Great Barrington — On Friday, February 16, Selectboard Vice Chair Leigh Davis announced her candidacy for State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli’s (D – 3rd Berkshire District) seat. State Rep. Pignatelli announced last week that, after 22 years in office, he would not be running again.
A few days after State Rep. Pignatelli’s announcement, on February 10 Stockbridge Select Board member Patrick White announced his candidacy.
Originally a native of Washington, D.C., Davis earned her bachelor of science degree in cinematography and film/video production from Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., and subsequently earned her master of arts degree in screenwriting from the University of Galway in Galway, Ireland. According to her LinkedIn profile, Davis worked as a television and film editor for several studios, including Universal Studios Hollywood, Amblin Entertainment, Columbia Tri Star, and Warner Bros. Studios.
Since moving to the Berkshire County area in 2009, she has worked as a marketing manager for the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, a marketing director for New England Newspapers Inc., and a director of development for the Eagle Mill Redevelopment company. She currently works as the communications and community engagement director for Construct Inc., having previously worked as its development director starting in 2020. The organization provides supportive services to residents in southern Berkshire County.
Davis started her career as a town official in May 2013 when she was elected to the town’s Finance Committee, where she served until May 2016. She was elected to the town’s Selectboard in May 2019 and started serving as its vice chair in May 2021. Davis is also the chair of the Selectboard and Planning Board Housing Subcommittee.
“The Berkshires is more than a place to have a second home,” Davis states in a press release sent to local media. “We are a community deeply invested in living in a beautiful rural area. I want to help our community thrive. If elected, I want to support our small businesses, farmers, entrepreneurs, renters, landlords, and developers. I want to remove the barriers that make developing and sustaining a business and farm so onerous, and make it easier for them to do what they do best — sustain our communities, drive our economies, hire our workforce.”
Davis recently testified before the state’s Joint Committee on Housing in support of Gov. Maura Healey’s Affordable Homes Act.
In a recent interview with The Berkshire Edge, Davis said that tackling the affordable housing crisis is close to her heart not just because she works for Construct Inc., but also for personal reasons. “As a woman of color that qualifies for the affordable housing that I’m advocating for, I really kind of see it from a grassroots perspective,” she said. “I just can’t sit back and watch our community crumble. I just feel compelled to do all that I can to help.”
At the event announcing her candidacy at Great Barrington Town Hall, Davis said that affordable housing will be one of her top priorities.
“If I were to be elected, I want to make some noise at the State House,” Davis said. “I want to fight for better representation for Western Massachusetts. We need all towns to get together to find a better way to coordinate our resources, our strategies, our actions, and to be smarter with taxpayers money.”
For more information about Leigh Davis’s campaign go to this link.
