Mayor Tyer Elected President of Mass Mayors Association

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Mayor Linda Tyer addresses the City Council at her second inauguration address in 2020.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Linda Tyer was unanimously elected president of the Massachusetts Mayors Association during the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Municipal Association held virtually on Jan. 21.
 
"I am deeply honored to be chosen for this position by my peers and I look forward to continuing my work with them and with the MMA in this new leadership position," Tyer said. "As any mayor or local official can attest to, our communities are facing common challenges and are united on an agenda for growth and advancement."
 
Tyer was elected by her mayoral colleagues to lead the association, which meets regularly throughout the year so mayors of the state can discuss and strategize on issues facing cities and towns, including local aid, transportation, education, housing, economic development, and job creation. She will serve a one-year term.
 
The association is a member group of the MMA, the statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization for cities and towns. By virtue of her election, the mayor will continue to serve as a member of the MMA Board of Directors.
 
"Mayor Tyer is widely recognized as a remarkable leader in her community and across the commonwealth," said MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. "The mayors of our state have asked her to be their leader in advancing the needs of our cities and towns, and we are very pleased that she has accepted this key post."
 
Tyer said no city or town can "go it alone" and it is important to work together on critical issues.
 
"The conversations will center this year on winning powerful investments in local aid, transportation, housing, infrastructure, and education to grow our economy, create jobs and build a strong recovery," she said. "We are committed to working with Gov. Baker and the Legislature to forge a partnership between the state and our cities and towns, so we can create a vibrant future for every community throughout Massachusetts."
 
As a member of the MMA Board of Directors, Tyer will also serve on the statewide Local Government Advisory Commission (LGAC), which meets throughout the year with top state leaders to discuss issues facing cities and towns.
 
"Mayor Tyer's knowledge and skill will be of enormous value to all of the cities and towns of Massachusetts," Beckwith said. "She is a forceful and effective advocate on behalf of local officials and taxpayers in all communities, as mayors and local leaders promote a robust partnership with the state in our common work to make Massachusetts stronger and more prosperous. We are deeply grateful that Mayor Tyer has stepped forward to assume this essential leadership role."

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Pittsfield Celebrates Robert 'Bob' Presutti on Arbor Day

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Bob Presutti, right, is presented the Hebert Award in 2017 for his volunteer efforts at Springside Park. He died in 2023 at age 88.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A tree has been planted next to the Berkshire Athenaeum in honor of local "giant" Robert Presutti.

Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.

"Today is a day where we yes, celebrate trees, but today is also a day where here in the city we intentionally try to acknowledge the good work of folks in our community who spend their time and their efforts and their talents to make Pittsfield a more beautiful place," he said to a crowd of about 20 people.

"Today we are honoring a longtime community volunteer named Bob Presutti. I'm sure a lot of you here know Bob and know his contributions to the city, not only when it comes to trees and parks but also to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program."

The longtime volunteer passed away last year at the age of 88. He contributed more than 10,600 hours to RSVP and had great impacts on the Parks Department over the years from sharing his knowledge and talents to ensuring that workers were safe when working on trees.

"This morning I went through my emails to see how many emails Bob Presutti sent me since the year 2001 when I started with the city. Bob Presutti sent me 14,000 emails and nearly every single one of those was about trees," McGrath said, prompting laughter and smiles from attendees.

One thread struck him as particularly important because it showed Presutti's empathy when it comes to the safety of city workers while caring for trees.

"There were multiple emails from Bob about the need to get the Parks Department maintenance guys into a program learning about chainsaw safety and learning about ladder safety. He was really into making certain that our city workers were well cared for and had all of the instruction that they needed and in fact, he even offered his own time and services after he became certified to teach our city workers," McGrath said.

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