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Pittsfield Welcomes New Mayor, Council on Tuesday

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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Peter Marchetti will be sworn in to a four-year term as the new mayor of Pittsfield on Jan. 2. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city will inaugurate a new mayor and swear in city councilors on Tuesday morning at City Hall.

Peter Marchetti will be sworn in for a four-year term as mayor, replacing Mayor Linda Tyer who did not seek a third term.

After unsuccessfully running for mayor in 2011, this second time was a charm for Marchetti. In November, he was victorious over John Krol in the general election with 60 percent of the vote.

The incoming mayor has a decades-long tenure with the city, serving as council president for the last eight years, and will leave behind a more than 35-year career with Pittsfield Cooperative Bank.

His administrative team will include Catherine Van Bramer, who will continue her role as director of administrative services, and Brittany Walsh will be  his executive assistant.  

Several new faces will be sworn into the City Council and School Committee.

Kathleen Amuso and Alisa Costa will join incumbent at-Large councilors Earl Persip III and Peter White.

This will be Amuso's second time as a councilor. She served two terms at large after 10 years on the School Committee until deciding not to run again in 2017, though she has been active on other boards and committees. This Costa's first election but she has been involved in a number of civic boards and was four years the initiative director for Working Cities Pittsfield.

Both Marchetti and Karen Kalinowksy eschewed re-election for councilor at-large to instead run for mayor; Kalinowski did not make it past the preliminary election.


There will be new leadership in three of the city's wards after two councilors did not seek re-election and one was ousted by their challenger.

Brittany Bandani will serve as Ward 2 councilor and Matthew Wrinn will be sworn in for Ward 3 after replacing Charles Kronick and Kevin Sherman, respectively, decided not to run for re-election. Rhonda Serre won the Ward 7 seat over incumbent Anthony Maffuccio.

Returning are Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren, Ward 4 Councilor James Conant and Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey, all of whom were unopposed, and Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi, who was unsuccessfuly challenged. 

Newcomer School Committee members Diana Belair, William D. Garrity Jr. and Dominick C. Sacco will join incumbents William Cameron, Daniel Elias and Sara L. Hathaway.

City Clerk Michele Benjamin will also be sworn in.

The public is invited to join the inauguration ceremony in council chambers at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2, and the event will be streamed on Pittsfield Community Television. Following the ceremony, Marchetti is hosting a public reception at Hot Plate Brewing Co. with light hors d'oeuvres from Otto's Kitchen and Comfort.
 


Tags: inauguration,   swearing in,   

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Springside Rehabilitation Awarded Grant

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Springside Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center recieved a $234,500 workforce development grant.
 
The grant will provide Springside Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center with funds to provide training and placement services to prepare 40 un/underemployed participants for CNA positions. 
 
They will partner with Craneville Place Skilled Nursing Home & Rehabilitation and Springside Skilled Nursing Home and Rehabilitation.
 
The grant is part of $4.2 million in workforce development grant funding for nine initiatives across Massachusetts, representing partnerships with employers, training providers, and regional collaborators to train, upskill, and provide job placement for 621 workers for in-demand occupations in health care, life sciences, technology, construction, and more. As part of the awards, $250,000 will support planning grants for training providers.
 
"These Workforce Success Grants are designed to improve access to good-paying jobs and long-term career success for all Massachusetts residents," said Governor Maura Healey. "By investing in the skill development for underemployed and unemployed jobseekers, we are unlocking their potential, meeting the needs of employers, and strengthening the competitiveness of our workforce and regional economies."
 
In addition to the $4 million investment in the Workforce Success Grants, Commonwealth Corporation also awarded approximately $250,000 in total to six partnerships to fund planning and program design activities that may lead to the future implementation of workforce development job training and employment opportunities.
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