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Melissa Mazzeo discusses her priorities with iBerkshires at the Marketplace Cafe on Wednesday.

Mazzeo Launches Bid For Pittsfield Mayor

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — This past winter, Melissa Mazzeo was being asked about piles of salt being left on the sides of the roads.
 
The small trucks weren't working properly. She said she talked to the commissioner of public services about it but didn't really have any authority to do anything. And now, the city's budget is some $2.1 million over in the snow and ice line and will have to transfer money from other places to cover it.
 
While the issue with the trucks can't be attributed to all of that overage, Mazzeo said it could have been reduced a bit if those trucks were repaired right then and there. 
 
"If I heard that, I would say let's have a meeting. Let's fix the truck if that's what's needed," she said envisioning herself in the city's corner office.
 
After a decade on the City Council, Mazzeo is now seeking the top administrative post. She will be challenging incumbent Linda Tyer for mayor. Mazzeo believes her detailed-oriented style as well as being proactive and hands-on will make her an effective mayor. 
 
"You don't want to micromanage but you are like the CEO of a company and you have to take an active role, you have to be briefed all of the time," Mazzeo said.
 
She is seeing a lack of proactiveness out of the current administration and feels issues are constantly being rushed last-minute through the council.
 
She used wastewater treatment plant upgrades as an example. The issue had been ongoing for years and then seemingly all at once, the administration was asking the council to waive its rules to send it to subcommittee and approve the $74 million expenditure to avoid being fined. 
 
"It was 'we have to get this done quickly because they're fining us.' Why now? It's been years," Mazzeo said. "We are building to a permit that was issued a long time ago and there is no guarantee they won't come back to us and say now we need you to do this."
 
As a councilor, she dug deeper into the issue and read the paperwork about the city's appeal and found out that the appeal was denied because of the way the paperwork was filed, not on the merits of the Pittsfield's case. That is something she feels the city could have fought harder to be readdressed and something the council should have been on board and informed about every step of the way.
 
"I'm not finding the transparency that I would want to do. By making the councilors aware, making the public aware, before something is tossed out there is important. As everybody knows, nobody is really paying attention until you start to get to the vote. But if you are making them really aware that on this date here this is going to happen and you start talking about it long before, I think you might get a better reaction, get more people understanding it," Mazzeo said.
 
Another example she used are recent issues with teenagers causing trouble in Springside Park. Mazzeo said the city was aware for a long time that there wasn't a school resource officer at the nearby Reid Middle School. And then issues were caused and now the school has one.
 
"If we were proactive, as soon as we didn't have a resource officer we'd be getting another one, we'd be working to get another one. It would be a priority rather than waiting two years and now you have a violent issue and we need one," Mazzeo said.
 
Her style is one that comes from business. Her husband, Tony, is a co-owner of Mazzeo's Restaurant and if something happens and the dishes need to get washed, he'll step in and do it. That's the type of mayor Mazzeo hopes to be.
 
"I have to know the inner workings. It drives my family crazy because I want to know what, when, where, and how. But that's sort of the style I've had with a lot of the things I've done in life and that seems to resonate with people, that's how they'd like to have things done for them," she said.
 
Mazzeo launches her campaign Friday night with the opening of her Elm Street office. But the words Mazzeo and mayor have been often said in the same sentence as there has been constant rumor or question as to whether or not she'd run in past elections.
 
She had thought about it four years ago but two things held her back -- Daniel Bianchi was seeking re-election and she was a supporter, and her daughters were entering freshmen years, one in college and one in high school, so she had an additional focus on the homefront.
 
"If he had decided he wasn't going to run again, I would have to love to. But at the same time, my family still wasn't in the right place. My kids, one was a freshman in college, one was a freshman in high school," Mazzeo said.
 
Those two holdups are gone now. Her two daughters are both seniors, one will be heading to college and one will be graduating college. It's the right time.
 
"From watching things be done through all of these administrations, there are things I feel I can help move forward, ideas with how I would come at it," Mazzeo said. "It's been in the back of my mind for the last four years that if the timing was right and everything was lining up."
 
