November 1920: The voters of Westfield adopted the official title of City. The final vote was 2,606 to 1,414. The vote brought into being a city of 18,604 population total. The town of Westfield had voted for cityhood as early as 1905 but it was always rejected.With the new status of city, Westfield had to adopt an official government system including electing a mayor and members of the city council as well a school committee.
The first candidates for mayor of Westfield were Town Clerk George W. Searle and Attorney Richard J. Morrissey. As the votes were counted Republican George W. Searle was declared the winner. He served for mayor from 1921 to 1922. On January 3, 1921 he presented an inaugural address to the new city of Westfield.
‘’Our new form of government will be what we make it, and if we prosper as I have abiding faith that we will, it will be due in main to our own efforts. The majority was in favor of adopting the city charter. If I sensed the situation, it was not entirely due to the fact of our size, not because equal suffrage resulted in 5,500 voters, that we turned to city form of government, but because changes were desired in the ways and methods of carrying on public business.’’
– Excerpt from ‘’The Inaugural Address of Mayor George W. Searle’’
However, there were some who resisted the idea of becoming a city in the upcoming election. Some believed becoming a city would negatively change the dynamics the town ran by.
‘’The impression gained from a perusal of the proposed Westfield charter, to be voted upon at the coming state election, is that while the so-called Whip City has enough population to become a city in fact and may be in the need of a less unwieldly form of government, its civic leaders have developed no happy facility for the formulation of a strong, effective instrument for the fulfillment of that aim.’’
– Editorial, Springfield Union Monday, October 26, 1914
In 1920 The Whip City ceased to be a nickname and Westfield changed its title of town, one it had kept since the 1700’s, to city. This month Westfield continues that tradition and election time draws near, time for the people of Westfield to choose their town officials.
Fun Fact: In 1920 the mayor’s yearly income was 2,500 dollars a year.
First Mayor: George W. Searle
Current Mayor: Daniel M. Knapik
