Nomination Papers Available Tuesday for North Adams Election

05:46PM / Monday, April 05, 2021Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Nomination papers for November's municipal election will be available beginning Tuesday, April 5, from the city clerk's office.

Offices up for election are mayor for two years; nine City Council seats, also for two-year terms; three School Committee seats for four-year terms and one for three years; and two McCann School Committee seats for four years.

This will only be the second time in 36 years that the mayoral race will not have an incumbent on the ballot — and both of those elections were in the past four years.

Mayor Thomas Bernard announced the day after his state of the city address in February that he would not be seeking a third term and would instead be focusing his efforts on the agenda he'd been re-elected on in 2019 that had been disrupted by the novel coronavirus.

So far one potential candidate has surfaced in current City Councilor Jason L. Forest, who has indicated his interest in running.

All nine at-large seats on the City Council are up for election with the nine highest vote-getters taking office. The council will have at least one new face after Councilor Benjamin Lamb said he would not run for a fifth term.

The othe current councilors are Lisa Blackmer, Keith Bona, Marie T. Harpin, Paul Hopkins, Peter Oleskiewicz, Jessica Sweeney and Wayne Wilkinson.

On the School Committee, incumbents are Heather Putnam Boulger, Ian Bergeron and James C. Holmes. Emily Daunis was appointed to fill the term of Robert Moulton, who resigned last year, and that seat will also be up for election to complete the four-year term that expires Dec. 31, 2024.

The current North Adams representatives to the Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District are Paul A. Gigliotti and Gary F. Rivers. These seats are also for four years.

Nomination papers for all seats up for election require the signatures of registered voters in the city. The last day to file nomination papers with the Registrars of Voters is July 23; last date for certified papers is Aug. 6.

If the eligible candidates number more than two times the seats, a preliminary election will be held Sept. 21, with the last day to register to vote Sept. 1.

The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 2, from 9 to 7 at St. Elizabeth's Parish Hall. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 13.

Tags: election 2021, municipal election,

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NAHA Board Accepts Director's Resignation, Unlocks Tenants Association Office

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
03:33PM / Friday, October 16, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office.

The board held a special meeting Thursday to vote to accept Hohn's resignation and determined that there are currently no plans to replace her.

"We didn't make any final determinations in terms of the executive session so we will schedule another meeting at another time," Chairwoman Leigh Uqdah said after returning from more than an hour session. "Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed as normal by staff."

Per their bylaws, board member Marie Harpin will continue to handle finances, and Uqdah will manage contracts.

Hohn stepped down on Oct. 8 after 24 years leading the agency. Her resignation followed rising tension between her and the NAHA Tenants Association, culminating in the scheduling of a formal grievance hearing between both parties.

The boiling point was the locking of the association's office this summer. Tenants alleged the lockout was retaliation for posting a video on social media depicting improperly functioning door alarms. Hohn claimed the office was locked for tenant safety and to stop the spread of misinformation.

Tenants Association President Corey Fortin asked if Hohn's security access had been removed. Uqdah confirmed her credentials were revoked the day she resigned, meaning she can no longer monitor security cameras remotely.

Jennifer Barbeau, a former city councilor who was liaison to the Housing Authority, asked when the board met to discuss Hohn's severance package. Uqdah stated that Hohn did not have one.

The board also accepted the resignation of Commissioner Richard Lavigne, though they will vote officially on the matter at their next meeting.

The open portion of the meeting was brief, with nearly an hour and a half spent in executive session. Before entering executive session, the board opened the floor to tenants.

"The tenants requested an opportunity to talk to the board," said Uqdah. "It has been quite a while, but we have decided to honor that."

Fortin, who posted the original video to social media, was the first to speak. He was clear in his request: unlock the office door.

"Let's cut straight to the chase tonight. The former resigned Director Jennifer Hohn ordered the office locked," he alleged. "She is gone. The lockout is a direct violation, and the board has a duty to end that tonight."

He cited federal and state laws that mandate the tenants association be provided with office space, including computer and network access.

"We are here with a direct administrative demand. We demand that the board vote tonight to unlock the doors," he said. "Do not let a resigned director's illegal action remain the board's ongoing liability. Open our door tonight, and let us get back to work."

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