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The candidates field questions on Wednesday at a forum hosted by the Williamstown League of Women Voters.

Democratic House Candidates Sound Similar Themes at Williamstown Forum

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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A large crowd packs the Meeting Room at Williamstown Town Hall on Wednesday.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — For the second time in three days, the four Democratic candidates for the 1st Berkshire District seat in the House of Representatives sat on the same stage to discuss the issues.
 
This time around, it was the Williamstown League of Women Voters hosting a forum for the candidates on the ballot for the Oct. 10 primary to face presumptive Republican nominee Christine Canning.
 
And as it was 48 hours earlier in Lanesborough, the four Democrats tended to agree on far more than they disagreed. There were some differences in approach and, of course, very different backgrounds for the voters to compare.
 
But candidate Lisa Blackmer captured the tone of the campaign in answer to a question about how each hopeful would respond if he or she loses on the day after Columbus Day … or, as it is known in these parts, Indigenous Peoples Day.
 
"I have been working, so the first thing I'd do is go back to work on Wednesday morning," Blackmer said. "On Thursday, I'll join the other Democratic candidates in Berkshire County for the unity dinner. I have always supported whoever the Democratic candidate is."
 
Whoever emerges from this race, he or she will claim a strong connection to the woman whose seat they will look to fill in the Nov. 7 special election.
 
When asked to talk about the legacy of Rep. Gailanne Cariddi, who died in June, all four emphasized her commitment to listening.
 
"The thing I remember about her most was her accessibility," Stephanie Bosley said. "She was always there to listen to folks. I can't tell you the amount of people who have said to me, 'She came to my event' or 'I'd stop her on the street and talk about an issue.'
 
"The state legislator here is so important because it's our communicator between here and Boston."
 
Candidate Kevin Towle, who was hired by Cariddi to serve as her aide and continues to staff her office, like all the candidates in the race, refers to the North Adams Democrat as a mentor.
 
"I would say the thing she'll most be remembered for, particularly by me, is that she set the bar for what a state representative should be: someone who is out every day in the community, listening to all sides and working effectively, especially behind the scenes, to make sure the district is represented."
 
Blackmer also credited Cariddi with the ability to take in all sides.
 
"She made a point of talking to gun owners and people who trained people in how to use guns, in addition to talking to people who wanted stronger gun control," Blackmer said.
 
John Barrett III called the ability to listen Cariddi's "greatest quality."
 
"Part of it is bringing it all together," Barrett said. "Right now there is too much parochialism, whether it is education, economic development or planning and zoning. We've got to start talking about what's best for the 1st Berkshire District and our county as a whole because we're not that big."
 
That said, one of the rare points of disagreement Wednesday came on an issue of particular importance to this corner of the district: payment in lieu of taxes programs for large non-profits.
 
Williamstown Selectman Jeffrey Thomas asked the candidates about the issue of PILOTs in light of the town's two large non-profit institutions, the Clark Art Institute and Williams College, and the discussion that preceded the vote to authorize a $64.7 million construction project at Mount Greylock Regional School.
 
Towle and Bosley each said that PILOTs are a local matter, although Bosley did note that legislators can help facilitate conversations.
 
Blackmer appeared to take a stronger position in favor of PILOTs, saying that municipalities "need to work with the Legislature and say, 'We need this relief.' "
 
She also pointed to a PILOT program in Northampton, where large institutions are "asked to make voluntary payment equal to 25 percent of what their property tax bill would be," with the first $1 million in property value exempted, according to the town's website.
 
Barrett suggested that Williamstown might be able to ask the Clark to contribute more to the town, but the Williamstown native said he believes the college has always "done good by" the town.
 
Williamstown resident Jim Mahon asked the candidates about their thoughts on how to lower the cost of electricity, which is frequently cited by economic development advocates as a barrier to new and expanded businesses in the region.
 
