Letter: Please Elect Tony Pagliarulo

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To the Editor:

As we approach our town elections on Monday, I write to encourage residents to vote for Antonio "Tony" Pagliarulo for Select Board. My conclusion from attending both evening sessions of town meeting is that Dalton voters are looking for change — and that Tony will provide the change that they seek.

Tony is aware of the financial stress that many Dalton homeowners currently experience and has proposed new town policies that will provide tax relief. As a volunteer and elected member of town committees over decades as a Dalton resident, Tony knows the town problems that have persisted for years — and will tackle those issues through innovative approaches.

Tony hopes to ease current voter frustration with the status quo by proposing a town charter project (i.e., a "constitution" for Dalton) and a Select Board policy manual that will provide a code of ethics for our town leaders. If elected, he'll immediately set to work helping to resolve the sand mining pollution crisis that plagues Dalton neighborhoods and constitutes a health and safety threat for our entire town.

Because Tony knows Dalton and its residents — and has the best interests of the town as his goal — he will make a terrific Select Board member. Please vote for change on Monday, March 12. Vote for Tony Pagliarulo. 

Michele Marantz
Dalton, Mass. 

 

 


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Pittsfield Remembers Lives Lost to Overdose, Underscores Harm Reduction

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Mayor Peter Marchetti reads a proclamation at City Hall encouraging residents to raise awareness and lift each other up. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people gathered downtown on Monday to remember those lost to overdose and work toward a future of zero deaths from substance use disorder. 

The Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative and its partners held a proclamation reading and flag-raising at City Hall, followed by a standout in Park Square with signs promoting the use of naloxone, harm reduction, and reducing associated stigma. 

There were 23 fatal overdoses in Berkshire County in 2025, 11 in Pittsfield. This is down 44 percent from the 41 countywide fatalities in 2024. 

While it is a significant decrease, advocates want to see that number at zero. 

"On the one hand, we're very pleased to see this significant of a decrease. This is actually the lowest number that we've had since [Department of Public Health] started collecting these numbers in 2013, but the goal is still zero," said Andy Ottoson, public health planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. 

August is International Overdose Awareness Month, the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those lost without stigma, and acknowledge the grief of families and friends left behind. September is National Recovery Month, a national observance to educate the public on the importance of substance use treatment and mental health services.

Samantha Kendall of Berkshire Harm Reduction explained that it is truly meeting people where they are, as they are, and when they are, "and I think we all do a really great job at that."

"We also want to remember that we're building a community for everybody, and systems and policies for everybody. That's really important in harm reduction work, so that's also the reason we're here today," she said. 

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