Berkshire County — Lenox Select Board member Marybeth Mitts is an independent candidate running in November’s election for the 3rd Berkshire District seat in the State House of Representatives. Mitts announced her candidacy in March. However, according to documents received through a Freedom of Information request, when she filed with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance on March 6, she filed to run as a Democrat.
The document was signed electronically by Mitts with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance under penalty of perjury and was inconsistent with the record of party affiliation. According to her town’s voting record, which was provided via public records request, Mitts filed a party change from Democrat to “unenrolled” on January 11.
When she filed for candidacy almost two months later on March 6, however, she filed “Democratic” as party affiliation.
When The Berkshire Edge reached out to Mitts for comment she wrote via email:
I filed in City of Pittsfield offices initially as Democratic candidate when I picked up papers on March 6. I went to my car to read the papers and saw on every paper that the Board of Registrars are required to certify your party affiliation as of Feb 24, 2024.
My party candidacy as of that date was unenrolled. I walked back into City of Pittsfield office and said I was unenrolled as of February 24, 2024. They said then you need the unenrolled papers (which are a different color than the party papers: D or R). So I wrote/re-enrolled as an unenrolled candidate and took those papers.
The Berkshire Edge has requested a copy of the revised form from Mitts. Mitts responded via email, “I called OCPF and they changed it over the phone in March.”
