The vice president of the North Adams City Council has announced his candidacy for the Massachusetts State House seat that serves the Northern Berkshires.
Andrew Fitch was sworn into his first term on the council as the top vote getter in Berkshire County’s second largest community in the 2023 election. He repeated the feat in 2025, and tacked onto the win by securing the leadership position of vice president on the nine-member body. Now, Fitch is setting his sights on statewide office ahead of the Massachusetts Democratic Primary set for Tuesday, Sept. 1. The 1st Berkshire State Representative District includes the top third of the commonwealth’s western bookend, hooking around Pittsfield and Dalton to include the Central Berkshire communities of Hinsdale and Peru along with the Northern Berkshire municipalities of Hancock, Lanesborough, New Ashford, Williamstown, Clarksburg, North Adams, Cheshire, Adams, Florida, Savoy, and Windsor. Current State Representative and former North Adams Mayor John Barrett III, a Democrat, has held the seat since 2017. While he buried his last primary challenger with almost 72% of the vote in 2022, Barrett – who has held various public offices since the mid-70s, including 26 years as North Adams mayor — has yet to make his plans for 2026 clear. The state representative did not respond to request for comment on his candidacy from WAMC. In the last election, current North Adams City Council President Ashley Shade pulled papers for the 1st Berkshire seat before deciding not to run. As Fitch prepares to mount his bid for the State House, he sat down with WAMC for an exclusive interview laying out his campaign platform and explaining why this is the time for him to move from the North Adams city council chambers to the State House on Beacon Hill.
FITCH: I look around me and I see — and I think a lot of people look around ourselves and the Berkshires and in the state of Massachusetts -- we see the state of the world, we see the state of the country, we see the state of the state, and we see the state of our region. And we see enormous opportunity to set things up for a very positive and successful future for all of us, for all of our region and all of our residents. And I really want to contribute to that. I do see so many opportunities- Big projects that really need advocating for, smaller projects that need collaboration for, and opportunities to pull the region together, all the different leaders and business leaders from the region together to jointly advocate for things and to find ways to work better together so that we can set ourselves up for that brighter future. And so that's really why I want to get involved. I just see so much opportunity, and I know that I can make a big impact and set us up for that better future.
WAMC: Now, talk to us about a few of these specific zones or silos you want to focus on- Where do you feel like there's still untapped potential for the Berkshires that you think you can help unlock?
Oh, untapped potential? Sure. I mean economic development. Many of us, especially in the Northern Berkshires, and also the middle Berkshires — places like Hinsdale, Lanesborough and all the way up to North Adams and Clarksburg — we do not have a very robust economy. We used to have a robust economy back in the day when all the factories were bustling and everything. That has kind of waned. And of course, we do have a more innovation economy now, or at least that's growing. We have an arts economy now and a tourism economy now. But I do think there's a huge opportunity to make a more robust economy. And so that's kind of some low hanging fruit is economic development work, startup work, tech industry work, working with state agencies that help stimulate that kind of development in a region like Mass Clean Energy Center, for example. So, I would love to work with all these entities and all these folks and help create this more robust economy. Some of the items too that kind of ladder up to economic success would also be transportation. Berkshire Regional Transit, for example- They're exploring microtransit right now in the Northern Berkshires, something they've already tapped for the Southern Berkshires. I'd love to get that kind of a program up and running so that workers, people who want to work at companies in the Northern Berkshires, can gain access to those jobs. They can get pickup from their house or near their house to a local transit stop to the job that they want to seek so that they can have more opportunity a better paying job. Also, Northern Tier passenger rail restoration service, something that I've advocated for over time here, reconnecting Boston to the Berkshires by passenger rail for the first time since 1958, I think it was. That is a top priority of mine as well, because that opens up the whole state to more opportunity. And that's something that I think is just as good for the Northern Berkshires as it is for Greenfield as it in is for Gardner as it is for Boston, because it ties the whole state together better and allows much more flow of people, more flow of economy, and better opportunities for people all across the state to access ourselves and access our own resources. Of course, there's also East-West Rail out of Pittsfield that I will also strongly advocate for, and I already have, and that's already a little bit further along, and many other transportation projects as well. But, there are so many infrastructure projects that can really make a difference in this area too.
