Pittsfield Won't Have a Preliminary Election

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Candidates for the November municipal election have been certified and, because of some withdrawals, the city won't have a preliminary election in September. 

On Nov. 4, voters will elect a city clerk, six School Committee members, four at-large city councilors, and seven ward councilors. Certified papers were due on Friday, and there are seven candidates for at-large seats and 10 for seats on the School Committee. 

While it looked like there might be a preliminary election on Sept. 16 to trim the races for councilor at large, Ward 2, and Ward 6, several candidates dropped out, and it is no longer required.

The City Council and School Committee races include returning members and newcomers. City Clerk Michele Benjamin is running unchallenged for re-election. 

Incumbents Kathleen Amuso, Alisa Costa, Earl Persip III, and Peter White are running for another term, and are being challenged by Sara Hathaway, Karen Kalinowsky, and Lawrence Klein. Kalinowsky previously served at term as an at-large councilor and Hathaway, a former mayor, dropped a bid for re-election to the School Committee to run for council. 

Incumbent Kenneth Warren Jr. is the only candidate for Ward 1; Brittany Noto is not seeking a second term in Ward 2, and Cameron Cunningham and Corey Walker are running to fill that seat. 

Incumbent Matthew Wrinn is the only candidate for Ward 3, and incumbent James Conant for Ward 4. In Ward 5, Michael Grady will challenge incumbent Patrick Kavey.

Walter Powell is running against incumbent Dina Lampiasi in Ward 6. Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre, who won the seat two years ago, indicated she will not run again. Anthony Maffuccio is running to regain the seat he lost to Serre two years ago against newcomer Katherine Moody. 

With a recent staffing scandal and several big changes ahead in the Pittsfield Public Schools, the School Committee has 10 interested parties to fill the six-seat committee.

Middle School Restructuring Committee members Sarah Muil and Vicky Smith; Carolyn Barry, Ciara Batory, Geoffrey Buerger, incumbent Daniel Elias, Jacob Klein, Heather McNiece, and Katherine Yon are running for School Committee. Both Yon and Smith are former committee members, with Yon spent 12 years on the committee, including as chair, until stepping back in 2021. 
 

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.