image description — Macksey will be taking the oath of office as the first woman elected to the corner office, 127 years after North Adams was chartered as a city.

North Adams To Swear in New Council, Mayor On Saturday

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
04:35PM / Wednesday, December 29, 2021Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The inauguration of Jennifer Macksey as the 33rd mayor of the city of North Adams and the biennial reorganization of government will be held Saturday, Jan. 1, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

The swearing-in will take place in the Drury High School auditorium for the first time and outside of City Hall for the first time since 2000. The millennial inauguration had been held at the Hunter Center at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Drury had been chosen to accommodate the large number of expected attendees but because of the rise in positive cases of COVID-19, will now allow a smaller audience to socially distance.

Attendance is being limited to 175 (with preference to guests of the elected members) but the event will be broadcast on Northern Berkshire Community Television Corp. and iBerkshires.com intends to livestream it on the front page.

Macksey will be taking the oath of office as the first woman elected to the corner office, 127 years after North Adams was chartered as a city.

Also being sworn in will be the City Council for the coming two-year term. Incumbent Councilors Lisa Blackmer, Keith Bona, Peter Oleskiewicz, Bryan Sapienza, Wayne Wilkinson, and Marie T. Harpin and Michael Obasohan (who both were seated in November), will be joined by newcomers Jennifer Barbeau and Ashley Shade.

The City Clerk Cathleen King will preside over the meeting until the new City Council is sworn in. The council will then convene in public meeting, elect a president and vice president, and receive committee assignments. The newly elected president will address the meeting.

This will be followed by new School Committee members Richard Alcombright, Emily Daunis, David Sookey and Joshua Vallieres, and McCann School Committee members Gary Rivers and Diane Parsons being sworn in.

The new mayor will then be escorted on stage to take her oath and give her inaugural address.

There is expected to be a benediction, invocation and musical interludes. There will not, however, be a reception following the event because of pandemic precautions.

Tags: inauguration, mayor, North Adams City Council,

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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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