WAYMAN LEE, ALL POWERFUL YET AMAZINGLY HUMBLE, MAKES HISTORY AS SPRINGFIELD’S 1ST BLACK CITY CLERK

By Marjorie J. Hurst

The old folks used to look knowingly at certain of the young ones in their families and declare, “That child’s going to be somebody when he/she grows up.” Well, that pronouncement has certainly come true for Wayman Lee. Born in Autaugaville, Alabama, a small town located deep in central Alabama, the youngest of ten children (one died) of sharecropper parents, Wayman always seemed to move through life rather deliberatively. He graduated from Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama in 1971 with a major in political science and a minor in history after switching his major from engineering when he noticed that he was spending all of his free time studying while the rest of his friends with less demanding majors weren’t.

During college, Wayman spent his summers working in Springfield where an older brother and sister lived, and when he couldn’t find a job he liked after graduating from college, he decided to apply to Western New England College School of Law in Springfield. When I asked him what made him choose the law, he responded that while growing up during the 60s in Alabama, he always wondered why things kept happening to Black people there and why they didn’t sue those who perpetrated the wrongs against them. So, he figured he would go to law school and come out and change the world.

Well, maybe not quite the world. But Attorney Wayman Lee does have a string of “firsts” that have definitely impacted Springfield, Massachusetts for the better.

After working for a number of years as a lawyer for the Division of Unemployment Insurance in Boston, Wayman had a case against Springfield Law Department’s legendary former City Solicitor, Dick Eagan, who was so favorably impressed with his performance that when a vacancy arose in the law department, Eagan asked Wayman to apply. And so in 1988, Wayman became Springfield’s first Black Associate City Solicitor.

Four years later in 1992, as part of his law department duties, Wayman garnered another first by becoming the first Black lawyer assigned to the city council and as such was seen for 14 years every other week on cable TV at city council meetings (Now he is seen at those meetings in his capacity as city clerk). How he was able to remain so cool during all those years, while calmly and expertly giving advice on all manner of issues and non-issues to such a diverse group is a secret I was told I could not share with my readers. All I can say is that it speaks volumes about the man, his personality and his people skills which were definitely helped by his great sense of humor and lack of oversized ego.

Fast forward to 2006. The city of Springfield is being run by a five-member Finance Control Board, appointed by the governor and approved by the legislature. Longtime and enormously popular city clerk, Bill (William) Metzger, and his assistant city clerk, Connie Powers, decide to retire at the same time leaving some to believe that they were forced out and also leaving no one to run the office while the control board looks for a replacement.

In steps Wayman Lee, who is intimately familiar with the procedures and business of the city clerk’s office having worked side-by-side with Bill Metzger all those years as the city council’s lawyer. So on January 3, 2006, Wayman is appointed as the interim city clerk by Mayor Charles V. Ryan for a two-month period while a search is mounted for a permanent city clerk.

And then on March 13, 2006, Wayman is appointed as the first Black city clerk in the history of Springfield. So, what happened? Was he able to wow the control board with his charm, good looks and pleasant personality in two months time? Well, not exactly. If the truth be told, no one wanted the job! It was too daunting a task. The office, the heartbeat of the city, the place where all of the vital records are kept of all the marriages, births, deaths and business certificates of its 150,000 citizens, not to mention their dogs, had no computers! Not nary a one -- in the year 2006!

How could that be? In city government? In the third largest city in the state? In the 21st century… in 2006? In the age of technology?

Well, being no one’s fool (remember I told you he lasted 14 years as the city council’s lawyer), after the two-month interim appointment, Wayman said he would accept the job permanently if the control board committed to upgrade the office with new computers, new software and new furniture. I neglected to mention that not only were there no computers, the office looked like it was right out of the dark ages with WWII-looking furniture, discarded steel desks, typewriters, unpainted walls, etc. It was a dark and dismal place that greeted not only the public every day, but also the staff.

Much to its credit, the control board agreed. So Wayman, an amateur computer technician, started looking at what other communities were doing to get ideas of what could be done. He then put together a plan and a budget after using the Internet to price out vital records software and consulting with the city’s Information Technology folks. He ended up finding a local guy who had come out with new vital records software at half the price he had initially found. And for a total investment of roughly $42,000, the city clerk’s office stepped into the 21st century.

Wayman then had to answer questions about his staff. Would they be able to adapt from a paper and pencil office to computers? Were they trainable? Could they learn to use the vital records software? Well, Wayman had no doubts. He had full faith in the staff and their abilities, and he is proud to point out that it’s been an easy transition.

Now, including himself (because you often see him right out there with his staff waiting on customers), the city clerk’s office has 12 staff members. One person is assigned to each of the major areas of marriages, births, deaths and business certificates with two backup persons for each position. When he first started, Wayman states, and I can verify, that the lines used to be out of the door. Now, you come in, fill out a form, pay a fee and you can generally get a certified copy of what you need in minutes. Moreover, every one of the staff will stop what they are working on to wait on customers, if necessary. Wayman’s motto is that you take care of the public first then you go back to your desk work.

He has done so much in such a short period of time -- less than a year -- that I couldn’t resist asking him what was there left for him to do.

DOGS: If you are a dog owner, BEWARE because Mr. City Clerk Wayman Lee is out to get a handle on the number of dogs in the city. He said he now notices dogs everywhere he goes and sometimes makes his wife stop the car so he can see if the dogs running loose are wearing a dog tag! He estimates that 90% of the dogs in the city are not registered. So, if you own a dog that is not registered, you had better watch out (or get him/her registered) because Wayman is out to find you and believe me, he will!

If he does his job even when he is riding in his car, I wondered what does he do for relaxation. The answer lead me to--yes--more firsts!

After matter-of-factly admitting that he was a pretty good athlete in high school and college, he explained that in 1969 he began playing slow pitch softball here in Springfield with the first all-Black Western Massachusetts team, sponsored by the famous Windsor Court. Wayman is now the last one still playing of the original team, which included Arnold Porter, Booker Washington, his brothers Winton and Jimmy Lee, Ben Smith, Jimmy Smith, Bob Daniels, Cornell Robinson, Willie Weststone, Tommy Barklow, Archie Best, and Sam Bolden, who was the coach until 1985 when he retired and Wayman took over. Wayman proudly recalls that the team lost one game their first year and for the next five years, they never lost a game.

Later he started another all-Black slow pitch softball team, the Valley Scrubbers, who, 1990, went on to become the first all-Black Western Massachusetts team to win a national championship. So from April to September for almost 40 years, Wayman’s relaxation has consisted of traveling the United States playing competitive softball.

One would think that with all these firsts (have you lost track, yet?), Wayman would have an oversized ego but that would be hard to do while being married to Ethel Lee, retired West Springfield police officer and sensuous jazz singer with a voice that leaves you clapping for more. They have been married for 35 years and have two children, son, Darrell Bernard, and daughter, Adriane.

Wayman unabashedly describes himself as Ethel’s “roadie,” explaining that he travels with her up and down the Connecticut Valley, setting up her equipment, testing it and packing it up after her performances. He explains that he loves being her sidekick. He gets to be around good music, good food, good people and varied venues, and, if he has his wish, when he retires that is what he would like to do full-time . . . maybe after a part-time job in a law office for a few years.

In the meantime, I guess City Clerk Wayman Lee will keep on racking up firsts in his quiet, unassuming way. As I got up to leave, he remembered another one. This January, he became the first Black person to officially swear in the Mayor of the city of Springfield. And, I might add, city council, school committee and Bud L. Williams, Springfield’s Black City Council President. Keep on, Wayman, the world awaits! n