News Briefs: School committee candidates forum; Hinds holiday card contest

BHRSD school committee forum to be held at firehouse

Great Barrington — A public forum for candidates for five seats on the Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee will be held Monday, October 22, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Great Barrington Fire Station, 37 State Road.

Incumbents Steve Bannon and Bill Fields of Great Barrington and Dan Weston and Jason St. Peter of Stockbridge will be on the November 6 ballot. No one will be on the ballot from West Stockbridge — incumbent Kristin Piasecki is not seeking re-election. School committee members must reside in the towns they represent, but are elected by the voters in all of the school district’s three towns.

The forum moderator will be Mark Pruhenski of Housatonic, who has been Richmond town administrator since 2016 and was Whately town administrator from 2014–16. He was also Great Barrington’s health agent from 2005–15 and is chairman of the Berkshire Municipal Managers Association. Pruhenski graduated from Monument Mountain Regional High School in 1993. He has a degree in management and economics with a concentration in public administration from SUNY Empire State College and a graduate certificate in local government leadership and management from Suffolk University.

Any write-in candidate wishing to participate in the forum is asked to notify Great Barrington Democratic Town Committee Chairman Michael Wise at michaelwise@earthlink.net.

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Hinds holding holiday card contest

Boston — Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, sends almost 1,000 greeting cards by mail to friends, family, colleagues and constituents during the holiday season. This year he is asking local students to design his holiday card. Inspired by similar contests held by Senate colleagues, including his predecessor, Ben Downing, Hinds has decided to hold a holiday greeting card contest this year.

The contest is open to all students in grades three to six who live in one of the 52 communities within Hinds’ Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden District. The winning image will be chosen by Hinds and used as the cover of his 2018 holiday greeting card. The printed holiday card will credit the student artist by listing their name, age, grade and school.

Contest entries must be returned to Hinds’ Pittsfield office no later than Friday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. Entries may be dropped off Monday through Friday during normal business hours, or mailed to: Sen. Adam Hinds Holiday Greeting Card Contest, 100 North St., Suite 410, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Entries may also be scanned in color and emailed to Adam.Hinds@masenate.gov.