Pittsfield Rotary Club Honors John F. McLaughlin III with Paul Harris Award

07:20AM / Thursday, May 22, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD — The Pittsfield Rotary Club has announced John F. McLaughlin, III as the recipient of the Paul Harris Award.

Established in 1976, the annual award recognizes a club member for notable achievements and contributions.

McLaughlin became a member of the Rotary Club in January 1998. He is currently serving his second three-year term on the Board of Directors and held the position of President from 2019 to 2020. Additionally, he is the current Vice President of the Pittsfield Rotary Club Foundation and is scheduled to become President in July 2025.

His involvement includes serving as Chair of the Fellowship Committee and volunteering for various community service initiatives over the past 27 years, such as collecting donations during the food drive, pancake breakfasts, passing out books for the Dictionary Project, distributing backpacks for children in need, Ringing the Bell for the Salvation Army.

He has also served multiple times as Sergeant-At-Arms and has been involved in fundraising for the Benevolence Fund through fines.

McLaughlin holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Northeastern University and works as a Wealth Management Advisor at Northwestern Mutual, where he has been employed since 1997. He resides in Dalton with two of his four children and is married to Jacqueline Duquette.

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Rename

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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