Lanesborough Opts Out of Early Voting By Mail

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:41AM / Thursday, April 20, 2023Print Story | Email Story

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Voters will not be able to cast ballots early by mail but can they can still request an absentee ballot for the town election.

Last week, Clerk Ruth Knysh asked the Select Board to opt out of early voting by mail for municipal elections. Her request came after the state expanded access last year.

"An act passed to allow early voting by mail for local elections. It used to be just state and federal," she said. "So my thought on that is it's not in my budget, it's a lot of extra work added on me. I'm only one person in there."

Knysh explained that all of the mail-in ballots would have to be opened and processed by herself before being checked against signatures in the state computer.

"It's a process and the local elections are not well participated in," she said. "I'm just worried that if that is an option to vote by mail, we're going to get hundreds of people that don't typically vote wanting to vote by mail because they can."

The Select Board accepted the request, understanding the nature of Knysh's concern. The board also approved her request to have a police officer at the polling location for every election to "preserve order and protect the election officers." This also is now required by the state.

Nomination papers became available on March 1 and the last day to submit them is May 1. The last day to apply for an absentee ballot is June 12 ahead of the town election on June 20.

So far, incumbent Michael Murphy is being challenged by Barbara Davis-Hassan and Deborah Maynard for a three-year seat on the Select Board.

There is also a race shaping up for a three-year seat on the Finance Committee, with incumbent Jodi-Lee Szczepaniak-Locke challenged by Kristen Tool.

Incumbent Sherri Wilson is the only who has taken out nomination papers for library trustee and no one has yet taken out papers for a five-year seat on the Planning Board.

Tags: election 2023, town elections,

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Lake Management Commission Proposed for Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:29PM / Tuesday, January 27, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Peter Marchetti has proposed a Lake Management Commission to handle issues with Pittsfield's waterbodies.

There are two sizable lakes in the city: Onota, which spans 617 acres, and Pontoosuc, which is more than 500 acres. Pontoosuc is shared with the town of Lanesborough, and both communities have residential and commercial properties around the lakes.

"The Pittsfield Lake Management Commission's mission is to support the preservation and protection of lakes and ponds [from] environmental harm on behalf of present and future generations of Pittsfield residents, while understanding the interests of property owners and the public," the proposed ordinance reads.

"Its goals are to enhance the water quality of Onota and Pontoosuc lakes, while maintaining the natural beauty of lake surroundings."

This includes a focus on items such as water quality, the management of invasive weed species, the fall drawdown of water, zebra mussel control, Cyanobacteria monitoring, and the effects of climate change. The goal is to maintain consistently high-quality water levels that the community can enjoy.

Pittsfield struggled with zebra mussel detections in 2024, as eDNA was detected in both Onota and Pontoosuc lakes. Tuesday's City Council agenda also includes an $18,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation to hire boat ramp monitors over the summer, which helps mitigate the spread of invasive species.

Also on the volunteer commission's charge is a five-year lake management and financial budget plan for all Pittsfield waterbodies.

The commission will seek grants, or local/state funding for periodic evaluations of water quality and the overall ecological health of the lakes. It will also review issues that could potentially negatively impact the lakes, and make recommendations to the mayor.