Paul Revere and Smitty Pignatelli

Patrick White for State Representative

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Happy Mother's Day

First, let me wish all the moms out there a Happy Mother's Day. Here's a photo from back in the day of my mom winning the lottery... and my reaction. I think it was a $20 win on a scratch-off.

In This Issue:

Ringing Becket's Paul Revere Bell

Smitty Pignatelli: A Profile in Courage

Update on West Stockbridge Rent Control Decision: Doing What's Right

Update on Housatonic Water Works

Berkshire Housing Coalition Meeting: My Thoughts on the Housing Crisis

Speaking Out: Zero Tolerance for Hate

Photos from the Campaign Trail This Past Week

Ringing Becket's Paul Revere Bell

Yesterday was Becket's Town Meeting. As a first-time district candidate, the job is to introduce yourself to the voters. With that in mind, I traveled to Becket yesterday to stand outside Washington School at Becket's Annual Town Meeting.

On the way back, we were driving past the Becket First Congregational Church and noticed a plant sale and decided to stop. We quickly purchased a begonia! It is one of many fundraisers the Congregational Church has conducted over the past few years to replace the belfry that houses their Paul Revere Bell. They've raised about $200,000 of a $250,000 goal.

Always up for an adventure, I asked them if I could see the bell. With a bit of hesitation, a nice man named Jack pulled out a set of keys and said, "Sure."

We walked up the hill to a beautiful structure with stained glass windows, a rarity for Congregational Churches. I peeked into the Sanctuary and marveled at its beauty.

It turns out getting to the church bells in a 19th century church is not as easy as one might imagine. First, the steps. Then the cubby hole, then not one but two ladders, and finally, alone in the pitch black, I am at the top of a tower with a bell. Thank goodness the iPhone has a good flash!

I took my photo and asked permission to ring the bell. Jack, my guide a floor below, replied with a laugh, yes! I pulled the rope and let it peal with three rings. I got to ring a Paul Revere bell. A gorgeous sound rang out and the joy of the moment is something I will never forget.

Thanks Becket. What a day!

Flash photo of the Paul Revere Bell. It was pitch black up there!

Climbing through the cubby hole to get to the ladders to get to the bell.

Smitty Pignatelli: A Profile in Courage

I reached out to our current state representative, Smitty Pignatelli, a few days ago to ask him about his first speech on the floor of the Massachusetts State House, given over two decades ago. Here's the exchange.

Me: Smitty, I want to wish LGBTQ folks a Happy Pride. I'd like to reference the speech you gave on the House floor supporting gay marriage. Can you provide details?

Smitty: Hi Patrick. Thank you very much for reaching out for your upcoming newsletter. It was over 20 years ago that I gave my inaugural speech in the legislature in support of same-sex marriage. It was a challenging time as you can imagine as Massachusetts was once again the first state in the nation to tackle this very important subject.

Needless to say, I was very nervous at that time, but we did the right thing. I remember talking to my friend, Dr. Richard Lapchick from Florida who is a very close friend of Muhammad Ali and led the American boycott of the Davis cup tennis matches in South Africa because of apartheid. Rich became a very good friend with Nelson Mandela and was one of only 200 specially invited guests around the world to attend Mandela's presidential inauguration after he was released from prison. I remember calling Richard for advice. He's been a great mentor. He's been a great social justice and civil rights leader for decades. But I remember him so clearly saying to me that this is the civil rights social justice issue of your generation, Smitty. What side of history are you going to be on?

45 minutes later I gave my inaugural speech at a joint session of the House and Senate and we became the first state in the nation to allow people to marry who they loved regardless of preference. It was the right decision. We've come a long way in the last 20 years, but we have a long way to go to treat people fairly. The theme of my speech was very simple. We are different yet... We are the same. We're all just human beings trying to live a good life in the world that we live in today and that you should love who you want to love, marry who you want to marry. It was the civil rights social justice issue of my generation and I'm very proud to say I was on the right side of history. It was a pretty intense time during that debate as you can imagine.

Intense time indeed. Smitty stood up and took a position that he knew in his heart was the right thing to do. Later that year, in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court found that barring same-sex couples from civil marriage violated the state constitution's guarantees of individual liberty and equality. This paved the way for Massachusetts to become the first state to legalize gay marriage. In 2015, the United States Supreme Court followed suit.

Happy Pride everyone. And thank you, Smitty. Right out of the gate, and for over 20 years that followed, you demonstrated what true leadership is all about.

Pride flag at Lost Lamb in Stockbridge.

Update on West Stockbridge Rent Control Decision

Doing What's Right

Kudos to the West Stockbridge Rent Control Board for holding firm on the proposed rent hike for Mill River. They used a rational, finance-based model and came to the conclusion that only a miniscule rent increase was justified, one that totaled just $1.44. Not the approximate tripling of rents proposed by the landlord.

