State Representative Wm. Smitty Pignatelli is a lifelong resident of Lenox, Massachusetts, and a graduate of the Lenox Public Schools. Smitty, as he prefers to be called, was named after his father’s best friend, William Smith, who was killed during World War II. After graduating from Lenox Memorial High School in 1977, Smitty became a licensed Master Electrician and worked in his family’s electrical contracting business for twenty years. Smitty took over the full operation of the business at the time of his father’s retirement in 1991. Smitty left the family business to his brother Scott, in 1998, when he was offered a position as the Business Development Manager for Lee Bank. While at the bank, he attended Babson College School for Financial Studies, graduating in 2001. Longing to serve the people of his beloved Berkshire District, he decided to leave the bank to pursue his dream of public service and run for higher office. Smitty won the seat of State Representative for the 4th Berkshire District and has been proudly representing his constituents for over 12 years.
Smitty was first elected to the Lenox Planning Board in 1987 and served on that board for five years. In 1992, he was elected to the Board of Selectmen, and was elected Chairman on four different occasions, serving until May of 2003. Smitty also served from 1995-1999 as a Berkshire County Commissioner including two years as Chairman of the board.
Representative Pignatelli serves on the Laurel Lake Preservation Association and previously served six years on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross. With over 37 years of public service experience, Smitty has also been involved in many local associations. He is a member of the Berkshire County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, a past member of the Berkshire Association of Retarded Citizens, the Board of Directors of the Berkshire Visitors Bureau and is a former President of the Lenox Historical Society.
As State Representative, Smitty represents twenty communities in Berkshire and Hampden Counties. At the State House, Representative Pignatelli serves on three appointed committees: the Committee of Ways & Means, Committee on Higher Education, and the Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development. He is currently the House Chair of the Cultural Caucus.