Originally a dental hygienist with no political aspirations, Mazzeo heard about the formation of Women Helping Empower Neighborhoods (WHEN) that aimed to get more women into political positions in Pittsfield in the early 2000s. She started attending meetings and was part of campaigns during a big year for the organization in 2003 when it helped elect Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Tyer, and Patricia "Pam" Malumphy to the City Council. 
 
"I just got really involved with it. I loved it from the aspect of the energy of everybody. You start learning the issues and realize you really can make a difference when you put your voices together," Mazzeo said.
 
When Tyer was appointed city clerk in 2009, Mazzeo decided to try to make a bigger difference by not just working on campaigns but being a candidate for the vacant Ward 3 seat. 
 
But she lost to Paul Capitanio. The race received a lot of attention so even though she lost, Mazzeo had gotten her ideas and name out there. She was urged to run for an at-large seat and later that same year, she won a spot on the council. Now she is concluding her fifth term. 
 
Because of a back injury, she left her work in dental hygiene around the same time. She's been active in politics, worked in the restaurant, raised a family, and involved with community organizations. 
 
"There are days when I am super frustrated and asking why am I doing this. And then I'll be able to help somebody make a connection or fix a problem or be involved in something like that. Now I'm right back energized," Mazzeo said. 
 
However, "as a city councilor, there are limitations. There is only so much you can do in that seat and things I would like to see changed going forward can only be done if I am in a different position."
 
A top priority in this race will be crime. Mazzeo said the city needs to find new strategies toward addressing crime. Particularly,  she said, the opioid issue has driven much of the crime and she doesn't want to simply hire more officers but rather find social workers and doctors to help treat underlying causes.
 
"[Police] can't be all of those things. They can't be the social worker. They can't be the doctor on site. They have certain things they can do and I think the more help we can give them in those departments, I think that is the way to go," Mazzeo said.
 
She said there are models in other communities and she'd like to pull a little from each to craft a plan that will work for Pittsfield. And if that doesn't work, Mazzeo said she won't hesitate to pull the plug and try something else. Another frustration of Mazzeo is often it seems that the city holds onto certain ways and things for too long.
 
She used the example of the parking meters. Those have been in place for a few years and Mazzeo said there are a number of problems with them and they aren't doing what they were intended to do. She said while there has been investment in the purchase of those meters, that shouldn't stop the city from trying something new.
 
"We have to stop continuing to do things because that's how we've always done it. I think we really have to start thinking outside the box," Mazzeo said.
 
She'd like to take a new look at the parking plan and come up with something that could solve some of the issues such as where the meters are located, where there is timed parking, and software issues that cause people to get unjust tickets.
 
A little bit of extra salt on the roads, or a bit of a delay in getting an item to the City Council, or a parking ticket that will be repealed at City Hall, may seem minor in themselves but Mazzeo said those minor things add up. She said her ability to spot those details and work to solving them will help in a number of ways.
 
The city faces issues with vacant commercial buildings. It often requires a significant amount of money to meet all of the codes at once. She said a new entrepreneur could be in $100,000 before even selling a single item because of each of those little things. She'd look to make that easier to renovate buildings by requiring only the imminent safety issues and then easing in the rest of the upgrades over time.
 
"Obviously, you have to have something very important done for safety but all of the minute little things, I think they can be staggered in," Mazzeo said. 
 
The same goes for the local permitting process that she says becomes a deterrent for business growth.
 
"I feel like there is still a disconnect between local businesses and departments within City Hall and how things are done and the speed in which things are done. I feel like we wait for this out-of-town person to come in. We're really excited and we want to attract them when the person who is already here is the person we really should be catering to. They live here. They are invested here," Mazzeo said.
 
The city offers housing rehabilitation dollars through the federal Housing and Urban Development program. But, she said the old housing stock in Pittsfield has things like lead paint and once money goes toward doing one rehabilitation, it triggers lead paint removal and the cost escalates. The money ends up not being as effective as it could be because it eliminates some homeowners from doing anything.
 
"A mayor from Pittsfield can't change that but you have to have a good dialogue with the people who can make those decisions," Mazzeo said.
 
The same goes for unfunded mandates in schools. When it comes to issues beyond the city's control, Mazzeo said she'd be a strong advocate for getting those change on the state or federal levels.
 
