Ruberto Top Vote-Getter in Primary

By Jen Thomas09:17PM / Tuesday, September 25, 2007Print Story | Email Story

Mayor James M. Ruberto garnered 70 percent of the primary election vote.

PITTSFIELD - Mayoral candidate Donna Walto has got her work cut out for her. Garnering only 21 percent of the vote in the primary election Tuesday, Walto will face off against Mayor James M. Ruberto, who secured a strong 70 percent of the 3,089 total votes. "Iâ€™m pleased with the results and Iâ€™m looking forward to a revolution," Walto said on Tuesday night. As the Nov. 6 general election approaches, Ruberto said he plans to continue to serve the city. "The most important issue for me is just getting back to work," said Ruberto at an election night gathering at Mazzeoâ€™s Ristorante. "Iâ€™m going back to work in City Hall, Iâ€™m going back to work on the economic development front, I'm going back to work to make sure weâ€™re doing the right things for our city, and Iâ€™m certainly going back to work to make sure we donâ€™t miss a step this year." With weeks of campaigning ahead, Walto said she wishes to host a public debate with the mayor, but she believes he will not accept her offer. "Iâ€™m willing to debate the mayor, but he doesnâ€™t want to debate me," she said. Ruberto, who is seeking a third two-year term, received 2,170 votes and Walto received 656. A third candidate, Stephen Fillio, received only 9 percent of the vote with 263 votes. William Hines, Rubertoâ€™s former campaign manager, estimated that 11 percent of the registered voters in the city turned out for the election.

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Pittsfield Wants People to Know Where Free Public Wifi Is

By Brittany PolitoiBerkhshires Staff
04:46AM / Friday, September 18, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city wants it to be clear where people can connect to free public wifi— which expands beyond downtown.

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission approved "Free Wifi" signage at The Common, Riverway Park, and Durant Park. Community members can access the internet without charge in these locations, as well as in downtown areas.

Two years ago, Pittsfield received a $99,972 Digital Equity Implementation Grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. This allowed the city to take a comprehensive look at digital equity and determine where to focus attention.

"That was a lengthy process that we worked on, and there was a lot of public input. We did some surveying. We met with a lot of focus groups; [Berkshire Regional Planning Commission] was the group that spearheaded that for us, and one of the things that came up was the lack of accessible wifi," Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reported. "Particularly in the westside."

Throughout this process, residents also wanted to see connectivity at the nearby Westside Riverway Park.

In 2023, Pittsfield was selected to participate in the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program launched by the state and MBI, focused on ensuring residents can use the internet to conduct day-to-day activities. A digital equity plan also qualifies Pittsfield for additional grant funding.

Around 16,000 city households qualified for the Federal Communications Commission's affordable internet program that ended in 2024.

Dodds said adding Wi-FI and signage to Durant and Riverway Parks is a small piece of the larger digital equity project. Signage is already downtown, and the city plans to hire the same designer for the expanded wayfinding so it is cohesive.

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