With Pignatelli stepping down at the end of his term after more than two decades, White is contending with Jamie Minacci and Leigh Davis in the primary. The winner will face independent Marybeth Mitts of Lenox in the November 5th general election.
“I believe that environment, economic development, jobs, and especially focusing on the affordability for the middle-class residents of Berkshire County are the key things," White told WAMC. "I believe affordability touches on housing, it touches on pay, it touches on controlling per consumer initiatives, it really touches everything that people face.”
White kicked off his campaign in February.
“Well, I think one of the things I've done is been a constant advocate for the residents of Berkshire County," he said. "I was the only named intervener on Housatonic Waterworks case, I have contributed extensively with comments and support to the Lee select board on the both the PCB cleanup by GE and the lawsuit against Monsanto related to PCBs, I filed a brief on behalf of the trailer park at Mill River in West Stockbridge. I've really tried to, throughout this campaign, but even in my five years on the Stockbridge select board, really advocate for the people the Berkshires. I believe that that is really what differentiates me from the other candidates.”
According to filings with the commonwealth’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance, White has raised more than $57,000 for his run since February over more than 340 contributions, with $500 out of his own pocket. Notable local backers include former Pittsfield Mayor Evan Dobelle, Norman Rockwell Museum Director Laurie Norton Moffatt, former Pittsfield and Lenox public schools superintendent Jake Eberwein, French photojournalist Lionel Delevingne, former Great Barrington finance committee chair Sharon Gregory, and Williamstown select board member Randy Fippinger.
“I love the fact that Massachusetts Voters For Animals endorsed me," said White. "I am very pleased to have the support of Nadine Hawver of Sheffield, especially Bob Jones and Sean Regnier of the Lee select board, of so many select board members throughout the county who have worked with me and recognized the work I've done on their behalf.”
WAMC asked White to identify a theme that he felt went underexplored during the race so far.
“The challenge around creating jobs in a marketplace which is at, above full employment, which has actually dangerously low unemployment, is a really interesting one as an economist," he answered. "I think that that could have been explored more. I believe that campaigns tend to have silos. So, we talk about the housing silo and the economic development silo and the job silo and the cleanup of toxins as silos, and the need for tourism as silos, but the high cost of property taxes as silos- all these issues are interrelated.”
The candidate says his time on the campaign trail has underscored the depths of anxiety in the Southern Berkshires.
“What I'm seeing is, is really a quiet desperation," White told WAMC. "Folks sense that something is off. You know, for 150 years, the Berkshires have had a secret sauce. We've had seasonal visitors, we've had tremendous local communities that worked in manufacturing jobs, but also supported those seasonal visitors. And it seems like the equilibrium is off a little bit, and people often can't seem to put to words what their concerns are. But it seems like everybody knows we have concerns, concerns around how much people make, concerns around housing policies, concerns around how we actually protect the environment rather than just sort of the picture postcard view of our environment around here. People have a sense of what these challenges are and I've been really struck by how much they're looking for solutions, not just people who seem to be able to articulate what the problems are. I've tried to really propose specific solutions. In fact, I really feel like I'm, that's been a differentiating factor for me, around taxes, around how we approach jobs, around how we actually advocate for environmental justice. I think that I propose specifics rather than just platitudes.”
White says he offers voters bold thinking about sometimes centuries-old challenges.
“The Mohicans left here over two centuries ago in sorrow, and they've been able to come back with land in the Berkshires on my watch, on a project that I have spent a tremendous amount of time and energy on," he said. "I helped create this Stockbridge-Mohegan commission. I am not afraid to swing to the fences and bring the big vision address the big vision challenges and not, rather than sort of play small ball. I feel like that's kind of my message to voters, is, we can do this, folks, and there's nothing wrong with having, with having an ambitious agenda on behalf of the people.”
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Pignatelli has not endorsed any of the candidates running to succeed him.
