PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mike Cirullo plans to seek the Ward 1 City Council seat, setting up a race.

 

Cirullo announced his intentions on Thursday to seek the seat being vacated by Lisa Tully, who opted not to run for re-election. The 35-year-old business agent for the workers union at General Dynamics is the second person to announce intentions to seek that seat and the fourth person to announce intentions to run for election.

 

Cirullo is a North Adams native, graduating from McCann Technical High School in 2000. After a few years in college and working various jobs, he enlisted in the Massachusetts Army National Guard in 2006 as an Infantryman. He was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and then again to Afghanistan in 2010.

 

After his Iraq deployment he went back into taking college classes. He received his Bachelor's degree in 2013 from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in business administration. 

 

He moved to Pittsfield in 2011 and is now working as the business agent for IUE-CWA Local 255, the union at General Dynamics Mission System. There he is in charge of managing operations, from the union hall to the employees, and advocating for the member. He handles issues with pensions for retirees or grievances from current workers and the like. 

 

On the side, he volunteers to sit on the Board of Directors for the Tyler Street Business Group, the Berkshire Regional Employment Board, the Berkshire Central Labor Council, and the Pittsfield High School Business Technology Advisory Committee. 

 

"All of these groups in one way or another touch the community," Cirullo said.

 

He's been active working with residents and business on Tyler Street with the transformative development initiative, advocating for the businesses' desire, and is now gauging the business owner's opinion on the proposed Waterstone project at the William Stanley Business Park and plans to take an advocacy role there.

 

"We advocate for businesses on Tyler Street," he said of his work with the business group.

 

In his other volunteer efforts he helps guide educational decisions, reviews and evaluates the work of Berkshire Works, and evaluates the use of state employment grants for other agencies.

 

"This is all volunteer work. The City Council is the next evolution," Cirullo said. "I'm excited to be the voice for Ward 1."

 

That volunteer work all circles around the same priority he'd place on the City Council if elected: jobs. He said he'd be advocating for "union and middle class values" and work toward making the city more conducive for businesses.

 

"My priorities are creating an environmental where businesses want to grow and create jobs," he said. "My big platform is jobs but how do we get there?"

 

To get there he says there needs to be such coordinated efforts as ensuring the curriculum taught at Taconic High School aligns with the needs to the employers, creating a pool of employment candidates, attracting qualified employees to the area, and supporting business growth.

 

"Jobs is a short word but it is a big chunk of what civic life is," Cirullo said. "That is the linchpin for all of my ideas."

 

If there were more jobs, good paying jobs Cirullo said crime rates will drop and the city will see property values increase, bringing additional revenue to the cash strapped city. 

 

Cirullo resides on Williamsburg Terrace with his wife Ashley and two sons, Connor and Michael.

 

Cirullo opted to jump into the race after the incumbent Tully announced she would not seek re-election. He is the second to do, Helen Moon also announced her intentions to seek the Ward 1 seat. 

 

Nomination papers become available on April 3, but already four candidates have publicly announced intentions to run. Moon and Cirullo are joined by Ty Allan Jackson, who is seek an at-large seat, and Dina Guiel plans to seek the Ward 2 seat.