraged them to “calm down for a little bit.” She also asked them to allow the council to proceed with its business without interruption.

Following the recess, the council voted 4-7 against the resolution, with Councilor Gerry Martin absent. Only the resolution’s three sponsors and Councilor Maria Perez voted no confidence, despite Perez’s earlier comments that she wanted to leave the matter to the Ethics Commission.

After the vote, Whitfield said, “I feel like I’m ready to just move forward, get to business of the city and just let everything go.”

Davila said he was disappointed with his colleagues that voted no and opined that they were “looking for political coverage. But this is not a time to hide, this is a time to lead, and now the council is going to continue to have a cloud over us.” He said the councilors would “have explaining to do” to the voters.

Fenton acknowledged that it was a “very sensitive subject” but also said, “I don’t think it’s going to be a productive rest of the year for us to have Councilor Whitfield as the council president.” That said, Fenton assured that he harbored no ill will toward Whitfield. Similarly, Davila said that it would be up to Whitfield whether there would be any awkwardness among councilors.