Jennifer Macksey is quite simply the best mayoral candidate for North Adams. As any of Jen's coworkers, current or former, will tell you, Jen is a strong independent woman who has been successful in every position she has held. I have personally seen her incredibly strong work ethic and she puts her whole heart into everything she does — just imagine what she will do for the city she loves.
What an incredible benefit to have our new mayor walk into City Hall with the knowledge of how city government works. She will brainstorm with all the city departments to figure out what needs to be prioritized and get to work on it. There will be no long learning curve.
I find it disturbing that the only reason I hear to not vote for Jen is that she will be our former mayor's "mouthpiece." For those of you who have made that statement, you obviously don't know Jen.
She is as passionate about this city as anyone I have ever met. Safety, jobs, education and housing are all on the top of her to-do list and she wants to work with the citizens of the city to improve them all.
If you are on the fence about who to vote for, I urge you to talk to Jen, she welcomes any and all conversations. I also urge you to watch the 10/21/21 debate.
I support Jen Macksey and urge you to do the same, she will make this city proud.
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Letter: Let's Prioritize Investment in Public Education in Massachusetts
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
Across the 1st Berkshire District, our schools face a unique set of challenges. Declining enrollment, rising transportation costs, workforce shortages, increasing special education expenses, and growing student mental health needs are placing significant pressure on local districts and taxpayers alike.
We need to continue to strengthen the connections between our primary schools, higher education institutions, career training programs, and local employers so that more young people can build successful futures right here in the Berkshires. Whether it's early college programming that has been spearheaded and highly successful right here in the 1st Berkshire District with MCLA, new trades training like the HVAC program at McCann, or the high demand certifications and trainings in healthcare now being built and operated at BCC, MCLA, and within our K-12 system. Each of these represents an example of how we do things well right here in our region, and lays the groundwork for how we can continue to advance educational support.
A strong public education system is directly connected to housing, childcare, transportation, workforce development, and economic opportunity. If we want to retain young families, attract new residents, and build a stronger regional economy, we must continue investing in educational excellence at every level.
I support continued and enhanced investment in public education, career and technical education, and early childhood education. I also support policies that recognize the unique challenges facing rural and small-city districts, particularly around transportation funding, the imbalance of special education costs and state funding formulas, and educator recruitment and retention. When local students' needs change, we need to be aggressive in advocating and designing policies that remain agile to the cost-of-service impacts and be willing to change existing practices such as the Chapter 70 funding formula. Together, we need to foster a culture of equitable education investment that lifts up our students and families, not one that measures their value based on standardized tests that have proven to be determined more heavily by median household income, and not the quality of our educators, the commitment of our students or the support of our communities.
Every student deserves a pathway to success, whether that pathway leads to a college classroom, a skilled trade, military service, entrepreneurship, or a career right here in the Berkshires. As your State Representative, I will work collaboratively with educators, families, school leaders, higher education institutions, workforce partners, and state agencies to make sure that the Berkshires have a strong voice in shaping the future of education policy in Massachusetts, and will ensure that our communities get the tailored support we need and deserve.
Sincerely,
Andrew Fitch North Adams, Mass.
Candidate for state representative, 1st Berkshire District
Today, gerrymandering is a widely accepted term for creating voting districts using tools that political scientists call “cracking” and “packing.” click for more
The expansion and remodeling of Images Cinema at 50 Spring St. in Williamstown reflects the unusual cinematic landscape of Berkshire County in the wake of a very disruptive period that was sparked by the COVID pandemic of 2020.
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It's too late to get tickets — the event's sold out! — but you can hear some of the performances in the downtown area. Or, you can listen for free on NEPM (New England Public Media) 88.5.
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On Tuesday, June 16, Moulton was recognized by Superintendent Timothy Callahan during a Drury High School faculty meeting. She was presented with a commemorative certificate and a gift certificate for $200 for school classroom supplies. click for more
