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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Berkshire Towns Can Tap State Seasonal Communities Resources

10:54AM / Monday, December 29, 2025

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey announced that 18 additional municipalities across Massachusetts have been designated as Seasonal Communities, opening up new tools, support and grant funding to help them manage seasonal housing pressures.

Created as part of the historic Affordable Homes Act signed into law by Governor Healey in 2024, the Seasonal Communities designation was designed to recognize Massachusetts communities that experience substantial variation in seasonal employment and to create distinctive tools to address their unique housing needs. The law also established the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council (SCAC).

The Affordable Homes Act identified several communities to automatically receive the designation, including:

All municipalities in the counties of Dukes and Nantucket;
All municipalities with over 35 percent seasonal housing units in Barnstable County; and
All municipalities with more than 40 percent seasonal housing units in Berkshire County.

To identify additional communities, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) reviewed available data, specifically focusing on cities and towns with high levels of short-term rentals and a high share of second- or vacation homes.

In Berkshire County, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, New Marlborough, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, West Stockbridge and Williamstown have been designated.

"Our seasonal communities are a vital part of Massachusetts' cultural and economic fabric, but they're also home to essential workers, families, seniors, and longtime residents who deserve a place to live year-round," said Governor Healey. "That's why we're committed to supporting these communities with innovative solutions like the Seasonal Communities designation to meet their unique needs, and I'm thrilled that we're offering this opportunity to 18 additional communities across the state. Everyone who calls these places home should be able to live, work and grow here, no matter the season."

As with the statutorily identified communities, acceptance of the designation for municipalities is voluntary and requires a local legislative vote. HLC will open an application for newly eligible communities that haven't accepted the Seasonal Communities designation to request consideration.

The Affordable Homes Act created several new tools for communities who accept the Seasonal Communities designation to be able to:

Acquire deed restrictions to create or preserve year-round housing
Develop housing with a preference for municipal workers, so that our public safety personnel, teachers, public works and town hall workers have a place to live
Establish a Year-Round Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable and attainable housing for year-round residents
Create year-round housing for artists
Allow seasonal communities to develop a comprehensive housing needs assessment
Permit tiny homes to be built and used as year-round housing
Permit year-round, attainable residential development on undersized lots
Increase the property tax exemption for homes that are the owners' primary residence