Now, of course, you flexed your interest in this transportation corridor thing by undertaking a cross commonwealth bike ride through the Northern Tier route. So, I mean, you have literal on the ground experience in that concept. Often, we talk about simply within Berkshire County regionalization- This idea of regionalizing North Adams east and west, or regionalizing the Northern Berkshires out east. Tell me about that. What did you learn from those experiences? And what do you think could be drawn from that?
Yeah, sure. Thank you for mentioning that, by the way, because one of my- I mean, I have so many passions, I'm very passionate about a lot of things in life. But one of them is these summer treks that I embark upon. And so, I started this about four years ago, I think it was, and I think we actually spoke that first time, Josh, when I walked from Williamstown all the way to Provincetown through Boston, and that was raising money for the National Network of Abortion Funds, that's women's health access. Because right at that time, Roe v Wade had been overturned, so I thought that was a really important cause to advocate for. That was a really cool way to explore the state and explore myself and explore just, all the people and needs across the whole state of Massachusetts. And so that summer trek routine has continued, and I've always latched a fundraiser or some sort of a cause to it. So, this most recent one, as you mentioned, the cycle ride across the state, because I couldn't get across the state by passenger rail. The fantasy would be, of course, I'd ride the train from Boston to North Adams, but that's not ready yet. So, to advocate for it, I rode the train from North Station. Or, sorry, first I went to the State House, handed out some Northern Tier passenger rail restoration service pins to the governor's office, chatted with some other people in the state house, which was super cool, and then took an Uber over to the train station and took the train to Fitchburg. Love that name, by the way. And that's the end of the line currently. And so that's where I hopped on my bike and rode the rest of the way back to North Adams over the course of about three days, by the way, oftentimes in very heavy rain and kind of cold conditions, sometimes with my father by my side, which was lovely and a lot of fun, sometimes solo, sometimes meeting with people along the way. For example, in Greenfield, meeting with people there that really care about passenger rail restoration, hearing their needs, hearing the needs of Greenfield, and the overlapping needs between Greenfield and the Berkshires, and starting to talk to people about how we can actually jointly advocate for this project. Because I really do think if every community along this Northern Tier passenger rail route advocates very strongly for it, makes it very clear we want this, we're willing to contribute to this, and we're willing to work with our governor and our state legislature to get this to happen, I think that's when it will happen, and I don't think it's going to happen unless we do that kind of advocacy together.
Now, as far as your experience in politics, you're relatively new to the political scene in Berkshire County. You've got a few terms in the North Adams City Council under your belt, where you performed very robustly in the municipal elections. What if someone said, Andrew Fitch, you don't have enough political experience to go from being a city councilor to representing a region of the Berkshires. What would you say to that?
That's always an argument that one can make, though, I mean, I think the truth is I do have enough political experience. Sure, it's not four decades or five decades long experience, but it's enough. I mean, I've got a lot of life experience, and I've had a very robust career. So, one can say, sure, I've only got a few years of political experience in North Adams. I've also got well over a decade of tech industry experience working in San Francisco, in New York City, and North Adams, working for major tech companies. I've run a screen acting school in Boston, I've lived a bunch of different places, I've studied international affairs, I've traveled a lot abroad, I've traveled a lot domestically for work and just for my own personal adventures. I've started my own business, which I'm currently running right now full time — Steeple City Social in North Adams, folks, downtown, check it out — it's helping with the revitalization of downtown North Adams, which I'm very passionate about. So, I've had all these really robust experiences, and I think it's important for somebody coming into politics to be a really well-rounded person. If one person is just, they're just a one trick pony, like, I've just got this one bit of career experience, and now I'm jumping into politics for the rest of my life- That's not a really well-rounded person. I bring a breadth of experience and opportunities and ideas with me, not just from North Adams, not just from Massachusetts, but from all over the world. I've seen how things have worked and not worked elsewhere, and I bring those ideas and experiences with me to the Berkshires.
