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The four candidates for Pittsfield mayor running in the preliminary election faced off at Berkshire Community College on Monday.

Pittsfield Mayoral Candidates Spar in First Debate

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Scott Graves
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the September preliminary election nearing, the four mayoral candidates debated Monday night at Berkshire Community College.
 
The four candidates, Rusty Anchor owner Scott Graves, retired Pittsfield Police Officer Karen Kalinowsky, Councilor at Large Melissa Mazzeo, and incumbent Mayor Linda Tyer fielded questions from local radio personality Larry Kratka and made their pitch to potential voters.
 
The debate was held by the Pittsfield Gazette and aired by Pittsfield Community Television. The candidates were seated in the order of their appearance on the ballot.
 
With more than two candidates running for mayor, the city must hold a preliminary election. Voters will decide Sept. 17 which two candidates will secure spots in the Nov. 5 city election.
 
Each candidate gave a brief opening statement and Graves took some time to go over his own history and his climb from poverty to becoming a successful business and property owner.
 
"Through hard work and dedication, you can be who you want to be. I am a successful business owner with multiple businesses started from scratch," he said. "I have been here all of my life. I love this place ... and I have invested in our city quite a lot."
 
Tyer hit on some of her own achievements as mayor and noted she thought Pittsfield was making a come back through "specific and dedicated action." She specifically cited her creation of the Red Carpet Team to welcome business and the capturing of more than $17 million in grants and donations. 
 
"When I took the oath of office in 2016, I dedicated myself to building a stronger city," she said. "This is our hometown and there ought to be promise and opportunity for every citizen." 
 
Kalinowsky spoke of growing up in Pittsfield in a large family and cited her more than 30 years on the police force.
 
"I loved my job working for the police department I did community policing ... I believe the whole job is community policing if you are doing it right," she said. "I believe I can make a change with the crime and in the schools and on our streets."
 
Mazzeo told her own story and said she was raised by a single mother and learned the importance of service. She added that she has become frustrated with the current leadership  over the past four years. 
 
"I am very frustrated after being on the council for so long with our lack of leadership and let me say clearly that if elected I will be a four-year mayor," she said. "For years I have heard the residents' frustration and we can't keep doing things the way we have always done them."
 
Kratka first asked the candidates what have they heard the most from constituents when campaigning and Graves said the people he talked to told him they had concerns about increasing taxes. He suggested combating this by making the city more business-friendly through zoning changes and getting properties back on the tax roll.
 
Tyer said she heard a lot of positive things from people who enjoyed city events, amenities, and employment opportunities. She did note that people were not happy with the condition of the roads. 
 
Kalinowsky said she heard the same things Tyer did but added that people were concerned with the school system and crime in the city.
 
Mazzeo said people told her that they wanted a change.
 
"They are disappointed because they were promised change. They were promised blight would be cleaned up and crime was going to be addressed," she said. "Each person that lives in their homes and pays their taxes they expect certain things to be taken care of ... they are starting to feel a bit disillusioned."
 

Linda Tyer
The conversation then moved to the police and community links to law enforcement and Tyer said the city has increased its focus on community policing under her administration as well as formed the Citizen Review and Advisory Board.
 
Kalinowsky did applaud the city's efforts to increase community policing and said she did not see a deficiency in the department’s relationship with the community. She did say the issue was with crime and people are not being held accountable for their actions. 
 
"I am hearing that people aren't being charged because they have a drug problem. What about the victim?" she said. "Yes I feel bad for people but you have to hold them accountable ... from what I hear and see somehow the politics of the district attorney and the court is infiltrating itself in the Police Department. Police officers need to be able to do their job."
 
Mazzeo and Graves both agreed.
 
Kratka then asked the candidates what they would do if faced with a natural or manmade disaster that left the city without power for an extended period of time and Kalinowsky said the answer would be to stick to the emergency management plan. 
 
Mazzeo said the city should continue to work with partners, departments and other communities to improve this plan. Graves added that he thought the most important thing when facing an emergency was clear communication.
 
Tyer said that under her administration, the city secured a $75,000 grant to fund a feasibility study to build a microgrid in the downtown area to power vital services in the case of a power outage. She said they are now in the planning stages of design for this microgrid.
 
Marijuana was the next topic and Kratka asked the candidates what their reaction was to the proposed outdoor marijuana cultivation on Barker Road. 
 
