Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey will deliver her state of the commonwealth address tonight on Beacon Hill. The first-term Democrat’s address comes as the commonwealth grapples with an overloaded emergency shelter system from an influx of migrants and an unexpected billion-dollar revenue shortfall. Democratic State Representative Smitty Pignatelli of the Southern Berkshire district is dean of the region’s legislative delegation. The 20-year veteran of the Massachusetts House says he wants to hear Healey talk about housing — not just in cities, but in rural communities as well. Pignatelli spoke with WAMC about Healey’s first term and the controversial police investigation into a book about queer identity at a Great Barrington public school.
PIGNATELLI: I think one of the key things for my district is housing affordability. So, I hope that she talks about housing, but she doesn't just talk about housing in the Gateway Cities. I want her to be talking about housing in the rural areas. We're not in position where we're 400, 500, 600 people short for housing. We're going to have it be pocketed- 20 here, 15 over there. I want her to see some rural equity when it comes to this housing initiative in the rural areas versus the urban areas. I think it’s going to be paramount to revitalization.
WAMC: What were your thoughts on the Healey administration pursuing these sort of mid budget cuts in reaction to this surprise, billion-dollar revenue drop?
Well, it was a big surprise. I mean, we had about 30 consecutive months of exceeding our revenue projections, and then sadly, we ended the year with six consecutive months of failing to meet those targets. So, I think I applaud her for getting ahead of it, but if revenues don't start turning around, we're going to have a very challenging fiscal ‘25 budget. So, I'm very optimistic that by springtime, we'll be back on track. It came kind of a surprise. I think we're the only state in the in New England to actually fail to reach our benchmarks. So, we've had to make some adjustments mid-year, but I'm optimistic going forward that things will get turned around.
Were there any earmarks slashed in your district that stood out to you?
No, not at all. I mean, I was really pretty fortunate. I mean, she shortchanged a couple of them. But my group, they really got ahead of it, and when the governor signed the budget in July, my earmarks, I encouraged them to get ahead of it, reach out, sign the contracts, get the money, and I think we did very well so far. So, like I said, I hope that the balances get paid when the revenues [rebound] because the value of a Community Access To the Arts is invaluable to so many people with developmental disabilities and this nonprofit in my district. So, I'm hopeful. But my nonprofits actually fared very well.
Looking at this larger question of housing, from the standpoint of the emergency shelter system, there's been so much conversation about how the statewide system is taxed, and folks are showing up now in Berkshire County, including in Great Barrington in your district. Talk to me about that- We've heard a lot from the governor about the lack of federal support for this issue. What are you experiencing on the ground? And what do you think Healey has to do to navigate this?
Well, I think I really put the pressure on our federal delegation. This is a federally mandated migrant issue problem for us, but the feds have not stepped up and supported us financially. We're talking, part of our billion-dollar budget gap is because of the migrant issue, and the projections that they could run up to $2 billion is very alarming. I think the Berkshires have stepped up. My district and the city of Pittsfield stepped up in a big way, and I think we're welcoming the folks. But on the same breath, we have people who have lived there their whole lives in the Berkshires having a hard time finding a place, a safe place to live. So, we got to take care of ourselves. At the same time, we're welcoming the migrants, but we cannot be a blank check. And I think that's, without a good plan from the administration – not only short-term, but a long-term plan – is going to cause some chaos for us in state government unless the federal government steps up to the plate and actually provides some financial relief.
What's your take on the ongoing controversy in Great Barrington over the town's police department entering a public school to investigate the presence of a book about growing up gender queer? It's been a big conversation in your district, and I'm interested what your thoughts are as representative.
Well, I think some people are making a bigger deal out of it than is necessary. Librarians are certified and licensed by the state of Massachusetts, and I'm a big advocate of empowering them to make their own decisions, use their best discretion. I don't think the police- Personally I don't think the police did anything wrong. I think they responded to a call, I think they're obligated to respond to a call, they didn't go in there with a SWAT team and armed officers. I think some people are trying to capitalize on this in a very negative way because of what's going on in Florida, in some other states. But I think the police did their job. I think an anonymous phone call is an anonymous phone call that I could probably ignore, but I certainly don't want our police to ignore an anonymous phone call. They had an obligation to go there, find out what was going on, they didn't find the book, and I just think it's time to move on and then use us some better discretion possibly on what middle schoolers should be seeing and reading and make sure there's family support or community support if we're going to have books like that in our libraries.
Let's look ahead into the legislative year- What's on your agenda? What are you working on? And when things really get back to full steam on Beacon Hill, what do you think the big conversations are going to be?
I think the budget is going to dominate the conversations for the next several months. We'll have a better idea of what the governor's vision is next week when her budget comes out, and then it'll be time for the House of Representatives to do their part. So, I think the next several months are going be dominated about the budget, and then hopefully, we’ll be getting some key pieces of legislation across the finish line before we adjourn at the end of July.
Smitty, anything going on in the Southern Berkshires in your district that you'd like to draw attention to to our audience?
No, I just think that I've been very blessed to represent a district that is really community minded. We're focusing on the food insecurity, housing insecurity. But we need some relief from the state government to step up to the plate. South Berkshire County is very different than Pittsfield, and South Berkshire is very different than North Adams and North Berkshire. So, I think we've got to recognize the different parts of the county, and recognize the needs that may be more urgent in one part versus another. So, I think that's where our attention is going to be. But I'm very fortunate to represent a district that people, the community puts people first, and then working together. I think we're doing some good things.
Lastly, Smitty, I'm interested- Looking back over the first full year of Governor Maura Healey, what are your thoughts on her leadership so far?
Well, you know, personally, I'm disappointed that she's not once step foot in my district. She's been to the Berkshires, I don't know if she's gone anywhere but Pittsfield or North Adams. And Pittsfield is an economic driver of the Berkshires, but it's not the sole economic driver any longer. Great Barrington is in a very different place. Secretary [of Housing and Economic Development Yvonne] Hao has been all over the Berkshires. I applaud her, I text her all the time, I think she's a joy to have here. But people want to see the governor, they want to see the lieutenant governor, and unless you visit areas of the commonwealth, you really can't understand what is going on in those districts. So, I encourage her in her second year to come visit South Berkshire, come see what we're about, see what our values are, see what our deficiencies are, and what the state can do. The fact that she's not been here has been somewhat disappointing. But, you know, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt during an economic crisis. But going forward, I think we need to we need to pay attention to every little corner of the commonwealth, including the Berkshires.
When reached for comment by WAMC, Healey's office responded to Pignatelli's remarks by noting that Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll visited Stockbridge in August 2023 and offered the following statement:
"The Healey-Driscoll administration is committed to representing all regions of Massachusetts. Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll and members of our administration, including Rural Affairs Director Gobi, visited communities across Berkshire County in their first year and will continue to do so."
