Letter: Sweeney for North Adams City Council

Letter to the Editor04:00PM / Thursday, September 12, 2019Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

I feel a sense of obligation and duty to bring a unique voice to the City Council chambers. I represent a younger demographic, which my work throughout North Adams and the surrounding towns has led me to connect and work with closely. I aim to connect those voices to our local government, as well as serve, and advocate for all residents who share my passion for North Adams.

Upon relocating here to attend MCLA in 2007, I immediately felt a calling to dive deeply into the community and embrace the incredible sense of growth that has been emerging here. I've been proud to contribute to this growth in the 12 years I've lived here. My path started with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition (NBCC) where I organized UNITY Youth Programs and the Northern Berkshire Neighbors program. This work inspired me to found Roots Teen Center, where I served as executive director for close to three years. Recently my focus has been on furthering the growth of Common Folk Artist Collective, a project I've been working on since 2011. The collective provides a platform for local and emerging artists to grow and thrive in their creative work. I have also found myself a seat on the board of NBCC as my passion for the organization has not fizzled.

As a City Council member, I will focus my energy on supporting grassroots initiatives, community impact models, youth, and creative community development. I will also support downtown development and exploring opportunities for grassroots economic development.

I'm passionate about this community, and what it looks like to be an equitable, flourishing place for us all to belong. I believe that North Adams is this kind of community, and like every community, has opportunity to strengthen and refine. I look forward to embracing and advancing the incredible work that is happening in North Adams while advocating for those whose challenges go unnoticed and unaddressed.

I look forward to the opportunity to serve North Adams. I hope that we can realize our vision for the community. We all have the opportunity to directly influence our community, our nation and our globe and we can begin with the community in which we live. #votelocal2020

Jessica Sweeney
North Adams, Mass.

Tags: candidates, election 2019, North Adams City Council,

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Reign Purple Reigns Over 1791 14-and-Under Field

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
07:58PM / Sunday, August 16, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Camden Sievers Sunday went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles at the plate and struck out eight in four innings on the mound as the Berkshire Reign Purple won the 14-year-old Division Championship Game to conclude the inaugural 1791 Classic at Joe Wolfe Field.

But there were no losers in the final game of the three-day, eight-team event as the Purple beat the Berkshire Reign White, 10-2, in what amounted to a celebration of the travel baseball program’s success – over the weekend, this summer and the last five years.

Reign founder and coach Kristopher Ireland was in the losing dugout in the split squad game on Sunday evening, but, in reality, he couldn’t lose after pulling off what he promised will be the first of many 1791 Classics to come.

“The tournament went great,” Ireland said. “The weather held out. I think we only had one game that got called short for rain, which we probably could have gotten in, but it would have made it a late night [Friday].

“The weather was great over the weekend. The facilities held up wonderfully. We got hit with a thunderstorm in Dalton on Friday night, and our parents stepped up and got the field ready for Saturday’s games. And, once again, kudos to North Adams for hosting us here and Dalton for hosting us there. In Pittsfield, we had fields there, too, if necessary.”

Nothing, including the weather, could stop the Reign Purple in the four-team 14-and-under bracket, where it went 5-0 – three pool games plus Sunday’s semi-final and final – outsourcing opponents by a combined 65-17.

In Sunday’s title game, Kody Lesser was 3-for-3 with an RBI, Spencer Kotski was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, and Kai Laframboise went 2-for-3 with a triple in a 13-hit attack.

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