2018 has provided enough Great Barrington news to keep journalists busy and observers of town politics highly amused, signaling that the community dubbed "best small town in America" by Smithsonian Magazine continues to be a place in transition.
In a letter attorney Ira Kaplan writes: “Paul [Caccaviello] is an effective litigator, but he is also a compassionate person. He was a mentor to me, and his touchstone was seeking justice.“
In a letter to the editor, Dan Bianchi writes, "I had the opportunity as mayor to see Paul Caccaviello in action coordinating the preparation of the worst of criminal cases, prosecuting those who sold drugs to our children, robbed senior citizens, abused women and committed murder."
In their letter Marie and Marie T. Harpin write: “We need a District Attorney who will reform the criminal justice system in Berkshire County and will not maintain the status quo. Attorney Andrea Harrington is the only candidate on the ballot who can bring about that much needed reform.”
In her letter Kathleen Riley of Pittsfield writes: “Mr. Caccaviello lost an election, period. Blaming his [primary] election loss on his not being a politician is absurd and hypocritical. He manipulated the political system to get the advantage of incumbency.”
Harrington had 40 percent of the votes to Paul Cacciaviello's 37 and Judith Knight's 23, with more than 90 percent of precincts reporting, and only three small towns remaining.
It bothers me, and should bother those who want change for the better in the DA’s office, that the only candidate under attack is Andrea Harrington, both by Caccaviello and Knight.
In her letter to the editor Sharon Winsett writes: “For too long, Berkshire County has relied on the good-old boy network to make decisions that impact us now and in the future.”
A Lee resident, Knight has, since 2006, been in private practice in Great Barrington. About 80 percent of her practice has been in criminal defense, with most of the remainder of her practice in mediation.
In his letter to the editor Jon Piasecki writes: "Our District Attorney's office suffers from a dynasty of entitlement, bad direction and even corruption."
In his letter to the editor, Steve Farina writes: "The District Attorney’s office needs the fresh leadership, energized leadership, found in someone who embraces the Criminal Justice Reform that the people of Massachusetts, and particularly, the people of Berkshire County both want and deserve."
Caccaviello was sworn in as Berkshire district attorney March 15 after serving as first assistant district attorney under former Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless.
