Berkshire County — Twenty-two years after first being elected to the State House of Representatives, State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D – 3rd Berkshire District) announced via social media on Tuesday, February 6 that he would not seek re-election. His term is set to expire in early January.
“Before I decided not to run again, I did a lot of soul searching,” Rep. Pignatelli told The Berkshire Edge. “I’ve been an elected official for years at both the local and state level. I just felt that it is time to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders that will focus on the people of the South Berkshires.”
Pignatelli has over 37 years experience as an elected official, starting in 1987 when he was first elected to the Lenox Planning Board, serving for five years. In 1992, he was elected to the town’s Board of Selectmen, where he served until 2003. Pignatelli also served from 1995 to 1999 as a Berkshire County Commissioner, and he served for two years as the chairman of the board.
He said that, reflecting on his time as an elected official, his greatest joy has been helping out his constituents. “I have taken great personal pride in that,” Pignatelli said. “There’s probably more people that have my personal cell phone number than my office number. I always wanted to be a very hands-on guy doing the constituent’s work. The things that don’t necessarily make the newspaper headlines are the things that give me the greatest joys.”
As an example, Pignatelli specifically cited the work he did in helping people during the pandemic. “The pandemic was a very trying time for businesses and individuals who were all laid off because of businesses closing,” Pignatelli said. “Helping people get unemployment, helping elderly residents get home care, these are all not exactly sexy topics that the Berkshire news organizations will put on the front page. But these are examples of the day-to-day things I’ve been involved with.”
Pignatelli also cited his work in helping residents receive substance abuse treatment as an example of some of the work that he is proud of. “A few years ago I met a young man who was addicted to heroin, and the doctors recommended a little pill that is now called methadone,” Pignatelli said. “Back then, methadone wasn’t even covered by MassHealth. The doctor recommended four pills a day, and each pill cost $10. If you do the math, at four pills a day with each pill at $10 for 365 days a week, no one could afford that. I helped to convince MassHealth to cover methadone treatments. That is now a very normal thing, but 18 years ago it was not. Months later that young man called the State House at 8:30 p.m. hoping to leave a voicemail message. When I answered the phone, he thanked me for saving his life. That’s not something I’m going to put on Facebook. It gave me tremendous joy, and I’ve seen him go back to college, earn a degree, and work full time. For me to be in a position to make a difference and to help people like him, that means a lot to me.”
Pignatelli said a lot has changed in the politics and culture in Massachusetts since he was first elected as a state representative. “When I first got down to the State House, the big issue was same-sex marriage,” Pignatelli said. “I kind of chuckle about it now because it’s not really that controversial anymore. But back when I was first elected, even Berkshire County was very divided on that issue. Then the eyes of the world became focused on Massachusetts all because we became the first state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage.”
Pignatelli said that he proceeded to give a speech in support of same-sex marriage. “But I was fearful at the time because I thought I wouldn’t be re-elected,” Pignatelli said. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, I thought I’d be here for more than one term!’ But giving that speech and supporting same-sex marriage was the right thing to do. I’ve always been interested in helping the next generation and not worrying about the next election. If you do what you think is right, the next election will take care of itself.”
During his remaining time in office, Pignatelli said that he would like to concentrate on the ongoing challenges of housing affordability and infrastructure. “We have housing affordability challenges in Berkshire County, especially considering that south Berkshire County is very different from north Berkshire County,” Pignatelli said. “And as for infrastructure, I’ve told the governor that infrastructure is the one thing that could bankrupt some of our small towns. I’m a big advocate of what I like to call ‘horizontal infrastructure,’ namely the roads, bridges, the water, and sewer systems, which are some of the things that are out of sight and out of mind. But we still have to deal with these things.”
Another issue Pignatelli said he would like to tackle during his remaining time in office is the long-proposed East-West Passenger Rail project. “We really should keep this project on the front burner,” Pignatelli said. “We need to make sure we get our fair share when it comes to this project because this could be a game changer for Berkshire County for the next 100 years. Transportation is paramount to get people to work and for them to live in Berkshire County. Rail is a long-term issue that we have to make sure—that we have to stay on top of because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime generational investment.”
Pignatelli said he hasn’t yet thought about his plans when he leaves office. “I am committed to serving out the rest of this term,” he said. “I’m committed to doing that. When one door closes, another one opens, hopefully. But I am not retiring. That word is not even in my vocabulary. I’m just shifting gears and moving on to an extra challenge or next opportunity.”
Pignatelli explained, “Retirement is just not in my DNA.” He added, “I just would not know what to do if I retired. Before my dad retired, he told me that when I retire, always make sure that I have a purpose to get up in the morning. My father always had a wonderful purpose, and that was to continue to help other people. That’s what my objective will be, to continue to help people and help our communities to be better. While I did that as an elected official, I think I can do a lot on the outside as a citizen. I saw my father help other people, and when I was young, I said to myself that this is what I wanted to do when I got older. I saw the pleasure my father got from helping other people. I knew that whatever I was going to do for a career, part of my duties was going to be to help other people. I’m proud to say, I think I’ve done that fairly well.”
As for who will run to take his place, Pignatelli said that, after he made his announcement on February 6, he was contacted by two people who expressed interest in running for his seat. “I’m not going to give you names, but they are two very interesting people,” Pignatelli said. “But everybody has a view of what the role of a state representative is. After 22 years, I honestly can’t tell you what a typical day is. There is no such thing as a typical day. Whoever runs better [do] their homework and understand what they are expected to do. I like to say that traveling back and forth to Boston is one thing, but taking care of the largest district in the State House of Representatives is where your bread and butter is. That’s what you need to focus on.”
