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Adams See Race for Selectmen Seats

iBerkshires StaffPrint Story | Email Story
ADAMS, Mass. — The town will see a three-way race for the Board of Selectmen in the annual town election. 
 
It is the only race on the May 5 election ballot. 
 
Incumbent Joseph J. Nowak will face off against Jay T. Meczywor and Jerome S. Socolof for the two seats up for election on the board. Both seats are for three-year terms.
 
Selectman Richard Blanchard is not running for re-election after serving four terms. He and Nowak were first elected in 2013.   
 
Nowak is a retired from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and was a co-founder of the former Adams Agriculture Fair. 
 
Meczywor is a physical therapist at Berkshire Sport & Physical Therapy and chair of the town's Finance Committee. 
 
Socolof unsuccessfully ran for the board in last year's election. He is an associate professor in arts management in the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. 
 
Newcomers on the ballot are David Rhinemiller, chair of the Planning Board, for a three-year term on the Board of Health; Christian Ricahrd Rowe for a five-year termon the Planning Board; and Stephanie Melito for representative to the Northern Berkshire Regional [McCann] School Committee. 
 
Running for re-election unopposed are Moderator Myra Wilk, Treasurer-Collector Kelly Rice, Assessor Lorraine Kalisz, Library Trustees Virginia Phelps Duval and Karen Kettles, Cemetery Commissioner James Taylor, Housing Authority member Ann Bartlett, and Hoosac Valley School Committee member John F. Duval and Erin Milne, both representing Adams. 
 
No one has submitted papers for the a three-year term representing Cheshire on Hoosac Valley School Committee or for a one-year term for Cemetery Commission and five-year term for Redevelopment Authority. 
 
Running for town meeting member are:
 
Precinct 1: Deborah Nowicki and Gregory Nowicki for two two-year terms, and one open seat for three years.
 
Precinct 2: Catherine Foster, Charles Foster, Andrew Harmon, Howard Rosenberg and William Schrade Jr. will vie with incumbents Donald Bury, Scott Cernik, Edward Janik, Sandra Moderski, Andrew Przystanski, Norman Schutz, Tanya Wilson-Malloy and Mitchell Wisniowski for 10 three-year terms; and Paula Grover is running unopposed for a one-year term. 
 
Precinct 3: Russell Duval, Kathryn Anne Gigliotti, Jerome Socolof and Kelly Szkasz are running for one of 10 three-year terms against incumbents Patricia Conroy-Shepley, Richard Frost, Raymond Gargan Jr., Kelly Craddock-Kelley, Amy Oberlin, Robert Patterson Jr., Melissa Schaffrick and Barbara Ziemba; Christina Satko is unopposed for a one-year term. 
 
Precinct 4: Kathryn E. Perras and Edmund St. John III for two two-year terms; one two-year term, two one-year terms and five three-year terms are vacant. 
 
Precinct 5: 15 candidates are vying for 10 three-year terms. Newcomers are Kathryn Foley, Denise Fortier, Jacqueline Kelly, Stephanie Melito, David Rhinemiller, Christian Rowe and Caroline Scully; incumbents are Kathy Hynes, David Lennon, Sarah Lesure, Erin Milne, Michael Ouellette, Linda Rhoadds, Ashley Satko and Barbara Tarsa. 
 
Partial terms are to complete vacated offices; each precinct has 30 representatives. 

Tags: election 2025,   town elections,   


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Cheshire Holds Off on Officers Until New Police Chief Hired

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The town is holding off on filling one of its full-time police officer positions until a new police chief is hired.
 
"I think at this point … we're getting by. Believe me, we need somebody, we need a couple of people, but we've gotten this far since February with what we have," interim Chief Timothy Garner told the Selectmen on Tuesday night.
 
"I don't want to say it's working, because obviously we need more help, but we're getting through." 
 
The department is authorized to have two full-time officers and a police chief. One of its full-timers resigned to pursue another position outside the area on April 17 and its former police chief, Michael Alibozek, was arrested for allegedly soliciting sex.
 
It is currently staffed with one full-time officer and Garner, who retired as chief in 2022, is serving as interim chief. 
 
During Tuesday's meeting, Garner emphasized that the new chief should be involved in hiring the officer, as they will be working closely together.
 
The town has been consulting with Russell Stevens, of Public Safety Consultants LLC, on the hiring of a new chief. 
 
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