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Newcomers Roll to Victory in Clarksburg

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Christa Marsh
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Clarksburg voters swept two newcomers into office on Tuesday.

Christa Marsh outpolled incumbent Marie Allard 147-91 90 (with one blank) for the town treasurer's position and Audrey Matys defeated longtime Planning Board member Norman D'Amico 149-66 for a vacant seat on the board.

Town Clerk Carol Jammalo said 238 of the town's 1,121 registered voters, or about 21 percent, cast ballots at the Senior Center.

More than 80 votes had been cast by 2 p.m., about two hours after the polls opened at the Senior Center.

Voting had been steady, said poll worker Phillip Fosser, who expected most votes to be cast between 5 and 7, when balloting closed.

The treasurer's race was an upset, with Allard, a veteran town official ousted by former Stamford, Vt., resident Marsh.

Allard served 14 years as treasurer, and a term as town clerk. It was the first time she'd been challenged for office.


Marie Allard, left, and supporter Chelsea Ciolkowski.
Both candidates spent the afternoon at the entrance to the Senior Center driveway with signs at the ready.

D'Amico, also a longtime town official, had been encouraged to run for the Planning Board when it appeared no one would stand for the vacant office. But Matys, a native of Clarksburg, decided to try for the office as an entry into public service.

All other candidates for offices were unopposed, including incumbent Selectman Carl McKinney, who garnered 200 votes, and Fosser, who was returned as War Memorial trustee with 219 votes. Both will serve three-year terms.

Also re-elected was longtime Moderator Bryan Tanner with 217 votes for a one-year term; Tree Warden Ernest Dix, 213 votes, one year; Board of Health member Timothy Shea, 190 votes for a three-year term, and School Committee member David Berger, 196 votes for a three-year term.

Fire Chief Carlyle "Chip" Chesbro Jr. received a write-in vote each for moderator and tree warden; Paula Wells got a write-in votefor Board of Health
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Berkshire Organizations Awarded Stories Grants

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Manos Unidas, of Pittsfield and Multicultural BRIDGE, of Lee were both awarded Mass Humanities' Expand Massachusetts Stories (EMS) grants.
 
The EMS grants support storytelling projects that provide a more complete, more nuanced picture of life in the Commonwealth, according to a press release. Since launching EMS in 2021, Mass Humanities has prioritized funding projects that give voice to those who are often excluded from mainstream histories and stories. In total, the foundation has distributed more than $3 million to date, supporting the completion of audio tours, documentary films, oral histories, public events, and archival research.
 
This fall, Mass Humanities concluded its fourth round of the EMS initiative by providing $1.2 million in grant funding to 64 cultural nonprofit organizations across Massachusetts.
 
Manos Unidas was awarded $20,000 to supoport Raíces de Cuentos, an oral history project that will collect under heard stories related to the resilience and struggles of flight and relocation across generations from Latino immigrants in Pittsfield.
 
Multicultural BRIDGE was awarded $20,000 to support Migration Stories, an oral history project expanding on Multicultural BRIDGE's Berkshire Mosaic, in partnership with BTW Berkshires as an oral historian and journalist, to create a community digital archive, of, for and by Black, immigrant and indigenous communities in the Berkshires, involving a series of events.
 
"We live in a moment that calls for new narratives and new opportunities to reimagine the past, present, and future of Massachusetts," said Brian Boyles, Executive Director of Mass Humanities. "This year's Expand Mass Stories projects give local people the chance to chronicle and celebrate their communities with dignity and hope. On behalf of our board and staff, congratulations to these bold, courageous storytellers."
 
The number of EMS grantees increased by 50 percent from last year, from 42 to 64 organizations. The percentage of BIPOC-led grants is the highest it has ever been, at 89.6 percent.
 
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