To the Editor:

For the past three years, my family has spent most of its weekend and vacation time in the areas surrounding, and within North Adams. We happily make a trip that is about 4 hours each way.

The area has a lot to offer part timers like us, quality museums, fun North Adams downtown events, hiking, multiple parks, not far from rafting and skiing, etc. We love to shop downtown in North Adams where retailers know our names.

I see North Adams as a city of great potential but one that also faces some tough challenges. Population loss, especially of the young, seems to be the most pressing issue when taking a realistic long-term viewpoint. The more young families you can attract the more stable your tax base and the less blight you will have. Central to attracting young families is an educational system that at least has good ratings coupled with affordable housing stock. Unfortunately, North Adams has a poorly rated school system and a history that includes a sad nadir of a threatened state takeover in 2003 during the Barrett years.

This issue seems entirely lost in this election cycle in the mayoral race and I fear could continue to be lost for some time in a system where elections are every two years.

Thankfully there is at least one candidate for North Adams School Committee who has publicly acknowledged the problem of poor school ratings when she wrote that they "impact on many things: school choice, home-buying decisions and, ultimately, our economy: both our tax base (when buyers go elsewhere) and our school budget (when students choice out to other school districts, private school or home school)."

Her name is Tara Jacobs.

I hope that residents of North Adams will take a close look at the very important School Committee race and make sure you get Ms. Jacobs into one of the three available seats.

Then the question becomes which mayoral candidate is more likely to listen to the advice of members of an elected committee of which the mayor chairs. I have seen first hand that Mayor Alcombright is someone who prides himself on remaining open to the ideas and concerns of others. When that is the case, the good ideas of others have a chance to thrive and make an impact.

Joseph Smith
Clarksburg & New York

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