PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Mayoral candidates John Krol and Peter Marchetti discussed the city’s cultural industries at the Colonial Theater on Tuesday.
Hosted by Berkshire Theater Group and moderated by Senator Paul Mark, the forum covered topics ranging from workforce housing and youth engagement to scammers and ride-hailing services.
Questions were asked by members of the cultural organization and the audience.
“I am co-chair of the Joint Committee on Arts, Tourism and Cultural Development and so this is obviously an issue that is extremely important to me, but to the constituency that I represent, which includes Pittsfield and 56 other communities “critically important.” “said Mark.
Marchetti, the City Council president, said the Colonial Theater and Barrington Stage have always been special to him. He is passionate about working with the cultural sector and recognizes the direct and indirect positive impact it has on the economy.
“It’s not just a cultural economy,” he said. “It’s a place to live and a place to thrive and a place to go and enjoy world-class exhibitions. It’s a place where you can see great art. It’s a place where you can go and enjoy life, go to the…” parks, go to the lake and come see your great show.
In the meantime, he said the leadership needs to sell all these activities and get people to come here, stay here and visit more often.
BTG artistic director Kathleen Maguire said singing was allowed at the event, and Marchetti followed suit, at one point singing a few seconds of the Golden Girls theme song “Thank You For Being a Friend.”
Krol believed that the colonial era was the cornerstone of Pittsfield’s revival and that cultural industries will be a core part of the second revival.
Over the summer, his stepson had the special opportunity to be part of a Berkshire Theater Group program. It was something he absolutely wouldn’t have volunteered for, but he was chosen for it.
“And that’s what the arts can do. “You can find skills you didn’t know you had, you can find inspiration where you didn’t know you would be inspired, and you can actually really change lives,” he said.
“And I can tell you, that’s exactly what it did. That is the power of the arts and it is something that is very important to me. What the arts can do for our young people.”
Older customers leaving venues reportedly feel threatened when approached by scammers and fear this will deter people from attending future cultural organization events.
Both candidates expressed the need for a police presence in the hallway when performances begin.
Krol advocates “staying grounded” and says people often want to grab a bite to eat downtown after a show but don’t feel safe.
“Unfortunately, we have a situation right now where people don’t feel comfortable saying, ‘Hey, we can walk down the street and get some dinner’ and ‘Hey, you can walk a few blocks,'” he said.
“Instead, you can get in your car and drive further away, or you can get in your car and drive to Lenox, and that is unacceptable. This is something you absolutely have to deal with and there are a lot of elements to it, but it starts with something like this.”
Marchetti said it will take a mix of police presence and investment to make downtown more welcoming.
“If we want people to come downtown, we want them to come downtown to see a show and have dinner. “So for this period we need to ensure that our downtown is safe, clean and welcoming, both with police presence in the south and with some investment,” he said.
The candidates also offered how they could make Pittsfield safer and more connected for people without cars. Both expressed a need for ride-sharing apps like Uber or Lyft.
Marchetti believes the effort should start by reaching out to businesses and asking them to bring their services to Pittsfield.
“DoorDash is very popular in the city of Pittsfield,” he said. “Anyone can have DoorDash delivered to anywhere they can go. For me it’s the same concept. It’s a driver who delivers food somewhere, so we can get a driver who takes people somewhere.”
He noted that the city has a taxi commission that may need to be reactivated and said there are discussions about car rental services for Berkshire Flyer guests from New York City.
“We can’t just talk,” he said. “We have to walk the walk and make sure we get these things done.”
Krol emphasized the importance of safety and the ability to move around the city without owning a vehicle.
“We want to make Pittsfield more pedestrian-friendly. I think that’s the core of what we can achieve,” he said. “To have that immersive experience, people need to feel safe whether they have a car or not.”
He pointed out that transportation was a struggle for both tourists and the working class.
“I certainly don’t have an answer to that question, Senator, but this is something that we definitely need to clarify for those who don’t have a vehicle,” he said.
A local teenager asked the candidates how they would encourage youth to get involved in cultural activities, pointing out that the community had a theater, a bowling alley, a library and no shopping center.
Krol said Pittsfield Public School’s arts integration program has done a good job in starting the process, but that the program needs to be expanded.
“This isn’t just about the art institutions. It’s about the quality of our schools and the quality of the experiences in our schools,” he said. “We urgently need art and culture in our schools.”
Marchetti praised local cultural organizations for their youth engagement, pointing to BTG’s presentation of Moana Jr. this summer.
“I think they need a little more support to offer more to the youth, but they are already doing a great job and just need to encourage them to do more,” he said.
Both candidates agree that MCAS should no longer be a graduation requirement in the state.
Candidates were also asked what issues they see in workforce accommodation, particularly in relation to people in cultural organisations, and how these can be addressed.
Krol said the theaters represent a huge investment in housing stock each year and it is critical for these organizations that the options are high quality.
“And I also think that we should look at the bigger picture and say that maybe there are housing developments and apartments that we could build for our institutions and work with them on that,” he explained.
“Because let’s face it, we need more units in the city of Pittsfield and the market is under a lot of pressure in a lot of ways, so ultimately we have to be creative in every way to build more housing.”
Marchetti acknowledged the private landlords who host the cultural organizations, adding that this is no small feat and that he understands the challenges they face.
“I think, first and foremost, it doesn’t change what we need to do,” he said in terms of solutions.
“Last fiscal year 23 of the city budget we hired two additional code inspectors to be able to carry out the necessary inspections and to ensure that all of our apartments, whether owner-occupied or absentee landlords, meet the level of quality that we require should have, and that’s why we would start there and create incentives for these people so that they can improve their characteristics.
The forum was sponsored by Arrowhead, Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Museum, BTG and Hancock Shaker Village.
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