Letter: Macksey Understands How to Manage City

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To the Editor:

As a former administrative officer for the city of North Adams (2001-2008), I write to urge the citizens of North Adams to elect Jennifer Macksey their next mayor. I can attest to Jen's sharp intellect, skilled financial management and good nature during the years we worked together when she was the city's top financial officer. Jen worked tirelessly on behalf of the residents of North Adams and has prepared herself, with her strong municipal background and experience in education administration, to be exceptionally qualified to do this remarkably difficult work.

There is no more difficult or important job than that of a mayor; I say this with confidence based on my own diverse and challenging work experience in both the private and public sectors. Jen Macksey has experienced firsthand the inherent difficulties in managing a city to meet the needs of its citizens while continually struggling to obtain and effectively use limited financial and other resources. She knows how to do this job and do it well.

It's been concerning to observe the current city government difficulties resulting in multiple resignations from incumbent city councilors. Now is not the time for on-the-job learning or training. Experience matters. Jen Macksey knows how to effectively position and utilize key resources on day one, which will be critical to the future success of North Adams. For these reasons, I urge the residents of North Adams to cast their vote for Jen Macksey on Nov. 2.
 

Mary Katherine Eade
North Adams, Mass. 

Mary Katherine Eade is a former administrative office for the city of North Adams.

 

 


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Clarksburg Looking to AG's Receivership Program to Help With Distressed Properties

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

 
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town is looking to move two properties into receivership to get them cleaned up and back on the tax rolls. 
 
Health Agent Valerie Bird has raised the idea last month when a Daniels Road property was ordered vacated for multiple code violations. Bird and the Select Board didn't believe the owner had the capacity to address the myriad issues. 
 
Bird recommended the Attorney General's receivership program, which takes blighted property and, through the court system, gets it into the hands of a developer who can rejuvenate it. 
 
Maja Kazmierczak, assistant attorney general with the Neighborhood Renewal Division, offered a virtual presentation to the board on Monday, explaining the program and how it might be able to help Clarksburg. 
 
"We've partnered with over 170 municipalities, and we definitely have over probably about 215 active properties that we're working on," she said. "We've had just about $715,000 in back taxes returned to municipalities through our program."
 
The program has been around for 30 years in various forms, with the goal to turn abandoned and blighted properties that have code violations into safe housing. 
 
The state's receivership statute allows the court to appoint a receiver to a property if there are code violations and there is no one to repair them.
 
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