Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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Dalton Elects Incumbents, Write-in for Planning Board

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

The last-minute write-in campaigns for Planning Board resulted in higher than normal write-in votes  306  for Monday's election. 
DALTON, Mass. — The unofficial results for the town's annual election indicate that Planning Board registered candidate William Striebel III and write-in candidate Richard Hall have secured the two seats.
 
Some 413 voters cast their ballots at the Senior Center on Monday. There were 82 mail-in ballots.
 
The Planning Board race began with just one candidate for the two available positions, leaving one vacancy initially unfilled, but as Election Day approached, two additional candidates launched write-in campaigns, transforming it into a competitive contest.
 
The Planning Board saw a significant number of write-in votes, totaling 306. Striebel secured 238 votes, Hall 163, and Mary Tresa Devereaux with 133. 
 
Both Hall and Devereaux have been endorsed by the Dalton Clear Air Coalition, of which Hall is a member, and Democratic Town Committee. 
 
Hall decided to run for Planning Board last Monday inspired by the Berkshire Concrete situation wanting to ensure that the company follows the town's zoning bylaws. 
 
"Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I look forward to helping the town. It's a privilege being on the Planning Board," he said. 
 
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