Final Debates Set for Berkshire District Attorney Candidates

02:29PM / Monday, August 13, 2018Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The three district attorney candidates competing for the Democratic nomination in September's primary will meet at least three more times.

Paul Caccaviello, Andrea Harrington and Judith Knight are vying for the nomination that will essentially determine the winner in the race since there is no other candidate on the general election ballot.

Caccaviello was first assistant district attorney for 14 years until his predecessor, David Capeless, stepped down in March so Caccaviello could run as the incumbent. He has worked in the district attorney's office as a prosecutor for nearly three decades.

Harrington is a civil and criminal defense attorney who has defended death row inmates in the state of Florida and is now an attorney at Connor & Morneau LLP. She has been practicing law for more than 15 years and first ran unsuccessfully for state senator two years ago.

Knight worked as a prosecutor and a public defender before entering private practice in 2003. An attorney for more than 20 years, Knight ran against Capeless in 2006 with a campaign centered on overzealous prosecution of youth caught peddling marijuana but lost.

The upcoming forums and debates are:

• Tuesday, Aug. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at Becket Town Hall. Sponsored by the Becket Democratic Town Committee with state Sen. Adam Hinds as moderator.

• Monday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. at Berkshire Community College sponsored by the Pittsfield Gazette with former Pittsfield Mayor Sara Hathaway as moderator.

• Thursday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m. at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire, 270 State Road, Great Barrington, sponsored by Hevreh, Berkshires Interfaith Organizing, and Multicultural Bridge.

• Tuesday, Aug. 28, 1 p.m., Berkshire Theatre Group's Fitzpatrick Main Stage, 6 East St., Stockbridge, sponsored by BTG and WAMC/Northeast Public Radio. Moderated by WMAC's President Alan Chartock, Berkshire Bureau Chief Josh Landes and News Director Ian Pickus. To reserve seats: 413-997-4444 or berkshiretheatregroup.org. It will be broadcast on live on WAMC, wamc.org and on Facebook.

Tags: candidate forum, debate, election 2018, primary,

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Restructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to restructure the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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