Adams Picks Select Board Candidates; Cheshire Nixes Appointed Assessor

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
12:36AM / Tuesday, May 07, 2024Print Story | Email Story

ADAMS, Mass. — Voters chose incumbent John Duval and newcomer Ann Bartlett for the two open seats on the Selectmen.

Bartlett, a co-owner of the former Red Carpet Diner, garnered the most votes at 791, more than 300 above the other three challengers, and Duval was returned for another three-year term with 685.

Incumbent Howard Rosenberg's decision sparked a five-way race for the two seats. Coming in third was Jerome Socolof with 465, Mitchell Wisniowski with 446 and former board member Donald Sommer with 367.

All results are unofficial.

Wisniowski did win a seat on the Parks Commission and Michael Mach outpolled challenger Timothy Kitchell Jr. 887-407 to stay on the Planning Board.

Frederick Lora appears to have bested Jennifer Solak as Adams representative to the Hoosac Valley Regional School District by 10 votes. The unofficial tally is 814-804, with Lora gaining 674 votes to Solak's 620 in Adams; the voted flipped in Cheshire with Solak winning 184-140 but not enough to overcome the gap. Robert Tetlow Jr., running unopposed, was returned as the Cheshire representative.

Write-ins for Board of Health and Redevelopment Authority, which had no candidates, were still being tallied.

Town Clerk Haley Meczywor, running unopposed for another three-year term, earned the highest number of votes at 1,335, just seven more than Eugene Michalenko, who was running with James Loughman for re-election to the library trustees. Also returned to office were Moderator Myra Wilk, Assessor Paula Wheeler, Mary Ciuk and James J. Fassell for Parks Commission; and Bruce Dale Shepley for Cemetery Commission and McCan School Committee.

Turnout was about 22 percent with 1,465 of the town's 6,574 registered voters going to the polls.

In Cheshire, a ballot vote on making the town assessor an appointed rather than elected position was roundly defeated 152-219. The question would also have been on the town warrant.

Shawn McGrath and Raymond Killeen were re-elected to three-year terms on the Select Board with 257 and 234 votes, respectively; coming in third was Mark Biagini with 204.

Assessor Kellie Lahey, Board of Health member Brian Trudeau, Cemetery Commissioner Timothy Garner, Water Commissioner Ricky Gurney and Planning Board member Peter Traub were re-elected unopposed.

Whitney Flynn received 55 votes for town clerk on an empty ballot to replace Christine Emerson, who retired.

Tags: election 2024, town elections,

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Adams Street & Sidewalk Improvement Project to Resume in Spring

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
11:34AM / Friday, November 06, 2026

ADAMS, Mass. — Work on the paving and sidewalk improvement project along Smith, Randall, and Cherry streets was underway and is expected to continue in the spring.

The town awarded the project to Warner Bros. LLC, the lowest responsive bidder out of the four bids, with a base bid of $491,595, which included repaving a 1.5 inch mill and overlay and a five-and-a-half foot monolithic sidewalks on both sides of Cherry and Smith Street.

The town also accepted three bid alternates, bringing the total project cost to $664,546.75, funded entirely through the state's Chapter 90 program.

The three bid alternates includes crosswalk improvements at Summer and Cherry streets, milling and repaving of Randall Street, and constructing new sidewalks along the south side of Randall Street.

"The concrete work is pretty significant. They'll tear up all the old concrete, and they'll frame out new concrete, and they'll pour wet cement for curing. So, it takes a little bit of time, and then sometimes with these public works, they're kind of up against weather conditions," Town Administrator Nicholas Caccamo said.

"If the temperature starts to drop too quickly, the materials don't hold as well. So, they often will exercise a little bit of caution. They did review with the town last week that they're going to wait to do the rest of the project in the springtime."

The town identified the streets as priorities in part because of its proximity to Winter Street, where officials have applied for a Community Development Block Grant to fund paving and stormwater improvements, he said.

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