Cohen Running for North Adams City Council

Rebbecca Ann Cohen has announced a run for North Adams City Council.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Rebbecca Ann Cohen, a longtime city resident, says she will be running for seat on the City Council this fall, and is applying for the current seat left vacant by Nancy Bullet.

Bullet resigned effective July 1 and the City Council has solicited letters of interest to fill the vacancy until the next election.

Cohen, the director of human resources and compliance for her family's businesses, Tunnel City Transport and Cariddi Auto, has been an active North Adams resident since returning to the city in 2012 following her pursuit of a master's degree.   

Since then, Cohen has formed personal and professional relationships in the Berkshires and graduated last year from 1Berkshire's Berkshire Leadership Program.

While always passionate by the city she calls home, Cohen said she realized that getting politically involved in her community was the best way for her to give back and to help the city continue to move forward.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.