Lenox — The two candidates vying for State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli’s seat in the upcoming general election faced off at a debate on Tuesday, October 8. The debate, which was held at Shakespeare & Company’s Tina Packer Playhouse, was similar in format to a previous candidates’ forum held at Kimball Farms on September 25. At the October 8 debate, Lenox Select Board member and independent candidate Marybeth Mitts faced Great Barrington Selectboard Vice Chair and Democratic candidate Leigh Davis.
More than 100 people attended the event, but there were many empty seats throughout the theater for the over-one-hour debate.
The debate was sponsored by The Berkshire Eagle and was moderated by Kevin Moran, its executive editor.
Community Television for the Southern Berkshires filmed the debate for a later broadcast. Before the event started, Moran asked members of the audience not to raise their campaign signs so they would not block the view of the video camera recording the event. “I’m glad you brought [the signs], but keep them down low,” Moran told the audience. “Freedom of speech is great until it blocks somebody’s view. I know you’re going to be a wonderful and fantastic audience, but there are voters here tonight who will be watching on television who may be undecided, and it’s hard to believe they may be undecided. We want to make sure that our candidates, voices, and their answers are heard, so I’m also asking everybody to withhold their applause.”
To kick off the debate, Moran posed a question to both candidates about the presidential election. He did not, however, directly ask the candidates which presidential candidate they supported and why. “‘Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’ says the King in Shakespeare’s ‘Henry IV,’” Moran said. “On November 5, Americans will enter the polls to choose a new president, new members of Congress, and a host of down-ballot races. Many citizens are highly concerned, some would say frightened, about what our democracy will look like. Your constituents will look to you to provide the leadership and wherewithal to help guide them and our democracy forward. What will your counsel be to those anxious voters and what will be your plan to either console or congratulate them?”
“There is so much riding on this election, and democracy is literally at stake,” Davis said, adding that she is a “lifelong Democrat.” “It really takes a leader on the local level to really push through the change that we want from our values and from what we want in our communities. It’s so important that the day after the election, we are feeling that we have leadership with us. What I bring to this is someone who will be accountable, listening, and who has the drive and the leadership to take us into the next session. With the presidential election, I’m going to hold my breath and hope that democracy continues to be strong, accountable, and transparent.”
“It’s really important that we recognize that our democracy is a conversation,” Mitts said in response. “People have various opinions and they should all be respected. As an independent, I’m happy to move forward in this race. I’m happy if I were to win this race to engage in that conversation on November 6 that we should all be in this together no matter what happens. We need to represent our ideals and our values to continue to work toward making the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as our nation, as strong as it can be. There are a lot of challenges ahead, including climate challenges, economic-development challenges, and challenges about health and safety within our community, and those are the ones that we need to be focused on. So while we may have different political opinions, there is still common ground that we all need to engage in.”
Later on in the debate, Moran directly asked Mitts why she chose to run as an independent candidate. “Some have criticized you for this, saying that you flip-flop on party affiliations and calling into question if you are even fit for the 3rd Berkshire District,” Moran told Mitts. “How did you come to run as an independent? If elected, do you expect to choose a party affiliation? If so, how do you plan to stay independent in the House? And what party will you caucus [with] as an independent?”
“I came to this decision quite by accident,” Mitts said in response. “I went in to get my papers to run for office, and I had reregistered as a Democrat after Super Tuesday because it was my constitutional right to become unenrolled for Super Tuesday and select the person of my choice. When I went in to get the papers, I found out that a deadline had passed [for registering as a Democratic candidate].”
Mitts said that she registered as an independent candidate and figured she was “running on [her] record.” “Everyone in Berkshire County already knows what I’ve done for the town of Lenox, and I’m pretty confident that running on my record is going to be adequate,” Mitts said. “I took that leap, and if I go to the State House, I will certainly be caucusing with the Democrats, because that’s the major party.”
On the question of whether or not she would switch her party affiliation from independent to Democrat once she is elected, Mitts responded “I haven’t taken that into account, but that’s certainly an option.”
In response, Davis criticized Mitts for not following state-mandated deadlines for her candidacy. “When I decided to run, the first thing I did was I went to the Secretary of Commonwealth’s website and looked up a pamphlet that said how to run for office,” Davis said. “Anyone that is going to take this seriously enough should really look up this website and look at the steps needed to run for office. Almost immediately, I saw the deadlines, and I made sure I hit each deadline, whether it was to make sure I was enrolled, whether to declare my candidacy, to make sure I had the right party affiliation that I was comfortable with. I checked the boxes and made sure that I was hitting the deadlines. I feel very passionate that if you’re going to make a decision that is going to impact 40,000 people in a district that you might be representing, you are paying attention to the deadlines.”
“I think that argument is a false argument,” Mitts rebutted. “Not meeting a deadline doesn’t mean that you’re committed to your values and your ideals. If I’m going to Boston, I’m going to represent everyone in the 3rd Berkshire District. People know that I’m a fairly progressive candidate. If they know me, they know that my issues are housing, healthcare, infrastructure, and I am fairly left-leaning.”
For the next question, Moran asked Davis about her multiple endorsements from elected officials in the Democratic Party and like-minded organizations. “You have received the requisite endorsements from many leaders in the [Democratic] Party and thousands of dollars in campaign contributions,” Moran said. “Does this make you beholden to Democratic Party stances because of the money that has been given to you?”
“I have raised about $75,000, and I have been running a very hard-fought campaign for almost eight months,” Davis said. “I am very grateful to have received endorsements from environmental groups, animal rights groups, unions, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the AFL-CIO, reproductive health organizations, and Planned Parenthood. But I am not beholden to these. These are values that I deeply hold and values that are dear to working families about living, including those who are making a living wage. This is ensuring that there is equity and social justice. These are values that are meaningful to me, so I am not beholden to these organizations that deeply have watched my campaign.”
“I have raised about $16,000, and I’m a little terrible about asking people for money,” Mitts said in response. “It’s not one of my stronger suits. I figured, again, if I ran on my record that it would be a very good way to run. Being someone who has not received any money from any particular group, I do not feel that I’m in any way tied to any particular interest. I can represent the interests of everyone in Berkshire County. I will not necessarily be representing my own interests. I really need to represent all of yours.”
