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The new board, with newly elected Selectman James Bush, meets for a workshop meeting in the Mahogany Room on Wednesday.

Adams Selectmen Review Subcommittee & Liaison Assignments

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — With the election in the recent past and a new member of the Board of Selectmen, the members went over new subcommittees and liaison assignments.
 
"There is one item on the agenda and that is the identification of subcommittees and liaison assignments," Chairman John Duval said Wednesday during a workshop meeting. 
 
The veteran board members stuck mostly with their current assignments but took the opportunity to give away some assignments to new member James Bush.
 
"We have taken on additional duties as a four-person board, which was a good thing, but now we can cut back a little bit," Duval said.
 
Prior to the election, the board was operating with only four members for a year following the resignation of Arthur "Skip" Harrington.
 
Bush said he would be willing to serve as a liaison to the Berkshire Scenic Railway, the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, the Parks and Recreation Committee, the Council on Aging and the Cemetery Commission.
 
"I am willing to do anything wherever you need me," Bush said.
 
Bush initially asked to be on the Greylock Glen Subcommittee, however, interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan suggested that because of how fast the project is moving along, she wants to keep the current make up of Duval and Selectman Joseph Nowak.
 
She did suggest putting Bush on the Economic Development subcommittee with Hoyt to help get his feet wet. 
 
"I just want to make sure we have a consistent voice, but the project will still need involvement from the full board," she said. 
 
Much of the assignments stayed the same and Selectwoman Christine Hoyt and Duval will remain on the personnel, and budget subcommittees among others. 
 
Selectman Richard Blanchard asked to stay on the licensing subcommittee and the Memorial School subcommittee. Blanchard said he would continue as the liaison to the Planning Board and Public Safety.
 
Duval will continue to work with Berkshire Regional Planning and the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Hoyt will continue to be the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition liaison as well as the education liaison.
 
Nowak said he will continue to serve on the alternate green energy subcommittee and legislative, and be the liaison to the Conservation Commission, Agricultural Commission and Historical Commission among others.
 
Blanchard suggested creating a new subcommittee to review selectmen-appointed positions. He noted some currently appointed may not be qualified or are not meeting their full responsibilities.
 
Hoyt thought it was a good idea and instead of interviewing possible appointees at Selectmen meetings as they did with the Zoning Board of Appeals, the subcommittee could vet volunteers and interview them before making a recommendation to the full board.
 
"It would be great to be able to look at all of these annual appointments and be able to review all of these individuals," Hoyt said. "I would feel more comfortable knowing the list has been vetted so we have some good solid volunteers."
 
Cesan suggested that the subcommittee could formalize an official procedure for the board to follow when they appoint someone.
 
Nowak said he had concerns with the subcommittee and felt issues may arise during interviews with such a small committee. He added that he would prefer those important committees such as the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Conservation Commission whose decisions could mean legal action against the town come before the entire board. 
 
He added that the town has a hard time finding people to appoint in general.
 
Cesan said she would like some of these liaison assignments to become more active and turn into subcommittees. 
 
"Strong subcommittees are important," she said. "I find it very valuable to work with these subcommittees and work through these things."
 
The board did take the opportunity to fold some subcommittees into others and eliminate some that just never met. 
 
"I just want to clean it up a little bit," Hoyt said. "I wanted to look at this list and see what's really needed and what isn’t and come up with good definitions of our duties."
 
The board will go over the draft list at a future meeting and finalize it.

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Adams Sees No Races So Far

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — With less than a week left before nomination papers are due, there are currently no contested seats.
 
Only selectman incumbent John Duval has returned papers. Selectman Howard Rosenberg has decided not to seek re-election. 
 
Rosenberg, who was elected in 2021, said he has chosen not to run again to make room for younger candidates.
 
"I feel strongly, we need younger people running for public office,  as the future of our town lies within the younger  generation. The world is so fundamentally different today and rapidly changing to become even more so. I believe we need people who are less interested in trying to bring back the past, then in paving the way for a promising future. The younger generation can know that they can stay here and have a voice without having to leave for opportunities elsewhere," he said.
 
The only person to return papers so far is former member the board Donald Sommer. Sommer served as a selectman from 2007 to 2010 and before that was a member of the School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. He ran unsuccessfully for selectman in 2019 and again in 2021 but dropped out of before the election.
 
Incumbent Moderator Myra Wilk and Town Clerk Haley Meczywor have returned papers for their respective positions.
 
Assessor Paula Wheeler has returned papers and incumbents James Loughman and Eugene Michalenko have returned papers for library trustees.
 
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