News Briefs: Pittsfield City Council forum; Open Meeting Law training sessions

NAACP holds Pittsfield City Council forum

Pittsfield — The NAACP – Berkshire County Branch will present a Pittsfield City Council candidates’ forum Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m. at Conte Community School.

Thirteen out of the 17 city council candidates will participate in Wednesday’s forum, including at-large council candidates Peter Marchetti, Melissa Mason Mazzeo, Earl Persip III, and Pete White; Ward 1 candidate Helen Haerhan Moon, Ward 2 candidates Dina Guiel and Kevin Morandi, Ward 3 candidate Nick J. Caccamo, Ward 4 candidates Christopher Connell and Bill Wright, Ward 5 candidate Donna Todd Rivers, Ward 6 candidate John Krol, and Ward 7 candidate Rhonda Serre.

Election day in Pittsfield for both city council and school committee positions will be Tuesday, Nov. 7. The last day to register to vote or to update voter registration is Wednesday, Oct. 18.

The forum is free and open to all. The public is encouraged to submit questions beforehand for consideration to the moderator, NAACP — Berkshire County Branch past president Will Singleton, at ws534@aol.com.

*     *     *

Open Meeting Law trainings to be offered

Great Barrington — In an effort to better inform the public and government officials about the Open Meeting Law and its requirements, Attorney General Maura Healey’s office will hold a free training on the law Tuesday, Oct. 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the selectboard’s meeting room of the Great Barrington Town Hall, 334 Main St. The attorney general’s office will also offer live web-based trainings on the law.

The trainings will be conducted by attorneys from the Division of Open Government, and are free of charge and open to the public. They are part of an effort by Healey’s office to assist public bodies and members of the public in understanding and complying with the requirements of the state’s Open Meeting Law.

All members of public bodies and municipal employees, as well as members of the general public, are encouraged to attend. Individuals interested in attending are asked to register in advance by contacting (617) 963-2925 or OMLTraining@state.ma.us and providing their first and last names; their town of residence; the public body or organization they represent, if appropriate; and the location of the forum they will attend.

The attorney general’s office will conduct online webinars Thursday, Oct. 12, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 8, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.; and Thursday, Dec. 14, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Attendees may participate entirely online and will be able to submit written questions during the training and receive real-time responses from the Division of Open Government. Those interested in registering or receiving additional information about the webinar are asked to contact OMLTraining@state.ma.us.