Persip Focuses on Economic Development, COVID Recovery in Council Re-Election Bid

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Councilor at Large Earl Persip III has announced he will be running for his third two-year term.  

"I wanted to re-run because It comes down to one thing," he said last week. "I believe in Pittsfield, and I believe we're moving in a positive direction. And I want to keep that momentum. And I want to be part of that momentum. And I want to be a voice in how we move forward."

The councilor's announcement come after the decisions of three of his colleagues not to run: Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi, Ward 4 Councilor Chris Connell, and Ward 3 Councilor Nicholas Caccamo announced early this year that they would not seek re-election.

With a full-time career as director of facilities at The Mount in Lenox and a new addition to his family, Persip said he wanted to make sure that it would be a realistic commitment.

The Pittsfield native is a descendant of one of the city's most notable African American families. Alfred K. Persip was the first African American in Berkshire County to enlist at the start of World War I, followed by his brothers John and Charles, for whom the American Legion Post 68 on Wendell Avenue is named. Persip Park on North Street was dedicated to the family in 1983.

Growing up on the West Side and splitting time between parents on Linden Street and John Street, Persip became a part of the local workforce by working a summer job at the YMCA. Eventually, he was promoted to operations director where he was in charge of up to a $2.2 million budget.

Considering all of his time spent in the city of Pittsfield, Persip wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

"I think Pittsfield is like one of the best places," he said. "You know, we have our issues and things, but I mean, one of the best places to live and raise a family. And I believe that 100 percent."

Persip first ran for council four years ago because the ward representatives at the time "all looked the same" through no fault of themselves and he wanted to make sure that all voices were represented in the panel.

"I don't want to step backwards," he said. "I think we moved a positive direction and there's different voices on the council, and I want to make sure I'm on there and can give my input.

Pittsfield Celebrates Robert 'Bob' Presutti on Arbor Day

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33PM / Friday, April 26, 2024

Bob Presutti, right, is presented the Hebert Award in 2017 for his volunteer efforts at Springside Park. He died in 2023 at age 88.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A tree has been planted next to the Berkshire Athenaeum in honor of local "giant" Robert Presutti.

Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.

"Today is a day where we yes, celebrate trees, but today is also a day where here in the city we intentionally try to acknowledge the good work of folks in our community who spend their time and their efforts and their talents to make Pittsfield a more beautiful place," he said to a crowd of about 20 people.

"Today we are honoring a longtime community volunteer named Bob Presutti. I'm sure a lot of you here know Bob and know his contributions to the city, not only when it comes to trees and parks but also to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program."

The longtime volunteer passed away last year at the age of 88. He contributed more than 10,600 hours to RSVP and had great impacts on the Parks Department over the years from sharing his knowledge and talents to ensuring that workers were safe when working on trees.

"This morning I went through my emails to see how many emails Bob Presutti sent me since the year 2001 when I started with the city. Bob Presutti sent me 14,000 emails and nearly every single one of those was about trees," McGrath said, prompting laughter and smiles from attendees.

One thread struck him as particularly important because it showed Presutti's empathy when it comes to the safety of city workers while caring for trees.

"There were multiple emails from Bob about the need to get the Parks Department maintenance guys into a program learning about chainsaw safety and learning about ladder safety. He was really into making certain that our city workers were well cared for and had all of the instruction that they needed and in fact, he even offered his own time and services after he became certified to teach our city workers," McGrath said.