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Ward 1 Councilor Helen Moon is seeking re-election.

Moon Looks to Bring Diverse Views to Council in Re-election Bid

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — At a ward meeting, Helen Moon was elated to see a young woman in her 20s take a seat in the audience.
 
At ward meetings and at the polls, it is often the same group of people making their voices heard. But this woman wasn't someone Moon had heard much from in the past so it makes her happy to see more and more people involved.
 
"The way that city government works is we are making decisions for people who vote all the time instead of people who don't vote. I still think that the people who don't vote still need representation," Moon said.
 
The woman heard about the Ward 1 meeting through a bi-annual newsletter Moon sends out. She said she sends it to every address in Ward 1 — and a few even end up in neighboring wards because of mailing routes — and hands delivers it to many homes. She wants the government to make decisions for everybody and not just voters. 
 
"If we want to see people engage in politics, we have to make it accessible to them. That is a bridge I can help build," Moon said.
 
Moon was first elected two years ago to represent Ward 1 after Lisa Tully opted not to seek re-election. She is looking to retain her seat because she feels there is still more to do.
 
Moon first moved to the city in 2009 to study nursing at Berkshire Community College. She had been raised in West Springfield and then Longmeadow before spending time in the Boston area. She started working on social and economic justice issues while living in an "intentional" house in Dorchester, an area with a high crime rate. Her group worked with local youth and helped build a new community center. She also ran after-school programs for at-risk youth with the Little House, an alternative middle school and community group site.
 
After a few years there, she wanted to go to nursing school and her brother was living in the Berkshires. She was told the BCC program was good so she moved here and worked at Dottie's Coffee Lounge. In would walk city councilors, the state senator, and others to have meetings. Politicians hadn't been that accessible in the other areas she had lived.
 
"Until Pittsfield, I never thought of how reachable politicians really are," Moon said.
 
She followed national politics so she could talk about those  issues but that became talking about state politics with former state Sen. Benjamin Downing, who lived across the street at the time. She'd talk city politics with councilors who would come in.
 
"I realized that there are different ways to get things accomplished. You have to take it from all different angles," Moon said. "I always came at it from a grassroots and volunteering background and I think working on Dottie's and being exposed to people who are in it for legislative purposes opened my eyes. You have to do the grunt work stuff but you also need the laws to compliment that. That's when I started thinking of [getting involved politically]."
 
She earned her nursing degree from Elms College and took a night job at Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington. After being elected, the overnight shifts were too much so she took a day job with home health-care agency Porchlight, and is now the director of special projects with the district attorney's office.
 
She watched the 2016 election results come in and the very next day decided she wanted to get involved legislatively. 
 
"I think a lot of legislation happens without asking the community," Moon said.
 
The approach Moon says she takes is to take into account the voices of all when handling an issue while always keeping an eye on the future. For example, there was a backlash against the toter system for trash disposal. Moon said she understands that the system wouldn't work for many while she also recognizes a need to make significant changes in the system. 
 
The council rejected it and any changes have been stalled. She feels like the conversation didn't fully take in every aspect — just the reactionary one. She'd like to find a system that is easy for many to incorporate into their lives while still achieving the goals of increased recycling and less trash.
 
"We need to find a way that has both sides of the conversation," Moon said.
 
She also wants a heightened focus on the root causes of issues. She has heard a lot about panhandling but believes the conversation should be expanded to the increasing numbers of homeless rather than simply finding ways to move a panhandler out of view.
 
"I think we have more homeless people than we had before. I know nationally the increase in homelessness has gone up in the last 10 years. I don't think we are sheltered from that and that is happening here, especially in conjunction with substance-abuse disorders," Moon said.
 
Moon would also like to find help residents with the water and sewer bills that are increasing. Moon was one of the councilors voting in favor of the multimillion upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and doesn't regret that. But she wants to follow that up with an effort to help people struggling to keep their homes.
 
