Springfield Attorney Running for Governor's Council

02:52PM / Saturday, March 12, 2022Print Story | Email Story

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Springfield attorney Jeffrey Morneau has declared a run for the 8th District seat on the Governor's Council.

Morneau, a Democrat, took out nomination papers on March 1 following incumbent Mary Hurley's decision not to stand for re-election. Morneau had run against the former Springfield mayor in 2016, when she was first elected.

He is a founding partner at Connor & Morneau, LLP, president of the Hampden County Bar Foundation and former president of the Hampden County Bar Association.

"Mary has been serving our community well as governor's councilor and she had earned the right to continue doing so if she so chose," he said.

Morneau believes that he is a perfect fit to be the next governor's councilor. In addition to his roles as Bar Foundation and Bar Association president, he served on the statewide Joint Bar Committee which is one of the last layers of review in the judicial nominating process and is charged with reporting to the governor on the qualifications of individuals under consideration for judicial nominations. Morneau has also served on the Board of Directors for Lawyers for Justice a non-profit entity dedicated to providing legal representation to the indigent.

"When we are talking about long-term appointments to the judiciary, it is critical that we get it right and my experience as a lawyer and with the judicial nominating process makes me uniquely qualified to serve as governor's councilor," he said. "I understand the importance of maintaining the integrity and transparency of the judicial selection process. I have helped to organize seminars and informational meeting for potential judicial applicants and participated in public testimony hearings for judicial nominees in western Massachusetts.

"As governor's councilor, I will continue those proactive efforts so that judicial vacancies in Western Massachusetts are filled quickly with the most competent and qualified lawyers from local communities."

Morneau was born and raised in Holyoke and resides in East Longmeadow with his wife, Kate, an elementary school principal, and their two children. He earned his undergraduate degree from Providence College, his law degree from Western New England College School of Law, and a master of laws degree from Georgetown University.

So far Morneau is one of two Democrats who have announced for Governor's Council; North Adams School Committee member Tara Jacobs took out papers earlier this month. No Republicans have so far taken out papers.

iBerkshires allows candidates to submit statements announcing their campaigns and information about themselves. Campaign statements can be sent to info@iberkshires.com.

Tags: election 2022,

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Pittsfield Schools Schedule Morningside, Budget Hearings This Week

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:23AM / Monday, April 06, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee will hold another public hearing for the potential closure of Morningside Community School.

On Thursday, April 9, at 6 p.m., community members will have the chance to give feedback in the Reid Middle School library. Last month, the Pittsfield Public Schools announced the possible closure of Morningside, which serves elementary grades, for the 2026-2027 school year and redistribution of its students to other city schools.

In the last couple of weeks, the district has solicited input from employees and community members through meetings at the school.

Morningside Community School was built in the mid-1970s with an open classroom concept. Morningside serves about 374 students and has a 7 percent accountability score, outperformed by 93 percent of the state.

For fiscal year 2027, the district has allocated about $5.2 million for the school. The committee has also requested a version of the proposed $87.2 million district budget with Morningside closed.

Pittsfield has another open concept school, Conte Community School, that is planned to consolidate with Crosby Elementary School, and possibly Stearns Elementary School, in a new building on the Crosby site by 2030. The status of the project's owner's project manager will be discussed on Tuesday, April 7, at 5 p.m. at Taconic High School during the School Building Needs Commission meeting.

That leaves the school officials wondering if Morningside students could have better educational outcomes if resources followed them to other nearby schools. Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips has stressed that a decision has not yet been made.

Considerations for the school’s closure include: The feasibility of the facility to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment with an open campus design, the funding allocation needed to ensure Morningside students can have equitable learning opportunities, and declining enrollment across Pittsfield elementary schools.