Pittsfield Preliminary Election Ballot Set: Caccamo Takes No. 1 Spot

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
11:23PM / Thursday, August 20, 2009Print Story | Email Story

City Clerk Linda Tyer did a random drawing on Thursday to determine the order of names on the preliminary election ballot.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The ballot order for the preliminary election on Sept. 22 was decided on Thursday with the spin of a box by City Clerk Linda Tyer.

The random drawing determined placement for the 10 mayoral candidates vying for two spots in the general election and the three ward races, also for two spots each in November.

Names were placed in small envelopes and placed in the tumbler; the nine candidates attending the drawing were able drop their own envelopes in. Tyer spun the tumbler in between pulling each name.

Coming up in the first position for the mayoral was Nicholas J. Caccamo, followed by Patricia "Pam" Malumphy, incumbent James M. Ruberto, Mark A. Marciano, Rick E. Moon, Daniel L. Bianchi, Paul Kwasniowski, Stephen A. Fillio, Lisa M. Boyd and Jeffrey W. Ferrin.

In Ward 2, Peter T. White is in the No. 1 spot, followed by Kevin Morandi and incumbent Louis Costi.

In Ward 4, Christopher Connell was the first name drawn, followed by incumbent Michael Ward and Terry Kinnas.

In Ward 7, incumbent Anthony Maffuccio took the top spot, followed by J.D. Hebert, Joseph Nichols and Loren Paduano.

Ward 2 Councilor Louis Costi places his name in the tumbler.

An expected preliminary race in Ward 6 did not emerge after former at-large councilor Jamie R. Williamson pulled her name from contention on Wednesday, a day after names had to be submitted for certification by the city clerk. David W. Murphy Jr. and John M. Krol Jr. will run in the general election. The incumbent, Bianchi, is running for mayor.

In other election news, Jody L. Phillips has abandoned her quest to return to City Hall. The former city clerk left for another position earlier this year; Ruberto appointed Tyer in her place. Phillips submitted nomination papers but on Tuesday, the last day for certification, she decided not submit her signatures and so will not appear on the ballot. Phillips reportedly declined to give reasons for her decision, according to The Berkshire Eagle.

The Pittsfield Gazette in collaboration with other groups is hosting a series of debates and forums. The schedule can be found here.

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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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