Attending the Lenox/Lee/Stockbridge Chambers of Commerce meeting at Ventforth Hall. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The lady to the right does not seem to approve.

Update on Housatonic Water Works

Speaking of proposed rate hikes, you may have seen the proposed settlement agreement negotiated between the Housatonic Water Works and the Attorney General's office. It was opposed by the towns, and many thought it was likely a done deal. Not so fast.

Earlier this week, the DPU recently amended the scheduling order. They have put the hearings on hold and will be taking further written submissions concerning the settlement agreement. Initial comments would be due May 30. Then, we will have a further opportunity to submit reply comments to anything any other party submits on June 6.

I will reiterate in my testimony the same point I have been saying for 10 months: Every borrowing should be secured via the state's Clean Water Trust or from federal sources. Such a course of action would result in massively lower rate increases for the duration of this phased project and beyond.

I will make my case without rancor. The owners are entitled to a reasonable profit, while having an obligation to pursue courses of action that will result in the lowest rates possible for their customers.

My take-aways from both of these rate cases are simple: First, advocacy can prevail. Second, it takes hard work to be an effective advocate. Third, the best outcome is achieved through data-driven financial analysis. Fourth, we are stronger together.

Ferns in the yard.

Berkshire Housing Coalition Zoom Meeting

My Thoughts on the Housing Crisis

Kudos to Eileen Peltier, President of Berkshire Housing, for convening a housing strategy discussion that featured local housing leaders prior to next week's larger event — an in-person listening session with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities on a five-year state housing plan.

It was great to see so many passionate advocates looking for ways to solve the region's housing crisis. I've written before on this topic, what with the explosion in both rents and home sale prices.

First, an observation: The 3rd District has 18 towns, and they come in all populations, ranging from under 200 in Mount Washington to over 6,000 in Great Barrington and Dalton. We are 18 distinct communities, and we love our distinctions. One solution will not fit all.

I get the level of frustration many of us feel over the challenges of the housing crisis. That said, we should take advantage of what we have at our disposal to make progress. Much of our zoning in Stockbridge was written by an effort led by Mary Flynn, John Beacco, and Jack Spencer. All three were schoolteachers of modest means. Many of us grew up in their classrooms in Dalton and at Monument Mountain. They were extraordinary teachers and extraordinary leaders.

For those who did not know them, they weren't trying to exclude anyone. They were trying to protect something very precious. They, and many like them in surrounding towns, created a veritable Eden by protecting what nature gave us.

That said, let's be a bit cautious. Solving problems like this is a balancing act. We must not throw away what's made The Berkshires precious for centuries to solve a crisis in this moment.

We can continue to make good decisions, building on the past. There is no reason to insult the people who came before us as we, like they did before us, strive to achieve our goals.

I fully recognize that there were racist constructs in the past, including redlining, deed restrictions, and covenants. These have been documented in a number of communities in Massachusetts. I've called for a study of racist deeds and covenants here in the Berkshires, similar to the one performed by registrars and nonprofits recently in Essex County on the North Shore, to better understand and address the modern impact of racism's legacy.

Which brings me to solutions. This is a topic where state-level changes to housing laws and changes to local bylaws make a great deal of sense, for example, Accessory Dwelling Units by right. This one policy change could have a substantial impact on both rental options and home ownership affordability. Locally, measured efforts to review zoning, like the one underway in Egremont, are a roadmap of action that makes sense for many of our towns. I also want to give praise to the good people of Lee, who at town meeting this week, added a restriction to properties with ADUs, basically banning the primary house for use as a short-term rental. This creates a path to home ownership while discouraging absentee investors from converting our residential neighborhoods into the equivalent of micro-hotels.

In Stockbridge, I helped create and serve on our housing trust. I wrote our Residential Inclusionary Bylaw, which requires creation or funding for affordable housing for every ten units of market housing a developer might propose. I worked for several years with the local family who recently donated a large parcel to the town to build housing. I successfully championed the allocation of ARPA funds to create our Housing Production Plan road map. I supported funding for Construct's Pine Woods, for Heaton Court's elderly housing, and for the Trust itself.

Let's recognize that zoning changes are a political decision. We need to build consensus with words that inspire, while avoiding the temptation, borne out of frustration, to suggest a motive that was not there. Let's also acknowledge that the level of investment needed will require new sources of revenue. Some of the options being discussed include reform of the Community Preservation Act, new fees on tourism-related services, and a transfer fee on high-value real estate. Like zoning, these will be political decisions made at the local level. But first, we will need to pass the enabling legislation at the state level.

Like the challenges with Mill Pond and with Housatonic Water Works, the best solutions are informed by strong advocacy and a focus on finance. What will it cost? How do we pay for it? This is why I am running to be your next State Representative.

Hanging out with a cormorant on Stockbridge Bowl.

