Letter: Breen Has Right Experience for North Adams Council

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To the Editor:

Well, I just voted, and I gave my first vote for City Council to Pete Breen. Why, you ask?

No other new candidate has the experience and devotion and has been as generous with their time. Over the past 40 years, Pete has served on many boards and commissions. He has worked for a variety of employers including MCLA, where Pete was a facilitator and instructor for technology and curriculum development and assistant registrar. Pete took that experience over into the town of Adams, where he implemented the town's entire computer system, serving as the town's technology administrator. Pete then went farther south, where he was a member of the adjunct faculty at BCC for four years.

Shifting gears into education, Pete taught computer science at Hoosac Valley for 12 years, while also serving in the district office and as the pupil transportation officer.



After retiring from compensated work, Pete set his sights on volunteering in North Adams serving on the License Board Commission and serving as the North Adams representative for the Northern Berkshire Vocational School District, and finally, Pete's current passion, serving on the Hoosic River Revival Board.

That's why I gave my first vote to Pete Breen. And I hope that you do too.

David Willette
North Adams, Mass.

 

 


Tags: election 2023,   


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Clarksburg Sees Clearing Financial Skies for Fiscal 2027

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town is entering fiscal 2027 with something like a sigh of relief from a combination of budget reductions and free cash largesse.
 
The total budget is up 3 percent at $5,550,319, a $164,237 increase over this year. 
 
"Our free cash came in a lot higher than I ever thought. We came in at $950,652 so that allowed us to reset and get us where I was hoping for us to be," Town Administrator Ronald Boucher told the joint meeting of the Select Board and Finance Committee on Monday. "We're in really good shape financially.
 
Board member Colton Andrews said it was probably the best financial position for the town; Boucher responded it was in "a long time because we're always paying catch up."
 
The town's operating budget is $1,911,815, up 2.63 percent; the school was able to carve some savings to come in at $3,212,174, or up 4.10 percent; and the McCann Technical School assessment is $426,330, down about 2.57 percent from this year.
 
The town budget includes an across the board 3 percent cost-of-living raise for employees. There are savings on the town assessor side of about $52,000 as the assessor first reduced her hours and then resigned, and costs for the valuation software dropped. Other savings include a decrease in hours for the administrative chief's salary, and some services, supplies and trainings. 
 
Town meeting will be asked to approve the budget and free cash and stabilization spending articles.
 
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