Letter: Jane Patton for Williamstown Select Board

To the Editor:

We are writing in support of Jane Patton for re-election to the Select Board.

Jane led the board through a tumultuous time in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd (in Minneapolis in 2020) and the revelations of misconduct in the Williamstown Police Department. Under Jane's leadership, the Select Board created the DIRE committee and she served as a member in its inaugural year. Over the past two years, Jane has shown up every day, listened empathically and worked diligently to build back the trust that was lost with many in the community. She asked the difficult questions, held people accountable and made the tough decisions.

Jane and her colleagues on the Select Board have improved accountability and transparency in town. We have a new town manager and we will soon have a new police chief. The town's HR policies have been revised and are available to the public and we will soon have a position to implement those policies and assist with important diversity work. The Police Department is seeking accreditation and they are working more closely with citizens in town to better understand how policing impacts everyone in our community. While the town is in a better place, there's more work to do and the town will be well served with Jane continuing that work.

In addition to her tireless leadership during these difficult times, Jane continues to be an advocate for much needed recreational opportunities for all members of our community, believes we need to create more diverse housing options in town and supports the environmental initiatives of the COOL Committee

Andi Bryant, Karl Mullen, Merritt Colaizzi, Elaine Neely, Liz Costley, Fred Puddester, Tom Costley, Susan Puddester, Brian Drake,  Reena Sharma, Karen Falk, Sanjay Sharmads, Joe Finnegan, Bob Stegeman, Tom Green, Carol Stegeman, Kristen Johanson and Charles Swabey.
Williamstown, Mass.

Reverend: Christian Nationalists Make Jesus Victim of 'Identity Theft'

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
08:08AM / Sunday, October 04, 2026

David Langston introduces the Rev. Darrell Goodwin on Wednesday morning. 

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Rev. Darrell Goodwin told attendees at Wednesday's "PrayAction Breakfast" that they need more action to make their prayer effective.

 

"Sometimes prayer causes us to be in deep reflection," Goodwin told the group gathered at the Williamstown Meetinghouse. "And years and years and years pass, and we've actually done nothing about it.

 

"Our physical belief system is somehow: Say the words to God, and it becomes God's responsibility, and we've done our part because we've told God exactly what to do."

 

Goodwin, the president of the United Church of Christ's Southern New England Conference, was invited to Williamstown by First Congregational Church to speak on "The Challenge of Christian Nationalism."

 

And Goodwin challenged his listeners to take meaningful action to confront and address the ideology in their daily lives.

 

Christian Nationalism, which Goodwin referred to as White Christian Nationalism, is a perversion of Christ's teachings, he said.

 

"What does it mean to be spiritually grounded but practically committed?" Goodwin asked rhetorically. "This morning I've been asked to come here to talk about Christian Nationalism, but I think it would be remiss if I didn't say White Christian Nationalism. I want to name all three of these words because each tells us something that we must do.