"We've ruled ourselves to death on so many things that they don't even know what rule they put in place to start with. By the time they got to rule 99, they forgot rules one through 10," Mazzeo said.
 
That partnership with state and federal officials goes further than just identifying and advocating for various changes, she said. She said there needs to be a new strategy in developing the William Stanley Business Park and that has to include assistance with the state.
 
"They need to help us get things up and running so we are able to attract these businesses. People do their homework, they do their due diligence before moving their company here and they could be leery of going to that site when they are really not sure if the site is completely cleaned up or if we still have some issues," Mazzeo said. 
 
The sites are problematic and Mazzeo said "we clearly made wrong decisions" in the past. But, she can't change the past. She said she'd be one to really push for the state to bring in a brownfields specialist and head a development such as MassDevelopment did in Fort Devens.
 
She opposed the development of a Walmart at the business park. She felt it was a win that the company ultimately did not take that location because big retailers have been closing and those stores are difficult to be reused. She advocated that if it was going to be built that it be done in a way that allows easier reuse but she doesn't think that would have happened.
 
"I'm really happy Walmart made that decision because I don't think they would have built it the way we wanted it. I think they would have built it toward their model and in 20 years, maybe 10 years, we'd be stuck with an empty Walmart right in the middle of that development," Mazzeo said. 
 
"Could mixed use go in there? It could if it is the right mixed use."
 
Ideally, she wants that site to be developed into a place that provides good, stable jobs. 
 
"We really don't have tons of industrial space. I don't want to see a solar field on it. I don't want to see anything that is not going to create jobs. You are going to get some revenue from a solar field but it isn't creating a job," Mazzeo said.
 
She sees the Berkshire Innovation Center as being a catalyst to make that happen. It would help small and medium-sized businesses here now as well as provide a workforce training component that she feels is direly needed in the city.
 
"We have a definite workforce gap. We have thousands of jobs out here. We don't have the skilled labor to go into it," Mazzeo said. "That's one of the reasons I wholeheartedly supported doing the new Taconic [High School] and really focusing on the 21st-century vocational aspect going into it."
 
In the last couple of years, Mazzeo had opposed a number of Tyer's proposals but those last two are examples she believes shows that she isn't opposing the items because Tyer put them forth but on their merits. She said she disagreed with former Mayor Ruberto on a number of issues as well but if the plan was right, she'd support it.
 
"It is based on its merit and not who put it forward. I can stand on my record for that," she said.
 
Most recently, she opposed Tyer's At Home in Pittsfield program but emphasized the disagreement was over the funding source and not the idea. She believes there is a different funding source and would like to see Tyer's plan move forward if that can be secured.
 
Mazzeo had seen the city reach its low point following the departure of General Electric but said, "once you hit bottom there is nowhere to go but up." She believes Pittsfield has been on an upward trajectory since then and that as mayor she can help it continue.
 
"I love our community. I love where we live. We have just as many problems as every other community but we also have so much more to offer with our lakes, mountains, and arts and culture," Mazzeo said. 
 
"I want my kids to go away for school and get a career and I want them to be able to come back here and be able to work. I don't want to chase my kids all over the country. I don't want to have to fly across the country to see my grandchildren."

Tags: city election,   election 2019,   mayor,   


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Crosby/Conte Statement of Interest Gets OK From Council

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Architect Carl Franceschi and Superintendent Joseph Curtis address the City Council on Tuesday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the approval of all necessary bodies, the school district will submit a statement of interest for a combined build on the site of Crosby Elementary School.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously gave Superintendent Joseph Curtis the green light for the SOI to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by April 12.

"The statement I would make is we should have learned by our mistakes in the past," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.

"Twenty years ago, we could have built a wastewater treatment plant a lot cheaper than we could a couple of years ago and we can wait 10 years and get in line to build a new school or we can start now and, hopefully, when we get into that process and be able to do it cheaper then we can do a decade from now."

The proposal rebuilds Conte Community School and Crosby on the West Street site with shared facilities, as both have outdated campuses, insufficient layouts, and need significant repair. A rough timeline shows a feasibility study in 2026 with design and construction ranging from 2027 to 2028.

