Letter: Retired Police Chief Backs Macksey for Mayor

To the Editor:

To the residents of North Adams: It is with great pleasure that I may provide you with an honest and heartfelt letter in support of, who I feel, is the most qualified candidate for mayor of the City of North Adams. I have the privilege of knowing Jennifer Macksey both on a professional and personal basis. I have had the honor of serving this great city for over 32 years. I have seen its ups and downs, good and bad, positive and negative, trials and tribulations of the city I call home. However, through all of this, we always hold our heads high and continue to do what’s best for our city, its residents, and the communities around us.

Having known Jennifer for nearly 25 years, she has the integrity, intelligence, and strong municipal knowledge to "hit the ground running" on Jan. 1, 2022. I know Jennifer has a deep love and understanding of our city. Her passion and caring for our senior citizens, the hard working men and women of our community, and one of the most important assets of this city, our children and their education and well being.

We know there are some significant issues within this city, our crumbling infrastructure, failing water and sewer lines, roads, sidewalks, fire hydrants, public safety building, etc. Yes, there has been some improvements made to these issues, however, there is much more that needs to be done. We all know that this type of comprehensive work can be costly. But, if we start now, put a plan together and execute it, we will begin to make progress. Of course, this will take to few years to complete, nothing happens overnight. However, I know that Jennifer is person that can find the funding, coordinate, and execute a significant infrastructure improvement plan.

I believe public safety and our schools are the backbone of this city. I know Jennifer has the ability, trust, understanding and communication skills, to be sure that these important issues are always being improved, funded appropriately, and maintained to the highest standards possible.

Having worked with Jennifer, I have found her to have the ability to communicate and work very well with others. She listens to people, understands, and shows great empathy. She is a strong, no nonsense woman, yet, kind and understanding. In my opinion, her honesty, integrity, transparency, and love for this city is unquestionable.
Please go out and vote for Jennifer Macksey for mayor on Nov. 2, 2021.

Michael Cozzaglio
North Adams, Mass. 

Michael Cozzaglio is the retired police chief of North Adams.

North Adams Police Investigating Suspicious Fire at Concession Stand

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
06:20PM / Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre, left, and Commissioner of Public Services Timothy Lescarbeau check the damage to the concession building. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Authorities are investigating a suspicious fire that occurred at the Windsor Lake concession stand on Wednesday afternoon. 

 

The fire was called in just before 5 p.m. as "visible flames and smoke." There was dark smoke coming from a storage area on the backside of the building and firefighters were able to quickly knock it down.

 

Power was shut off to the building and fans set up to push the smoke out. Wire and Alarm and Commissioner of Public Services Timothy Lescarbeau also arrived on scene. 

 

"Right now we're just trying to make sure all of the flames are out and that there's no reoccurrence, and then the Police Department will do their investigation," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey. "It is a suspicious thing that we're closed and we weren't cooking hamburgs." 

 

There was damage to some of the items being stored in the building, including two kayaks that melted, plus the lines & buoys for the swimming area, chairs and some benches. 

 

The concession stand was not open this year, so nothing was on in the kitchen; the other items were stored at the beginning of October. 

 

There were people up at the park, walking and enjoying the view. One woman who was out with her dog said she'd walked by the stand and noticed two people on bench near it, but no smoke. When she came back about 20 minutes later, the fire engines were there.