Letter: Support Bond for Mayor

To the Editor:

Dear North Adams friends, I have been following the campaigns for the office of mayor of North Adams and the City Council races from my home in North Carolina. I was moved to send a letter of support for Lynette Bond after seeing a letter sent out by Jennifer Macksey's campaign, which stated that if you like what has happened in North Adams government the past 12 years Jennifer Macksey is not your candidate.

Since I was part of that government for six years, I feel a need to respond this way: What defined our government during the time I served was a willingness to be open and transparent in notable contrast to what came before.

So I feel a need to speak up! This summer when I was home, I met with Lynette Bond. I was impressed that she brings a very diverse life experience to the table as well as a very positive energy. I like her visibility and engagement with the citizens of North Adams including serving as a foster parent, leading the successful fight to save the Colegrove School, and serving on city boards. I see her as a team player who will make an excellent ambassador for the city of North Adams.

North Adams needs a mayor who will represent the people who vote for her and the people who vote against her. As you go to the voting booth on Tuesday, Nov. 2, I would urge my friends and supporters to vote for Lynette Bond.

Nancy Bullett
Newport, N.C.

Nancy Bullett is a former North Adams city councilor. 

Neal Secures $700,000 for North Adams Flood Chutes Project

12:13PM / Friday, May 17, 2024

Mayor Jennifer Macksey at last August's signing of an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal has secured $700,000 in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' budget to complete a feasibility study of the Hoosic River flood chutes.  

 

The Corps of Engineers is in the midst of a three-year, $3 million study of the aging concrete flood chutes that control the passage of the river through the city. 

 

North Adams has ponied up $500,000 as part of its share of the study and another $1.5 million is expected to come from state and federal coffers. Neal previously secured $200,000 in the fiscal 2023 omnibus spending package to begin the feasibility study. 

 

The additional funding secured by Neal will allow for the completion of the study, required before the project can move on to the next phase.

 

Neal celebrated it as a significant step in bringing the flood chutes project to fruition, which he said came after several months of communication with the Corps.

 

"The residents of North Adams have long advocated for much needed improvements to the city's decades-old flood chutes. This announcement is a substantial victory for the city, one that reaffirms the federal government's commitment to making this project a reality," said the congressman. "As a former mayor, I know firsthand the importance of these issues, especially when it comes to the safety and well-being of residents. 

 

"That is why I have prioritized funding for this project, one that will not only enhance protections along the Hoosic River Basin and reduce flood risk, but also make much critical improvements to the city's infrastructure and create jobs."