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Nearly All Pittsfield Wards are Seeing Candidates

By Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
09:07AM / Saturday, April 08, 2023

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Election papers became available on Monday and by the end of the week all council seats besides Ward 2 are seeing action.

Earlier this week, City Council President Peter Marchetti and former City Council Vice President John Krol launched their official campaigns for mayor.

Marchetti touts his long experience on the council, a 35-year career at the Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, and his presence in the community as culminating factors to being a successful city leader. Krol points to his experience in broadcast and print media, working for former Mayor James Ruberto, and time on the council as tools to make Pittsfield the best that it can be.

The two have taken out papers along with resident Craig Gaetani, who ran for mayor in 2015 and garnered 0.51 percent of the vote.

He also took out papers to run against two-term Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampaisi, who has also taken out papers. The two are the only contestants to date.

Gaetani is a former marketing director of Krofta Engineering and has said the city could save upward of $150 million by using that technology on its water treatment plant. He is a regular at City Council's open microphone with similar sentiments.

City Clerk Michele Benjamin has taken out papers for re-election.

Alisa Costa, who is a local advocate with a career in public policy and community organizing, has taken out papers for an at-large council seat and for Ward 3. Four-term at-Large Councilor Peter White and three-term at-Large Councilor Earl Persip III have also taken out papers.

Ward 3 has two other candidates so far and is the most contested ward. Matthew Wrinn, who has a background in criminal justice and community involvement, and William "Bill" Tyer, who has served on various committees and boards in the community, are also vying for representation.

Over email on Wednesday, Tyer communicated that he is only running for Ward 3 and while he understands Costa's drive to be on the council, he is standing by Ward 3.

Incumbent Kenneth Warren has taken out papers to run again for Ward 1 after being elected in 2021. He served on the School Committee in his early 20s and as the city councilor for Ward 2 for two terms in the 1980s before moving to Ward 1.

There were no papers taken out yet for Ward 2. Current Councilor Charles Kronick has been contacted on his intent for this election.

Incumbent James Conant has taken out papers for Ward 4. Elected to the ward seat in 2021, he has been involved in local politics for around 20 years serving as a member of the School Committee and Parks Commission, and chair of the Community Preservation Commission.

Two-term Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey has also taken out papers. Kavey entered the political scene as a newcomer in 2019 at the age of 26. He graduated from Taconic High School and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in business management from Westfield State University.

Resident Ocean Sutton has also taken papers out for Ward 5. According to her social media, she is a 32-year-old mother of three children.

City Council veteran Anthony Maffuccio has taken out papers to retain leadership of Ward 7 for his sixth nonconsecutive term.

Maffuccio was re-elected to office in 2019 after taking about a decade off. He first became involved in local politics at the start of the millennium out of displeasure with the way that the council was being run.

Incumbents William Cameron, Sara Hathaway and Daniel Elias have taken out papers for School Committee as well as former student representative William Garrity, who graduated from Taconic High School last year.

Cameron has served on the committee for three terms and is currently chair. He has 40 years of experience working in public schools which includes working as superintendent of schools in Salem and Central Berkshire Regional.

He has also worked as interim superintendent in Supervisory Union No. 70 and in Lenox.

Hathaway, mayor of Pittsfield from 2002 to 2004, has worked as a teacher, urban planner, and district director for a state senator. She was elected to the School Committee in 2021.

Garrity was the Taconic class of 2022 valedictorian. He served as a student representative and was significantly involved in the school.

Since graduating, he has kept up with local politics while attending Berkshire Community College.

He announced his candidacy on Twitter on Monday, saying he is running on a platform to increase transparency and accountability in the district while maintaining the committee’s reputation of positively working together to bring change to the school system.

He also wants to ensure that all staff earns and livable wage and build trust between teachers, support staff, and administration.