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

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. 

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.