North Adams School Committee Filling Two Seats

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The School Committee is in need of new members to fill two unexpired terms until Jan. 1, 2028.
 
The candidates will be voted on by a joint convention of the School Committee and City Council on Oct. 5. 
 
In the two months since the last School Committee meeting, members Emily Daunis and Cody Chamberlain have resigned. 
 
The committee was expected to review the process at its Tuesday meeting but did not. A timeline provided by Mayor Jennifer Macksey, chair of the committee, states the calls for statements of interest will occur on Monday, Aug. 31, along with a pre-convention meeting notice. 
 
Statements of interest and nominations will be accepted via email to btassone@napsk12.org until 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24; these will be disseminated to committee and City Council members four days later. 
 
Any resident of the city of North Adams who is eligible to vote is eligible to be elected to serve on the School Committee.
 
Daunis was elected in this way to the School Committee in 2020 to fill the unexpired term and elected to a four-year term in her own right the following year and again in 2025. 
 
Chamberlain was first elected in 2023 and would be up for election next year.
 
School Committee members are elected to four-year terms so the candidates only serve until the Jan. 1 following a municipal election. The next election is on Nov. 2, 2027, when Chamberlain's four-year term and the two years remaining on Daunais' term will be on the ballot. 
 
Daunis has accepted a position with Waring School, a co-educational private day school in Beverly, where she will be director of development. Chamberlain has moved away from North Adams. 
 
The last joint convention in January elected Alexandra DiAddezio to replace Chelsey Lyn Ciolkowski, who was elected in 2025 but declined to serve. Prior to that, Alyssa Tomkowicz was elected by convention in 2023 to replace Joshua Vallieres, who had resigned. 
 

Tags: board vacancies,   North Adams School Committee,   

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North Adams Housing Authority Director Steps Down

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Jennifer Hohn, the longtime executive director of the North Adams Housing Authority (NAHA), has stepped down after 24 years with the agency.

The Berkshire Eagle reported that Hohn resigned from her position on Thursday. The NAHA Board of Commissioners is currently developing a transition plan.

Her resignation follows rising tension between Hohn and the tenants association. Residents—particularly at the Spring and Ashland Park apartments—have raised specific concerns regarding building security, drug activity, and trespassers.

This summer, Tenants Association President Corey Fortin posted a video on social media demonstrating that door alarms in some of the buildings were not functioning.

Shortly after the video was posted, the tenants association's office was locked. Members alleged Hohn locked the space in retaliation, while Hohn maintained it was a matter of tenant safety. Hohn also stated that NAHA does not officially recognize the association because it has yet to go through official channels for certification—a claim the tenants association disputes.

The dispute culminated in plans for a formal grievance hearing between Hohn and the association. Both sides agreed to hold a meeting on Oct. 3, but the hearing had not yet been scheduled at the time of her resignation.
During her tenure as director, Hohn oversaw significant changes at NAHA, including expansion and the dissolution of Housing Opportunities Incorporated, a program founded over 30 years ago to assist first-time homebuyers. Most recently, she led efforts to transition NAHA properties from traditional public housing models to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. She also directed the rebuilding of a Greylock Valley Apartments building after it was severely damaged by a fire.

The NAHA Board of Commissioners meets monthly, typically on Mondays.

 

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