Town Edition
Hampden County
West Springfield, Massachusetts
Photo: John Phelan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
West Springfield exists because people got tired of rowing to church. The land west of the Connecticut River belonged to Springfield, and every town meeting, every service, every official errand meant crossing the water. In 1774 the residents had enough and got themselves incorporated as a separate town. Two and a half centuries later the place is still legally a Town, but it is run by a mayor and a nine member Town Council, which is a city government wearing a town’s name. That is not a technicality. It decides who you call, who you can vote out, and how quickly. This guide shows you how it all works: the Mayor who runs the departments and writes the budget, the nine councilors who vote on it, the committee that runs your schools, the legislators who carry your voice to Boston and Washington, and the numbers underneath all of it.
West Springfield at a Glance
Sources: Massachusetts DESE, district profile · US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).
- County: Hampden. West Springfield sits on the west bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from Springfield, which is why the place is also known as West Side.
- Government: Legally a Town, run under a mayor and council charter. Mayor William C. Reichelt is the chief executive, and a nine member Town Council writes the ordinances and votes the budget.
- Schools: West Springfield Public Schools, 3,838 students across eight schools, led by Superintendent Stefania Raschilla.
How West Springfield’s Government Works
West Springfield elects its chief executive. The Mayor runs the town day to day, proposes the budget, and answers to voters directly at the next election rather than to any board. Alongside that office, voters elect a nine member Town Council as the legislative body, which passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and votes the budget the Mayor proposes, and a seven member School Committee for the schools. The split is the point: one office proposes and runs, another votes and can say no, and you elect both.
The Mayor
The elected chief executive, serving a four-year term. Runs the departments, appoints department heads, proposes the annual budget, and chairs the School Committee.
Town Council
The nine-member legislative body. Five councilors are elected at large and four by district, one for each of the town’s four districts. The Council passes ordinances, sets the tax rate, and votes the budget.
School Committee
Seven seats: six elected by the whole town, plus the Mayor, who serves as the seventh member by virtue of the office. It hires the Superintendent and approves the school budget.
- Residents elect the Mayor, the nine councilors, and the six elected School Committee members.
- The Mayor proposes the budget and runs the departments that carry it out.
- The Council votes the budget and the ordinances, and it can vote them down.
- You take part: speak at a Town Council meeting, bring a problem to the councilor for your district, or run for a seat yourself.
Explore the West Springfield Edition
- Mayor’s OfficeThe chief executive and what the job actually controls
- Town CouncilAll nine members, five at large and four by district
- School CommitteeThe seven seats and the Superintendent
- Town DepartmentsWho to call when something breaks
- Boards & CommissionsWhere volunteers decide real questions
- LegislatorsYour delegation on Beacon Hill and in Washington
- DemographicsWho lives in West Springfield, by the numbers
- West Springfield HistoryFrom Springfield’s west bank to the home of the Big E
- Non-ProfitsThe organizations holding the town together
- Student DataEnrollment, graduation, and spending
Your County Officials
Two of the people with the most direct power over your life are elected countywide. The district attorney decides who gets charged with a crime, and what they get charged with. The sheriff runs the county jail. Both of them answer to the voters of Hampden County, and that includes West Springfield. They appear on your ballot. Now you know what to look for.
Every county in Massachusetts elects its own, and the job is the same everywhere: the charging decisions, the jail. Look up any town in the state and see who holds these two offices there.
Your First Civic Action in West Springfield
You do not have to wait until you can vote to be heard. Here is a concrete path from a problem on your street to the people who can fix it.
- Pick the right body. Anything about a school, a course, a bus, or a teacher goes to the School Committee. Everything else, from a broken sidewalk to the tax rate, goes to the Town Council.
- Find the meeting. Agendas, minutes, and the meeting calendar are posted on the town’s Town Council page. School Committee agendas are posted on the district website.
- Know your councilors. Five are elected at large by every West Springfield voter, and four represent a single district. You get to contact all nine, not just your own.
- Speak. Council meetings are public, and the Council holds public hearings on ordinances and the budget. Check the posted agenda for how to sign up.
- Or start with one call. The Town Council office at 413-263-3015 and the Town Clerk at 413-263-3012 can tell you which board owns your question.
- Town Hall: 26 Central Street, West Springfield, MA 01089. Main line 413-495-1891.
- Town Council office and agendas: 413-263-3015, or email towncouncil@tows.org.
- West Springfield Public Schools: 413-263-3289, 11 Central Street.
Knowing who represents you is the first step. Learn how to write to them so it actually lands.