Pittsfield welcomes Sister Cities for July 4 weekend

12:00AM / Tuesday, June 27, 2006Print Story | Email Story

The City of Pittsfield continues its strong relationship with its sister cities in France, Ireland and Italy, as Mayor James M. Ruberto and Sister City Committee President Patrick Gormalley welcome delegations from Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland and Cava de Tirreni, Italy for the Fourth of July weekend. Ballina Mayor Johnnie Oâ€™Malley, and his wife Lorraine, will lead the Irish delegation visiting Pittsfield for the weekend. In addition, former mayor and current Ballina Councillor Mary Kelly, along with other officials from Ballina, will be a part of the Irish delegation. Mayor Francois Garcia of Athis-Mons, France will also be making the trip, representing Pittsfieldâ€™s French Sister City. Mayor Ruberto and Mr. Gormalley will also welcome a delegation from Cava de Tirreni, Pittsfieldâ€™s Italian Sister City. Representative of the Cava de Tirreni Sister City organization, Patricia Pisapia, will serve as a part of the delegation. Mayor Ruberto and the Mr. Gormalley will officially welcome both delegations at a reception in City Council Chambers in City Hall at 12:00 noon on Monday, July 3rd. The event is open to the public and will include refreshments. The following day, both delegations will march in the Fourth of July parade. The Italian delegation will march with representatives from UNICO and the Irish delegation will march with local Irish groups.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

Save & Earn with Greylock

3.30% APY 6-month certificate. Click to learn more! Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

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

Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Rename

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

View Full Story