Letter: Lynette Bond for Mayor

To the Editor:

I am writing to encourage you to cast your vote for Lynette Bond as the next mayor of North Adams. I've known Lynette for more than 10 years and can't think of a better person to represent the City. Lynette is everything you'd want in a mayor. She is honest, a great leader, has the tenacity to make tough decisions, and an amazing ability to inspire others to reach their goals.

I have been lucky to have Lynette as my assistant coach for the past four years. She has brought many of these same qualities to the court. She inspires the players and is disciplined in her coaching. Lynette has a passion for youth sports and understands how important it is for young people to be part of a team, to learn the fundamentals of sports, and most importantly, to have fun with their friends. For me and my family, this is the heart of a community, on the courts and on the ballfields. This is where communities are formed and Lynette is there-as a coach or as a fan cheering on the youth of this community.

Lynette has proven that she can work well in stressful situations while maintaining a professional and respectful composure. Her ability to lift people up is something we could all learn from. Lynette is compassionate and real. She understands the stressors of being a working parent with kids involved in many activities and coordinates rides between families and often provided rides to those without transportation. She gets it. Lynette is someone who gives her all and does not tire easily. She will champion youth sports and ensure our young people have access to recreation. She will make North Adams proud. I am asking you to vote for Lynette Bond. I can't imagine it will be anything less than a slam dunk!

Al Arnold
Selectman, Clarksburg, Mass.

Northern Berkshire United Way: 1980s Sees Double the Growth, Double the Need

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Monday, July 13, 2026

Northern Berkshire United Way is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Each month, we will take a look back at the agency's milestones over the decades. 

 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Northern Berkshire United Way rolled through the "Me Decade" on a high. 

 

The "Massachusetts Miracle" ushered in a boomtime — despite gloomy local indicators like the relocation of Sprague Electric, loss of Adams Print Works in a massive blaze, and Photech's bankruptcy.

 

The agency failed to reach its fundraising goals only two times during the decade even as the region's needs grew. For the first time, homelessness and substance abuse were listed among its allocations.

 

Fundraising grew by leaps and bounds as critical human service relief agencies asked for more. An estimated 36,000 people in North County were being served by the agency's affiliates. The funds went to support between 14 and 17 agencies over the decade for health services, youth support, mental health, child care, and family needs. 

 

NBUW was making enough toward the end of the 1980s that it could provide help to nonmembers such as the Dalton Community Chest, a rape crisis center and two homelessness initiatives. It also worked with the Piton Foundation of Colorado on venture funding, including for a peer mentoring program at Drury High School 

 

Mary G. Dailey had given her first dollar to the original Community Chest in 1935 as a worker at Arnold Print Works. As keynote speaker at the 1981 kick off, she credited North Berkshire's generosity as "enthusiasm."

 

"I'm all for enthusiasm," she told the 150 gathered at the Eagles Hall that fall, with her sister, Catherine, as toastmaster. "No other characteristic, with the possible exception of kindness, has contributed so much to happy and successful living."