<

>

Mayor Richard Alcombright kicks off his re-election campaign. Alcombright is running for a fourth term in the corner office.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Richard Alcombright is running for a fourth term as mayor with a vow to continue growing on past efforts and with the hopes of bringing a number of projects to fruition.

"I can't believe it's been six years since we mounted our historic campaign in 2009," he said. "I promised an unprecedented degree of openness and I have continued to deliver on that promise ...

"I plan to run a vigorous campaign against any and all who challenge me and what we're trying to accomplish."

Alcombright officially kicked off his re-election campaign on Wednesday with nearly 100 supporters at a picnic fundraiser on the porch of the Richmond Grille.

Supporter Richard Taskin introduced Alcombright, as he did two years ago, citing Alcombright's campaign promise six years ago to create "an inclusive and transparent environment" that involved citizens and community ideas.

"The attendance we have here tonight is testimony that he delivered on that promise," said Taskin.

Alcombright first ran in 2009 after serving on the City Council since 2000. The former banker also served 16 years on the McCann School Committee. As of last week, only businessman and artist Eric Rudd has returned nomination papers to challenge him.

The kickoff took place days before the return of the Solid Sound Festival and the night before Downstreet Art, both of which the Alcombright pointed to as events that are turning the city into a destination.

He's looking to continue efforts to reinvigorate Western Gateway Heritage State Park, working with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission on extending the bike path and getting the Berkshire Scenic Railway on track.

"It's been extremely frustrating, but I want to see a train running," he said of the lengthy negotiations the state has been undertaking with Pan Am Railway to use the tracks between the city and Adams.

Also in the mix is the pursuit of a grant for a new skateboard and BMX park for Noel Field Athletic Complex, new playgrounds at Kemp Avenue and Windsor Lake, bringing the city into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act and the cleanup and completion of the delayed Colegrove Park Elementary School.

"It will be a monument of pride and a significant benefit to the future of our children while very much respecting and retaining a gem of our past," Alcombright said of the nearly $30 million renovation of the century-old former middle and high school.

Medical services are returning at Berkshire Medical Center's Northern Berkshire Campus, he said. "There is much, much more to come. ... What is on the horizon is very creative, somewhat futuristic and will ensure a sustainable  facility for many years to come."

The city is also about to "flip the switch" on the solar array on the capped landfill, Alcombright continued, "one of the largest in the commonwealth that will greatly reduce the city's cost for power."

Richard Taskin introduces Alcombright.

He ticked off a list of development and growth in the city, including the cleanup and development along River Street, renovation of the Mulcare Building and reopening of the Mohawk Tavern, the opening of Lever and its entrepreneurial sites Cloud85 and Maker's Mill, the $60 million public and private investment in the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, and an unemployment rate that's dropped during his tenure from 9.72 percent to 6.6.

"There are more jobs, more investment, and more local projects than there was six years ago," Alcombright said, pointing to numerous public and private organizations that had collaborated to "invoke change."

At the same time, he said he is not turning a blind eye to the chronic poverty, and the heroin epidemic that spread throughout the state, vowing to support the police in the incarceration of dealers while providing support to addicts and families caught up in addiction.

"I came into office during a difficult economic time in our country's and city's history," he said, noting the city had lost more than $20 million in state aid — nearly $3 million annually — since emergency cuts were instituted in 2009 and never fully restored.

"No matter how much I get the message out, how much I try to educate, how clearly they read the reports — because they do — there remains an undercurrent of distrust," Alcombright said. Still, he said, the city and school department produced their first balanced budgets that did not rely on any reserves in "at least the 15 years I've been in office."

During that time, the city's annual budget has risen less than 2 percent annually.

"We are by no means out of the woods," he said. "But we have made significant progress."

He made clear, however, that there will be no Proposition 2 1/2 override this year or next.

"I've worked hard to be a unifying figure ... at the same time I've made tough decisions," he said. "I believe in seeing a job through to the finish."

• Most Read

• Most Comments

• All News

• Blogroll

• Photos