Letter: Macksey Has the Qualifications for Mayor

To the Editor:

A lot has happened in North Adams over the past several years. There have been many positives including outside investment and Mass MoCA, however, our beautiful city is not what it used to be.

Attention to our taxpayers and local business has declined. As we approach a new era (first female mayor), it is ever so important that we do not stay stagnant. The new mayor of North Adams needs experience in business as well as the management of personnel. We need a leader who is open to ideas and help from our citizens. We need a leader who is strong, yet compassionate. A leader who will work with outside investors without missing the needs of our own people.

While we have two very intelligent candidates, it is abundantly clear to me that Jennifer Macksey has all the qualifications to move our city in a direction that is all inclusive.

Jennifer has the strength and character to get the job done while being held accountable. As I believe Jennifer's resume stands on its own, I think people need to know her as the person she is. I have known Jennifer for many years and have had many conversations with her about politics, education, youth, safety and family. While we may not agree on everything, she has always listened and if she did not know the answer, she found it very quickly.

I have not met many people who possess the organizational skills, work ethic or the ability to deal with adversity as Jennifer does. She may be of small stature, but she lacks nothing in leadership or personal skills.

Please join me in brining North Adams back to the future and vote Jennifer Macksey for mayor on Nov. 2.

Mark Moulton
North Adams, Mass. 

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."