So, with that in mind, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the current representative serving the Northern Berkshires. John Barrett is a long tenured figure in Northern Berkshire County politics, from his incredibly long stint running North Adams as mayor to his, at this point, almost a decade of serving as state representative for the Northern Berkshires. What do you think of his performance so far? And what kind of contrast would you hope to offer to how things currently stand?
Oh, sure, yeah. Thank you for asking that as well. So, John Barrett, I've met him many times. I've met with him many times, and chatted with him, seen of him, heard of him, and I really respect the service that he has provided to this region. He came into North Adams politics at a very tricky time, right around the time that Sprague Electric was closing, and that was a really hard time to be a leader in this region. So, I really do credit him with helping us hang on and helping to see us through that probably really dramatic time in our history. And I have told him multiple times as well, I respect you, and I will honor you in the long run. So, I don't see anything wrong with him, per se. I think it is time, however, to offer new, fresh ideas, new, fresh perspectives, and to set ourselves up for the future. John Barrett, again, great service. Has done a lot over the past. I have done a lot currently, and will continue to do so, and will do a lot in the future. And so that's the way that I look at this. A lot of people have asked me over the years to run for North Adams city council, to run for North Adams mayor, to run for a state representative for the 1st Berkshire district, and every time that people are asking me these things, they're telling me, we really need fresh ideas, we really need fresh perspective. It's surprising, Josh, how many people have said we need your fresh blood. It's made me wonder how many of us are vampires around here. But the whole idea is, I mean, really, I've heard this from hundreds of people commenting on my freshness, or the fact that we need freshness. I bring that, and I think it is time for that. And I think if everybody thinks deeply about this, they will also come to realize it really is time for fresh ideas and fresh change and responsible change, but to set ourselves up for the future.
How would you describe your personal politics? I've known you to be outspoken about progressive issues. As far as framing yourself as running as a Democrat in this heavily Democratic state with such a monolithic entity, the Democratic Party of Massachusetts has an unbelievable gradient of different shades to it. How would you describe your personal approach to that label of being a Democrat?
Yeah, sure, I am certainly a Democrat. I've been heavily involved in Democratic politics here and elsewhere, by the way, but I'm a big part of North Adams Democratic City Committee. I'm a delegate at our statewide conventions every year since I've been here. I love that, and I love our priorities platform, and I really believe in our party's leadership, not just at the state level, but also nationally. Hearing our representatives speak at these conferences is so inspiring. Now, what how do I see myself politically? Progressive has been mentioned several times in this conversation and in others. I've never considered myself progressive, never called myself progressive. I suppose I am, in comparison to a lot of other people. But that's not necessarily the what drives me, I suppose. I am socially liberal. I'm gay, I'm friends with a lot of people from very different backgrounds, and I uplift all of those folks, and I will advocate for and fight for all of those folks, no matter who they are. I don't know if that's progressive or if that's just responsible government work. I think it's just responsible government work. Same thing with, progressive, we could call setting ourselves up for mitigating the effects of climate change, for transferring our energy over into cleaner energy sources- We could call that progressive, we could also just call that responsible, we could also just call that forward thinking. So that's how I think of myself, really as forward thinking. I can't literally see into the future, but if really any of us think about it and look ahead, we know what's coming. We know climate change is not going away. We know we're going to feel more and more intense weather, and we know that we need to convert our energy structure over into more sustainable structure. And so that's all of what I'm about really. We also see when we look out there, and I think we all feel this- We see the need for more affordability. Because our belts are getting tighter and tighter, our wallets are getting lighter and lighter, and so a big part of what I am doing here, and what I'm advocating for is more affordability, for families, for seniors, for the average person. One can call this progressive; one can call this responsible.
We'll do sort of a lightning round here of you responding to some sort of bigger statewide questions that voters have weighed in on recently. First off, I want to ask about the Fair Share Amendment. This is obviously a huge conversation in 2022. We're now actually seeing dividends from the Fair Share Amendment being distributed by the Healey administration and by the state legislature- What were your thoughts on the Fair Share amendment? Did you support that at the time?
