SPRINGFIELD — Saying they wanted to challenge the status quo and try to break a glass ceiling, two city councilors put their names up to lead the 13-member board in the next year.
Tracye Whitfield and Zaida Govan nominated each other for president and vice president respectively, even though they knew councilors Michael Fenton and Melvin Edwards had already lined up the votes to be elected to the positions. The two women were defeated in their attempts.
Since City Council President Jesse Lederman not returning because he unsuccessfully ran for mayor instead of councilor this fall, long-term Councilor Michael Fenton announced he would be running for president. About a week after the election, he announced he had the votes to win.
In early December, Melvin Edwards, who has served as the council’s vice president since mid-2022, announced he had also secured the votes to be reelected to the position.
The vote taken on Dec. 18 was informal. The City Council is scheduled to take a formal vote in its reorganization meeting that will follow the 10 a.m., Jan. 1 inauguration, Fenton said.
Before the meeting, Whitfield said it was time to change the way the City Council has elected its leaders, saying it is divisive and often leaves new councilors feeling pressured and bullied into committing to one councilor or another.
A half-dozen supporters also spoke in favor of Whitfield and Govan, saying they felt the two have the skills and ideas to combat the gun violence that has plagued the city and caused most of the record-high 31 homicides in the city this year.
Asking fellow councilors for their support in the weeks before the vote is a common practice that takes place in most communities. In Springfield, Whitfield said that can lead to councilors feeling strong-armed into voting for particular candidates because they know their support can lead to plum subcommittee assignments.
“I think the process should be fair and equitable,” Whitfield said. “Following traditions can pose a risk to equity and inclusion and those traditions perpetuate discriminatory practices or exclude certain groups. In this case, it feels to me women of color are being excluded.”
The last time a woman served as City Council president was in 2007 when Kateri Walsh was elected to the position. Whitfield served as vice president of the council in 2021 and for a part of 2022.
Govan agreed with Whitfield about the process councilors traditionally use to line up support for the leadership, saying when she was a new councilor and didn’t have any experience with the process, it seemed wrong to commit to supporting someone before there was formal discussion during meetings.
“Why can’t we have a woman in leadership?” Govan asked. “I know Councilor Whitfield doesn’t always use her diplomacy … We are working on that. You know she truly cares about the community.”
Edwards nominated Fenton, who has represented Ward 2 since 2010 and who served as the panel’s president for three years between 2014 and 2016. The Council Vice President added he personally wasn’t interested in moving up to president himself.
“I do so because he is competent. I’ve served with him for 14 years and I know he has integrity,” Edwards said.
Fenton was elected in a 10-2 vote with one member absent. Edwards was elected with eight votes, Govan received three and two members were absent.
“I am who I am and I certainly am not everyone’s cup of tea,” Edwards said.
While he said he knows he cannot please everyone on City Council, Edwards pledged to continue to work hard and take the position seriously.
When he took the podium, Fenton spoke briefly before bringing up a few logistical issues the council will have to face in the upcoming year.
He said he was honored to be selected as the president and promised to be fair and work with everyone on the council whether they supported him or not.