"The electric companies don't care about the community," Towle said. "They care about the bottom line, and that's as it should be. What we need to do is -- the Legislature needs to step in and become leaders. We need to lobby the Department of Public Utilities to do the correct thing and force the utility companies to make the line upgrades.
 
"Make sure the infrastructure is in place, lift the net metering cap and make sure we're in a position to go to 100 percent renewable energy."
 
All four candidates agreed that raising -- or even eliminating -- the cap on production from large-scale solar projects is a necessary step toward lowering costs and achieving sustainability.
 
One topic that did not directly come up at the Monday forum in Lanesborough was agriculture, and more specifically what kind of legislation could support local farms, a question raised by Williamstown resident Robert Scerbo.
 
"One of the things that's really important is to increase the dairy farm tax credit so we can preserve dairy farms in the Berkshires," Bosley said. "It keeps prices down and keeps our farms thriving."
 
Citing her experience with the economic development group 1Berkshire, Bosley also talked about the need to boost agri-tourism, a concept Towle also emphasized.
 
"The legislation I'd first look at is something similar to what New York has done," Towle said. "You can't drive down [Interstate] 90 without seeing a sign advertising a business or a destination. We have to promote farms as a destination and bring people here."
 
Blackmer said she knows the importance of local agriculture from her time as a manager at the Wheatleigh resort in Lenox, where the restaurant posted the names of the area farms who were its suppliers. And the North Adams city councilor cited a personal connection to farming.
 
"My husband's family is a longtime farm owner in North Orange," Blackmer said. "They deeded their land and it became The Farm School, where they train future farmers.
 
"We need legislation to help them and give them internships so our kids can learn to do that. It's hard work, and it needs bodies."
 
Barrett, longtime North Adams mayor, said he agreed with the other three candidates, and wanted to make sure a new revenue stream for local farmers is developed.
 
"There's another industry called marijuana," Barrett said. "My concern is making sure the outsiders don't come in, buy up the land and start doing the growing. That is going to be one of the biggest industries throughout Berkshire County, and that is a farming activity."
 
On another marijuana front, Barrett said the Legislature needs to revisit the way recreational pot will be taxed, in particular the 3 percent cap on a local tax. Blackmer and Towle echoed that sentiment.
 
Wednesday's forum was telecast live by Williamstown's community access television station, WilliNet. It and the Lanesborough forum will be available on the station's website, www.willnet.org.

Tags: 1st Berkshire,   candidate forum,   Democratic Party,   election 2017,   primary,   


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Williams Seeking Town Approval for New Indoor Practice Facility

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board last week gave Williams College the first approval it needs to build a 55,000-square foot indoor athletic facility on the north side of its campus.
 
Over the strenuous objection of a Southworth Street resident, the board found that the college's plan for a "multipurpose recreation center" or MRC off Stetson Road has adequate on-site parking to accommodate its use as an indoor practice facility to replace Towne Field House, which has been out of commission since last spring and was demolished this winter.
 
The college plans a pre-engineered metal that includes a 200-meter track ringing several tennis courts, storage for teams, restrooms, showers and a training room. The athletic surface also would be used as winter practice space for the school's softball and baseball teams, who, like tennis and indoor track, used to use the field house off Latham Street.
 
Since the planned structure is in the watershed of Eph's Pond, the college will be before the Conservation Commission with the project.
 
It also will be before the Zoning Board of Appeals, on Thursday, for a Development Plan Review and relief from the town bylaw limiting buildings to 35 feet in height. The new structure is designed to have a maximum height of 53 1/2 feet and an average roof height of 47 feet.
 
The additional height is needed for two reasons: to meet the NCAA requirement for clearance above center court on a competitive tennis surface (35 feet) and to include, on one side, a climbing wall, an element also lost when Towne Field House was razed.
 
The Planning Board had a few issues to resolve at its March 12 meeting. The most heavily discussed involved the parking determination for a use not listed in the town's zoning bylaws and a decision on whether access from town roads to the building site in the middle of Williams' campus was "functionally equivalent" to the access that would be required under the town's subdivision rules and regulations.
 
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