Letter: Macksey Is Best Candidate for Mayor

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in support of Jennifer Macksey for mayor. I have known Jennifer for many years and have followed her career through the years. I saw firsthand the hard work she put in while she worked at City Hall. She was a person that you could go to and ask questions and get answers. When the city was implementing a 401K plan for the first time, Jennifer made sure people had the information they needed to make the proper decisions. She didn't just sit behind her desk at City Hall, she came out to the individual departments and brought the people with the knowledge with her and made sure the members of various departments were informed.

I have followed various letters in support of Jennifer for mayor. It is quite striking that she has received strong support from three different superintendents of schools. These are people of great integrity and all have worked closely with Jennifer. It is clear that they understand that she will work hard to keep our school systems at their best. Education is one of Jennifer's top priorities she will work extremely hard to be sure our schools are the best they can be.

I have also noted the former public safety officials have also thrown their support to Jennifer. I would also like to give my support for Jennifer as a former public safety official. Any time you had a question that needed a answer Jennifer would get you that answer. She was not afraid to step out from behind her desk come to the department and explain whatever you needed answered.

It's clear that the people who really know Jennifer, know the hard work that she has done, and the hard work she is capable of ,are throwing there support to her. These are the people who were in the trenches with Jennifer doing the day-to-day work that needs to be done. People in education, people in public safety, people in municipal government , and people from MCLA. All these individuals have seen the quality person that Jennifer is.

It's clear that with all her knowledge in finance, education, and municipal government that Jennifer is the best candidate for mayor of the city of North Adams. Please join me in voting for Jennifer Macksey for mayor.

Craig W. Millard
North Adams, Mass.

Craig Millard is a retired police director of the city of North Adams. 

North Adams Hopes to Transform Y Into Community Recreation Center

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:19AM / Thursday, May 02, 2024

Mayor Jennifer Macksey updates members of the former YMCA on the status of the roof project and plans for reopening. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has plans to keep the former YMCA as a community center.

 

"The city of North Adams is very committed to having a recreation center not only for our youth but our young at heart," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said to the applause of some 50 or more YMCA members on Wednesday. "So we are really working hard and making sure we can have all those touch points."

 

The fate of the facility attached to Brayton School has been in limbo since the closure of the pool last year because of structural issues and the departure of the Berkshire Family YMCA in March.

 

The mayor said the city will run some programming over the summer until an operator can be found to take over the facility. It will also need a new name. 

 

"The YMCA, as you know, has departed from our facilities and will not return to our facility in the form that we had," she said to the crowd in Council Chambers. "And that's been mostly a decision on their part. The city of North Adams wanted to really keep our relationship with the Y, certainly, but they wanted to be a Y without borders, and we're going a different direction."

 

The pool was closed in March 2023 after the roof failed a structural inspection. Kyle Lamb, owner of Geary Builders, the contractor on the roof project, said the condition of the laminated beams was far worse than expected. 

 

"When we first went into the Y to do an inspection, we certainly found a lot more than we anticipated. The beams were actually rotted themselves on the bottom where they have to sit on the walls structurally," he said. "The beams actually, from the weight of snow and other things, actually crushed themselves eight to 11 inches. They were actually falling apart. ...