Letter: Support Bond for Mayor

Letter to the EditorPrint Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

I have struggled with whether or not to write this letter, and as I write it, am still struggling with the right way to say what I want to say. I am not a political person, and hope that I don't get the backlash that some do for putting their opinion forward. I was born and raised here in North Adams and John Barrett III was my teacher in fourth grade when he was elected, so I have experienced many elections, some more tumultuous than others.

This mayoral election has been a bit stressful for me since I know both candidates and many of their supporters, on both sides. I worked for Jennifer Macksey and I work closely with Lynette Bond currently. I have felt a bit of pressure to be loyal to someone I worked for and the assumption my vote is going in that direction. I do appreciate Jennifer's support of me while I worked under her so I hope that message does not get lost here.

Both of these women have great qualities to lead our city and I'm confident that we will be just fine with either one sitting in the corner office.

For me, working with both of these women, it is coming down to the style of leadership. I see one as being a bit more cut and dry, and the other having a softer approach to issues but gets the job done. I have seen both exert power just in different ways. I know our city needs a bit of both of these type of leaders, but each of us have our own preference.

After watching the campaigns unfold, keeping an eye on the social media posts, the campaign letters, and the style of outreach, I will be casting my vote for Lynette Bond. Lynette's leadership style and experience outside of city government is just what I think our city needs.

Bonnie Howland
North Adams, Mass.

 

 


Tags: election 2021,   municipal election,   


If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

North Adams Council Votes $55M Budget

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The $55 million fiscal 2027 budget approved by the City Council on Tuesday had been cut by $298,000, as of Monday.
 
The proposed fiscal 2027 spending plan is $54,964,135.99, up 5 percent over this year. The Finance Committee gave a final recommendation of the draft on Monday.
 
Of the amount approved, nearly $24 million comes from state aid (minus $4.5 million in charges), $9.5 million from local receipts, and $25 million through taxation. 
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the Finance Committee, as it was giving its final look at the plan, that she'd made cuts on previously recommended budget lines. The budget has been under review for several weeks. 
 
"We were trending at $1.8 million that we were closing the gap on, and then it became evident that we couldn't push any more really on local receipts," she said. "The team really took a deep dive into what can we really survive without. ... I feel like we, as an administration, tightened up a lot, but we are trying to keep the budget in balance."
 
The reductions, use of $663,000 in reserves and accounts sitting outside the general fund, will be used to close the gap, along with an anticipated $1.1 million more in local receipts.
 
"We have the reserve, we should use it. It's hard to both on the city side and on the school side, you know, to say to a taxpayer, your taxes are going to go up, we have spread out this $2 million and we're sitting on a savings account for $2 million right?" the mayor said.
 
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories