Pittsfield Holds Preliminary Election Tuesday

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Voters will trim the mayoral, Ward 2 and Ward 7 races with a preliminary election today, Tuesday.

Polls open at 8 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. for all wards and precincts. Find your polling station here.

Each of the three contested positions will be narrowed down to two candidates in preparation for the general election on Nov. 7.

Peter Marchetti, Karen Kalinowsky and John Krol are running to replace Mayor Linda Tyer, who is not seeking re-election.

Marchetti and Kalinowsky both hold at-large seats on the City Council; Marchetti is the current president. Krol formerly represented Ward 6 on the council.

Marchetti has served the city in various capacities for nearly three decades and is proud of the 16 years that he has spent on the council under three different mayors. He also served as the vice chair of the city's charter commission under former Mayor Daniel Bianchi.
 
He has said a vote for him is a vote for "leadership you can trust, experience you can count on, and dedication that's already been proven."

Krol touts his 10 years on the council and work for former Mayor James Ruberto. He said people are clamoring for new leadership that will elevate this community.
 
He wants to create a more reasonable tax policy, make the city more business-friendly, revitalize the downtown, enhance public services, and make Pittsfield Public Schools the schools of choice in the county. He said people are clamoring for new leadership that will elevate this community and he would make "the mayor's office the most accessible mayor's office in the history of Pittsfield.'

Kalinowsky has lived in the city her whole life and served on its police force for more than 30 years. She said she made the decision to run for mayor out of her love for Pittsfield and that the corner office could use a new perspective. She has vowed a more pragmatic and fiscally responsible administration.

"What has been going on is not working and I think it needs fresh people here running the city," she said.

This is the second mayoral bid for both Marchetti and Kalinowsky. 

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ServiceNet Cuts Ribbon on Vocational Farm to 'Sow Seeds of Hope'

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:30AM / Saturday, May 18, 2024

Lori Carnute plants flowers at the farm and enjoys seeing her friends. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Smiles were all around as farmers, human service workers, and officials cut the ribbon Friday on ServiceNet's new vocational farm on Crane Avenue.

Whether it is planting flowers or growing fresh produce, the program is for "sowing seeds of hope" for those with developmental disabilities.

"What Prospect Meadow Farm is about is changing lives," Vice President of Vocational Services Shawn Robinson said.

"Giving people something meaningful to do, a community to belong to, a place to go every day and to make a paycheck, and again, I am seeing that every day from our first 17 farmhands the smiles on their faces. They're glad to be here. They're glad to be making money."

Prospect Meadow Farm Berkshires held a launch event on Friday with tours, music, snacks, and a ribbon cutting in front of its tomato greenhouse. The nonprofit human service agency closed on the former Jodi's Seasonal on Crane Avenue earlier this year.  

It is an expansion of ServiceNet's first farm in Hatfield that has provided meaningful agricultural work, fair wages, and personal and professional growth to hundreds of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since opening in 2011.

Eventually, the farm will employ 50 individuals with developmental disabilities year-round and another 20 to 25 local folks supporting their work.

The pay is a great aspect for Billy Baker, who is learning valuable skills for future employment doing various tasks around the farm. He has known some of the ServiceNet community for over a decade.

"I just go wherever they need me to help," he said. "I'm more of a hands-on person."