Letter: Former Councilor Supports Alcombright

To the Editor:

As a former city councilor and business owner I have worked with both mayoral candidates over the past 15 years. It goes without saying that they have different management styles. My years on the City Council and the Finance Committee were spent trying to find a way to navigate through very difficult budgets. The reduction in state aid put our city in a very difficult financial position.

If we had been level funded over the past eight years, the city would have had roughly $15 million available to manage our finances. No matter who was in the corner office during the past six years tough decisions would have had to be made.

As I look at this election our city is once again divided. With a shrinking population it is a shame that we cannot find a way to work together because the issues we face are bigger than one person. No one person can be blamed for our losses or take credit for our victories but the right person can pave the way for all of us to see a better tomorrow. Both men are qualified and have a passion for North Adams and have also done their best to shepherd the city through tough times.

North Adams was not perfect six years ago and it is not perfect now. The city needs to continue with the transparent and open government Dick Alcombright has created. We should not forget the $600,000 the taxpayers had to pay due to the mismanagement of the medical insurance trust fund. This election is too important of a time to revert back to a closed door form of leadership and that is why I will be voting for Dick Alcombright.

David Bond
North Adams

DiLego Jewelry to Close After Nearly 100 Years in Business

By Daniel MatziBerkshires correspondent
05:28AM / Tuesday, May 07, 2024

Sisters Pamela Costine, left, and Cynthia Lamore have been operating the store since their aunts retired in 1987. Both started working in the business as teens.  Lamore's decided it's time to retire. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — DiLego Jewelery Store, the family-owned business that has been a staple of North Adams for nearly a century, will be closing this summer. 

 

The closure was announced on the store's Facebook page late Sunday night, where it immediately drew comments of remembrance and well-wishing.

 

Cindy Lamore, whose great uncle Frank DiLego opened the store on Main Street in the late 1930s, said the shop will cease operations following her retirement, slated for June 30. A 20 percent off Mother's Day sale will begin immediately, with increasing discounts leading up to the closing date.

 

It took Lamore "a couple of years" to reach the decision to close. Witnessing the passing of lifelong friends or their struggles with debilitating illness prompted her to reconsider her priorities, especially considering the extensive time devoted to running a small business. 

 

"You really question what you're waiting for," she reflected.

 

While recognizing that changing consumer habits have led to a decrease in jewelry and watch sales in recent years, Lamore stressed that her decision to close was a personal one. She and her business partner and sister, Pamela Costine, wanted "to do it on our terms," she said.

 

Comments on Facebook praised the store's customer service, and friends, family, and customers alike reminisced about buying jewelry for special occasions, stopping in for watch repairs, and the perennial rite of childhood for many: getting ears pierced.