Climate Grant Showdown for Springfield and Its Allies Reaches Appeals Court… — Western Mass Politics & Insight Springfield and its legal allies will try to convince a DC appeals court to revive a lawsuit to restore climate grants the EPA eliminated.

Full report on the hearing to come, but here was the table-setter I wrote for last week's hearing on #Springfield's climate grant at the DC Circuit. #mapoli #spfldpoli wmasspi.com/2026/03/clim...

Climate Grant Showdown for Springfield and Its Allies Reaches Appeals Court… — Western Mass Politics & Insight Springfield and its legal allies will try to convince a DC appeals court to revive a lawsuit to restore climate grants the EPA eliminated.

A DC Court heard oral arguments today on whether to revive a lawsuit #Springfield joined to claw back a climate grant the EPA illegally rescinded. Read our primer on the case. #mapoli #spfldpoli wmasspi.com/2026/03/clim...

Climate Grant Showdown for Springfield and Its Allies Reaches Appeals Court… — Western Mass Politics & Insight The City of Springfield, several fellow municipalities and environmental groups will try to convince a Washington appeals court on Monday to revive a lawsuit to restore climate grants the Environmenta...

#Springfield and its fellow one-time climate grant recipients return to federal court Monday to try to revive their lawsuit to get the money the @EPA illegally rescinded. #mapoli #spfldpoli wmasspi.com/2026/03/clim...

Take My Counsel, Please: Confidence in Supply… — Western Mass Politics & Insight SPRINGFIELD—City councilors hurled disapproval and invective during debate on a motion of no confidence in the body's president.

The Springfield City Council rejected a motion of no confidence in its president, Tracye Whitfield, amid the alleged ethical violations that have arisen since a street discontinuance vote last month. #mapoli #spfldpoli wmasspi.com/2026/03/take...

OCPF Organizations @OCPFORG On 3/4/26, the Coakley Committee has changed its purpose. From: Springfield City Councilor To: House - 11th Hampden Filer Page: http://ocpf.us/r?f=18126 11:42 AM · Mar 4, 2026 · 222 Views

This was expected. Nicole Coakley ran in the 2022 #Springfield City Council Ward 5 and she has run at-large. Bud Williams has two formal challengers: Coakley & 2024 opponent Johnnie McKnight. Donny Wright has pulled papers, but hasn't filed with OCPF. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Resolution passes. Meeting adjourned. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Permits all passed unanimously. Council debating resolution Councilor Hurst put forward that backs the Hoophall Classic in Springfield and more transparency with the Hall of Fame. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Councilor Brown was grilling the Eversource representative about potholes the stareet work (allegedly) causes. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Financial items have passed without opposition. On street permits for utilities now. #Mapoli #spfldpoli

Council going through financial items 12-0. Councilor Brown tries to bring up an unrelated capital question on a bond order for schematics. Whitfield shuts him down, implying to continue could violate open meeting law. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Council going through financial items 12-0. Councilor Brown tries to bring up an unrelated capital question on a bond order for schematics. Whitfield shuts him down, implying to continue could violate open meeting law. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Council moves on. Confirms John McCloskey to Mobile Home Rent Control Board. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Council moves on. Confirms John McCloskey to Mobile Home Rent Control Board. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Vote of no confidence in Whitfield fails 4-7. Councilors Davila, Edwards, Fenton & Perez vote yes. All other councilors now. Whitfield recused. Martin absent. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Move to call the question passes 11-0. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Councilor Edwards, who is a cosponsor, is giving remarks and pushes back, preemptively, on the idea that this motion is racially motivated and suggests he has often received the worse invective not from the white or Hispanic community. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Councilor Brown, speaking again, goes on a stemwinder, but the takeaway is he rejects any accusations of racism against supporters of the vote of no confidence. #Mapoli #spfldpoli

Councilor Click-Bruce says he's a no and will let process (presumably the ethics commission process). #mapoli #spfldpoli

Councilor Govan oppose the vote of no confidence, but doesn't seem to defend Whitfield much other than to call for grace. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Fenton takes issue with her interaction with the Old Hill neighborhood council and attending an auction the day after the discontinue. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Fenton does appear to split from Davila suggesting that Whitfield was reckless, but not intentionally violating ethics rules. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Councilor Fenton says the discontinuance Hurst invoked was incorrectly described. He said the discontinuance was never granted. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Councilor Walsh remind colleagues you cannot attack each other. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Councilor Brown now speaking. He correctly states that this vote does not remove Whitfield. As far as I know, there is no mechanism for the Council, as a body, to terminate her presidency. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Hurst is now blasting Councilor Fenton for not sufficiently disclosing a financial interest in a discontinuance. #mapoli #spfldpoli

I do consider this a cheap shot. I actually think there is an ethical case to make against Buoniconti, but this isn't it. #mapoli #spfldpoli

This is in reference to a Mass BBO discipline record for Buoniconti in 2016. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Councilor Hurst, a Whitfield ally, is speaking now. He says he can't take the memo at face value because "he can't possibly be the one educating us, considering his own transgressions." #mapoli #spfldpoli

Laughter erupts when Davila says he will not pay for another person's sins. The room is not in favor of this resolution. #mapoli #spfldpoli

Davila calls Whitfield's acts clearly done in self-interest and says the Ethics Commission will take months or years. #mapoli #spfldpoli