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Pittsfield Candidates Make Pitch to Voters

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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Mayor James M. Ruberto and challenger Mark Marciano share a laugh at Monday's forum. Top: candidates pose for closeups by Pittsfield Gazette Editor Jonathon Levine; Right, moderator Larry Kratka tosses a question.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There are so many candidates for mayor in Pittsfield that they nearly overpowered the stage at Berkshire Community College on Monday night. There are so many running, it's been difficult to tell them apart — positionwise at least.

Over the course of nearly two hours, all 10 candidates tried mightily to differentiate themselves on city issues and offer a reason for voters to check their name on next week's ballot — all within a minute.

Monday's forum was one of a series being sponsored by The Pittsfield Gazette and hosted by Berkshire Community College. The forums are being televised on Pittsfield Community Television.

WUPE and WNAW radio host Larry Kratka kept the questions rolling and keeping each candidate to his or her allotted minute response. A flat-panel monitor prominently placed in front of the stage kept the time.

Questions were asked of the candidates in groups of three or four; "quick response" questions designed to be answered with a word or two were answered by all 10.

"You can speak for 5 minutes and say nothing; you can answer a question in 60 seconds and say a lot," said Kratka.

So what did they say? For the most part, the candidates — Nicholas J. Caccamo, 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 — stuck to their campaign themes.

It became apparent in some cases that while the inviduals could speak at length about their prime focus their broader knowledge of city issues was shallow at best.


Ruberto touted his leadership, pointing to savings, economic development and rising school quality: "I will always look to the [needs] of residents of Pittsfield first."

Not surprisingly, the three-term mayor had the most facts and figures at his fingertips, followed by Ward 6 Concilor Daniel E. Bianchi and former councilor Patricia "Pam" Malumphy. Caccamo pushed savings and economic development through buy-local and efficiencies; Boyd, an analyst, also said efficiencies in budgeting and policies would create savings and promised more open government. Fillio, who tried unsuccessfully to get on the ballot two years ago, bemoaned the loss of activities that would bring people to Pittsfield. Marciano said government should act more like business in being consumer oriented.

Moon and Kwasnioski offered the broadest strokes in how they might govern. Moon promised to be a good listener for at least five terms; Kwasnioski called for "regime change," comparing the current administration to Saddam Hussein's but promised only to serve two years.

Ferrin, a city employee, said worker morale is at its lowest and that the city was profligate in its spending.

"I've had the displeasure of wasting your money on a daily basis," said Ferrin.

The forum will be televised on PCTV at various times over the next week; iBerkshires will update with more information from the candidates on Tuesday.

The preliminary election will be held Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 8 to 8. The top two vote-getters will move on to the general election in November.

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

Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
 
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
 
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
 
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
 
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths. 
 
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
 
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
 
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