Yeah, I did support that at the time, actually, I did. And I thought that that was good use of funds, or good use of government to collect funds, rather, and reallocate them, because, and we haven't even talked about education funding yet, but our school systems really struggle. And some of that, I think there's opportunities for us to better collaborate with other school systems around us, but some of it is that we need more funding. We need access to more funding, and that's just a fact. And that's not just something that serves our children, that is something that serves the state's economy as well. If we're not setting ourselves up for a more educated workforce, for more capable workforce to meet the needs of our modern economy, we are going to fall further and further behind as a society and as a country, by the way. So, I think that was a great use of funds.
Massachusetts voters also decided to remove [passage of] the standardized test, the MCAS test, as a graduation requirement for high schoolers. What were your thoughts on that decision? Did you support or oppose that?
I did support it. I was kind of- I was a little bit torn about it. I was actually, I think I was the first graduating class, or maybe second graduating class — 2003 — I don't remember exactly which one it was, but it was right around that time that we had taken MCAS, but we were one of the first classes to take it. So, I didn't feel the strain that I think our current teachers feel, that our current students feel that our current parents feel and have felt over the last- how long has it been, a decade and a half? Longer. Two decades! Oh, my God. Josh. So, I'm 41 everyone, by the way, and I'm now, that's catching up with me. So anyway, MCAS was not, it did not place the strain on me and my teachers as much as it has done over the years. My mother and a lot of my family members are longtime educators, my mother is actually a recently retired elementary school principal, so she and her colleagues have a lot of thoughts about that, and we're definitely more against that. So, that is really why I got on board with the removal of that, that requirement.
Now this year on the ballot, voters are also being asked to essentially repeal recreational cannabis sales and cultivation. I'm interested in your thoughts on that- It's obviously been something of a boon for Western Massachusetts. Any thoughts on this effort on the on the ballot?
I don't think we should repeal it. Thank you for asking that. I think it's a really tricky issue. I have been around a lot of people who struggle with marijuana reliance, I guess I will call it. There's literature out there that says you cannot be addicted to marijuana- You can certainly rely on marijuana. And so that is something that has held friends of mine back in life. I cannot say that it has held them back fully, but it has gotten in the way of some progress in their lives. That being said, I do not believe in the government controlling a substance that is not proven to be extremely harmful to a society, essentially. We have not removed the ability to purchase nicotine, for example. That is far more addictive than marijuana, of course, and we're still allowing that. Humans are going to do human things. Humans are going to pursue the substances that they want, the substances that they need. And I don't think it's a government's role to really get in the way of that, because it's still just going to continue happening no matter what, anyway, and we've seen over the years, what has happened if we criminalize substance use — not that substance use shouldn't be criminalized — but when we criminalize that, we flood our prisons with people incarcerated for marijuana use. And so, yeah, I'm not into the idea of further restricting marijuana use or sales.
Now, a big issue in Berkshire County that's been debated a lot just in the last few weeks has been that of training for police in Berkshire County when it comes to mental health calls. Obviously, there's this tragic incident in Hinsdale [in January] where a man suffering from a mental health crisis ended up being shot to death by police officers during a response that remains under investigation by the District Attorney's office. We just heard about in Adams an officer firing a shot during what sounded like a similar mental health crisis incident, and that, of course, piggybacks on many other incidents throughout Berkshire County history. I'm interested, as someone running to represent the Berkshires on this larger stage, what are your thoughts about that conversation?
My thoughts about that conversation are we should prompt and encourage and require our police officers to undergo CIT training, crisis intervention training, I believe it's called. Our police department in the city of North Adams is, I believe, 50% trained in this area. This is something, by the way, we've all seen a lot of videos recently of ICE officers in Minneapolis shooting people to death, and I believe that if folks were trained properly in CIT technologies and methods, those issues would not have happened, or those issues would not have happened as much. And so, our police department, I fully believe, in North Adams, is on its way to being fully trained. Our chief talks about that often. He spoke about that yesterday. We were in city council chambers together with a group of individuals that are very concerned about whether or not ICE is going to show up in our community, what our police department can do to protect our community from that potential threat, and he brought up again, CIT — CIT, again, crisis intervention training — is something that I have been advocating for over our last two budget cycles in the city of North Adams, saying every time, how much longer until every one of our officers can be trained in this area, because that will prevent issues from happening, that will better protect our residents and better protect our police officers from potential harm from people out there in the world. So, it's a win-win for everyone. It's also, by the way, something that is not a very high cost. It's about availability, and sometimes more money, access to more funds to get this training will make those trainings more available to more police officers, because currently, I believe police officers from our region are having to go over to, I want to say it's Holyoke, on an annual basis for these trainings. And of course, every officer can't go at once. So as a state representative, this is definitely something that I will intend to look into, is making more of these trainings available to officers all over the state, and meet them where they are, too, instead of having to have them drive a couple hours away somewhere to get these trainings. Let's bring the trainings to them. Let's bring the trainings to the Northern Berkshires, to Pittsfield, so all of our officers can receive these trainings, and again, with the whole intention of being better protecting our residents and better protecting our officers.
