Column: What the Shutdown Means for Berkshire County Residents

By Deborah LeonczykGuest Column
10:37AM / Friday, October 31, 2025Print Story | Email Story

Across Berkshire County, the federal government shutdown is creating growing concern among residents who depend on essential programs for food, heat, and stability. While the impact may seem distant to some, it is being felt acutely by low-income families, seniors, and individuals who are already struggling with high costs of living.

This is not a political issue. It is a human one. When federal funding stops, the programs that keep households fed, warm, and stable are thrown into uncertainty.

Energy assistance is one of the most urgent concerns. In a rural county with long, cold winters and an aging housing stock, fuel assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance

Program (LIHEAP) is a lifeline. Families who rely on deliverable fuels such as oil, propane, or wood cannot receive deliveries during the shutdown because federal funds are on hold. Those with utility heat are protected under the state's winter moratorium, but households dependent on fuel deliveries are not.

Recognizing the severity of this crisis, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) has stepped in with emergency support. The agency announced the release of more than $500,000 in LIHEAP funding specifically for Berkshire County

residents facing heating emergencies. At an average delivery cost of about $400 per household, this will allow roughly 1,250 families to receive a limited delivery of about 100 gallons of fuel oil — just enough to keep homes warm temporarily while federal funding remains frozen.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is another area of concern. Thousands of Berkshire County households rely on SNAP benefits to buy groceries, especially during the

winter months when heating costs rise. A prolonged shutdown could delay or reduce benefits, placing additional pressure on local food pantries that are already serving record numbers of visitors each month.

To help offset the strain, Gov. Maura Healey announced $4 million in state funding for food pantries across Massachusetts. This emergency investment will provide crucial relief for the organizations working on the front lines of hunger, including many right here in Berkshire County. The additional funding will help replenish pantry shelves, expand capacity, and ensure that families who face delays or reductions in SNAP benefits can continue to put food on the

table. It represents an important show of leadership and partnership at a time when state support is needed most.

Other essential programs remain frozen, including the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), which sustains agencies such as the Berkshire Community Action Council. CSBG funding supports a range of locally tailored initiatives, including emergency food and clothing for children, free tax preparation, financial education, and assistance for those facing housing and employment instability. Without it, the ability of local agencies to respond quickly to community needs is sharply reduced.

Despite these challenges, the Berkshire community continues to demonstrate resilience.

Donations to emergency fuel funds are arriving, and volunteers, faith groups, and local businesses are stepping up to fill the gaps. BCAC's ELF Children's Warm Clothing Program remains secure this year thanks to generous community support, ensuring that children will have coats and boots even in the midst of uncertainty.

Still, the broader picture is clear. The shutdown is more than an administrative pause; it is a direct threat to the health and stability of thousands of Massachusetts residents. For families, it means anxiety about food, heat, and security as winter approaches.

Berkshire County has always met crisis with compassion and cooperation, but community generosity cannot replace federal investment. State support provides essential stopgaps, yet the need far exceeds available resources.

BCAC and its partners will continue to assist residents for as long as possible, but long-term stability depends on the swift restoration of federal funding. Every delay compounds hardship for families living on the edge.

What happens in Washington may feel far away, but its effects are deeply local. Each day of inaction ripples through our community, into food pantries, fuel tanks, and family homes. As always, the Berkshires will stand together, but we must also speak with one voice for the people who cannot wait.

Deborah Leonczyk is executive director Berkshire Community Action Council.

Tags: BCAC, shutdown, SNAP,

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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