Election 2009: Malumphy Taking Unpaid Leave for Campaign

09:32AM / Wednesday, August 19, 2009Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayoral candidate Pam Malumphy will begin an unpaid leave of absence from her current role as regional director for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development beginning Wednesday, Aug. 19.

"I knew there was the possibility that I would be asked to take the leave and it made the difficult decision of running for mayor that much more heavy. Anyone who knows me, knows that I've worked since I was 17, working my way through college, through grad school, so the idea of not getting a paycheck for the next many weeks is a bit overwhelming."

Asked why she made the decision in spite of the hardship, Malumphy replied, "I suppose it's like sky-diving ... either you're going to do it and jump from that plane with your heart and soul ... or not."

With no conflicts with either the Ethics Commission or the Office of Campaign Finance, Malumphy understands perception ... in other words, how it looks. "I have loved my job ... working with and assisting businesses has been an incredible experience. However, I would never want anyone to believe I was using my position to advance my mayoral campaign," said Malumphy.

As the city is at a crossroads and facing serious issues of public safety, jobs, and renovating two existing high schools versus building one new high school, Malumphy took out her nomination papers to run for mayor of Pittsfield on July 15 and is officially on the ballot as of Aug. 18.

Submitted by the Campaign to Elect Pam Malumphy.

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Pittsfield Wants People to Know Where Free Public Wifi Is

By Brittany PolitoiBerkhshires Staff
04:46AM / Friday, September 18, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city wants it to be clear where people can connect to free public wifi— which expands beyond downtown.

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission approved "Free Wifi" signage at The Common, Riverway Park, and Durant Park. Community members can access the internet without charge in these locations, as well as in downtown areas.

Two years ago, Pittsfield received a $99,972 Digital Equity Implementation Grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. This allowed the city to take a comprehensive look at digital equity and determine where to focus attention.

"That was a lengthy process that we worked on, and there was a lot of public input. We did some surveying. We met with a lot of focus groups; [Berkshire Regional Planning Commission] was the group that spearheaded that for us, and one of the things that came up was the lack of accessible wifi," Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reported. "Particularly in the westside."

Throughout this process, residents also wanted to see connectivity at the nearby Westside Riverway Park.

In 2023, Pittsfield was selected to participate in the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program launched by the state and MBI, focused on ensuring residents can use the internet to conduct day-to-day activities. A digital equity plan also qualifies Pittsfield for additional grant funding.

Around 16,000 city households qualified for the Federal Communications Commission's affordable internet program that ended in 2024.

Dodds said adding Wi-FI and signage to Durant and Riverway Parks is a small piece of the larger digital equity project. Signage is already downtown, and the city plans to hire the same designer for the expanded wayfinding so it is cohesive.

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