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Elizabeth Warren has been meeting with Democrats across the state as she debates running against Scott Brown for the U.S. Senate seat next year.

Berkshire Democrats Want Warren to Run, Run, Run

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Local attorney and Democratic leader Sherwood Guernsey said the amount of people who came to his office to support Elizabeth Warren was 'fantastic'   especially on three-days notice, in the summer and on a Friday.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. —  More than a few local Democrats would be ecstatic if Elizabeth Warren decides to run against Scott Brown for the U.S. Senate.

Warren is kicking around the idea of running and stopped in Pittsfield on Friday to meet with party members to gauge their support as part of a listening tour across the state.

What she found in Berkshire County was a whole lot of support.

"She is exactly the person we need in the U.S. Senate," Lee Harrison, chairman of the local Democratic organization, said. "We're going to campaign like hell for her."

Warren, a Harvard professor teaching contract, bankruptcy and commercial law, boasts a resume that includes chief adviser to the National Bankruptcy Review Commission, member of the Federal Judicial Education Committee and most recently appointed as assistant to the president and special adviser to the secretary of the Treasury on consumer financial protection.

A movement to draft Warren for a Senate run has raised $100,000; on Thursday, she filed to form an exploratory committee. Many Democrats see her as a home-run candidate to oust Brown, a Wrentham Republican who won in a special election last year to complete the late Ted Kennedy's term.

In 2008, Warren was picked to chair the special Congressional Oversight Panel for the government bailout and she pushed for formation of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that was signed into law last July.

"We just kept pushing. We not only got the bill, we got a stronger version of the bill. We got a consumer agency," Warren told a packed room in the Law Offices of Sherwood Guernsey. "It repairs one hole in the bottom of the boat. There is so much more that is going on."

The country is now in a time where it can re-write the rules regarding economics, she said, and she wants to focus on rebuilding the middle class. The Senate seat could provide an avenue but if she is going to make a successful run, Warren said it will need to be a "truly" grassroots campaign.


The Berkshire Democrats decorated the law office with mock signs, buttons and large banners encouraging Warren to run.
"This is not about going down to be a polite senator," Warren said. "We don't have 30 years to fix these problems."

Warren spent more than an hour with the local group discussing politics and the goal of rebuilding "middle-class opportunities."

"Families are caught in a squeeze - no higher income but all the big costs are going up," Warren said.

That middle-class focus resonated with the local Democrats, many of whom pleaded with her to run. The office was decorated with signs and buttons reading "run, Elizabeth, run."

"I'm here to endorse your running," Democratic doyenne and former Middle Berkshire Registrar of Deeds Mary O'Brien told Warren. "What we'd like to do for you is to go out and speak to people across the state."

Brigade member Ethan Klepetar said a grassroots campaign for Warren is "the way to go."

"I'm very excited about Elizabeth Warren," Klepetar said. "She has terrific ideas about economic policy."

With just three days notice on a rainy Friday in August, Democrats from all over the county jumped at the invitation and filled the offices for a chance to speak with Warren. Guernsey, a former state representative, said it was one of the biggest turnouts he's seen for a person who is not an announced candidate.

"The energy she brings is something people are yearning for," Guernsey, also a Brigade member, said. "She has stood up for people in the middle class for years."

Harrison said he likes her leadership and ability to stand up against pressures — traits that will help her lead a successful campaign.

Warren has held 12 meetings in five days with Democratic leaders across the state and has four more scheduled. Announced candidates for the Democratic nomination include Newton Mayor Setti Warren; Wayland Rep. Tom Conroy; City Year founder Alan Khazei, immigration attorney Marisa DeFranco and activist and nonprofit executive Robert Massie.

Below is a video of the event's conclusion posted on Friday by Greylocknews,





Editor's Note: Lede changed at 2:33 p.m., Aug. 20, to clarify the event was not sponsored by the Berkshire Brigades although a number of its members were there.


If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Companion Corner: Princess at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There is an energetic girl waiting to find her new home at the Berkshire Humane Society.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.  

Princess is a six year old shepherd mix that has been at the shelter for just over a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Princess.

"She's very social, very friendly. When you're out walking her, she just wants to go say hi to every single new person. Loves to make new friends. She's a lot of fun. She's very active. She's very spunky. She's very playful, and she's going to need a very very active family who's going to do a lot with her." 

But Princess is no stranger to the shelter. She was a puppy five years ago and got adopted quickly, but now she needs a new family to take care of her.

"She was adopted out fairly quickly as a young puppy. She's been in the same home for the past five years. Unfortunately, they were moving out of state somewhere," Olivieri said. "They could not take her with them, so she ended up coming as a return to shelter, and she came back to stay with us."

Princess needs to go to a home as the only animal or with other male dogs that are her size or bigger.

"Her perfect home would be kids eight and up. No cats. No small animals. She has quite a prey drive. She could go to a home with another dog around her size or larger, preferably a male dog. She does a little bit better with male dogs, and she's looking for a home where people are home quite a bit, so that she's not left alone for too long. She has some separation anxiety," Olivieri said. 

She also needs a very active home that can let her use her energy every day, as she is very rambunctious. Especially with playing with her favorite toy, the flirt pole.

"She could use a home where people are going to give her a lot of attention and more than just a few walks a day; she's going to need lots of exercise, lots of playtime, lots of mental stimulation," Olivieri said. "She likes to learn, so someone who would be willing to take her to training classes or work on some training with her, as well as hikes, getting out and about, doing new things, different things. She is very athletic. She'd excel at things like agility, some dog sports. Just someone who is really going to want to engage and do a lot of different kinds of activities with her." 

Once you let her get her energy out, she is a cuddler who wouldn't mind being held like a baby from time to time.

"She's very sweet. She's very cuddly. She's very affectionate, but she is not a couch potato. She will stay on that couch with you for a little bit, and then she's ready to go off and do something else. So she's very busy. She's very active," Olivieri said. "Once all of her exercise needs are met during the day, she will settle down nicely, and she will want to be right by your side, cuddle with you at night on the couch, sleep with you."

Princess is very healthy but does experience some anxiety and is not fully potty trained and might have the occasional accident.

"She does have a little bit of anxiety, so she is on some medication for it right now," Olivieri said. "So a lot of structure, a lot of outlets, and familiarity, getting used to a new routine and everything is gonna be really good for her. I mean, she's just lovely. Like I said, she's very social. She likes to play with other dogs. She likes to meet new people."

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