Mayor Linda Tyer and her husband, Barry Clairmont, at her re-election launch last year. Clairmont has filed a defamation suit against Tyer's mayoral rival Melissa Mazzeo.
Pittsfield Mayor's Husband Files Lawsuit Against Election Rival
PITTSFIELD — Mayor Linda Tyer's husband, Barry Clairmont, filed a lawsuit in Berkshire Superior Court alleging Melissa Mazzeo tried to defame him after the 2019 mayoral election.
Clairmont, an accountant, filed the suit earlier this month claiming that former City Councilor and mayoral candidate Mazzeo defamed him and should compensate him for damaging his reputation.
Mazzeo ran against Tyer in 2019 and lost by more than 500 votes.
Later in November, Mazzeo called for a recount that resulted in Tyer actually gaining two more votes bringing the final count to 6,185 votes for Tyer and 5,657 for Mazzeo.
In Mazzeo's request for a recount and in communications with the secretary of state's Elections Division, Mazzeo had stated an "individual closely related to the Tyer Campaign" had had inappropriate proximity to the ballots.
This person was Clairmont, who had been in the city clerk's office during absentee voting. Clairmont was there pick up records he had requested; the city clerk had him wait in her office. The Elections Division dismissed the complaint finding that he had no access to ballots and no interaction with voters.
After the recount, Mazzeo's attorney Andrew Hochberg suggested Mazzeo may still appeal the election citing irregularities in the handling of the ballots from the registrar's office to the City Council Chambers upstairs. That apparently did not happen and Mazzeo has since moved to Dalton.
iBerkshires.com reached out to Mazzeo on Friday afternoon, and she said she only recently was served the lawsuit and had no comment at the time.
"I was served with the lawsuit about an hour ago,” she said. "I have not even had time to talk with anyone, especially an attorney so I really can't comment right now.”
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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
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