Mount Greylock School Election Causes Confusion

By Stephen DravisWilliamstown Correspondent
12:41AM / Wednesday, November 07, 2012Print Story | Email Story

Chris Dodig was technically turned out of his seat on the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee by Sheila Hebert, who's already serving on the committee.

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Sheila Hebert burst out laughing when told she won a seat on the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee.

The joke was: She did not want to win.

Hebert, who already is serving out a term on the committee, actively encouraged everyone she knew to vote for one of the other candidates vying for the single open Lanesborough seat on the committee.

But when the votes were tallied on Tuesday, Hebert had 1,630 votes (1,067 from Williamstown; 563 from Lanesborough). Her opponents, Chris Dodig and Mark Schiek, had 1,256 and 537, respectively.

"Are you kidding me?" Hebert asked when reached at her home on Tuesday night. "I'm a little shocked, to be honest.

"They do a Lanesborough newsletter electronically, and each of us put out statements, and in mine I said, 'I encourage you to give your vote to one of the other two candidates so they have a chance to get in.'"

Dodig, like Hebert, is filling out an unexpired term on the committee for members who resigned mid-term. Dodig's term expires at the end of November. Hebert’s current seat has two more years on a four-year term.

Hebert told iBerkshires.com in October that she did not want to win the seat Dodig currently occupies because it would require Williamstown's and Lanesborough's Boards of Selectmen to appoint someone to fill the seat she currently holds.

That may be the scenario the towns now face.

Or, it may not.

Lanesborough Town Clerk Judith Gallant said Tuesday that Hebert may be able to avoid displacing Dodig yet.

"She can write a letter declining the position, and then it would go to the next top vote-getter," Gallant said. "I think that's how it works. That's what we'd do in a town election.

"But I could be wrong. It's been known to happen."

Hebert said she will consult with Gallant on Wednesday to see what can be done.
Tags: election2012, MGRHS, school committee,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Now's the time...

to harvest value from your home. Click for more details about a HELOC. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

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.

View Full Story