Letter: North Adams Public Hearing on the City Budget on June 10

To the Editor:

North Adams should provide a meaningful and practical opportunity to engage citizens in a dialogue on the budget.

Traditionally the City Council Finance Committee conducts meetings at which there is a line-by-line review of the budget.

This year five meetings lasting 1.5 to 2.5 hours were held over a two-week period. These meetings meet the needs of the City Council members to take a deep dive into the budget. They do not meet the needs of most members of the public. It is challenging for most North Adams citizens to commit eight hours over a two-week period to attend these meetings.

This year a citizen's petition for a public hearing on the budget was submitted to the city in accordance with a state law that mandates that a city must conduct a public hearing if 10 registered voters submit a written request for a public hearing on the budget. In response to this petition the city has scheduled a public hearing on Tuesday June 10th at 6:00 p.m. at the North Adams City Hall. The mayor will provide an overview presentation on the budget and members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments.

I urge North Adams residents who want their voices heard on the city budget to attend the public hearing. This will demonstrate the importance of providing a citizen-friendly forum for discussion of the budget and will open the door to making this forum an annual event.

Virginia Riehl
North Adams, Mass.

North Adams Unveils Hometown Heroes Banners

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
04:30PM / Friday, May 22, 2026

Carol Ethier-Kipp holds up the first aid kit her father used as an Army medic in World War II. See more photos here. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City of North Adams honored its own on Friday afternoon, unveiling 50 downtown street banners representing local veterans who served — and continue to serve — the community and the country.

 

More than 300 residents packed the front lawn of City Hall as the community took a moment to reflect on its "Hometown Heroes" during the morning unveiling ceremony.

 

"In a city like North Adams, service is personal. The men and women we honor today are not strangers to us. They are our neighbors, our classmates, our parents, our grandparents," Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the crowd. "... These banners are far more than names and pictures hanging along our streets. They are visible reminders of the values that define North Adams: courage, sacrifice, humility, duty, resilience, and the love of country. They remind every person who passes by that this community remembers our veterans."

 

The banner program launched exactly a year ago. Veterans Services Agent Kurtis Durocher opened applications in October and spent the next six months working with families to bring the project to Main Street and over the Hadley Overpass. 

 

"We gather to recognize the brave men and women from our community who have served or who are currently serving in the United States armed forces," Durocher said. "These banners are more than images. They bear a tribute to service, sacrifice, courage, and pride, and they remind us that the freedoms we enjoy every day have been protected by our neighbors, family members, friends, and Hometown Heroes."

 

Each banner features a portrait of a veteran alongside their military branch and dates of service.

 

Durocher noted that the program was something residents clearly wanted, pointing to how fast applications flooded his desk. He praised the volunteers who stepped up to get the banners made and displayed — including city firefighters and Mitchell Meranti of Wire & Alarm Department, who were installing them as late as Thursday night.