In February, the Berkshire County community of Lanesborough, Massachusetts will have a new permanent town administrator. Gina Dario, 50, was the sole finalist put forward by the town’s search committee to replace Joshua Lang, who resigned in August after less than a year in the position. Dario, who was raised in nearby Adams, signed on for a three-year contract in November. She’ll bring a worldly perspective to the town administrator role after years of work in Australia, East Timor and Kosovo. Dario spoke with WAMC.
DARIO: I'm Berkshire native. I grew up here, went to high school in Dalton, graduated there, went to college in Massachusetts. And, look, I got a graduate degree at Columbia University in International Affairs, and that's in the School of Public Administration, International Affairs. So, there's a lot of base work there that we do for a lot of people that end up going into government, administrative positions. And from there, I actually started working with the United Nations, at first in the United Nations Secretariat in New York, and then I started the path with elections administration overseas. I worked in East Timor, going to Kosovo, even observed an election in Russia, and found my way into the Australian Federal Public Service, which is, you know, governance administration, mostly focusing on election work, but also doing a lot of policy, legislative work, community engagement. And so that was really my background for the last 20 plus years, and have found myself back in the Berkshires, have really wanted to step into local government administration. And the job came up in something I'd been looking at for a little while, and so, I've taken the plunge.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Lanesborough as you prepared to take over this position in February?
Sure. Look, I would say the two big things that I'm aware of now, noting that I haven't started the position yet, but have been doing a bit of bit of research and certainly talking to people in the community and being from the Berkshires as well, but obviously, it's the future of the former Berkshire Mall and where that development is going to lead. I know there’s been there's been some community engagement on that, lots of community interest on what those prospects will hold. I know the last select board meeting, the JMJ company came in to talk to the select board about the future development and what they would need to move forward. I know that's going to be a huge potential impact on the community and potentially in Berkshire County. I know the new police station, that's also something that's in the pipeline for the community that is being developed. Look, I think there are a lot of longer-term impacts on COVID, what that means for the local economy. And certainly, I know Lanesborough cares very deeply about its aged community, and that's something that's going to be a priority for the town as well going forward.
Looking back on your time working overseas in other various forms of government, what are some messages or lessons that you've learned from those experiences that might come into play in Lanesborough?
Oh, that's a great question. Look, I think good administration stems from good leadership, it stems from listening to the community. I think you have to, these positions are critical, because you have to work with the different departments, you have to work within Berkshire County. I think I'd like to bring forward a very positive leadership style. I think I'd like to bring forward to this role the ability to engage with the different members of the community and working forward with the departments themselves in trying to set an agenda and growth for the town and good governance. And I think, you know, working in creating a very positive working environment is really important to local town administration as well.
You'll be coming into the office not long before town meeting in Lanesborough. At this point, any idea what issues you might anticipate having to get in order for that big town gathering?
I would say that we are looking- Obviously the budget issues are always top of the list there. Looking forward, as I mentioned, the police station and how that build is going to move forward. The Berkshire Mall issue, and then you know, I think the first couple of months, I'm really going to be putting my ear to the ground, engaging with the community, engaging with the departments, and trying to understand what the town needs, what the town wants, and how I can be that best, I guess, conduit to support to forward growth.