One of the longest running tropes in Berkshire County politics is the expression about frustration with regional inequity and the concept that Western Massachusetts and the Berkshires are often getting the short end of the stick, so to speak, from governmental support and state funding when it comes to all manner of issues, from infrastructure to education, etc. How would you be a strong voice for regional equity for Berkshire County, should you secure this seat?
I would definitely be a strong voice, a strong voice and somebody who is very deeply present all the time, everywhere. That's kind of who I am. I love a road trip, I love working with people, I love meeting with people, I love having calls with people, I love being everywhere at once. I love party hopping for pleasure on the weekend nights, going from one thing to the next, and collaborating with a bunch of different kinds of people. So, this is all being said, by the way, to show I am so ready to develop very strong relationships on Beacon Hill and all across the state, all the way to the Berkshires, so that we can resolve these issues and correct these issues that we've been feeling for a very long time. Now, I am not. I am very much in favor of our Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Maura Healey and Kim Driscoll. I think they're doing a great job, and I think they're doing a great job in this area because I see them out here a lot. I feel them out here a lot when they speak, and I hear them speak a lot, they talk about the Berkshires, they talk about their trips to North Adams, the experiences that they've had in North Adams, to Pittsfield, to other areas in the Berkshires as well. So, I really value that for them, and I suspect that hasn't always been the case from governors or lieutenant governors in our state, but they're definitely doing the work now. I think there's much more work to be done, however, and that will require strong advocacy. I would even go as far as saying fierce advocacy. Now, let me clarify what fierce means for me- I'm a relationship builder. I'm somebody who loves people and gets along with people. And a big part of my platform will be cross regional collaboration, and that is with our local elected officials, our state delegation, all the way through the Berkshires and beyond, all the way to Beacon Hill and the folks on Beacon Hill. So, with these strong relationships that I will build, I will make sure that we are getting the resources that we need, that we are due, and then some, because with these stronger relationships, folks will actually listen to me. Folks will take us seriously. Folks will hear our needs, instead of just saying, hey, where are these resources that we need? That's not something that is, I think, helpful, that is not the way that the world works, perhaps, anymore. It's all about relationships, and I think that is going to be so important, and that is why I really think I could do a great job in building those relationships.
I want to ask you about the Greylock Glen in Adams. It's an economic development opportunity we've heard a lot of hype about. It's been something of a slow rollout from the state funding being secured to actually open it actually fulfilling those dreams and hopes for economic development in Adams. Any thoughts on that project, or where it can go from where it currently stands?
I have lot of thoughts on that project. And you mentioned kind of a slow roll- Definitely a slow roll. I mean, that's been a decades long project of things being started and then stalled. I've hiked extensively around that area, and I've seen the old footings for the chair lift that was going to be put up to the top, just left vacant. And I've seen and I've hiked around and I've been inside many times the new welcome center, which is phenomenal for those who haven't checked it out, by the way. Daniel Doyle has become a close collaborator of mine. I was actually just down there for MLK day doing a reading of the Letter from Birmingham Jail, read with, I think it was like 26 of our fellow Northern Berkshires constituents. People from Adams, Cheshire, Lanesborough, I believe North Adams, Williamstown -- gathered together to read this thing. Daniel is in the process of creating a strategic vision for that location, as in collaboration, by the way, with the Adams Select Board and our state delegation. There's so much more that needs to happen. It's off to a great start now with the new welcome center. There's a place that people can go and connect with and start things in. Daniel is playing around with a whole bunch of different things, and I really believe in his attitude, his vision. He has that kind of drive that I have as well to make a positive change and to think strategically and to think with the bigger picture in mind of what's possible in that space, and find ways of how to get there through positive relationships. And so, we've spoken at length between the two of us and with several other people about what's possible there, from an amphitheater to a chairlift to glamping to other kinds of development to just camping in general. He's playing with a whole bunch of different things, and seeing what works and seeing what people, too, are going to be receptive to. So of course, this is really also all about relationships. Daniel Doyle can't just come in and say, we’re doing this one thing, and we're doing this now. It takes an army to build this thing, and it will take an army to build this thing, and it will take the right leadership to help open up the resources to build this thing. So, I'm really excited to see what happens there, and to be a part of this over time. I will see this through.
