Springfield, MA – Mayor Domenic J. Sarno congratulated Director of Labor Relations and Human Resources Attorney William E. Mahoney on his retirement, and thanked him for his years of service to the city.
“Thank you to Bill Mahoney for his years of dedicated service as our Director of Labor Relations and Human Resources Director. We appreciate your efforts on behalf of the city and wish you a happy and healthy retirement.”
Mayor Sarno and Chief Administrative and Financial Officer (CAFO) Cathy Buono announced today that the mayor’s Chief of Staff, William “Bill” Baker, will be appointed as the city’s new Human Resources Director.
Baker has served as an integral part of Mayor Sarno’s administration for over a decade. Before being appointed Chief of Staff, Baker served as Mayor Sarno’s Director of Communications and earlier as Director of Constituent Services. Often considered a ‘Jack of all Trades’, Bill has served as spokesperson for the Mayor and the City of Springfield with the media, acted as the Mayor’s liaison with other city departments, state and federal officials and agencies, local public utility companies, and for our neighborhoods, residents, businesses and nonprofits. Baker has provided extensive professional assistance, project management and recommendations on City issues and performed highly responsible management work covering a broad range of municipal activities, including supervision of the Mayoral staff.
Baker has also served on various internal municipal committees, including the city’s Personnel Review Committee (PRC), which works alongside the Human Resource (HR) department and The Office of Administration and Finance (A&F). The PRC evaluates and approves city department positions, paid internships, and organizational staffing changes to ensure that municipal positions align with the city’s hiring policies and fiscal sustainability.
Baker holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and World Affairs from the University of Tampa, and a Master’s Degree from American International College (AIC) in Public Administration.
Mayor Sarno states, “Bill has served as an integral part of my administration, a ‘Jack of all Trades’, and a ‘policy wonk,’ who has demonstrated his professionalism and dedication to serving our City. From his time as my Constituent Services Director where he would always go above and beyond for our residents, to working through COVID-19 as my Communications Director when he was instrumental in coordinating my administration’s weekly COVID-19 briefings with Health and Human Services and our hospitals, he has been my ‘behind the scenes’ guy for some time, someone that I can always count on.
Bill has a great working relationship and understanding of our various city departments and municipal policies. His experience while serving on the Personnel Review Committee, along with his duties serving as my Chief of Staff makes him an excellent candidate for this position. He is well-versed in municipal and state policy and is a trusted and reliable leader. I have the utmost confidence in his abilities to serve as Human Resources Director.”
William Baker stated, “I want to thank Mayor Sarno for his continued belief, trust and confidence in my abilities. I also want to thank CAFO Cathy Buono for her leadership and support too. My time working in the Mayor’s Office along with serving on the PRC has provided me with the experience, knowledge and understanding of all of our municipal departments, the services the city provides for our residents and businesses and the various laws, regulations and policies that impact the City’s workforce. I am looking forward to working with the dedicated staff in our HR Office as we continue to work together with all of our municipal departments for the betterment of all our employees, residents and businesses. It is truly an honor and a privilege to serve my hometown of Springfield and I am looking forward to this opportunity to serve as the next Human Resources Director.
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With Bill Baker stepping into this new role, Mayor Sarno also announced two promotions for his office.
Mayor Sarno has promoted Communications Director Molly Shea to Chief of Staff, and Mayoral Aide and Deputy Communications Director Rose McCaffrey has been promoted to Communications Director
“Both Molly and Rose are smart and talented young professionals. This is a natural progression. Molly worked under Bill as his Deputy for Communications before taking on the role herself, and she has served with the utmost professionalism as my Communications Director. Her attention to detail, work ethic, experience, and being involved in a broad range of day-to-day operations and activities in my office for many years will make this transition into the Chief of Staff role seamless. Rose has also been directly supporting Molly with Communications along with her Mayoral Aide duties. She recently earned her Master’s in Public Administration while working fulltime too, a proud accomplishment and a clear example of her determination. I have the utmost confidence in both Molly and Rose’s abilities. We have a great team here and I am grateful and proud of their hard work for our Springfield each day.”
Shea joined Mayor Sarno’s staff in 2019 as a Mayoral Aide and was promoted to Constituent Services Director in 2020. She took on the role of Communications Director in 2024. Molly holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Legal Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Rose graduated from AIC with a triple-major in Political Science, Public Relations and Media Communications. She is also received her Master's in Public Administration from Villanova University. She interned in Mayor Sarno’s Office while in college and was hired as a Mayoral Aide in 2024 and later named Deputy Communications Director.
Molly Shea said, “I want to thank Mayor Sarno and outgoing Chief of Staff Bill Baker for their vote of confidence in my abilities. I love serving our city, my hometown, and I am excited for this opportunity to continue serving in the Mayor’s Office in this new role, and look forward to working with all our city departments to continue serving for the betterment of the city we all love.”
Rose McCaffrey stated, “Thank you, Mayor Sarno for your continued belief and confidence in me. I am looking forward to continuing to serve our Springfield with this great team and look forward to working with the members of the media so that they can continue to share the important news and information for our residents and businesses.”
These changes will take effect Monday, October 5, 2026.