Pittsfield Mayor-Elect Marchetti Announces Administrative Team

08:00AM / Tuesday, December 05, 2023Print Story | Email Story

VanBramer and Walsh will join Mayor-Elect Peter Marchetti.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor-Elect Peter Marchetti announced the appointments of two professionals to join him in the mayor's office, Catherine VanBramer will serve as the Director of Administrative Services and Brittany Walsh will serve as the Executive Assistant to the Mayor.

"Catherine and Brittany are knowledgeable, dedicated, and hard working. They will be ready to serve from day one and I am thrilled to have them as a part of my team", said Mayor-Elect Marchetti. "I look forward to building the next chapter of Pittsfield, one that allows growth and provides stability for all areas of the city."

VanBramer currently serves as the Director of Administrative Services for Mayor Tyer previously holding the role of Executive Assistant. She has worked for the City of Pittsfield since 2010, holding previous positions in the City Clerk's Office and the Conservation Department. Through her work in the Mayor's Office, VanBramer created and directed Pittsfield's first Citizens Academy, a 12-week program designed to teach citizens about how their local government operates.

VanBramer graduated from Westfield State College with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Economics. She holds a Certificate in Local Government Leadership and Management from Suffolk University's Moakley Center for Public Management and the Massachusetts Municipal Association. VanBramer is an alumna of Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI) Program and the Berkshire Leadership Program.

VanBramer serves as the Chair of Pittsfield's Ward 6 Democratic Committee and the Secretary for St. Joseph's Church Parish Council. In 2019, VanBramer was named by Berkshire Community College as a 40 Under Forty honoree.

Walsh currently serves as the Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Police for the City of Pittsfield and has held that role since 2022. Previously, she served as Administrative Assistant for the Egremont Police Department and for many years in the customer service industry.

Walsh has previously volunteered with the Red Cross, Best Buddies International, Special Olympics and the American Cancer Society.

Walsh graduated from College of Our Lady of the Elms with a degree in Criminal Justice.

Mayor-Elect Marchetti will be inaugurated on Jan. 2, 2024.

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Pittsfield Housing Project Adds 37 Supportive Units and Collective Hope

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:01PM / Monday, December 29, 2025

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A new chapter in local efforts to combat housing insecurity officially began as community leaders and residents gathered at The First on to celebrate a major expansion of supportive housing in the city.

The ribbon was cut on Thursday Dec. 19, on nearly 40 supportive permanent housing units; nine at The First, located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street. The Housing Resource Center, funded by Pittsfield's American Rescue Plan Act dollars, hosted a celebration for a project that is named for its rarity: The First.

"What got us here today is the power of community working in partnership and with a shared purpose," Hearthway CEO Eileen Peltier said.

In addition to the 28 studio units at 111 West Housatonic Street and nine units in the rear of the church building, the Housing Resource Center will be open seven days a week with two lounges, a classroom, a laundry room, a bathroom, and lockers.

Erin Forbush, ServiceNet's director of shelter and housing, challenged attendees to transform the space in the basement of Zion Lutheran Church into a community center. It is planned to operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round.

"I get calls from folks that want to help out, and our shelters just aren't the right spaces to be able to do that. The First will be that space that we can all come together and work for the betterment of our community," Forbush said.

"…I am a true believer that things evolve, and things here will evolve with the people that are utilizing it."

Earlier that day, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus joined Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and her team in Housatonic to announce $33.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding, $5.45 million to Berkshire County.

He said it was ambitious to take on these two projects at once, but it will move the needle. The EOHLC contributed more than $7.8 million in subsidies and $3.4 million in low-income housing tax credit equity for the West Housatonic Street build, and $1.6 million in ARPA funds for the First Street apartments.

"We're trying to get people out of shelter and off the streets, but we know there are a lot of people who are couch surfing, who are living in their cars, who are one paycheck away from being homeless themselves," Augustus said.

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