Letter: No 'No King Day' in Williamstown

Letter to the Editor11:20AM / Monday, October 20, 2025Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

Apparently, there was no scheduled "No Kings Day" rally in Williamstown, the home of Williams College.

So ..... I took my sign and my trusty chair and sat on the lawn outside the Williamstown traffic oval just before the library's entrance.

My sign was small, but it slowed most of the speeding traffic. Got a couple of honks. I also put my signs in my Jeep's windows in the library's parking lot.

I sat there for about two hours. One elderly couple stopped looking for the rally that had been held at Field Park inside the oval at the previous No Kings rally. Alas, there was only me and my sign. A couple riding on a tandem bike holding a No Kings sign waved as they passed, presumably on their way to the North Adams protest. A family of three children excitedly crossed the road to visit the town's historic 1753 House.

I also noted that none of the trees inside the circle had changed color. Was it due to traffic air pollution?

As all the many vehicles drove by, I played a game identifying each vehicle's brand name. Many Subarus, etc. Then my game morphed into: As soon as I would see three of the same brand in a row, I could head to the library to warm up. The winner was Toyota.

The Williamstown "No Kings Day" protest had ended.

Kenneth Swiatek
Williamstown Mass.

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Letter: We Have Great Political Leaders, Let's Keep 'em

Letter to the Editor03:00PM / Thursday, August 20, 2026

To the Editor:

We are very lucky in Berkshire County. Our political leaders are the envy of voters around the nation and respected by their peers — and because of their experience, knowledge, and seniority they get stuff done for us.

Sen. Ed Markey once again faces a challenger whose entire campaign is founded on age. As WBUR in Boston observed, Moulton is running on age, but what else? Joe Kennedy had the same platform — and Massachusetts voters rejected him.

It seems to me a candidate's age is irrelevant if he's doing the job, and Ed Markey is doing his job — very well, in fact. He's no stranger to the Berkshires, and he's fighting Trump's fascist policies every single day.
He is also the Senate author of the Green New Deal legislation.

Congressman Richie Neal is in a similar fight. I've asked friends who oppose him to name one vote he's taken they disagree with, and they cannot. Remember, the great Nancy Pelosi trusted Richie and made him chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which benefits us in the Berkshires as well as the nation. Richie is a powerful advocate for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, West-East Rail, and local investment. His opponent would be a back-bencher with zero clout.

The same arguments could — and should — be made for the rest of our Democratic contingent in Boston: Gov. Maura Healey's opponent is likely to be a Boston-centric MAGA billionaire. Do you think he cares about us? Our state Sen. Paul Mark and state Reps. John Barrett, Trish Farley-Bouvier, and Leigh Davis are all tried and true progressive Beacon Hill veterans who also know how to get stuff done. And Tara Jacobs, our representative on the Governor's Council, provides a Berkshire voice on that body that has been absent since the 1950s.

This is a nation on the brink. We have serious problems, and we need serious people to deal with them. Our Democratic contingent is made up of very serious people. That's why they all have my vote. I hope they have yours, too.

Lee Harrison
Williamstown, Mass.

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