Candidate for attorney general Quentin Palfry speaks with voters on Thursday at Dottie's. He's running for the Democratic nomination for attorney general.
Attorney General Candidate Quentin Palfrey Talks Progressive Issues
Quentin Palfry is currently an attorney in the Biden administration and is a former assistant attorney general. He tried for lieutenant governor in 2018.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Quentin Palfrey spoke of his fight for progressive issues during a meet and greet at Dottie's Coffee Lounge on Thursday.
The event was arranged by local Democrats and drew about 20 people. Palfrey, acting general counsel for the U.S. Department of Commerce and a former assistant attorney general, is vying for the Democratic nomination for attorney general.
"As a former assistant attorney general, I've seen firsthand how much impact the AG can have on Pittsfield and our communities all across Massachusetts," Palfrey said.
"So when [the former president] was in office, it was really inspiring to see the office fight back again and again and again against a corrupt and immoral administration," he said. "But now more than ever, with our fundamental rights under attack in the Supreme Court, with our democracy under attack, we need the attorney general to lead on the really important challenges of our time, racial injustice, the climate crisis, attacks on our democracy, attacks on workers rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, student [loan] debt, housing costs, gun violence, we got a lot of work to do."
Palfrey was the first chief of the Health Care Division in the AG's office and later served in President Barack Obama's White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2018.
He is running in the primary against former Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell and labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan. Attorney General Maura Healey is running for governor.
As a native of central Massachusetts, Palfrey spoke to the importance of visibility for Western Mass on the eastern side of the state.
"I grew up in central Massachusetts and I think there's a shared sense where I grew up and also out here in the Berkshires that, too often, Beacon Hill forgets that we've got a big state with a lot of challenges that are different in different parts of the state," he said. "And I think it's really important for us to have state leaders who are physically present in the Berkshires and then all across the state and are really in dialogue with the community and trying to think about how we can address those needs."
Palfrey is a consumer protection advocate and voting rights lawyer. He is an advocate for a single-payer or Medicare For All type system to make sure that everyone has access to high-quality, affordable care.
During his time in the health care division at the AG's office, he said he sued three predatory health insurance companies for prioritizing profit over patients' health.
"The opioid crisis and the coronavirus pandemic have laid bare some of the really big shortcomings in our healthcare system, health care costs too much, it's hard to access, it's the number one driver of bankruptcy in the United States," Palfrey said.
He later added that the United States fails to invest in public health and prevention and called for better resources for social determinants of health.
Palfrey highlighted the importance of bringing equity for people of all races and was later queried about his view on body cameras from attendees. This has become local conversation after Pittsfield resident Miguel Estrella was shot and killed by police in late March.
"We also need to make sure that we are you live and the color of your skin does not determine whether your kids get a good education or not," he said.
"We're now almost seven years after Brown versus the Board of Education, our schools are still radically segregated, there's still a huge difference depending on where you live and what kind of an education your kids get, and as the chief civil rights officer in the commonwealth I think that the AG needs to take on this challenge of educational injustice with urgency, and I disagree with those, including one of my opponents, who believe that the solution to that challenge is to expand charter schools."
Aside from investing in schools, early childhood, and education to address racial injustice, Palfrey said the justice system also has to reform.
"The murder of George Floyd and the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict are just the most recent reminders that there are two justice systems in America," he asserted.
"We imprison too many people for too long for doing too little, race has too much to do with who ends up in the criminal justice system and we need the AG to lead on criminal justice reform, on corrections oversight on police accountability, finally getting a handle on the corruption in the state police."
When queried by local attorney Rinaldo Del Gallo again about his stance on body cameras, Palfrey voiced support for the equipment and said it's important to go in that direction. He is also in favor of eliminating qualified immunity for police officers who are involved in violent altercations.
The City Council recently endorsed a petition from Del Gallo requesting body cameras on Pittsfield police officers.
"There are a lot of reasons to be concerned and be really careful about sort of expanding that technology and that surveillance, but I think in the context of body cameras there are some real benefits to accountability and to ensuring that we can have some insight into the circumstances where a police-involved violence occurs, so we’ve got to get it right,” he said in response to concerns that were raised about the use of body cameras..
