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City Clerk Michele Benjamin, Assistant Clerk Heather Brazeau, Assistant Clerk of Registrations and Elections Ashley Gangell oversee the drawing of ballot positions on Thursday.

Pittsfield Draws Ballot Positions for November Election

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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Candidates for at-large seats put the names in the tumbler. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the general election just over a month away, ballot positions were drawn for the mayoral, School Committee, and multiple City Council races.

City Clerk Michele Benjamin congratulated all candidates for their nominations and placement on the ballot.

Peter Marchetti attended the drawing and pulled second position, placing John Krol in the first position on the ballot for mayor. 

Councilors-at-large candidates Kathleen Amuso, Craig Benoit, Daniel Miraglia, Alisa Costa and a representative of Lucas Marion drew their own names. Incumbent Peter White is in the first position followed by Benoit, Amuso, Miraglia, Costa, incumbent Earl Persip III and Marion.

The four candidates with the top votes will be selected as councilors at large on Nov. 7.

School Committee candidate William Garrity attended and drew second position behind Dominick Sacco in the first. Incumbent Daniel Elias is in the third position followed by incumbent Sara Hathaway, incumbent William Cameron, and Diana Belair.

The committee has six seats.

Wards 1, 4 and 5 — held by incumbents Kenneth Warren, James Bryan Conant and Patrick Kavey, respectively — are not being contested.


A representative of Ward 2 candidate Brittany Bandani drew first position, placing Alex Blumin in the second position.

Ward 3 candidate Matthew Wrinn drew first position and Bill Tyer will be in the second position.

In Ward 6, Craig Gaetani is in the first position followed by incumbent Dina Lampiasi in the second position and, in Ward 7, Rhonda Serre is in the first position followed by incumbent Anthony Maffuccio.

City Clerk Michele Benjamin, Assistant Clerk Heather Brazeau, Assistant Clerk of Registrations and Elections Ashley Gangell and Registrar of Voters Clerk Joshua Munn conducted the ballot drawing.

Small cards were prepared with the candidates' names and addresses on their voter registrations. Before being drawn, the names are sealed in a small envelope and dropped into the tumbler.

The age of the tumbler is not known but staff say it is surely an antique.

If a candidate or a representative is not there, the names are dropped in by city staff.  Once all of the names are in, one card is drawn at a time and the names are announced accordingly.


Tags: election 2023,   

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Taconic High School Stages 'Hadestown: Teen Edition'

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Junior Brendan Bayles, as Hades, dancing with senior Ryley Schwarz, who plays Persephone.
 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After six transformative months of preparation and an exciting opening weekend, the Taconic High School theater department will conclude its spring musical, "Hadestown: Teen Edition."
 
This Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., the students will be hitting the stage to perform the family-friendly adaptation of Anaïs Mitchell's Tony-winning Broadway musical "Hadestown." Tickets are $13 for adults and $8 for students. 
 
The jazz-inflected folk opera follows Orpheus' mythical quest to overcome Hades and regain the love of his true love, Eurydice.
 
"'Hadestown' is the first show that we've done that has had a lot of character meat behind it, where we're really delving into the motivations and the story itself," said Caitlyn Martin, theater director. 
 
Martin described how she observed the students engaging in debates with each other about the reasons behind certain events. 
 
This experience has been truly impactful because it's not just about their performances on stage; they are also reflecting on these issues off stage, she said. 
 
The students are exploring why people react the way they do and recognizing that emotions are more complex than anger, happiness, or sadness, prompting them to delve deeper into these feelings. 
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