Transitions are underway at the second largest (non-school) department in the City of Springfield. Fire Commissioner B.J. Calvi is hanging up his fire hat and retiring on July 24. A longtime public safety professional who initially built his firefighting career outside the city, Calvi led
UPDATED 7/15/26 6:07: To clarify the ownership of property the courthouse developers are buying. The selection of Liberty Junction, the proposal for a new Springfield courthouse at 125 Liberty Street, closes a contentious chapter in state-city relations. Replacing the ailing Roderick Ireland Courthouse was a
At its June 15 outing, the Springfield City Council took a significant step toward curbing councilors’ remote participation at meetings. Formally, the item was a resolution and not a rule change. Therefore, the body did not bind its members. Yet, the push marks an attitude shift for the body, which was among the last to return to any in-person operations.
A federal judge in Springfield has agreed to dissolve the consent decree that the city of Springfield and the federal government had agreed to in 2022. On Thursday, Judge Michael Ponsor granted the joint motion to end the agreement, which the parties had filed about 10 days ago. The ruling was not a surprise.
Just over four years after the City of Springfield, the Springfield Police Department and the federal government reached a court-monitored settlement, the pact may be coming to an end. Springfield and the feds jointly have filed a motion to terminate the agreement. If the court agrees, it will end a saga that has cast a pall over Pearl Street and City Hall for years.
SPRINGFIELD—City councilors hurled disapproval and invective, at times in an apparent violation of the body’s rules during Monday’s tempestuous meeting. In the end, however, it signified nothing—at least for now. The Council voted down a resolution of no confidence in Council President Tracye Whitfield but not before trading fire amongst themselves for some time.
Supporters of Whitfield filled the chamber, but there had been signs before Monday the no-confidence push might peter out.
SPRINGFIELD—Tracye Whitfield started her fifth term as an at-large City Council by taking a second office: City Council President. In doing so Monday, she became the first woman of color to lead the municipal legislature here. Although historic, a fact that inarguably filled the city’s biennial inaugural exercises, it was hardly the only takeaway Whitfield intended people to have.
Given a review of recent history in Springfield, 2025 may have expressed the disgruntlement many expected in 2023. However, the reasons may not be particular to the City of Homes. A foul wind from Washington was blowing and perhaps coloring the municipal electorate as much as anything. Courts also played a larger role in the city’s political fortunes than they had in years.
As of December 19, the lawsuit Darryl Moss, a former aide to Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, filed against his ex-boss appeared to be entering its final phase—at least in Superior Court. Judge Jeremy Bucci took a Solomonic route through each side’s post-judgment motions that followed the November 7 verdict against Sarno.
A jury found Mayor Domenic Sarno and the City of Springfield illegally retaliated against former mayoral aide Darryl Moss last month. However, the case is far from over. In fact, it has not even reached the appellate phase. Both sides have entered a flurry of filings from everything to attorneys’ fees to motions to overturn the jury’s verdict.