Letter: Dan, McNeice for School Committee and Hathaway for City Council

Letter to the Editor12:00PM / Wednesday, October 29, 2025Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

The challenges Pittsfield faces must be dealt with care and an understanding of the nuances, rather than soundbites. This election I am supporting Dan Elias and Heather McNeice for School Committee, and Sara Hathaway for city councilor at large.

Having served with Elias during my time on the School Committee, he has shown his ability to understand all sides of an issue and understand the nuances that come with serving on the committee. Having served on the committee for 30 years, he brings great experience of what has worked and not worked for the district as well as much knowledge of the collective bargaining process.

While some may say that we need a completely new School Committee, having a committee with six new members and a mayor who has only served for two years will cause disruptions and potentially repeat mistakes that the committee has made in years past. Elias will ensure that there is a relatively smooth transition between this committee and the next.

I also believe McNeice would be a great addition to the School Committee. Having had her as a teacher at Taconic, I can say with confidence that she is very passionate for Pittsfield Public Schools. She understands the complexity of the jobs and issues that face the School Committee, such as the issue of cell phones in class and the middle school restructuring project. I believe her strong passion and organizational skills will be a great benefit to this new School Committee, and potentially even as an officer of the committee.

On the City Council, I believe Sara Hathaway would be a great addition. Having served as mayor back in the 2000s and on the School Committee for the past four years, she understands the bigger picture of how both the city and School Department function. She wants to build a better relationship between the City Council and the schools, rather than the tense relationship that is present currently.

She is solution-oriented, focusing on how we can address the many issues the city faces, understanding the nuances of the issues rather than trying to sound good and play to the camera. She will bring a much-needed collaborative voice to the council.

William Garrity
Pittsfield, Mass.

Tags: election 2025, municipal election,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Breathing Room

0% APY for 12 months balance transfer offer. Apply today! Click to learn more. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough Hopes for Continued Talks on Mall Sale

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:41PM / Wednesday, November 11, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board is optimistic that talks for the Berkshire Mall sale will continue.

Chair Deborah Maynard and Vice Chair Juli Baker were to meet with mall owner JMJ Holdings, the Baker Hill Road District, and proposed buyer Cypress Equities on Tuesday to discuss next steps. As of Wednesday, iBerkshires had received a "we are optimistic" from Maynard on the talks. The Berkshire Eagle reported a response from a Cypress representative saying talks will continue.

Baker had updated the Select Board on Monday about the status of the sale and the efforts being undertaken by the renamed Baker Hill Business District.

Cypress Equities pulled out of a purchase-and sale-agreement with mall owner JMJ last week for the following reasons.

Not enough water service/pressure to the property to support redevelopment without constructing costly water tanks.
The current septic system and former treatment facility is not acceptable for a project of the scale and magnitude proposed.
There is existing asbestos and bad soil from the treatment system that needs to be remediated off site.
And the current structure and tax assessment of the Baker Hill Road District.

Baker has been working with what is now being called the Baker Hill Business District and said she and the district members are happy that Cypress has decided to leave the door open to more discussions and that they have been working hard to try and address the company's needs.

Last month, the town had asked state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. John Barrett III to support the state Department of Transportation taking over the Connector Road, funding for a mall connection to Pittsfield's wastewater treatment plant and a connection to the town's water main.

Baker said an amendment has been drafted to cap the district's taxes to not grow more than 2.5 percent a year. She noted that, historically, taxes have not grown by more than one percent per year, so it won't be difficult to meet that cap.

View Full Story