The Springfield City Solicitor says city council president Tracye Whitfield repeatedly committed ethics violations involving a business interest.
In a letter to the city council dated Thursday and distributed to various news outlets, Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti said he was approached by an unnamed city councilor last week who requested a review of interactions between JETS Property Development, LLC, Whitfield and her son, Jelani Bland.
The letter outlined several alleged violations of the state's conflict of interest law by Whifield. Most of them involved JETS and business transactions, or attempted transactions between the company and the city.
Whitfield is accused of not fully disclosing her financial stake in the company to the city during discussions and the transactions.
Buoniconti also alleges Whitfield attempted to use her influence as a city councilor with other departments to assist with the business.
All of this has led to Buoniconti referring the case to the state ethics commission for further review.
NEPM requested an interview with Whitfield Thursday afternoon. In response, she said she was not available but provided a statement with a detailed timeline of the situation that came before the council earlier this month, but did not directly address the latest allegations.
The allegations
In 2025, an official with the city’s development office reported to the law department that Whitfield had requested a meeting to discuss certain Springfield properties JETS was interested in, to see if they could be placed up for auction. Buoniconti, the solicitor, said Whitfield alluded to having a financial interest in a possible acquisition, but did not fully disclose specifics. There were also said to be other interactions with the city treasurer’s office about purchasing land, but again, no disclosure about Whitfield’s role with the company was made.
In 2024, Whifield allegedly began engaging with staff at the Department of Public Works, looking to discontinue city ownership of a portion of Wallace Street, which abuts land own by JETS. Between August 2024 and last month, Whitfield contacted the DPW on at least 11 different dates, sometimes multiple times a day, to inquire about the process.
“Councilor Whitfield's emails also included complaints on the cost and length of the process, questions on why a two-family cannot be built on the discontinued land and a demand for a meeting,” the letter said.
It was this transaction that put Whitfield in hot water at a city council meeting earlier this month. When the discontinuance came up, she did not immediately recuse herself from the proceeding despite her financial stake in JETS, or the fact that Bland, who addressed the council, was her son.
Whitfield has since publicly apologized for this misstep and the council likely will have to readdress the issue at another meeting.
She is also accused of participating in two land auctions held by the city. JETS was the winning bidder on two parcels of land, but Whitfield allegedly did not reveal her financial role in the company at the time of the auction.
Situation with Neighborhood Council
Whitfield also is being accused of trying to use her influence in a payment dispute between the Old Hill Neighborhood Council and Desi Jackson, who said he was owed $2,000 for work he had done for the organization.
Since grant money was being used, the city was working with the neighborhood council to pay invoices. Whitfield first “insisted” the city pay Jackson despite an invoice not being submitted. She then allegedly threatened to have the organization’s finances investigated by the city.
“The VP/Treasurer sent an email to the City raising a concern and an objection to the Councilor using her position of authority to influence the process,” Buoniconti wrote.
The solicitor concluded Whitfield violated the conflict-of-interest law “over and over again throughout the course of last year and years prior.”
“Councilor Whitfield was prohibited from directly engaging with City staff on matters where she had a financial interest,” he continued. “Yet she directly engaged with City officials on behalf of JETS to seek certain outcomes where she would personally profit and never disclosed her interest to City officials or the public.”
Whitfield's Response
In her statement, Whitfield did talk about the “tension” and “division” within the city council.
“As a Black woman serving in the role of council president, I have experienced and observed resistance that, in my view, goes beyond ordinary political disagreement and reflects discomfort with my leadership in this position,” Whitfield wrote. Whitfield is the first Black woman and one of few women to serve in the top city council spot.
She said the situation has gotten worse in light of Mayor Domenic Sarno’s cancer diagnosis. If the elected mayor cannot serve in the role, the city council president would become the acting mayor.
“In this context, actions taken by certain members of the Council appear designed to undermine, discredit, or obstruct my ability to serve effectively in my elected role, rather than to address substantive policy or governance issues,” Whitfield.
Whitfield has been on the council since 2018. She won a close vote to become council president leading into her latest term.