Springfield council president steps down from development company but not from panel

SPRINGFIELD — City Council President Tracye Whitfield announced she has stepped down in her role as managing agent in the company that’s the subject of multiple ethics complaints and accusations lodged against her.

But during a Presidents Day press conference at City Hall, as some 40 friends and families surrounded her, Whitfield repeated that she will “respectfully and firmly decline” a demand that she resign her role as leader of the council.

“I was in shock, and it took a couple days for me to digest it,” she said of fellow Councilor Victor Davila’s call for her to step down to help the council rebuild the public trust.

On Friday, the City Council voted 11-0 to rescind a vote from Feb. 2 that kicked off the accusations against Whitfield, asserting she was improperly using her position to benefit JETS Property Development LLC, which she owns with her son and two other people.

During that meeting, her son, Jelani Bland, asked the council to abandon a vacant piece of city-owned land at Wallace and Wisteria streets, and turn it over to JETS and the abutter on the other side. He said he had hoped to build a house on the lot after acquiring the other half from his neighbor. Whitfield presided over the meeting for about 11 minutes, until a fellow councilor asked her if she had planned to recuse herself because of her conflict.

Whitfield said she has resigned from the company to eliminate any further appearance of conflict and to protect her partners and family. She pledged that she will never conduct business with the city for as long as she remains as a city councilor.

“Leadership is not about stepping aside when challenges arise. It is about standing in difficult moments, accepting responsibility, correcting mistakes and continuing to serve with integrity. I have acknowledged my error. I have taken corrective action. I am committed to ensuring it does not happen again,” she said.

Davila said her actions have tainted the public trust, and if she does not step down, he is planning to ask the 13-member council to consider taking a vote of no confidence in her leadership at the next council meeting, which is scheduled for Monday.

Shortly after the Feb. 2 meeting, Whitfield contacted the city Law Department, seeking advice about failing to recuse herself. She also contacted the State Ethics Commission the next day.

In researching the issue, City Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti uncovered multiple instances where Whitfield failed to disclose her financial interests with JETS Property Development while appearing before the Board of Public Works and the Planning Board on issues that would benefit the company. He also released concerns about two properties the company bought from the city at auction on Feb. 3 and a third purchased from the city in 2021.

Whitfield has questioned the accuracy of his findings.

“The Law Department concludes that Council President Whitfield violated various sections of the conflict of interest law … over and over again throughout the course of the last year and years prior,” his letter said.

In addition to the land deals that involved Whitfield and her son, Buoniconti released a second memo on Feb. 12 citing her for “improperly influencing various city departments and seeking favoritism for her personal financial gain” when she and her son, and other members of JETS Property Development met with the city’s housing director in February 2025. But Whitfield said they were simply looking for information at that meeting.

Both cases have been sent to the State Ethics Commission for further review. Commission officials do not confirm or comment on any investigations they are conducting.

The Law Department examination also brought forward an issue in late December when she appeared to pressure the Old Hill Neighborhood Council with a threatened audit over a $2,000 federal pandemic recovery payment for a man who hadn’t been paid for his work.

“That constituent, Mr. Desi Jackson, was contracted by the Old Hill Neighborhood Council and was owed over $13,000 at the time he contacted me. Prior to contacting me, he attempted to resolve the matter through several city departments, the Old Hill Council and elected officials without success,” Whitfield said on Monday, adding she had no personal financial interest in the matter.

Emails obtained by The Republican over the issue and Buoniconti’s investigation only mention to $2,000 owed. There is no reference to the larger amount.

Whitfield argued that Jackson, who court records show has convictions for child rape, indecent assault on an adult, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and other offenses that took place before 2004, has had his criminal record sealed and was removed from the sex offender list in 2022.

Whitfield, who has been a city councilor since 2018, has repeatedly said her mistake was because of inexperience, since it was only the second meeting she chaired as president. She said she has been working with a law firm to assist her with some of the allegations in the memos.

Whitfield said she also has reviewed all ethics rules and sought legal clarity. Even before the error, she said she is working with college officials to strengthen ethics and rules training for the entire council.