"I don't regret my vote. I think we needed to upgrade our wastewater treatment plant. With what is happening nationally, I don't think it is appropriate to say the [Environmental Protection Agency] is going to not require those same conditions. It is beyond what the EPA is mandating and it is what we as a city is representing and how we are voting for the future. I think we made the right decision to upgrade," Moon said. "But I also recognize that it is an incredibly expensive vote."
 
What she hears people say is that a water meter will help curb those costs. But if a resident is struggling to pay the bill on time, where are they going to get the money to install a meter, she questions. She hopes in another term she can work out a way to provide those residents with assistance.
 
"I think that is a very privileged response because people who can't afford their water and sewer bill can't afford the $1,000 to install a water meter. It felt like we are taxing the poor and we are giving a pass to the people who can afford to install a water meter," Moon said. "I want to find a solution to help people who need assistance in installing a water meter."
 
She agrees that the water and sewer bills, and taxes, are contributing toward squeezing people out of their homes. But, at the same time, she believes there are priority areas the city needs to invest in. 
 
As the city moves toward improvements on Tyler Street, she wants to have a voice at the table to make sure the residents can still afford to live there after it is done. She said work needs to be done to help businesses grow and to reduce blight, but also has to be done with every resident in mind.
 
She feels there are things like education and infrastructure the city has to invest in to attract people to live here. She said there are places like General Dynamics that have jobs available but it is often difficult for them to keep people here. 
 
"A lot of people my age are not having conversations about moving to a location or a community saying 'I'm not going to move there because they have to pay for trash.' That is not the conversation they are having. They are having a conversation about moving to the best school system they can afford. That is the conversation young, working people have," Moon said.
 
"We pay high taxes because we have a declining population and there are less people paying into the tax base. How do you grow your tax base? Yes, you have to have jobs but you also have an environment where people want to move here."
 
She also looks to keep investing in infrastructure so the roads don't continue to crumble and become more costly in the future and she wants to continue advocating for Springside Park.
 
On the ward front, Moon boasts of being 11 for 11 in citizen petitions from something as small as a new sign to eliminating chip sealing altogether. She believes she has made a strong effort to be accessible, remembers people's concerns, and is able to "get things done."
 
"What I do well as councilor is accessible and responsive. I think the people of Pittsfield and the people in Ward 1 deserve to have someone who is responsive and a strong advocate to amplify what their concerns are for Pittsfield," Moon said.
 
Overall, Moon believes she brings a different perspective to the City Council and one that will represent everyone in the ward.
 
"I honestly believe the vast majority of people on City Council really want to do the best for their constituents, for the city of Pittsfield. As much as I might disagree with some of the votes that are taken, I do believe the people are on City Council by and large to improve, under their understanding, the city of Pittsfield," Moon said. 
 
"But, that understanding needs to include other groups of people. What I am bringing is a younger voice to the City Council. What I am bringing is a passion for social justice. I believe in racial and economic equity, that is something I can bring to the City Council."
 
Moon is being challenged by Kenneth Warren for the seat in the November election.

Tags: city election,   election 2019,   Pittsfield city council ,   


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Crosby/Conte Statement of Interest Gets OK From Council

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Architect Carl Franceschi and Superintendent Joseph Curtis address the City Council on Tuesday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the approval of all necessary bodies, the school district will submit a statement of interest for a combined build on the site of Crosby Elementary School.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously gave Superintendent Joseph Curtis the green light for the SOI to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by April 12.

"The statement I would make is we should have learned by our mistakes in the past," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.

"Twenty years ago, we could have built a wastewater treatment plant a lot cheaper than we could a couple of years ago and we can wait 10 years and get in line to build a new school or we can start now and, hopefully, when we get into that process and be able to do it cheaper then we can do a decade from now."

The proposal rebuilds Conte Community School and Crosby on the West Street site with shared facilities, as both have outdated campuses, insufficient layouts, and need significant repair. A rough timeline shows a feasibility study in 2026 with design and construction ranging from 2027 to 2028.

Following the SOI, the next step would be a feasibility study to determine the specific needs and parameters of the project, costing about $1.5 million and partially covered by the state. There is a potential for 80 percent reimbursement through the MSBA, who will decide on the project by the end of the year.

