It’s election season in southern Berkshire County. Here's a round up.
Bernie Fallon defeated incumbent Earl Moffatt to win a three-year term on the West Stockbridge Select Board.
“The timing was right. You know, I was encouraged by many people to run. But the other thing is you think nationally and what's going on is I really wanted to have an influence instead of watching TV and getting frustrated, I wanted to do something,” Fallon says.
Fallon took over the family business, The Public Market, in the early 2000s. He was previously a motivational speaker and wellness teacher who worked primarily in New York City.
Fallon seeks clearly established short- and long-term goals for the town – and says government needs to be transparent about it.
“I think there can be, you know, in honesty in running a town, in running a government,” Fallon says.
Fallon says his greatest asset is his established relationship with the board’s Curt Wilton and Peter Skorput.
“Curt and I have been friends for, since we were like little,” Fallon says. “And I have known Peter since I was probably 12. So we will get along just fine.”
After 28 years on the town’s Board of Health, Earl Moffatt lost that position, too, ousted by Michael Skorput, a former town selectman.
In another upset in Egremont, George McGurn, a former dean of the Boston University School of Management, beat incumbent Selectman Charlie Flynn. McGurn’s focus is economic growth.
“You got to be very careful with Egremont. You know, we have to historical district here,” McGurn says. “And when you say economic development, I don’t mean AmeriGas or McDonalds or something like that.”
McGurn says Ergemont’s small Main Street has lost eight businesses over the past two years. He says the lack of broadband internet is partially to blame.
The town recently sided with Charter-Spectrum over a local start-up, Fiber Connect, which McGurn favors.
“I mean it’s a major gateway to the Berkshires. And it’s puzzling to me, I see all of the assets that Egremont has just terms of the environment, and the historic buildings and it’s just amazing to me that there isn’t more activity. And I think we can be much more proactive in attracting the kinds of businesses that we’d like,” McGurn says.
Elsewhere, incumbent Nadine Hawver, chair of the Sheffield Board of Selectmen, held her ground in Monday’s election against two write-in candidates.
Monterey Selectman Kenn Basler won a second term, beating town police sergeant Michael Johnson.
Great Barrington Selectman Ed Abrahams ran unopposed.
Stockbridge residents vote May 16th.
