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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Girls Inc. Members Get Firsthand Look at Local Government in Pittsfield

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Evelyn says what she likes about Girls Inc. She was one of three girls who spoke from the podium during the visit. 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Members of Girls Inc. of the Berkshires visited City Hall, where they learned about local government, civic engagement, and discovered how their voices matter at any age. 
 
Girls Inc., a subsidiary of the Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center, has a holistic curriculum aimed at empowering and inspiring girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
 
Elected and appointed officials recently welcomed the girls, giving them a tour of the municipal building and answering questions they had from election processes, responsibilities and terms of elected officials, to how ward and at-large councilors represent residents. 
 
"I'm really pleased to see how engaged they are and interested in how government works, and their interest in hopefully understanding the impact that local government has on their everyday lives," at-Large City Councilor Alisa Costa said. 
 
The power of the people is stronger than that of an elected official and sometimes people forget that, Mayor Peter Marchetti said, emphasizing the influence residents can have by speaking during public comment periods at government meetings.
 
"It's the power of the people. So, I hope they learn to use their voices wisely," he said.  
 
It's important to encourage you to speak up and be public, rather than taking the "back seat" and being quiet, Marchetti said. 
 
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