Alcombright Plans Run for Mayor of North Adams

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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Richard Alcombright
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City Councilor Richard J. Alcombright is mounting a run for the city's top spot against Mayor John Barrett III, the state's longest serving mayor.

Alcombright, a senior vice president at Hoosac bank and Williamstown Savings banks, was appointed to the City Council in 2000 to serve out his late father's unexpired term and has been returned to the seat three times. He announced his intention to run in a brief e-mail to local media. He will formally announce at a press conference at his home on Tuesday morning.

Barrett is in his 13th two-year term. On Monday, he confirmed that he would stand for re-election even though he hasn't officially announced. "I've already had one fundraiser  and I'll be doing other stuff."

Barrett said he would wait until after Alcombright's announcement Tuesday before commenting.

Alcombright, son of longtime City Councilor Daniel F. Alcombright Jr., was first elected in 2001. Three times he has outpolled his fellow candidates to be the voters' top choice. In 2007, he garnered 1,185 votes in a lackluster City Council race; Barrett, running unopposed, polled 1,096 votes.


Alcombright has also served on the McCann School Committee since 1991. In early 2008, he was expected — but never officially announced — a try for the 1st Berkshire seat that was to be vacated when by Rep. Daniel E. Bosley, D-North Adams, took a job in the Patrick administration. Bosley, however, ended up turning down the position, crushing more than a few State House dreamers.

This will be the first race for mayor since Wal-Mart worker Walter Smith ran against Barrett in 2005, and potentially the first serious challenger since former City Councilor Paul Babeu ran against him for a second time in 2001.

Alcombright's move could mean at least two new faces on the City Council as veteran Councilor Clark Billings is not planning another run.

Former Councilor Christopher Tremblay has announced his intention to recapture the seat he lost last year and Brian Flagg, manager of Gala Restaurant at the Orchards and occasional iBerkshires sports writer, has returned nomination papers.
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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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