Letter: Alcombright Endorses Bernard for Mayor

To the Editor:

For the first time in over three decades North Adams voters will not have an incumbent mayor seeking re-election and voters have an important choice to make for their new mayor.

As your mayor for the past eight years, I quickly learned the position is one that takes command of your life. Some folks think the job of mayor is about plowing roads, cutting grass, patching potholes and deterring crime. And while those things are important, it is much more than that.

The tasks are complex and no two days are the same. Challenges do not always fit into neat boxes as one moment you are managing the city finances through a recession, then a natural disaster might strike, and very often you find yourself taking on tasks that go well beyond the job description. Given that and as a voter trying to decide which way to vote next Tuesday, you might want to ask yourself the following questions:

• Who is best positioned to move the city forward under a shared vision?
• Who is most likely to act decisively and boldly when necessary?
• Who has both the academic and professional skills to do the job?
• Who has proven passion for the work of our social and human service agencies?
• Who will be a champion for addicts and their families?
• Who can more readily grasp the complexities of municipal finance?
• Who is more attuned to the educational needs of our children?
• Who is the candidate that will work with leaders of anchor institutions?
• Who will be the best advocate when working with state and federal partners?
• Who will have the ability to work with new investors on complex investment
• opportunities?
• Who will make certain this city and this region does not stand still?
• Who will make himself available to you?
• And finally ask yourself….who is most ready to LEAD?

The City of North Adams is moving forward and in my opinion, there is only one answer to the questions above and only one candidate who will LEAD. Please join me in voting for Tom Bernard on Nov. 7 .

North Adams Mayor
Richard Alcombright
North Adams, Mass.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.