NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Incumbent John Barrett III has announced his bid for re-election to the 1st Berkshire District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

 

Citing a lifetime of "serving, fighting for and believing in" the district, the former longtime North Adams mayor decided to make a bid to remain in the seat he has held since winning a special election in 2017.

 

"Over the last few weeks, I gave it a lot of thought, and I've talked to a lot of people," Barrett said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "They've told me, if there's ever a time when we need experience and leadership, it's going to be the next co uple of years.

 

"I decided to go based on them more than anything else."

 

Barrett is challenged in the Democratic primary by Andrew Fitch, a current North Adams city councilor, who announced his bid on Feb. 3.

 

The state primary is scheduled for Sept. 1.

 

The Northern Berkshire legislative district includes the City of North Adams and the towns of Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, New Ashford, Peru, Savoy, Williamstown and Windsor.

 

Barrett said Tuesday that his time on Beacon Hill has benefited the largely rural district and would continue to provide a benefit to his constituents if he is reelected.

 

In contrast to Fitch, who used the word "energy" at least four times in his remarks at his campaign kickoff, Barrett mentioned "experience" three times and "proven" four times in a 370-word written announcement of his intention to run.

 

"Over the last seven or eight years, I've been able to establish relationships across the state with my colleagues, which has benefited the district tremendously," Barrett told iBerkshires.com. "In the last session, I was No. 1 in the House in bringing funding back to my district for various projects. That's just in the legislative side of the budget, not including other grants.

 

"I just decided it wasn't time for me to walk away."

 

Barrett said the region is facing real challenges in the years ahead, including rising costs, aging infrastructure and housing shortages.

 

"The other thing that is driving costs too is inequity in the school funding system," he said. "That's become a top priority of mine. And I'd like to see it straightened out because it's not working.

 

"The Student Opportunity Act we passed in 2019 is not cutting the mustard. We have to get more money in for rural school aid. Then you have places like North Adams that doesn't get rural aid, doesn't get transportation aid."

 

One step in accessing more state aid could be regionalization. Barrett helped a group of four North County districts looking at that question secure a $100,000 state grant for their study.

 

"That's probably going to need another slug of money in next year's budget, too," Barrett said on Tuesday. "It's something that has to be looked at seriously. What I'm pleased about is all the Northern Berkshire school districts are at the table."

 

Barrett said the Northern Berkshires has benefited from him being "at the table" in Boston on issues ranging from the reopening of North Adams Regional Hospital to the development of the Greylock Glen in Adams to unlocking more Chapter 90 road funds for rural communities.

 

"We've had tremendous improvement in funding of Chapter 90 money," Barrett said. "That was a big break. We got $100 million for small, rural areas by changing the formula to make it by miles.

 

"I have a sense of pride in getting the critical care access hospital designation [for NARH]. I played a key role in that with [U.S.] Rep. [Richard] Neal and Berkshire Health System.

 

"We've done some good things, and I'm proud of those things we've been able to do."

 

Barrett hopes voters will help him continue that work.

 

"There are just so many things going on that I have to address," he said. "The challenges ahead are real — everything from aging infrastructure to housing shortages. There has to be more done."

 

Barrett said he plans to have a campaign kickoff event in May.