Following the SOI, the next step would be a feasibility study to determine the specific needs and parameters of the project, costing about $1.5 million and partially covered by the state. There is a potential for 80 percent reimbursement through the MSBA, who will decide on the project by the end of the year.

Earlier this month, city officials took a tour of both schools — some were shocked at the conditions students are learning in.

Silvio O. Conte Community School, built in 1974, is a 69,500 square foot open-concept facility that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s but the quad classroom layout poses educational and security risks.  John C. Crosby Elementary School, built in 1962, is about 69,800 square feet and was built as a junior high school so several aspects had to be adapted for elementary use.

Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said the walkthrough was "striking" at points, particularly at Conte, and had her thinking there was no way she would want her child educated there. She recognized that not everyone has the ability to choose where their child goes to school and "we need to do better."

"The two facilities that we are looking at I think are a great place to start," she said.

"As the Ward 6 councilor, this is where my residents and my students are going to school so selfishly yes, I want to see this project happen but looking at how we are educating Pittsfield students, this is going to give us a big bang for our buck and it's going to help improve the educational experience of a vast group of students in our city."

During the tour, Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey, saw where it could be difficult to pay attention in an open classroom with so much going on and imagined the struggle for students.

Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said, "we cannot afford not to do this" because the city needs schools that people want their children to attend.

"I know that every financial decision we make is tough but we have to figure this out. If the roof on your house were crumbling in, you'd have to figure it out and that's where we're at and we can't afford to wait any longer," she said.

"We can't afford for the sake of the children going to our schools, for the sake of our city that we want to see grow so we have to build a city where people want to go."

Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso, who served on the School Building Needs Commission for about 18 years, pointed out that the panel identified a need to address Conte in 2008.

Curtis addressed questions about the fate of Conte if the build were to happen, explaining that it could be kept as an active space for community use, house the Eagle Academy or the Adult Learning Center, or house the central offices.

School attendance zones are a point of discussion for the entire school district and for this project.

"At one time I think we had 36 school buildings and now we have essentially 12 and then it would go down again but in a thoughtful way," Curtis said.

Currently, eight attendance zones designate where a student will go to elementary school. Part of the vision is to collapse those zones into three with hopes of building a plan that incorporates partner schools in each attendance zone.

"I think that going from eight schools to three would be easier to maintain and I think it would make more sense but in order to get there we will have to build these buildings and we will have to spend money," Kavey said, hoping that the city would receive the 80 percent reimbursement it is vying for.

This plan for West Street, which is subject to change, has the potential to house grades pre-kindergarten to first grade in one school and Grades 2 to 4 in another with both having their own identities and administrations. 

The districtwide vision for middle school students is to divide all students into a grade five and six school and a grade seven and eight school to ensure equity.

"The vagueness of what that looks like is worrisome to some folks that I have talked to," Lampiasi said.

Curtis emphasized that these changes would have to be voted on by the School Committee and include public input.

"We've talked about it conceptually just to illustrate a possible grade span allocation," he said. "No decisions have been made at all by the School Committee, even the grade-span proposals."

School Committee Chair William Cameron said it is civic duty of the committee and council to move forward with the SOI.
 
He explained that when seven of the city's schools were renovated in the late 1990s, the community schools were only 25 years old and Crosby was 35 years old.  The commonwealth did not deem them to be sorely in need of renovation or replacement.
 
"Now 25 years later, Crosby is physically decrepit and an eyesore. It houses students ages three to 11 in a facility meant for use by teenagers,"
 
"Conte and Morningside opened in the mid-1970s. They were built as then state-of-the-art schools featuring large elongated rectangles of open instructional space. Over almost half a century, these physical arrangements have proven to be inadequate for teaching core academic skills effectively to students, many of whom need extra services and a distraction-free environment if they are to realize their full academic potential."
 
He said  the proposal addresses a serious problem in the "economically poorest, most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse area" of the city.
 
Cameron added that these facilities have been deemed unsatisfactory and need to be replaced as part of the project to reimagine how the city can best meet the educational needs of its students.  He said it is the local government's job to move this project forward to ensure that children learn in an environment that is conducive to their thriving academically.
 
"The process of meeting this responsibility needs to begin here tonight," he said.
 
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