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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Another Holmes Road Bridge in Pittsfield Down to One Lane

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
03:33PM / Tuesday, February 24, 2026

The location of the bridge on Holmes Road.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Another bridge on Holmes Road will be reduced to one lane indefinitely beginning next month and closed for the rest of the week.

It's the third bridge so far in the Berkshires that's been downgraded in the past month: The Briggsville bridge in Clarksburg is set to be replaced by a temporary bridge and the Park Street bridge in Adams has had weight restrictions placed on it.

On Tuesday, Pittsfield announced that the bridge over the Housatonic River, located between Cooper Parkway and Pomeroy Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic from Monday, March 2, until further notice.

"Due to a recent inspection by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation," a press release stated, it will be closed in both directions from Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 25) to Sunday, March 1, so that barriers and a signal can be installed.

Two years ago, a bridge farther down the road over the rail line reopened after a partial closure since 2019 and a full closure of more than 60 days.

The bridge over the Housatonic is identified as being structurally deficient by the state based on an inspection last October. Built in 1962, the 35-foot steel-and-concrete span has an overall condition of 4, or poor.

Pittsfield has identified a temporary detour during this work, using Pomeroy Avenue, Marshall Avenue and Cooper Parkway.

On March 2, two-way traffic will be restored in one lane and directed with a temporary signal.

Pittsfield reported that the state has selected this bridge for repair as part of the Funding for Accelerated Infrastructure Repair program and will take responsibility for design and repair "in an accelerated way." Gov. Maura Healey announced the program last month using funds from the Fair Share Act, and is part of the governor's $8 billion transportation plan.

iBerkshires has reached out to MassDOT for more information on this project.

Residents and officials celebrated the reopening of the bridge over the railroad in August 2023. It had been reduced to one lane since 2019 after being found structurally insufficient and in need of a $3.5 million replacement of the overpass structure. This included a new superstructure over the Housatonic Rail line, a restored sidewalk, improved bicycle access, pavement, and traffic barriers.

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