Earlier this month, city officials took a tour of both schools — some were shocked at the conditions students are learning in.

Silvio O. Conte Community School, built in 1974, is a 69,500 square foot open-concept facility that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s but the quad classroom layout poses educational and security risks.  John C. Crosby Elementary School, built in 1962, is about 69,800 square feet and was built as a junior high school so several aspects had to be adapted for elementary use.

Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said the walkthrough was "striking" at points, particularly at Conte, and had her thinking there was no way she would want her child educated there. She recognized that not everyone has the ability to choose where their child goes to school and "we need to do better."

"The two facilities that we are looking at I think are a great place to start," she said.

"As the Ward 6 councilor, this is where my residents and my students are going to school so selfishly yes, I want to see this project happen but looking at how we are educating Pittsfield students, this is going to give us a big bang for our buck and it's going to help improve the educational experience of a vast group of students in our city."

During the tour, Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey, saw where it could be difficult to pay attention in an open classroom with so much going on and imagined the struggle for students.

Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said, "we cannot afford not to do this" because the city needs schools that people want their children to attend.

"I know that every financial decision we make is tough but we have to figure this out. If the roof on your house were crumbling in, you'd have to figure it out and that's where we're at and we can't afford to wait any longer," she said.

"We can't afford for the sake of the children going to our schools, for the sake of our city that we want to see grow so we have to build a city where people want to go."

Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso, who served on the School Building Needs Commission for about 18 years, pointed out that the panel identified a need to address Conte in 2008.

Curtis addressed questions about the fate of Conte if the build were to happen, explaining that it could be kept as an active space for community use, house the Eagle Academy or the Adult Learning Center, or house the central offices.

School attendance zones are a point of discussion for the entire school district and for this project.

"At one time I think we had 36 school buildings and now we have essentially 12 and then it would go down again but in a thoughtful way," Curtis said.

Currently, eight attendance zones designate where a student will go to elementary school. Part of the vision is to collapse those zones into three with hopes of building a plan that incorporates partner schools in each attendance zone.

"I think that going from eight schools to three would be easier to maintain and I think it would make more sense but in order to get there we will have to build these buildings and we will have to spend money," Kavey said, hoping that the city would receive the 80 percent reimbursement it is vying for.

This plan for West Street, which is subject to change, has the potential to house grades pre-kindergarten to first grade in one school and Grades 2 to 4 in another with both having their own identities and administrations. 

The districtwide vision for middle school students is to divide all students into a grade five and six school and a grade seven and eight school to ensure equity.

"The vagueness of what that looks like is worrisome to some folks that I have talked to," Lampiasi said.

Curtis emphasized that these changes would have to be voted on by the School Committee and include public input.

"We've talked about it conceptually just to illustrate a possible grade span allocation," he said. "No decisions have been made at all by the School Committee, even the grade-span proposals."

School Committee Chair William Cameron said it is civic duty of the committee and council to move forward with the SOI.
 
He explained that when seven of the city's schools were renovated in the late 1990s, the community schools were only 25 years old and Crosby was 35 years old.  The commonwealth did not deem them to be sorely in need of renovation or replacement.
 
"Now 25 years later, Crosby is physically decrepit and an eyesore. It houses students ages three to 11 in a facility meant for use by teenagers,"
 
"Conte and Morningside opened in the mid-1970s. They were built as then state-of-the-art schools featuring large elongated rectangles of open instructional space. Over almost half a century, these physical arrangements have proven to be inadequate for teaching core academic skills effectively to students, many of whom need extra services and a distraction-free environment if they are to realize their full academic potential."
 
He said  the proposal addresses a serious problem in the "economically poorest, most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse area" of the city.
 
Cameron added that these facilities have been deemed unsatisfactory and need to be replaced as part of the project to reimagine how the city can best meet the educational needs of its students.  He said it is the local government's job to move this project forward to ensure that children learn in an environment that is conducive to their thriving academically.
 
"The process of meeting this responsibility needs to begin here tonight," he said.
 
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