MCLA Student To Run For North Adams Mayor
Back in February Mayor Thomas Bernard, he would not be running for a third term.
Who else will be throwing their hat in the ring to run for Mayor? We did hear that City Councilor Jason LaForest says he is exploring a run for mayor.
MCLA student Joshua Vallieres has announced a run and has taken out papers for the Mayor’s Office in North Adams. The 21-year-old told the Berkshire Eagle on Sunday that he considers his age or lack of electoral experience no barrier to building support to succeed Tom Bernard as the city’s mayor.
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Several city councilors responded with their regrets that the mayor would not run for a third term, and saying they respected what must have been a difficult decision. I respect Mayor Bernard s decision as he will get more time to focus on the job instead of an election to finish off his term, which still has 10 months left, said Councilor Keith Bona, the senior member of the council. A lot can happen in that time. What will happen in any case is an election and City Councilor Jason LaForest confirmed on Tuesday that he is exploring a run for mayor, noting it was not really a secret.
NORTH ADAMS â City Councilor Jason LaForest says he is exploring a run for mayor, after an announcement from current North Adams Mayor Tom Bernard that he will not seek a third term.
LaForest, who first was elected in 2017 and is serving his second year as the councilâs vice president, told The Eagle it is âalmost certainâ that he will pull papers to run in April.
Though LaForest confirmed his plans with local reporters Tuesday, he said he had been considering the run since before Bernardâs announcement and has received a positive response so far.
âNorth Adams truly needs broad, transparent leadership,â he said. âThat reflects who we are as a community, where we have been and where we need to go together, against the backdrop of tight finances.â
NORTH ADAMS â North Adams residents raised few concerns about a proposed zoning change that has stirred controversy in other municipalities.
At a preliminary public hearing Wednesday night, locals had the chance to weigh in on whether the city should adopt âSmart Growthâ zones that would encourage dense residential and mixed-use development in the cityâs downtown.
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More than a dozen members of the public attended the hearing hosted by the city s Community Development Committee, and several questioned how the zoning overlay might impact existing or future development.
Zachary Feury, project coordinator at the cityâs Office of Community Development, said the hearing, held over Zoom, was the first step in a long process that will involve the City Council and the commonwealth of Massachusetts.