Letter: Retired Fire Chief Supports Macksey for Mayor

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in support of the most qualified candidate for mayor of the city of North Adams. We need a strong yet compassionate leader who will work with the City Council and others to move this city forward. We need a mayor who is open to new ideas and one who will listen to both sides and then make the decision that will best benefit the city. We need a mayor who understands how government works and who will use all resources available and a mayor who will seek out state and federal funding as well as investments from the private sector. We need a mayor who cares about this city and the services that we provide and one who will set expectations and make sure that they are followed. We need Jennifer Macksey as the next mayor of the city of North Adams

I have known Jennifer for over 30 years and have worked with her in the past. Jennifer is all of the above. Because Jennifer has the experience of working in city government and education, she will be ready to start on day one. She is a strong leader that will make decisions based on data. I have observed first hand that Jennifer listens to the concerns of all of the people with whom she speaks. Jennifer will be the mayor who will be out front working for this city. I believe that she will be the mayor that won’t just talk about the need for a solution to the issues with the public safety building, she will be the mayor to use all of the resources at her disposal to actually get this project underway. As many of you know, public safety is very important to me and while I am happy that the hydrant replacement program is underway, it must not stop there. There must be a plan going forward to maintain these hydrants as well as to inspect, maintain, and replace, if necessary, the underground piping throughout the city. Jennifer will be the mayor to give the support needed to carry out this work. Our firefighters should not have to worry about getting water from a hydrant they connect to.

Those who know Jennifer know that she is her own person who makes thoughtful decisions based on all information given. She is a puppet for no one. Anyone with concerns about this should have a conversation with her. I'm sure you will change your mind.

If you are concerned, as I am, about the future of the city of North Adams, please vote for Jennifer Macksey for mayor on Nov. 2.

Steve Meranti
Clarksburg, Mass. 

Stephen Meranti is the retired fire chief of the North Adams Fire Department.

Clarksburg OKs $5.1M Budget; Moves CPA Adoption Forward

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
08:44PM / Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Newly elected Moderator Seth Alexander kept the meeting moving. 

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The annual town meeting sped through most of the warrant on Wednesday night, swiftly passing a total budget of $5.1 million for fiscal 2025 with no comments. 

 

Close to 70 voters at Clarksburg School also moved adoption of the state's Community Preservation Act to the November ballot after a lot of questions in trying to understand the scope of the act. 

 

The town operating budget is $1,767,759, down $113,995 largely because of debt falling off. Major increases include insurance, utilities and supplies; the addition of a full-time laborer in the Department of Public Works and an additional eight hours a week for the accountant.

 

The school budget is at $2,967,609, up $129,192 or 4 percent over this year. Clarksburg's assessment to the Northern Berkshire Vocational School District is $363,220.

 

Approved was delaying the swearing in of new officers until after town meeting; extending the one-year terms of moderator and tree warden to three years beginning with the 2025 election; switching the licensing of dogs beginning in January and enacting a bylaw ordering dog owners to pick up after their pets. This last was amended to include the words "and wheelchair-bound" after the exemption for owners who are blind. 

 

The town more recently established an Agricultural Committee and on Wednesday approved a right-to-farm bylaw to protect agriculture. 

 

Larry Beach of River Road asked why anyone would be against and what the downside would be. Select Board Chair Robert Norcross said neighbors of farmers can complain about smells and livestock like chickens.