Man Charged in Pittsfield Fire That Killed Cat

Staff Reports 10:07PM / Tuesday, July 22, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A 23-year-old man has been charged for an early morning structure fire that killed a family cat.

Around 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 22, police and firefighters responded to a two-family residence on Fourth Street for a reported structure fire.

Hunter Barrett was arrested and charged with arson later that day.

"All occupants of the building were able to safely exit the building," police wrote around 8:30 p.m.

"Unfortunately, a family cat perished in the blaze."

The street number was not disclosed.

As a result of the ensuing investigation, Barrett was arrested and charged with arson of a dwelling. He is expected to be arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on Wednesday, July 23.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the police, Fire Department, and the State Police Fire Investigation Team.

Tags: structure fire,

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Rename

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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