Letter: Lynette Bond Is a Leader for the Future

To the Editor:

To me, elections mean hope. My hope with this mayoral election is that our first female mayor will bring fresh energy and ideas to the corner office and usher in a new era for North Adams. As someone who has been involved in our city for many decades, I know it is time to hand the baton to the younger generation. But it gives me tremendous pause when one of the candidates voices contempt for all of the progress and hard work that has taken place in North Adams over the last 12 years and actively alienates anyone who supported this work. It certainly does not give me hope for tomorrow when Ms. Macksey is nostalgic for the past — specifically the past under former mayor John Barrett III.

Some of you may remember La Festa,which was a particular passion of mine back in the 90s. It was an incredible group of volunteers who came together to bring a weeklong Italian festival to our city. We had everything from fireworks to a baseball exchange with kids from Boston's North End (which continues to this day) to games and food and, let's not forget, big name concerts. It was a tremendous amount of work but so incredibly rewarding when you saw how much everyone enjoyed it. By far the hardest part of executing La Festa, in my opinion, was having to work with the then-Mayor Barrett. He stood in our way whenever he could and expected us to pay homage to him in order to get anything done. If Ms. Macksey is nostalgic for this type of leadership, we should all be worried.

Lynette Bond is a leader for the future for all of us. She believes strongly in collaboration and cares deeply for our city. Service and volunteer work is an intrinsic part of who she is and I'm so impressed with all she has accomplished. This ranges from serving on the Planning Board for eight years to ensuring that the Colegrove Park Elementary School project was realized to coaching boys youth basketball. Her energy is boundless and I have absolutely no doubt that she will put everything she has and everything she is into ensuring that our city thrives.

I strongly support Lynette for mayor and hope you will join me in voting for her on Nov. 2. Remember, signs do not win elections, votes do!

Tony and Mary Ann Abuisi
North Adams, Mass. 

Mary Ann Abuisi is a retired North Adams city clerk. 

McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:32PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course. 

 

The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication. 

 

"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."

 

LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates. 

 

"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.

 

The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.

 

"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.