Pittsfield Sees Interest in All Wards, Two Certified Candidates

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city now has a potential candidate for Ward 2 and two with certified signatures.

Election papers became available on April 3 and there is now at least one interested candidate in all seven Wards. Incumbent Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey's 50 signatures within the ward have been certified and City Clerk Michele Benjamin's 150 signatures to run for re-election have been certified.

Hot Dog Ranch owner Craig Benoit has taken out papers for a Ward 2 and an at-large seat.

Benoit ran at large in the 2021 election, touting his experience as a small-business owner and his advocacy for other restaurants during the pandemic. He also placed a large emphasis on public safety in the city.

In December 2020, Benoit stood outside of City Hall with a coalition of eatery owners he had formed to fight the Pittsfield-specific ban on indoor dining that was affecting their businesses.

As a result, Mayor Linda Tyer offered a compromise that restored indoor dining and gave Benoit and his colleagues their livelihood back.

After going to school for accounting, Benoit got into the restaurant business more than 35 years ago with leadership roles in various eateries in North Adams and Lanesborough. He bought the Hot Dog Ranch with his business partner in 2004 and expanded the operation to North Adams, which was sold and later closed.

Benoit is the only person who has taken out papers for Ward 2. Current councilor Charles Kronick has been contacted about his plans for the election and has not responded.

All four at-large seats now have interest, with four-term incumbent Peter White, three-term incumbent Earl Persip III, and community organizer Alisa Costa also taking out papers.

Costa also intends to run for Ward 3 against Matthew Wrinn, who has a background in criminal justice and community involvement, and William "Bill" Tyer, who has served on various committees and boards in the community.

Current at-Large Councilor Karen Kalinowsky has not taken out papers but confirmed on Thursday that she will be soon.

Peter Marchetti, current council president, and John Krol, a former councilor, are running for a four-year term as mayor. Incumbent Linda Tyer is not running for a third term. 

Marchetti touts his long experience on the council, a 35-year career at the Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, and his presence in the community as culminating factors to being a successful city leader. Krol points to his experience in broadcast and print media, working for former Mayor James Ruberto, and time on the council as tools to make Pittsfield the best that it can be.

The two have taken out papers along with resident Craig Gaetani, who ran for mayor in 2015 and garnered 0.51 percent of the vote. He also took out papers to run against two-term Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampaisi, who has also taken out papers.

Gaetani is a former marketing director of Krofta Engineering and is a regular at City Council's open microphone.

The last day to submit nomination papers to the Registrar of Voters for certification is July 21 and the last day to submit papers to the city clerk is Aug. 4. A preliminary election, if needed, is scheduled for Sept. 19 and the general election is on Nov. 7.

More information about the other candidates.

Those who have taken out nomination papers so far:

MAYOR

Peter Marchetti
John Krol Jr.
Craig Gaetani

CITY CLERK

Michele Marie Benjamin

AT LARGE

Earl George Persip III
Peter White
Alisa Costa
Craig Benoit

WARD 1

Pittsfield Remembers Lives Lost to Overdose, Underscores Harm Reduction

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Tuesday, September 01, 2026

Mayor Peter Marchetti reads a proclamation at City Hall encouraging residents to raise awareness and lift each other up. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people gathered downtown on Monday to remember those lost to overdose and work toward a future of zero deaths from substance use disorder. 

The Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative and its partners held a proclamation reading and flag-raising at City Hall, followed by a standout in Park Square with signs promoting the use of naloxone, harm reduction, and reducing associated stigma. 

There were 23 fatal overdoses in Berkshire County in 2025, 11 in Pittsfield. This is down 44 percent from the 41 countywide fatalities in 2024. 

While it is a significant decrease, advocates want to see that number at zero. 

"On the one hand, we're very pleased to see this significant of a decrease. This is actually the lowest number that we've had since [Department of Public Health] started collecting these numbers in 2013, but the goal is still zero," said Andy Ottoson, public health planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. 

August is International Overdose Awareness Month, the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those lost without stigma, and acknowledge the grief of families and friends left behind. September is National Recovery Month, a national observance to educate the public on the importance of substance use treatment and mental health services.

Samantha Kendall of Berkshire Harm Reduction explained that it is truly meeting people where they are, as they are, and when they are, "and I think we all do a really great job at that."

"We also want to remember that we're building a community for everybody, and systems and policies for everybody. That's really important in harm reduction work, so that's also the reason we're here today," she said.