image description
Attorney Timothy Shugrue takes out papers on Wednesday for Berkshire district attorney with his wife, Joann.

Two Challengers Emerge for Berkshire District Attorney

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story

Robert Sullivan launched his campaign late last year. 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Well-known Pittsfield attorney Timothy J. Shugrue has entered the race for district attorney. 
 
Shugrue is the second candidate to announce a run against first-term incumbent Andrea Harrington; Robert Sullivan, of Lee, a former assistant DA, launched his campaign last year. 
 
Harrington hasn't formally announced but has been actively fundraising and has nearly $19,000 on hand. 
 
Shugrue took to social media to make his initial statement.
 
"Many of you know me as an attorney, husband, father and friend. I'm a trial lawyer with over 36 years of litigation courtroom experience in all of Western Massachusetts," he wrote.
 
Shugrue also is a former assistant district attorney, in Springfield, but has been in practice as a private attorney for 28 years.
 
He is a founder of the Berkshire County Children's Advocacy and Domestic Violence Center. 
 
"I enter this race to make Berkshire County a safe place for all the residents of our county.  I'm committed to providing experience, integrity and justice for all," he wrote.
 
Shugrue unsuccessfully ran against then District Attorney David Capeless in 2004. 
 
Sullivan announced his campaign late last year.
 
Originally from Boston, he graduated from New England Law in Boston. He moved to Berkshire County and was assistant district attorney under Capeless.
 
He now has his own practice in Central Berkshire.
 
Sullivan has been critical of Harrington in the past. According to his campaign website:
 
"Now my county needs a change. It needs a chief prosecutor that doesn't follow the trends of politics that reach far beyond our county, but rather focuses on the needs of the residents of Berkshire County. It needs a chief law enforcement officer who puts community safety and accountability over the false rhetoric of a certain political caucus or movement."
 
Harrington defeated Capeless' first assistant, Paul Caccaviello, who held the position in the interim when Capeless stepped down in 2018.
 
The election is in November.

Tags: district attorney,   election 2022,   


If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield BOH Condemns Two Homes

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two more Pittsfield homes have been condemned.

The Board of Health voted Wednesday to condemn 86 John St. and 224 Fourth St. It came with a pang of sadness about demolishing homes during a housing crisis and a conversation about prevention.

"I would think many years ago this property had flowers in front of it," Chair Roberta Elliott said about the John Street home. "It was not like this."

Another member said it feels like capital punishment to the properties.

Both homes have no owner or heir who wants to take responsibility for them. The city has 43 open condemnation orders — about 20 residential.

"The condemnation can be as simple as no running water, no electricity," Code Enforcement Office Andrew Gagnon said. "So it is a spectrum of severity."

The four-bedroom John Street property has been sitting since 2018 and the Fourth Street multifamily has been subject to break-ins despite being secured and deemed unsafe by the Fire Department.

"It's unfortunate that so many properties on John Street have had to meet the wrecking ball," Gagnon said.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories