Letter: Jennifer Macksey for Mayor of North Adams

To the Editor:

Jennifer Macksey was born in North Adams and is a lifelong resident. She doesn't need to learn the culture and nuance that is North Adams. North Adams is in her DNA. She is a product of the North Adams Public Schools and a graduate of Drury High School. Her B.A. in accounting certainly prepares her to make sure the balance sheets of North Adams add up.

The jobs she's held have all been leadership jobs, decision-making jobs which require seeing the big picture as well as understanding the nuts-and-bolts operation of complex institutions.

In North Adams, resources are hard to come by and every penny counts. Hard decisions need to be made apportioning what money we do have. Yet Mayor Macksey has not only seen to the city's daily business but also prioritized quality of life issues.

We've been lucky to have Jennifer Macksey occupying the corner office of North Adams City Hall these last four years. Let's not blow it, folks. We have a great mayor! Make sure you show up and vote fill in the bubble next to her name. She's worked 24 hours a day for us. Now it's time for us to show up for her.

Chris Wondoloski
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.