Letter: Blackmer Is the Public Servant We Need

To the Editor:

In 2012, I was involved with running the coordinated campaigns of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, President Barack Obama and the new-to-the-Berkshires U.S. Rep. Richard Neal for Northern Berkshire County. When Congressman Neal showed up at our headquarters on Ashland Street in North Adams, one of the first people to greet him was City Councilor Lisa Blackmer. After sticking her hand out with a quick pleasantry, Lisa skillfully went to work and listed off a number of specific projects that North Adams could use federal help with. I was both impressed and floored by her chutzpah with a sitting member of Congress. That's the kind of gutsy, in the trenches, public servant she is.

I am happy to see three respectable contenders lining up for the 1st Berkshire District special election; I made my mind up almost immediately. Over the past decade, there is nobody who has delved further into the policies and practices of local governments than Lisa Blackmer. As a city councilor, town administrator and town treasurer, her dedication did not go unnoticed by others around the state, including the Massachusetts Municipal Association, where she eventually presided over the board.

In these days when Berkshire County and Massachusetts face serious challenges, from the current opiate crisis to Gov. Baker's slashed budget proposals to President Trump's attempts to strip health insurance from millions of Americans, we need someone representing us on Beacon Hill who will delve deep into the policies that affect us and our families. We need someone who is not afraid to advocate and fight for our schools, our healthcare needs, our roads, our jobs and our people. We need someone diligent, compassionate and consistent. That person is Lisa.

If you don't actually know Lisa, you should. She shows up, does her homework as well as the unglamorous behind-the-scenes work of policy crafting. She has a track record of making things happen. Please considering giving her your vote for state representative.

Greg Roach
North Adams, Mass.

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.