Mazzeo said she was part of working with these new state regulations and setting the city’s own parameters to protect abuttors.
 
Graves said he did not have an issue with marijuana cultivation but thought abuttors should have a voice if an operation is proposed in their neighborhood. 
 
Kalinowsky echoed Grave's comments and said she doesn't like the idea of marijuana cultivation within the city but understands it is a reality. 
 
Tyer said when the state was rolling out these regulations she thought it was important for Pittsfield to quantify possible impacts. Before the city had its hands on these regulations, she was working on drafting an ordinance that would protect the city while supporting the new industry. 
 
All four candidates thought green components should implemented in city projects if applicable. 
 
In response to questions about city streets, Tyer agreed that there is a lot of work to do, citing the paving management plan that prioritizes projects with the resources the city has. She said more than 41 miles of road have been paved during her tenure and that the city is optimizing its resources.
 
Graves thinks the roads are bad and that potholes aren't being patched properly. He said he sustained damage to his own vehicle and after no response from the city, took it upon himself to patch his own road.
 
Kalinowsky also believes that most of the streets are in poor condition, specifically pointing out unaccepted streets that she thinks the city should look at accepting. She added that she did not think the city was properly addressing potholes and many of them simply do not last.
 
However, there has been more road work in the the last year, she said, attributing this to the fact that it is an election year.
 
Mazzeo said she thought there may be other reasons for the potholes and noted that piles of salt left from plowing does not help the situation She said the current leadership was making excuses for the city’s poor infrastructure.
 

Karen Kalinowsky
She is also concerned about line painting and said that even in August, some roads are without lines. This does not create a friendly atmosphere for visitors and tourists, Mazzeo said, adding that in general, she thought there were a lot of public work issues that come down to poor leadership.
 
All the candidates agreed that the city should continue to push tourist and city information physically in public and on social media.

Tyer took time out of her response to tourism to address Kalinowsky’s comment that more roads were only being paved because it was an election year. She said she has been active throughout her tenure citing the creation of the Red Carpet Team, hiring a business development manager, and the development of the Berkshire Innovation Center.

 
"It is just baloney," she said. "I am going to promise you one thing: I am going to work hard in year one, year two, year three, and in year four, even though it is an election year."
 
Kratka’s last question of the night was what can the city do to become more age-friendly.
 
Tyer said the city has worked to become more accessible in all ways but felt it has to continue a push to develop a pickleball court. 
 
Mazzeo said she thought seniors are a wealth of knowledge that the city should continue to tap. They, too, are frustrated about infrastructure and accessibility, she said, and many elderly do not feel safe on North Street.
 
Kalinowsky echoed Mazzeo’s comments on crime on North Street and said seniors do not feel safe with theft and drinking out in the open. She said this could be taken care of by putting an officer on the street. She added that she did not think it was fair to keep raising taxes with many elderly living on a fixed income.
 
Graves said he had heard from older citizens that they do not feel as though they have a voice at City Hall.
 
"We have to let people in and I can't reiterate that enough," he said. "If you call the mayor's office and you can't get through and there is not a chance of ever having a meeting — that will never happen with me. I will be there and available like I am with all of my successful businesses"
 

Melissa Mazzeo
The debate wound down after about an hour and a half and Kratka opened up the floor for closing remarks.
 
"I am not a politician, I am not business as usual, I'm very neat and tidy, and everything I start I finish," Graves said. "I never going to say something that I'm not going to come through with and I want to listen to the people and be available to the people."
 
"Under my leadership, we have been at all of these tables asking how can we improve our shared responsibility to one another digging in and solving problems," Tyer said. "Pittsfield needs four more years of proven leadership. Pittsfield needs four more years of thoughtful yet decisive action. I will be ready tomorrow morning and I will be ready in January 2020." 
 
"I am hands-on and when I worked in law enforcement anything that was put in front of me I went right in and did," Kalinowsky said. "If you vote for me for mayor that's what I will do, I am not going to sit behind a desk. If I have to be out there in the streets I will be out there. If I have to be in a DPW truck, I will be. You have to hold people accountable you are the boss."
 
"We have some serious issues ... and having 10 years experience on the City Council ... I am frustrated," Mazzeo said. "I can't create the policy. I have to sit there and when it comes across the desk fund it. I want to be in that seat and for four years I will be a very active mayor."

Tags: city election,   debate,   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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