Great Barrington — At their weekly luncheon event at Crissey Farm on Wednesday, June 14, the town’s Rotary Club named former Selectboard member Ed Abrahams as the organization’s Citizen of the Year.
Abrahams was in attendance at the event with his fiancée Penelope Greene, and his daughter Anna. He is a native of Great Neck, N.Y. and has had an over 20-year career as a fundraising and management consultant for multiple nonprofit organizations in New York and the Berkshires. Abrahams moved to Great Barrington around 2000 and has served as a volunteer for multiple local organizations, including Construct, Berkshire South Community Center, and HospiceCare of the Berkshires. He has served as a member of the Library Trustees for many years and is currently the president of the Friends of the Library. Abrahams was first elected to the Selectboard in 2014, but after nine years decided not to run again for his seat this year.
“Ed has a long-standing history within the town as being part of many different committees and helping out where he can, whether or not he is part of the committee,” Great Barrington Rotary Club member and Citizen of the Year committee member Stephanie Carlson said. “He is very ingrained in our town, so the committee felt that he is a great choice for the Citizen of the Year. It’s important to have a Citizen of the Year to celebrate someone who has made a difference in our community, which is what the Rotary is all about. Our motto is ‘Service above self.’ To celebrate someone who puts service above themselves falls right in line with what the Rotary believes in.”
Longtime friend and Rotary Club member Michael Wise introduced Abrahams at the event. “I’ve noticed something about what Ed was doing that impressed me when he got on the Selectboard,” Wise said. “Ed was not just someone who showed up every week at the regular Selectboard meetings to expound. He went to everybody’s meetings, including Cultural Council meetings and Tree Committee meetings. He got involved in ways that were diplomatic and helpful. He didn’t go to the meetings to tell people what to do. He went to the meetings to find out what the committees were doing and [how] to help them do it. When he was on the Selectboard, he was diplomatic, clear, efficient, and often in the minority.” Wise said that, while Abrahams would sometimes disagree with the Selectboard’s decisions, Abrahams was always respectful of other board members’ opinions.
“On the Democratic Town Committee, [Abrahams] has helped us find people willing to run for office,” Wise said. “He helped to bring us a new generation of folks to bring them forward and to give them a shot. Some of the things he has done with the Selectboard [are] behind the scenes, including developing broadband internet downtown, and coordinating the response to the new challenge of regulating marijuana sales.”
Wise also cited Abrahams’ work on the Clinton Church restoration project and the formation of the Downtown Cultural District. “The fact that he is no longer an elected official means that we can honor him for his service without worrying that we are putting our finger on the scales with the town government,” Wise said. “Now that he has ended his [political] career, this is an appropriate time to honor his service.”
After receiving the award, Abrahams made a short and humble speech thanking Wise, the Rotary Club, his fiancée, and his family. “This is really an honor, thank you,” Abrahams said. “I loved serving the town as a Selectboard member. I will continue to serve the town in one way or another.”
As part of the Citizen of the Year award, the Great Barrington Rotary Club makes a $300 donation to a local charity of the awardees’ choice. Abrahams chose the Friends of the Great Barrington Libraries to receive the club’s donation.
