Letter: Neal Lies in His Mailings

Letter to the Editor04:30PM / Friday, October 16, 2026Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

How can this be? Both the Democrats and Republicans seem to be in strong mutual agreement that one's opinion of Donald Trump is the most important issue in this election.

I just received my fifth glossy attack ad by the Massachusetts Democrat Party (authorized by Richie Neal) against independent congressional candidate Nadia Milleron. These ads falsely try to portray Milleron as a puppet of Trump even though the vast majority of those who support her recognize our president for the lying, immoral demagogue that he is. Neal is clearly using fear tactics to distract from the real issues — his deplorable record of missed opportunities to help average and low income Americans, his accepting huge donations from corporations like the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries that sway his decisions, his support for reckless military spending and war, and his very rare visits to the Berkshires. Milleron's campaign is funded largely by small, grassroots individual donors, while Neal is funded mostly by corporate donors and the Democrat Party machine. His $3 million war chest allows him to flood us with misinformation like "She answers to the MAGA Elite."

Neal had been chair of the House Ways and Means and House Joint Committee on Taxation. He was in a powerful position to push for Medicare for All, which would have saved thousands of lives and billions of dollars, and failing to use power for the public good I find unforgivable. Milleron, on the other hand, boldly proposes replacing the parasitic health insurance companies with a trust that would pay for universal health care through fair taxation, eliminating premiums and co-pays.

Neal supported wasting our tax dollars by funding the militaries of Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Milleron proposes a major overhaul of the tax code to benefit struggling poor and middle class families earning less than $100,000 per year.

The Democrats discredit themselves by funding these absurd ads. They make no attempt to see why they are now rejected by so many like myself, who feel that being anti-Trump is not nearly enough. The Dems fail to take responsibility for the exporting of manufacturing jobs due to trade deals they promoted over the years. There is no accountability for their acceptance of corporate and PAC money that led to policy decisions that have impoverished so many American families.

It's been nearly three years since I Dem-exited, and I look forward to being represented by a legislator who actually cares about the pressing needs of ordinary people. Independent Nadia Milleron will actually represent the Berkshires by being accountable to citizens, rather than corporations or a corrupt party.

Henry Rose
Dalton, Mass.

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Lanesborough Property Tax Rate Up 5%

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
01:25PM / Wednesday, November 11, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday approved a single tax rate that will increase the average homeowner's property bill by at least $670.

With a rate of $18.20 per $1,000 valuation, the average single-family home valued at $373,784 will see a $668 increase, and the average commercial property, estimated at a value of $577,990, will increase by $1,125 per year. This rate is 91 cents higher than last year's $17.29 per $1,000 valuation.

"Historically, as part of their annual budget policy, the Select Board and Finance Committee has endorsed a single tax rate option, providing no exemption or discount to a particular property class or group, voting a residential factor of one, which is what we'll do tonight, affirms a single tax rate and proportionate sharing of the tax levy burden between all classes of property," Principal Assessor Ross Vivori explained during the joint meeting with the Finance Committee and Board of Assessors.

This year's levy is $11,760,845, which is a 11.28 percent increase from last year, or $1,192,521.

The town's total taxable value is $648,200,324; about $541 million in residential, almost $9 million in industrial, about $52 million in commercial, and about $44 million in personal property. It is 5.7 percent higher than the previous year.

For fiscal 2027 the max allowable levy is $12,313,803, the town is levying $11,760,845, leaving an excess levy capacity of $552,957. There was more than $6.5 million in new growth, which was described as contributing about $112,855 in tax revenue at the prior year's rate.

Finance Committee member Al Terranova suggested that the rate may change if revenues, such as from the state, changed.

"I just don't want people to look at this and, 'Oh my goodness, I'm going to pay $600 more a year,'" he said. "They would just pick out that one number, because you don't know what the actual number is."

Select Board Chair Deborah Maynard said all the figures are based on the tax recapitulation sheet, which includes estimated revenues and state cherry sheet numbers.

"But there's no way around that, that's the number we're paying," added Select Board member Jason A. Breault. "That's the tax rate."

Ross said property values are rising because people are paying more for homes, but that's not driving the tax rate — town spending is.

"If the [property] value goes up and nothing else changes, the tax rate stays the same," he said. "What's driving the tax rate up is the budget ... everything's gone up and you've got raise the money to operate the town. It is what it is."

In better news, the board accepted what Accountant Angela Garrity agreed was a "healthy" amount of free cash at $949,833.

The board also heard from the public about putting a moratorium on data centers and battery storage facilities at its next meeting as well as Old State Road residents asking about the speed bump removed at the intersection of Target and Old State Road.

The residents said two years ago they had asked for the speed bump and were wondering why they were not warned it was being removed.

The three people said they were afraid to cross the street for their mailbox or walk their dogs. They also said it is very hard for them to leave their driveway at the intersection.

The Select Board could not respond during public comment, but at its last meeting, it decided to remove the speed bump based on information from police that it was "useless" as a deterrent and from Emergency Medical Services Director Jen Weber that it was dangerous when transporting patients.

An ad hoc committee with Weber and Police Chief Robert Derksen and board members Breault and Jeff Walters to discuss the best options on reduce speeding in some areas. Maynard reminded people that community members wanting to serve are being asked to submit citizens' interest form with the town.

Lastly, Alison Dixon from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and Berkshire Environmental Action Team's Executive Director Brittany Ebeling presented two Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness action grant projects.

One project is the road stream crossing prioritization and assessment program for town-owned bridges and culverts to prioritize crossing replacements. Dixon explained that undersized culverts were identified as a vulnerability in the town's MVP and hazard and mitigation plan. The project is expected to span two years and will notify nearby landowners before field crews work around culverts and bridges. Community members were also invited to share knowledge about crossings they believe have been problematic.

The second project will cover ghost dams. BEAT and BRPC will be working with watershed organizations and a youth team from Greenagers over the next two years locating and documenting unmapped, human-made dams, also called ghost dams, which may pose flood risks. The goal is to create a Berkshires-wide map and connect towns and landowners with information and resources for flood-resilience planning.

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