Letter: If Oleskiewicz & Sapienza Won't Stick Up For Us, Why Should We Vote for Them?

To the Editor:

Elections in a small city can often feel like neighbors coming together to create a government that represents their hopes and dreams for their home community. Early voting has begun, and on Nov. 4, we will find ourselves once again awaiting the results.

Several incumbents and newcomers have shown heart, passion, and willingness to step up, above and beyond, to face the current and future challenges our community is facing. Unfortunately, others have shown a level of apathy or cowardice that is not only holding us back, it is making us less safe.

This past March, North Adams City Council voted on a resolution to be a sanctuary city for trans and gender expansive people. Prior to this, North Adams councilors have voted to adopt a Safe City Resolution in 2018, and a resolution in January 2025 prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, or intersex and HIV status.

That same week in March, a bomb threat was called into the trans-owned business Wander in Pittsfield. At that March council meeting, a local individual recounted a moment where a family member used slurs against them, and was silenced by Council President Brian Sapienza under the guise of "respect," unaware of the irony that the speaker was trying to show the disrespect trans and gender expansive individuals endure daily, from strangers and family alike.

Most cishet white individuals do not fully understand what it is like to have your identity be at the crux of government policy, let alone policy that dehumanizes and strips away human rights. While some people feel that this is performative, others hold tight to the idea that the place they call home is willing to put forth effort to protect them. Marginalized and oppressed communities do not experience the same level of comfort, equality, or equity as the white straight folks reading this.

While a full course on equity and diversity is beyond the scope of this piece, we have never all been treated equal in the history of this country, and thus some have had to fight harder. Equity is not just "everyone is treated equal" but "everyone is given access, support, and care, regardless of their identities." Sometimes equity looks like a helping hand to offset the institutional oppression. Justice is then the effort to remove those oppressive barriers.

Councilor Pete Oleskiewicz stated that he voted "No" because he "didn't like resolutions" but didn't want anyone to take it personally. Perhaps he missed the part of the discussion when his fellow councilors stated clearly why this resolution should be viewed differently, for the safety of our community! Councilor Sapienza stated he did not agree, but did not elaborate.

Nash Macdonald, Drury High student (who was gaveled down)
Cody Chamberlain, North Adams School Committee member 
Miranda Smith-Hunt, North Adams, Mass.
Heidi Shartrand Newell, North Adams, Mass.
Craig Feuerzeig, 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.