PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Peter White says he wants to continue being an approachable, accessible, representative that is dedicated to the city of Pittsfield.
The current councilor at large is seeking a fourth term. He served one term as Ward 2 councilor from 2010-11 and was elected to his current position in 2015.
Born and raised in Pittsfield, he is highly invested in the city as a whole and enjoys collaborating with his colleagues across the board.
"I love being on the City Council," he said. "The way I am at-large is more like a ward councilor for the city, I like getting involved with different issues, I really enjoy working with other ward councilors, and my fellow at-large councilors, so if I can be like a backup, or assist in any way, to our seven ward councilors, I find that to be a pretty cool part of the large job."
He clarified that he will always direct constituents to ward councilors for issues specific to their area but enjoys being both the facilitator of communication and collaborator in problem-solving.
White first entered the political scene in 2003 when he sought an at-large seat and did not win.
He became interested in local government in the early 2000s as a member of the Student Government Association at Berkshire Community College. White and the group worked with local officials to get an elevator installed in the Jonathan Edwards Library for increased accessibility.
A membership that he said began as a social activity inspired him to get involved in the interworkings of the city after seeing the debates and processes that went into making the elevator installation happen.
"I got to know like our state senator, our state representative, pretty well and kind of get an idea that government is a good way to help people," he said.
"I didn't think that youth were being represented very well so I ran for councilor at large back in 2003, I didn't win the race, however, I got involved with some different committee work."
In 2012, White was defeated by Tricia Farley-Bouvier in the special election for state representative for the Third Berkshire District.
He currently chairs the Affirmative Action Advisory Committee and has previously served seven years on the Traffic Commission and five on the Mobile Home Rent Control Board.
"I've always been focused on remaining approachable, accessible, and dedicated to Pittsfield. So being out there listening to what people are saying, rather than trying to push my own agenda, or try to come up with things that I might want to see happen," he said in regard to his campaign focus.
"A focus to the campaign is to continue listening to the constituents, being on Facebook, being accessible through email and phone calls, being out at farmers' markets, and talking to people in the grocery stores and trying to have as much communication with people in Pittsfield as possible."
White said public safety always has to be in mind as well as maintaining infrastructure while monitoring how any spending will affect the budget and taxes.
He also thinks the city needs to continue looking at ways to address all levels of housing including affordable, workforce, and low-income housing with high standards. Similarly, he urges the city to look at alleviating homelessness by using a "housing first" model.
One of the standout citywide projects White worked on has been rethinking the trash collection and disposal system, which has increased by around $3 million since 2015.
The most challenging thing, he said, is beginning the conversation about fixing an unsustainable system because many are afraid of change.
In February, the Committee of the Whole tabled a petition by President Peter Marchetti, White, and Councilor at Large Earl Persip III to adopt a "Pay As You Throw" trash system that provides residents with 104 15-gallon bags free each year at cost and any additional bags would be purchased for $1.50 per 30-gallon bag and $0.80 per 15-gallon bag.
In another Committee of the Whole Meeting, a charter objection halted a presentation from Waste Zero and discussion following.
"Nothing should be perfect when a councilor introduces it or when the administration introduces it, we should be looking to make amendments or tweaks to everything to make it so it works for the people of Pittsfield," he said.
"The point isn't to stop anyone from being able to use the city service of trash, it's to be able to have it be a little more sustainable and not have the person who's putting out two recycling bins and one small bag of trash have to subsidize the person who does no recycling and puts out like, five to 10 bags of trash."
White's campaign outreach style is being constantly present in the city whether he is at a meeting, a Pittsfield Suns baseball game, a music event, or supporting local businesses.
He highly regards the city in which he was born and raised and makes it a part of his everyday life to be involved with the community.
"I kind of take a different approach to campaign like in campaign season, the big changes for me during campaign season are going to be I'll do lawn signs if people want them, I'll go to debates, I'll be lucky to have the interviews like this because you provide a great service," he said.
"I try to just maintain a pretty steady communication with the public throughout the entire term and I don't try to like change something just because we have an election coming up in like four months, and I try to go with if, if you only see me when there's an election, there's something wrong."
White will be on the ballot with Peter Marchetti, Earl Persip III, Yuki Cohen, Craig Benoit and Karen Kalinowsky; winners will be the four highest vote-getters.
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Berkshire United Way to Massachusetts: Early-Learning Educators Need Better Wages
By Katherine von Haefen Guest Column
As reported in iBerkshires, state education officials met with Western Massachusetts childcare and early education advocates at Berkshire Community College recently. I had the opportunity to share the following testimony on behalf of Berkshire United Way and our community partners.
Early childhood education provides tremendous benefits to our region. High-quality child care dramatically influences brain development and the future health and success for children in school and life, as well as provides a safe and secure space for our youngest community members so their parents or caregivers can work and provide for their families.
Berkshire United Way has invested in improving early childhood development opportunities in the Berkshires for decades. We fund high-quality nonprofit child-care centers that provide slots for income-constrained families. We also support the sector by co-hosting monthly child-care director meetings to work on shared challenges and collectively propose solutions. We advocate for early childhood education and have a great partner in this work, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier.
Staffing is a key component of high-quality care. The research shows that skilled and consistent educators in a classroom create long-lasting change for children. However, wages are stagnant and frequently do not provide educators with basic financial stability. We often hear that educators have left the field because they are unable to make their finances work. Wages need to improve to better reflect the expertise and indelible impact teachers have in the field.
When we look specifically at our region, our data is concerning.
As Berkshire County emerges from the pandemic, we are struggling with transportation, affordable housing and lack of mental health resources, much like the rest of the state. We are also seeing a rise in economically challenged households.
After nearly 10 years of decline, Berkshire County has experienced a significant jump in income inequality, now exceeding the state and national trends and far above comparable counties, according to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. Over half of our population are "economically challenged," meaning they are working but struggling to make ends meet. A single parent with a school-aged child needs between $70,000 and $80,000 in income and public benefits just to meet their basic needs.
A large limb from a 32-foot sugar maple in the park fell next to the fountain area over the weekend. Caution tape and traffic barrels now surround the aftermath.
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The last estimate for construction was overly optimistic because, at the time, it was unclear how long obtaining the two easements would take, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said.
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Full cost estimates have not been completed but based on recent repairs made to the Clapp Park splash pad, it is estimated to cost between $350,000 and $450,000.
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King Kone had a soft opening at the end of the week, offering the frozen treats on a "pay what you will" basis while employees perfected the craft.
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