Speaking Out: Zero Tolerance for Hate

I wrote this letter, which appeared in early December 2023 in both The Berkshire Edge and The Berkshire Eagle:

To the editor:

We all know who he is — the guy who posted a selfie with two AK-47 style semi-automatic rifles, the guy encouraging his acolytes to intimidate people of faith, the guy who has made some members of our community terrified and has done so as a PR stunt. ("Young. Communist. Gun-owner. Multimillionaire. Pro-Palestine. Pro-Hamas. Berkshire landowner. Meet James 'Fergie' Chambers," Eagle, Nov. 16.)

He is pathetic and I choose not to amplify him.

Eagle reporter Heather Bellow did her job. She reported in The Berkshire Eagle that he is a member of our community. Carole Owens did her job. She commented in The Berkshire Eagle on the possible impact on our community of his presence. Shaw Israel Izikson did his job, covering the story for The Berkshire Edge. Each journalist was just doing her or his job, even when they risked threats to themselves, even when in doing so they may not have felt safe.

We only have a free press when there are people willing to report it, to write it, to comment on it, people who cannot and will not be intimidated.

We should all feel safe in the Berkshires. A lot of folks in positions of authority who are here to protect you are working hard to do just that. I've talked to many of them. We all should have each other's backs.

We should amplify those who choose to engage in civic discourse and debate. We need that debate, not apathy and fear and intimidation. Please, let your community police departments and leaders know if anyone tries to intimidate you into silence. Do it in real time. It might be a criminal violation of your civil rights.

Agree with your neighbors or don't. Regardless, we should never allow them to be threatened, intimated or afraid.

The Berkshires have challenges. We can and should address those challenges. Together. Be a part of the solution. Shun those who would advocate violence for political ends. Without exception in the history of the world, such a path ends badly. We are better than that.

Patrick White, Stockbridge

Look, we need civic engagement, not intimidation with threats of violence. With all that's going on in the world, passions are running high. Whether it's local, regional, national, or international issues, discourse is good. Let's encourage civility and remember that the words we choose matter. When advocacy crosses to incitement, no one wins. I strongly believe it is the job of all of us, and especially those in leadership roles, to call out those who cross the line.

The Instragram post that prompted the letter I wrote in December 2023. I blacked out the curse word and the author's face. You get the point without having to see that.

Photos from the Campaign Trail This Past Week

Arriving in Mount Washington for their Annual Town Meeting. No, I was not doing the Macarena.

Stopping by New Marlborough Town Hall on the way to their Annual Town Meeting.

Pausing on the way home to take in the beauty of a Berkshire farm.

A quick stop in Egremont after the Annual Town Meeting to snap a pic of a bear. I couldn't get him to pose.

Attending the Lenox/Lee/Stockbridge Chambers of Commerce meeting at Ventforth Hall.

Stopping for lunch at the Route 8 Pub in Becket before the Annual Town Meeting.

Saying hello to Arlyn who works at Route 8 Pub.

I also saw a bear in Becket...

...and a beaver in Lee!

On the way to the opening of Monterey's Road Side Cafe, I stopped to say hello to a cow. Quite a mooving exchange [insert groan]

The ribbon cutting for the reopening of Roadside Cafe, which supports the good work of Gould Farm

The Scents of Spring

Here are some more photos from the many flowers adorning my yard. I try to always make time in life to enjoy the world right in front of me. Like the scent of flowers.

Bluebells.

Cherry Blossoms.

Apple Blossoms.

Tulips.

Want to Learn More?

Please consider supporting my candidacy to represent you in the State House. To learn more, visit https://www.patrickwhiteberkshires.com

You can donate by clicking here:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/patrick-3rd

Or you can mail a check to:

Patrick Thomas White Committee
81 Hawthorne Street
Lenox, MA 01240

I've reached about 35% of my goal. Thanks for any help you can provide. I am in it to win it and am running to effect real change. I'd love to have your support.

Warmly,

Patrick White

PS: You can find detailed positions on my campaign website:

https://www.patrickwhiteberkshires.com

Previous Notes

Week ending 5/3/2024
Fixing Assessments, Aging in Place, EMS. read more

Week ending 4/26/2024
Swinging for the Fences. read more

Week ending 4/19/2024
Housing - Trails - Internet - Healthcare - Singing Praise. read more

Week ending 4/12/2024
Dog Day Afternoons. read more

Week ending 4/5/2024
Remembering Searles Middle School. read more

Week ending 3/29/2024
It's all about the jobs. read more

Week ending 3/22/2024
Snow - Taxes - Childcare - Grants - School Play read more

Week ending 3/15/2024
Economic development, family farms, why just water? read more

Week ending 3/8/2024
Affordable housing, Climate Advisory Board, Multicultural Bridge, economic development, ROR filing. read more

Week ending 3/1/2024
West Stockbridge rent control brief, PCB radio interview, cancer and the river, reducing property taxes. read more