A local immigrant advocate pointed out that the Berkshires has a significant number of immigrants, including those who are undocumented, and queried Palfrey on his stance on a bill that was recently passed by the Senate to allow undocumented residents to obtain driver's licenses.
He replied that he is a big supporter of the bill and hopes to see it move forward despite concerns that Gov. Charlie Baker has voiced. If Baker were to veto the bill, Palfrey also hopes that could be overridden.
The candidate also outlined the attorney general’s importance in fighting for climate justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and his disappointment with the Supreme Court’s recent leaked decision to overturn Roe v. Wade stating that it is "undermining our basic reproductive rights."
He voiced opposition to corporate money flooding into elections, labeling it as the biggest challenge that the state faces for democracy. He describes his campaign as a grassroots movement.
"Our democracy is literally under attack," Palfrey concluded.
"An armed mob stormed the Capitol to try to disrupt a peaceful transition of power and I think we need to ask ourselves, what are we going to tell our children and our grandchildren that we did in this moment when American democracy and our fundamental liberties were so obviously under attack? And I want to be able to tell them, we stood up, we fought back, we pounded our fists on the table, we screamed until we were hoarse, 'This isn't the kind of America we want to live in.'"
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PEDA Site 9 Preparation, Member Retirement
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The redevelopment of Site 9 for mixed-use in the William Stanley Business Park is set to take off.
Edward Weagle, principal geologist at Roux Associates, gave an update on the yearlong work to the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority last week.
"It's been a real pleasure for me to work on a project like this," he said. "This is kind of like a project of a career of a lifetime for me, and I'm very pleased to see that we're just at the finish line right now. My understanding is that all the documents are in front of the commissioner, waiting for her to sign off."
Mill Town Capital is planning to develop a mixed-use building that includes housing on the site. Roux, headquartered in Islandia, N.Y., was hired assist with obtaining grant financing, regulatory permitting, and regulatory approvals to aid in preparing the 16.5-acre site for redevelopment. Approximately 25,000 cubic yards of concrete slabs, foundations, and pavements were removed from the former GE site.
Once the documents are signed off, PEDA can begin the work of transferring 4.7 acres to Mill Town. Weagle said the closing on this project will make it easier to work on the other parcels and that he's looking forward to working on Sites 7 and 8.
PEDA received a $500,000 Site Readiness Program grant last year from MassDevelopment for Sites 7 and Site 8. The approximately 3-acre sites are across Woodlawn Avenue from Site 9 and border Kellogg Street.
In other news, the state Department of Transportation has rented the east side of the parking lot for CDL (Commercial Driver's License) training. This is an annual lease that began in September and will bring in $37,200 in revenue.
Lastly, the meeting concluded with congratulations to Maurice "Mick" Callahan Jr. on his retirement.
Callahan is a former chair and a founding member of PEDA, dating back to when the board was established in the 1990s. He has also served on a number of civic and community boards and has volunteered for many organizations in the Berkshires. He is the president of M. Callahan Inc.
"The one thing that's been a common denominator back is that you've always put others before yourself. You've served others well. You've been a mentor to two generations of Denmarks, and I'm sure many generations of other families and people within this city," said board Chair Jonathan Denmark. "We can never say thank you enough, but thank you for your services, for the creation of this board, your service to the city of Pittsfield, and to all the communities that you've represented and enjoy retirement."
"It wasn't always easy to be in the position that you were in Mick, but you handled it with so much grace, always respecting this community, bringing pride to our community," member Linda Clairmont said. "I could not have accomplished many of the things I did, especially here for this business part, without you all of the Economic Development discussions that we had really informed my thinking, and I'm so grateful."
Callahan left the team with a message as this was his final meeting, but said he is always reachable if needed.
"I also have to say that a lot of great people sat around this table and other tables before the current board, and the time that I had with Pam [Green] and Mike [Filpi] sticking around, the leadership of this mayor [board member Linda Tyer], and it really, it was always great synergy," he said.
"So don't be afraid to embrace change. And you know, you got a business model. It's been around long time. Shake it up. Take a good look at it, figure out where it needs to go, and you're lucky to have leadership that you have here."
Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, and a little bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.
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A 700-square-foot outdoor water attraction is planned for the 2.1-acre park at 30 John Street. City officials hope to have it operational by summertime.
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