Letter: Vote Lynette Bond for Mayor

Letter to the Editor12:10PM / Friday, October 15, 2021Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

I write today to urge North Adams voters to support Lynette Bond for mayor. I believe a vote for Lynette will keep the city moving in the right direction. Lynette is incredibly active in North Adams and has the experience, foresight, and fortitude to do the job that needs to be done. Sure, she has never been a Facebook warrior, soapbox avenger, or ego maniac, so perhaps her deep investment and commitment to the city hasn't hit everyone's radar, but the positive impact of her work has likely touched each and every one of you in some way.

The city of North Adams has always had to work a little harder than other places to succeed. Lynette gets that and spends her time putting in that effort, not just talking about it or reminiscing about what once was.

I've known Lynette for years and when she announced her candidacy for mayor, I was thrilled. Lynette and I volunteered on the Planning Board together and I always found her inquisitive, mature, educated on the subject matter, able to make decisions -- and all around, just a great person. All necessary qualities in a mayor!

Lynette Bond will be proposing new, creative solutions (and she already is) -- and won't fall back on the same old same old. As mayor she can see a path forward to advance North Adams and help it realize its potential.

I have said for years that North Adams is too small to have the luxury of infighting. If we can't work together, why would anybody else want to work with us? Lynette will work with everyone, not just the majority who voted for a new direction over the last six elections. (A little secret: North Adams may be better known today, but the rest of the world doesn't care if you succeed or not. Only you do. For your own sake, work together.)

To address the garbage you might hear about "well, she's not from here." Neither was I. That didn't mean I couldn't fully commit myself to the community and find a longtime home and lifelong connections here. So please disregard those who make that argument. It's meaningless, divisive, and "where you are from" isn't a qualifier for how you will lead.

A recent fundraising letter that made the rounds on social media said the quiet part out loud: it implied that returning to the old days is the future for the city. To answer the point posed in the letter, yes indeed, I prefer how the city has been run the last 12 years. Freedom to dissent, freedom to express yourself, freedom to be creative with your business. Clearly a lot of other people liked it as well. Go forward with hope and vision North Adams, and elect Lynette Bond as your next mayor.

Paul Hopkins
Boylston, Mass.

Paul Hopkins is a former member of the North Adams Planning Board and former president of the North Adams City Council.

Tags: election 2021, letters to the editor,

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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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