Churchill Cotton Candidate For School Committee - Pittsfield
As the only African-American candidate for School Committee, Churchill Cotton, 57, said he's running to represent minorities and their interests.
With involvement in several community projects, including the Westside Initiative Steering Committee, the Berkshire United Way, the Pittsfield bicycle committee and the Samuel Harrison House Society, Cotton has shown commitment to working on city improvements.
Saying "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem," Cotton has never before run for public office since relocating to the city permanently in the late 80s.
Cotton received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Lincoln University in 1971 and currently works in the finance department at KB Toys.
With two sons that graduated from Taconic High School in the 90s, Cotton said he's concerned about the drop-out rates in city high schools, especially among minorities.
"Minorities need representation in the School Committee to address those issues," he said. "But the great thing is we have a lot of candidates and a lot of ideas and we're talking about them."