The Creative Economy/July 16
Patrick White for State Representative
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In This Issue:
The Creative Economy
Doing the Work: Ambulance and EMS Services
"Beyond the Mountain"
Three Events
Canoeing to a Beaver Hut
* * * * *
Boston Ballet performs with the BSO last Friday at Tanglewood.
The Creative Economy
On Friday night, I attended a really special production at Tanglewood. The BSO and Boston Ballet jointly performed. Congratulations to the BSO's Chad Smith and Boston Ballet's Ming Min Hui for a great evening.
This was especially exciting for me because the first business I founded was a design studio when I was 21. By my mid 20s, we had both Boston Ballet and the BSO as two of our clients. I look fondly at those days when I got to work directly with some of the world's leading performance visionaries, producing print materials and display ads for these organizations.
The Berkshires already has a robust creative economy. Creativity is a term with many nuances. Performance arts, visual artists, and yes, the creatives who specialize in communications. One of the great things about the creative communications economy is the low cost of capital to enter it. With a Mac and a good printer, an exceptional graphic designer can open shop, work from home, and use those skills to make a decent living.
Let me give you a local example. There is a couple who live in Stockbridge and own a design studio. They started small, I'm guessing around a decade ago, and have built a business that now employs six with a worldwide client base.
They are raising their family right here.
Between New York and Boston, there are literally thousands of folks in the creative space. Many of them have their own businesses like this couple. Many of them work with a geographically diverse client base. These are the types of business owners we need to proactively target to make the case for why they should locate their business in the Berkshires. It's a great place to raise a family. It features a great cultural scene. It's beautiful. It's a lifestyle that might be attractive to those who are fed up with the traffic, pollution, and other downsides of urban areas.
I'm a firm believer in a targeted approach to economic development. One of the things we do really well is the creative economy. My question is this: could we be doing a better job making that case? Don't assume folks know the Berkshires exist. Many don't. Let's be proactive. Let's leverage what we already have and go all in on building the Berkshires as a hub of the creative economy.
Doing the Work: Ambulance and EMS Services
One of Smitty's top priorities is figuring out how to regionalize Ambulance and EMS services. I am so proud of our team in Stockbridge for doing the work necessary to figure this out.
This from a recent issue of the The Berkshire Eagle:
"Facing a shrinking volunteer firefighter and paramedic pool, three towns are considering a plan to jointly fund round-the-clock coverage in their communities.
"Officials from three towns on Wednesday gathered at West Stockbridge Town Hall for the first public meeting of the Richmond/Stockbridge/West Stockbridge Fire/EMS Committee. The committee's mission is to deal with the issue now before it becomes a bigger problem in five to 10 years."
The Stockbridge Select Board has had discussions with all its neighboring towns. I've tracked these efforts behind the scenes and in public with our Town Administrator and my colleagues on the Select Board. This is an urgent problem: with our aging population, folks need to know that if they need an ambulance, one will be able to arrive in the narrow window that can save a life.
We aren't just talking the talk, we are walking the walk.
Stockbridge's Rescue 1.
Beyond the Mountain
The new Housatonic River crossing signs are in! These signs let folks know they are at a bridge over the Housatonic, and include the Mohican words, "Wa'thatinik" meaning "Beyond the Mountain". These words were requested to be included in the sign by the Tribal Council's representatives.
I proposed to the Stockbridge Select Board that we produce these signs for five river crossings. The vote was unanimous. I personally designed the signs, using (with permission) the turtle that is one of four symbols on the Mohican flag.
The signs are a modest gesture in our ongoing efforts of reconciliation between the Town and the living descendants of its indigenous ancestors.
We plan to begin to install the signs at a ceremony when the Tribe's president, Shannon Holsey, is in town. We will keep you posted.
New Housatonic River crossing sign.
Three Events
Rachel L. Swarns at The Mount
I had the chance to hear Rachel L. Swarns discuss her book on Georgetown and the 272 slaves the University sold in 1838. Rachel L. Swarns is a journalist, author, and associate professor of journalism at New York University, who writes about race and race relations for The New York Times. She spoke on July 16 at The Mount's 2024 Summer Lecture Series.
I asked her about racist covenants and deed restrictions that were common in Massachusetts communities throughout the state in the 19th and 20th centuries. I had read an article in The Boston Globe on the topic, and efforts in both Boston and the North Shore to address this shameful part of our history. I believe the next State Representative should prioritize the funding of this research in Western Massachusetts. This is one of a number of reasons why black families have 1/15th the wealth of white ones. Understanding the reality that families were legally barred from accumulating wealth will help us address this modern day iniquity in areas such as housing. She agreed that telling hyper-local stories helps to garner support to have these difficult conversations.
As an aside, kudos to Susan Wissler, The Mount's Executive Director. She continues to provide incredible stewardship at The Mount and it is programming, such as the Swarns lecture, that enriches us all.
Robert Hartwell's Coming Home Tour: Mahaiwe, July 20
I hope to see you on July 20th 7pm at the Mahaiwe Theatre for Robert Hartwell's screening of Coming Home: The Tour. Robert purchased and renovated a Great Barrington colonial home and has documented the efforts. I'm told that he is passionate, hilarious, and a great storyteller.
This is an excerpt from his website:
"Robert Hartwell is the Host and Executive Producer of Breaking New Ground, a television show presented by OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, HGTV, and Scott Brothers Entertainment premiering on HBO MAX in 2024.
"Robert's story of purchasing a 200-year-old colonial mansion (which was built back when slavery was still legal Federally in the US), went viral, reaching millions of people who were touched by his message of reinvention, liberation, and hope. As a Black gay man, he vowed to fill this home with love, honor his ancestors, tell their stories, and say their names."
I hope to see you there! For more information or tickets, please visit: https://cominghometour.co/
Reproductive Equity Now's Screening of Preconceived on August 7
On August 7 at 7:00pm, there will be a screening of Preconceived, a film that documents "crisis pregnancy centers" at the Triplex theatre in Great Barrington.
From their website:
"Anti-abortion centers, or "crisis pregnancy centers," are facilities that pretend to be reproductive health clinics, but in reality, exist to dissuade people from accessing abortion using deceptive advertising, abortion stigma, and medical disinformation. In Massachusetts, these centers outnumber legitimate abortion clinics by more than two to one."
For more information or tickets, please visit: the Preconceived website.
Canoeing to a Beaver Hut
I took a break last weekend and went canoeing up Stockbridge's Lily Brook to visit a very large beaver hut just north of the Bowl.
Leaving the beach.
Approaching the causeway culverts. Lily Brook is on the other side.
So sorry to the duck that felt the need to fly away.
Yes, I had to canoe through the culvert.
So. Many. Spiderwebs.
Marsh flowers.
Lilies and their pads.
Weaving my way up the brook.
Good company. Not so good at paddling, unless it's the dog paddle.
Reaching a ginormous beaver hut. This time, I didn't see any of the little engineers.
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
We had a solid fundraising week and have now reached over 75% 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 7/7/2024
Seeing Some Bears and Saving Some Bees. read more
Week ending 6/30/2024
A Thoroughly American Story. read more
Week ending 6/23/2024
Meet Ben Soloway. read more
Week ending 6/8/2024
Climate Cred. read more
Week ending 6/1/2024
Solving the EMS Crisis. read more
Week ending 5/24/2024
Lessons from Wyoming. read more
Week ending 5/17/2024
The Politics of Water. read more
Week ending 5/10/2024
Paul Revere and Smitty Pignatelli. read more
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
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