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Council President Paul Hopkins with former City Clerk Deborah Pedercini after being sworn in in 2020. Within months, the council would switch to virtual meetings because of the pandemic.

North Adams Council President Hopkins Tenders Resignation

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The president of the City Council has submitted his resignation effective Friday.
 
Paul Hopkins, in is second term, said he is leaving the council for personal and professional reasons. Hopkins has had his home for sale for some months and had not intended to run for re-election this year.
 
"Things came together faster than I sort of had in my head," he said on Tuesday. "The time is now and I'm excited about a new direction."
 
Hopkins said he had informed Mayor Thomas Bernard and copied his council colleagues on his brief letter of resignation to the city clerk. It would be up to the council to determine whether to fill his seat or wait for the new government next January, he said.
 
"I thought about this quite a lot whether I should stay on the council until I had moved out of town," he said. "But I'm setting up a household in a different place and need to find a new career ... I would not be able to devote the mental energy to being a city councilor and that is not the right thing to do."
 
The former radio announcer has been a well-known figure in the community for more than 40 years and has served on a number of civic and community boards, including as vice chair of the Planning Board and chairman of the Redevelopment Authority. He's also served on the boards of the Louison House and Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.
 
Born in Wisconsin, the family followed his father to Belgrade, in what was then Yugoslavia, where he worked for the Voice of America and Hopkins attended the International School and American High School. He earned his degree at Middlebury College in Vermont, where, he said, "I decided that I was actually a New Englander." Fate brought him to WNAW Radio (formerly WMNB), and, he's said, he fell in love with the area and raised his four children here.
 
He also was director of community relations at the former Northern Berkshire Healthcare — calling it one of the best jobs he ever had — and later communications coordinator at Berkshire Health System's nursing home division.
 
Reflecting on his two terms on the council, including the last term as president, Hopkins said elected service is very different from being appointed or serving on organizational boards. 
 
"I think you walk into an election asking people to vote for you because you thought you had the answers," he said. "You find out very quickly you don't have the answers."
 
Hopkins had initially considered not running in 2019 and, on Tuesday, said he felt it was time to step aside anyway for others to run, joking he was looking like so many of the portraits of past councils — older, white and male.
 
"I'm encouraged by some of the people I see running for office now and I'm sure there will be more," he said. "There is a very diverse group of people who look like they want to serve."
 
Though he has no immediate family in the area, one of his children is considering moving back so Hopkins said he may be returning more often to see his many good friends. 
 
As of last week, 10 people have taken out nomination papers for City Council: Emily Daunis, Roger Eurbin, Raymond Moore, Barbara Murray, Heidi Shartrand-Newell, Michael Obasohan, Jesse Lee Egan Poirier, Bryan Sapienza, Ashley Shade and incumbent Jessica Sweeney.
 
Three have taken out papers for mayor: Aprilyn Carsno, Rachel Branch and Joshua Vallieres. Carsno and Vallieres have both returned papers.
 
David Sookey and incumbent Heather Boulger have taken out papers for School Committee and incumbent Gary Rivers has taken out papers for representative to the Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School Committee.

Tags: election 2021,   municipal election,   


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Clarksburg Joining Drug Prevention Coalition

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Select Board has agreed to join a collaborative effort for drug prevention and harm reduction.
 
The new coalition will hire a North County community coordinator who will be headquartered on the North Adams Regional Hospital campus and who oversee allocations for harm reduction, education and prevention efforts. Berkshire Health Systems has also committed about $120,000 over the next five years. 
 
Clarksburg, one of the first communities to sign on to the opioid lawsuit filed by a consortium of states several years ago, has so far received payouts of $23,594.78. It's expected to receive nearly $64,000 by the end of the 16-year payout. 
 
In October, the board had discussed whether to pool that money with other communities, expressing concerns that the small town would not receive enough benefits.
 
"Anytime there's a pooling of money I think countywide, I think we know where the bulk goes to," said member Colton Andrew said Monday. "I'm more open to the idea of keeping the money here but open to hearing your intentions and how the mony will be allocated."
 
Chair Robert Norcross said he felt there seemed to be a focus on harm reduction, such as the use of Narcan, and not enough for prevention or problem-solving.
 
But after hearing from members of the nascent coalition, members voted Monday night to partner with other Northern Berkshire communities.
 
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