Letter: Vote No on Article 13 at Dalton Town Meeting

To the Editor:

On May 5, the voters of the Town of Dalton will be asked to vote on 31 Articles at the annual Town Meeting. I encourage all voters attending to vote "No" on Article 13.

Article 13 reads:

To the voters who originally voted on May 1, 2017, annual town meeting your vote meant nothing, if it can be changed so easily. So, if voters vote for something at the upcoming town meeting, someone could petition for a special town meeting and rescind that voting result. Doesn't hardly seem right.

The intent of changing the original vote is to the use the site to erect a new ridiculous 13,000 square foot, ten million plus dollar police station. Which the Town doesn’t mention in the text of Article 13. There are more viable alternate plans for a new police station that would cost far less and make a lot more sense.

Why would the town build a police station in the middle of a residential area anyways? If I were a resident in the area I would be outraged.

Why would the town give up six building lots? How much money will the Town lose by not selling these lots, not to mention the tax revenue that could be collected. Doesn’t make much sense, does it? I don’t know why the Town has not developed the building lots like it was supposed to. It’s been eight years since the vote in 2017.

Keep in mind, regardless of what the site will be used for, the site will require millions of dollars to address the repair and upgrade of the Walker Brook culvert system that runs under the site. So, you can add that to the cost of a new police station.

Unfortunately, if you are eligible voter in the Town of Dalton and are not able or do not attend annual town meeting you will not be able to vote on this important article or any other article in the warrant. The town gets to pick your pocket and decide things that affect you without the your vote. This voter discrimination really needs to stop. After all this is the 21st century not the 18th. Of the 4,500 plus registered voters, the town meetings historically are attended by less the 200 voters. Two hundred voters is not 2/3 of 4,500 voters. Why should 200 voters be able to decide the fate of the other 4,300 voters?

I hope the voters attending the May 5 Dalton annual town meeting will vote a resounding "NO" on Article 13.

Bruce Lester
Dalton, Mass. 

Macksey, Shade Pledge Compassion, Accountability as City Leaders

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
01:27PM / Thursday, January 01, 2026

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey was sworn into a third term on Thursday; Councilor Ashley Shade was unanimously elected council president. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A new government took the reins at City Hall on New Year's Day, pledging to move North Adams forward with compassion and accountability.

 

"My focus, as your mayor, has been and will continue to be, one of restoring accountability, stability, strengthening city operations and making meaningful progress of long standing challenges," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey, entering her third term. "City government has worked to move from reaction to action, addressing deferred issues, while laying the foundation for future growth."

 

The swearing in on New Year's Day included the election of Ashley Shade as council president and Andrew Fitch as vice president. 

 

Shade, also entering her third term, reflected on leadership as it relates to small communities and North Adams in particularly.

 

"It is where I learned that community is not something you inherit. It is something you practice. You practice it when times are easy and you practice it even more when times are not," she said. "I have said before that the city needs to renew its focus on investing in our most important resource — this city, the people of North Adams. I believe that with my whole heart, because, yeah, buildings matter and roads matter and budgets matter, but people, people are where everything begins."

 

The city has not only a woman mayor and woman council president, but also a majority of women on the City Council for the first time in its history.

 

Ceremonies were held in Council Chambers on Thursday morning, with state Rep. John Barrett III and city department heads in attendance. Family and friends filled the seats to see the new council and School Committee members take their oaths.