William C. Reichelt, a West Springfield native as well as a 2004 graduate of West Springfield High School, our current Mayor of the Town of West Springfield has earned his reputation as an advocate for Public Safety, address the quality of education in school systems, as well as creating a business driven community to help small business owners strive.
As a former Town Attorney, Reichelt was elected to his first term as Mayor on November 3, 2015 and was sworn in on 4 January 2016. Mayor Reichelt has been recognized as the first four year term Mayor as well as the youngest in West Springfield history. Being the young and rising individual that he is, Reichelt has been recognized with the 40 under Forty award. Upon receiving this award, Mayor Reichelt has continued his devotion to the Town of West Springfield and has continued to go above and beyond for his community.
Through the first four years that Reichelt has served our community, he has accomplished a great deal. With his devotion to the Town of West Springfield, Reichelt’s focus has been on making West Side a better place for his community. As he grew during these years, the community has seen a variety of changes. As he proposed, his Five Point Plan has been a major part of his five years as Mayor.
Mayor Reichelt has put forth the community by being there for them. He wants his community to be able to rely on him for their needs and is there to listen to what they need to say. His community needs to be heard and Reichelt does everything in his power to make sure that his community is at ease.
Mayor Reichelt was able to clean up the town and beautify his community. Reichelt has been striving for a more eco-friendly environment for our community by keeping our very own Bear Hole reservoir conserved and protected by the state. Along with Bear Hole, Reichelt did his part in renovating and recreating the recreational park at Mittineague Park, giving the youth a state of the art place to enjoy. He was also a big part of the reconstruction of the dam at the “Res” also known as Piper Pond. This was to control the water levels, add some recreational use to the pond for families to have a new place to gather and enjoy different parts of West Side.
Under the Reichelt Administration, Public Safety has been a major priority. With the increase of police force and fire safety, our community has been able to remain safe. Reichelt has implemented more safety in West Springfield by maintaining a visible police presence throughout the community and in neighborhoods. He also provided a more in depth training regarding instances in schools if there was an active shooter on campus.
Reichelt has always been an advocate for quality education and the safety and wellness of West Springfield’s student body. He implemented more School Resource Officers to make sure the safety of the students was the number one priority. Towards the end of 2020, he was part of the new Philip Coburn Elementary School groundbreaking, this will provide a new environment for the next generation to develop in. Mayor Reichelt’s vision for the rising generations has been essential to the success of students as a whole.
With the unforeseen pandemic, Reichelt stepped up as Mayor and helped his community through the fear of the coronavirus. He followed the guidelines necessary to keep everyone safe in town. His main focus was finding a safe way for students to return to classrooms, knowing that the education for students is essential for their development through life. Being a Mayor during a pandemic is definitely no “walk through the park,” his ability to adjust to these circumstances benefited the community.
Before this, Will’s town service started in 2008 when he was appointed by then Mayor, Ed Gibson, to the Planning Board. Shorter than a year later he was selected to represent the Board on the Community Preservation Committee and as the Town’s representative to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. While continuing to serve in these capacities he was also appointed to West Springfield’s Housing Authority, the Town’s state funded community housing commission.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Westfield State, Will worked as a retail store manager before attending graduate school. Continuing to build his experience throughout law school, Will interned at both the District Attorney and public defender’s offices, as well as the Housing Court, while also working for HAP Housing in Springfield as a Hearing Officer and for the Town of Agawam as a law clerk.
Earning both a Juris Doctor and a Masters of Business Administration from Western New England University, the Town of Agawam promoted Attorney Reichelt from part time law clerk to be their only full-time attorney. Shortly thereafter he was recruited by Mayor Ed Sullivan to serve to be West Springfield’s first full-time attorney.
In all of his endeavors, Mayor Reichelt has built himself a reputation that goes beyond his title. Reichlet is an avid member of both the Rotary Club of West Springfield and the Lions Club of West Springfield. His involvement with both clubs has given him the opportunity to help his community in places beyond his workplace.
Mayor Reichelt has put forth his time and effort in making West Springfield the ideal place to live for everyone. His hard work and dedication to his role has been nothing short of remarkable as he continues to build onto this community.