Letter: MCLA Homeless Shelter Should Have Had Public Input

To the Editor:

I question MCLA's President Birge's commitment to education and to our North Berkshire community.

"… the historic public purpose of American higher education is to respond to the needs and demands of society." President Jamie Birge, WAMC 5/10/2023

The problem of the poor and unhoused is a symptom of a decline in democratic values and income inequality. A simple change in the earned income tax credit was able to cut child poverty by about 46 percent in just a few months.

Massachusetts needs more than 200,000 new homes in order to start addressing the housing crisis. What is stopping Massachusetts from building these homes? Powerful interests who do not have a modicum of decency prevent democratic actions to address our problems. Democracy means participation and engagement. It requires leaders to inspire open and respectful dialogue to address the needs of the people.

In 2014, North Adams Regional Hospital was closed with three days notice with no public hearing. Shortly after the hospital closing, the state closed our North Adams welfare office and our North Adams employment office with no public hearing.

Richard Dassatti
North Adams, Mass. 

North Adams Council Seats New Councilor Riehl

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
08:46PM / Tuesday, November 10, 2026

New Councilor Virginia Riehl was accompanied by her daughter. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council voted in a new council member to replace the departed Alexa Macdonald. 

 

Virginia Riehl, 10th candidate in last year's election by 41 votes, was elected 5-3 to fill the vacant seat until next election. 

 

She will sit on Community Development and Public Services committees. 

 

"I feel called to serve North Adams, and North Adams has made me a better person," she said after being sworn in. "And then I have one announcement, which is that any compensation I receive in this position, will be donated to the Affordable Housing Trust."

 

Riehl had had the most public support for filling the seat, including a petition with hundreds of names and letters to the editor encouraging the council to vote her in. She thanked her supporters who were in the audience and at home. 

 

She was sworn by City Clerk Tina Leonesio with her daughter at her side. 

 

The other candidates were Peter Oleskiewicz, a past councilor and current member of the Planning Board and Hoosac Water Quality District; Jesus Leyva, a community activist in his previous hometowns of  Greenfield and Northampton; Joseph Ousterhoudt, a hardware store manager; and member of the Democratic City Committee; and Ronald Sheldon, a past candidate for City Council.