Q&A: Third Berkshires' Leigh Davis Talks Path Forward
Leigh Davis
After a long night that went into very early Wednesday morning, Davis sat with us to reflect on her campaign and foreshadow her next journey on Beacon Hill.
"I am feeling incredibly excited and incredibly pumped to begin this new role, and I couldn't have done it without my team of supporters. I'm ready to hit the ground running and get to work," Davis said after a victory party that didn't end till a little past midnight when the unofficial results from Lenox came in.
The district consists of the Southern Berkshire communities of Alford, Becket, Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, and West Stockbridge.
Davis won the seat after an eight-month campaign, leading her opponent, Marybeth Mitts, by 12,603 votes to 9,480 as the clock struck midnight.
Alford, Monterey, Washington and Sandisfield had not reported their results by the time the festivities concluded but are too small to make a difference in the outcome. The final tally was 13,699 to 10,127.
Prior to the election results, Davis was the communications and community engagement director for Construct, the largest affordable housing nonprofit in Southern Berkshire.
Although the results did not go in favor for Mitts, Davis said she looks forward to working with her as an advocate, particularly for housing.
Mitts, of Lenox, has served on the town's Select Board, School Committee, and Affordable Housing Trust.
"I want to thank [Mitts] for running a great campaign, and I look forward to working with her as an advocate, particularly for housing. I think that this has been a really, really good campaign. I think it's been a clean campaign and a positive campaign," Davis said.
"My supporters have been with me from the day one, and they continue to be with me. So, it's just been like a family. It's been a really, really positive experience."
Here is what Davis said about the path ahead of her on Beacon Hill:
Q. Why do you think you were the voters' choice?
A. "I think that people could identify with what I brought to this role, being someone that is working in affordable housing. During this entire eight-month campaign, I was working full time, running a campaign, and being a solo parent to three kids."
The issues that Davis will work to address while working at Beacon Hill, including affordable housing, economic development, and ensuring that families have childcare, are ones that she identifies with and has gone through on a daily basis.
"I think that resonated with voters. I think that they saw that I was a hard worker. They saw that I'm someone who appreciates balance and research, and I'm willing to do the deep dive and actually bring something forward to this district that people really identify with and value,"
"So, I think my values speak to the residents' values, and I think they appreciate that I'm someone who's going to roll up their sleeves and get the work done."
Q. Throughout your campaign and during this discussion, you highlighted several issues. What will your first priorities be?
A. "My first priorities are basically to look at what's pending in the state house. So, that could be bills that are looking for legislators to cosponsor. It could be something that [longtime state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli] started that wasn't able to get through conference committee."
The issues that speak to Davis the most would be affordability in general, whether its housing, child care, health care, and anything that makes residents feel supported by the leaders working for them, she said.
"The environment is a pressing issue. It's something that is very visceral and that I feel on an everyday basis," Davis said.
Davis said this could be clean water while highlighting what is currently going on with the Housatonic River, which really needs the delegation's attention.
The Great Barrington Select Board has been discussing it for over a year. However, little progress has been made, leading many people to think the board's actions are just for show in an attempt to quell the public, she said.
The Housatonic Water Works serves about 850 customers in Great Barrington, West Stockbridge, and Stockbridge.
The water issue has worsened for at least 10 years, and now the private company wants Great Barrington to buy it. However, the town could also take it through eminent domain.
"I'm going to be pushing forward for the climate bill to move through to the state house and then economic development. As a director of development at Eagle Mill, I have worked with the state in terms of contributing towards $80 million of redevelopment in downtown Lee," she said.
"I'm going to be working with small businesses and looking for those funds to make their way to the Third Berkshire District."
Q. How do you see yourself working with the rest of the delegation?
A. "I've had the support of the delegation from day one. They have seen me as someone that really understands the issues and is a team player. So. from day one, when [Pignatelli] announced that he wouldn't be running, the phone rang, and they said, 'You know what you got to do.' So, I think that they had their eye on me without me even realizing they had their eye on me," Davis said.
During her campaign, Davis garnered Davis endorsements from organizations focused on environmental issues, animal rights, unions, reproductive equity now, and health care.
In addition, top Democratic leaders also endorsed Davis, including Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator Ed Markey, and many more.
"They've been one of my biggest group of supporters. So, I've talked to all three of them probably four or five times just today, and we're going to sit down, we're going to meet next week, and we're going to talk about committees. We're going to talk about pending legislation, and I'm going to start looking at bills that I want to cosponsor," Davis said.
"So, it's a really, really exciting time. I think we're going to make a great team, and I look forward to being the new kid on the block."
Q. The seat you are taking has been filled for a long time. Pignatelli, of Lenox, served the district for more than 20 years. How do you plan on making it your own?
A. "I think being a woman and someone that has struggled to raise three children by herself is something that I have a different perspective. I see life through a different lens," Davis said.
"I also come from a mixed-race household, so I have a sense of possibly a different way of looking at life. I really appreciate having to be the earner in a household and being a role model. So, the balance of being a solo parent and having the responsibility of ensuring that, in my case, that there's three kids that are being raised, and that they're able to go to school and continue on as adults."
Tags: election 2024, leigh davis, third berkshire,
