Forum Slated for Pittsfield Mayoral Candidates

08:02PM / Sunday, September 13, 2009Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College will host a mayoral forum for all 10 Pittsfield mayoral candidates on Monday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m.

The event in the Boland Theatre is free and open to the public. Pittsfield Community Television will provide a live telecast.

Ten candidates are on the Sept. 22 preliminary election ballot. The two finalists will compete in the Nov. 3 general election.

Radio personality Larry Kratka will host Monday's event, which is part of a series of election debates and forums hosted by BCC, televised by PCTV and coordinated by The Pittsfield Gazette.

The event will feature tight time limits, with an on-stage clock for the candidates and a display of the countdown via graphics for home viewers. Kratka will alternate between quick-response and more detailed questions.

"Given the large field of candidates, we're utilizing a rigid format to ensure that all the candidates receive equal opportunities and that the pacing doesn't suffer," said Pittsfield Gazette publisher Jonathan Levine. "The quick-response questions will be asked to everyone, with some replies limited to just a few words. The remaining questions will be posed to smaller groups of candidates, rotating who responds first."

The series at BCC will include a follow-up mayoral debate on Oct. 26 as well as School Committee and at-large council debates on Oct. 20. The Gazette and PCTV will also sponsor in-studio ward council debates on Oct. 19.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

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

www.rkmiles.com

Now's the time...

to harvest value from your home. Click for more details about a HELOC. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

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

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.

View Full Story