SPRINGFIELD — Residents told the Springfield City Council at the Dec. 15 public speak-out that persistent streetlight outages are a public-safety crisis and urged city leaders and Eversource to act immediately.

Charles Stokes said early in 2025 a pedestrian, Sylvia Gladden, was fatally struck and cited other fatal crashes in the same vicinity to argue the city’s lighting problems are predictable and preventable. Stokes asked the mayor to issue an executive directive ordering an emergency, citywide audit of street lighting conditions that would prioritize high-fatality corridors and historically underserved wards, including Ward 4. "Every fatality that took place referenced was predictable and preventable," Stokes said.

Reverend Will Naylor, speaking for residents of Mason Square and broader Springfield neighborhoods, repeated the request for urgent repairs and closer coordination between Eversource and city departments. Naylor said work orders remain unaddressed and urged officials to "move this work order to the top of the list and illuminate the darkness before more lives are lost." He added: "What does it take to change a light bulb?" and criticized the delay while utilities continue to be paid.

Speakers named specific locations, including State and Catherine Street and parts of State Street, and called for an implementation timeline with public benchmarks and direct engagement with affected communities. They said piecemeal infrastructure improvements — such as lighting added near the central library and on the corner of Mass Ave and Wilbraham Road after past crashes — show solutions exist but have been applied unevenly.

The public comments did not include a formal response from the mayor or Eversource during the meeting, and the council took no motions or votes on the matter during the public speak-out. The presiding officer closed the comment period and recessed the council until 7:00 p.m.

Next steps were not specified in the meeting record; staff or elected officials who receive these requests may refer them to the mayor’s office, the Department of Public Works, or directly to Eversource for follow-up.