So lastly, I want to give you sort of a free space to talk about a commonwealth-wide bill, initiative, or undertaking you'd like to engage in. We've talked a lot about the specifics of Berkshire County- Having this seat, should you win it in [the] November [general election], it would give you the opportunity on a much larger stage to promote legislation that could impact not just Berkshire County but the whole commonwealth. When you think about that opportunity, what sort of avenues might you pursue if that opened up to you?
So, hold on a second, I have to pick just one? Can I just pick like, three little ones? Thank you so much. So yeah, I would just want to hit on each of my priority areas, which are economic opportunity, affordability, and cross regional collaboration. So, regarding, let's talk about affordability first. A couple things in there stick out. One is universal child care. That is something that the state of New York is pursuing right now through a pilot program with different counties. I think that's something that is it's time for us to explore as well. I am friends with so many young parents who really struggle with child care. That is something that is not just about them or just about their children. It's also about their employers. It's also about their businesses that they run themselves. They do not have the time because they cannot find affordable child care for their kids. They don't have the time and capacity to go and be a full-time worker out there, contributing to building a more robust economy in the Berkshires, which is something we so desperately need. So, that's one area that I really love to look into. Another is housing affordability, by the way. I'm somebody who has sponsored the bill to create an affordable housing trust in North Adams, something which some other surrounding communities have as well, including Williamstown, by the way. This is something that a local government can use to stimulate more affordable housing development and also help support existing residents, such as seniors, to stay in their homes, to fix up their homes, so that they can stay in them, or fix up their homes so that they can sell them, get a good price for them, and downsize effectively, and also, for first time home buyers, our children to buy their first homes in the Berkshires. I would love to provide more funding for affordable housing trusts across the state, and I think that is something, especially leveraging the passion of our governor and lieutenant governor, who talk about this all the time- I think that's a can of worms that we can open and provide more streams of funding to develop housing in the Berkshires, which is definitely a need. One other thing that I will mention is this is with the cross regional collaboration again, back to our school systems, because we talked a little bit about education- If we collaborate better, and I'm not saying that we need to regionalize everything, but I do think that we can identify resources that we can share better between our communities, and I think we can also jointly advocate for more strong funding streams from the state to more rural districts and to districts like North Adams or Adams that don't fit in the usual box of cities or towns that need that help, because we don't quite qualify for rural assistance, and we don't quite qualify for big city assistance or gateway city assistance because of our size. So, this is something- I actually did just pass a resolution on our city council floor and North Adams recently stating my — our, excuse me, the council's, because we did vote unanimously for it — council's position that we are in favor of the Massachusetts Teachers Association fiscal crisis plan, and that was several different bills that help clear funding streams for districts like ours and help support us more. And get more millions of dollars of funding directly to our school districts. So, this is another key priority area of mine.
North Adams City Councilor and 1st Berkshire District State Representative Democratic primary candidate, Andrew Fitch making his announcement here on WAMC. Andrew, thank you so much.
Thank you so much, Josh. And folks, I'm really looking forward to meeting you out there. I'm going to be all over the district all of this year, so I'm really looking forward to meeting you just out on the streets, at cultural events, at meet and greets in our city and town halls. Really looking forward to connecting with you, and really looking forward to representing you very well on Beacon Hill and all around the Berkshires. Thank you so much.
