Veteran Selectmen Re-elected in Adams, Cheshire

ADAMS, Mass. — Incumbents Joseph Nowak and Richard Blanchard were re-elected on Monday to the Board of Selectmen as the town held its first election back in the former Memorial School Building.

All candidates on the ballot, whether incumbents or newcomers, were running unopposed in this year's election. Nowak received 335 votes, while Blanchard received 287.

The highest vote-getter on the ballot was Library Trustee Virginia Duval, who received 341 votes.

After the election of Amy Oberlin to the Board of Health, the board will still have one empty seat. Former members Peter Hoyt and Joyce Brewer decided not to run for re-election.

Elected were Myra Wilk as moderator; Kelly Rice as treasurer/tax collector; Lorraine Kalisz as assessor; Sandra Moderski as planner; Aimee Sinopoli as parks commissioner for one year and Mary Ciuk and Sarah Marie Panesecchi as parks commissioners for two years; Karen Kettles to a second seat on the library trustees; James Taylor as cemetery commissioner; Joseph Allard as a member of the Redevelopment Authority and as a member of the McCann School Committee; and John F. Duval and Erin Milne as Adams representatives and Michael Henault as the Cheshire representative to the Hoosac Valley Regional School Committee. 

The election had been held at the town garage on Summer Street for more than a decade after the school closed. Renovations in the Memorial Building have been ongoing for several months, as the site will soon be the home of the Adams Council on Aging. COA Director Sarah Fontaine said she spent much of the day giving voters tours of the new facility.

"We had a great morning, and I gave a lot of tours. My throat was actually sore from talking so much," she said during Monday's COA meeting. "And people were excited to see the space and see how we're going to use it."

Business Success, Storm Clouds Highlighted at 1Berkshire Annual Meeting

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
06:14AM / Saturday, December 06, 2025

Cheshire native JD Chesloff of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable delivers the keynote address on Thursday.

 

ADAMS, Mass. — One of the county's biggest employers and one of its newest small businesses were touted on Thursday at 1Berkshire's annual meeting at the Adams Theater.

 

The vice president of maritime and strategic systems strategy and business development at General Dynamics shared news of a major expansion at the Pittsfield plant.

 

"We plan to hire over 200 employees in Pittsfield over the next 12 to 14 months," Chris Montferret said. "Business is booming. And of those 200 employees, over 200 will be engineers."

 

Currently, General Dynamics employs more than 1,600 people in Pittsfield, up from a low of 500 in 1997, Montferret said, reminding the 1Berkshire membership of the importance of growth for an anchor like his firm.

 

"As you all know as employers, the multiplier of economic development when you bring a full-time employee in is amazing for the entire community," Montferret said.

 

1Berkshire is dedicated to advancing the local economy by advocating for and serving local businesses while helping attract visitors to the region.

 

The development organization's president and CEO used the annual meeting to talk about 1Berkshire's economic development team, which averages more than 100 consultations per year with local entrepreneurs — over 40 percent with businesses owned by women, members of minority groups or immigrants.