Letter: Barrett Will Pursue Opportunities
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To the Editor:
I look back at the years during which John Barrett was mayor and I see a remarkable number of accomplishments during very difficult times.
John Barrett has proven he has the ability to pursue creative and practical solutions, and he never lost faith in North Adams. On his first day in office, John Barrett stated that one of his biggest challenges would be rekindling pride in our city. Remember his "yes, yes, North Adams Can!" campaign?
When a writer for Yankee Magazine called North Adams "a sorry gateway to anywhere," John Barrett voiced the outrage of our citizens. In response, Yankee's president came to North Adams and saw our city through different eyes.
As jobs were bleeding from North Adams, John Barrett joined in the idea of a world-class contemporary art museum in the former Sprague complex. He fought for that idea relentlessly. A less forceful mayor likely would have accepted defeat and blamed the economy. John Barrett wasn't in the blame game: he searched for solutions and battled the naysayers. Today visitors come to North Adams from around the word and Mass MoCA is an integral part of putting North Adams back on the path to economic recovery.
Under his watch, a new Brayton Elementary School was built, embracing the failing YMCA and saving it from bankruptcy. He began what has become a tradition of festivals in North Adams by creating the annual Downtown Celebration in honor of the completion of much-needed downtown beautification. There are many other examples of John Barrett's ability to think outside the box too numerous to mention here.
North Adams needs someone willing to seek out and pursue opportunities for our city, not wait for them to come to us while driving through town. John Barrett is that man. Please join me in voting for John Barrett for mayor.
Deborah Benoit
North Adams
Tags: election 2015, letters to the editor, NorthAdamsElection,
