Letter: Reflecting on North Adams' Resolution to Be a Sanctuary City

To the Editor:

I commend the North Adams City Council for passing the resolution declaring our city a Sanctuary City for transgender and gender-diverse people. At a time when human rights are under attack, this action reaffirms North Adams' commitment to being a place of safety, dignity, and belonging for all. Thank you to Councilors Breen, Blackmer, Fitch, Bona, Shade, and Morrow for using their platform to protect the rights of all community members.

While the overall sentiment in the room was supportive, I want to highlight a concerning moment. A local transgender teen stood up to share how their queer family had recently experienced transphobia. As he attempted to read a hateful text message his family received, Council President Sapienza interrupted him, striking his gavel and calling for respectful language. This reaction appeared to throw the teen off, and he quickly sat back down — seemingly unable to finish what he came to say. No councilor encouraged him to continue.

Sapienza had earlier asked the public to refrain from personal attacks but did not set expectations around language. While the content of the message was difficult to hear, this teen was not attacking anyone — he was shedding light on real harm happening in our community. His ability to express his fears in a public forum should not have been questioned or silenced.

I challenge Councilor Sapienza and the Council as a whole to reflect on the power dynamics at play. This teen holds no voting power but had the courage to stand at that microphone and speak his truth. It is your civic duty to listen fully —especially when it's uncomfortable — because too many young people in our community are suffering.

Finally, I want to thank Mayor Macksey, who later presented a proclamation for Trans Day of Visibility and, in an act of solidarity, personally handed it to the teen. This bold gesture from the highest-ranking city official demonstrated what true support looks like.

I urge our local leaders to ensure all voices — especially those of our most vulnerable youth — are heard and respected. It is through listening, not silencing, that we create meaningful change.

Jessica Sweeney
North Adams, Mass. 

North Adams Updated on Schools, Council President Honored With 'Distinction'

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
12:31PM / Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Superintendent Timothy Callahan gives a presentation on the school system at Tuesday's City Council meeting. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council got an update on what's up in the school system and its president was inducted into the mayor's Women's Leadership Hall of Fame.

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey, as the city's first woman mayor, established the Hall of Fame in 2022, during March, Women's History Month, to recognize local women who have had a positive impact on the city. Past inductees have included the council's first woman president Fran Buckley, Gov. Jane Swift and boxing pioneer Gail Grandchamp. 

 

She described President Ashley Shade as a colleague and a friend and a former student. 

 

"Ashley is known not just for her leadership, but for her compassion, her ability to listen, to understand and to stand up for those whose voices are often gone unheard," the mayor said. "She has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ plus community and marginalized communities at both the local and national level here in North Adams."

 

Elected in 2021, Shade is the first openly transgender person to hold the role of council president in Massachusetts. She also leads the first-ever woman majority council in the city's history. 

 

The McCann Technical School graduate also has served on boards and commissions, "always working to make our city more inclusive, equitable and welcoming," said the mayor. "Ashley not leads not only with strength, but with a heart, and our community is a much stronger place because of it."

 

Shade, wearing her signature pink suit, was presented with a plaque from the mayor designating her a "woman of distinction."