Mass, Vt. Voters Select Presidential Candidates Tuesday

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Voters in Massachusetts and Vermont will be heading to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots in the presidential primaries. 
 
Super Tuesday includes voting in 15 states that will apportion about a third of all delegates to the primary winners. New York State and Connecticut vote on April 2.
 
Massachusetts is a partially open primary in that voters who are enrolled in a party can only vote in that primary but unenrolled voters can choose a Democratic, Libertarian or Republican ballot. Vermont is an open primary state and voters can choose which primary to vote in regardless of party enrollment. 
 
Early voting in Massachusetts opened on Feb. 21 and Secretary of State William Galvin said more than 700,000 voters had requested mail-in ballots within the first week of early voting. As of Monday, more than 50,000 people had voted in person.
 
The Democratic primary has incumbent Joseph J. Biden Jr., Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author and speaker Marianne Williamson on the ballot. Biden has 206 delegates and his opponents none. 
 
The Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire District will also vote for State Committee Man and Woman. These are party representatives from each of the state's 40 senatorial districts who vote at the state convention. 
 
Sherwood Guernsey II of Williamstown is running for re-election as committee man unopposed and Marietta Rose Rapetti Cawse and Megan Elise Arvin, both of Pittsfield, are vying for committee woman.
 
The Republican ballot has seven presidential candidates though all but two have dropped out: Donald Trump and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Trump currently has 244 delegates to her 43. 
 
Still on the ballot but out of the running are Chris Christie, Ryan Binkley, Vivek Ramaswamy (three delegates), Asa Hutchinson and Ron DeSantis (nine delegates).
 
Running unopposed for State Committee Man and Woman are Nicholas A. Boldyga and Jessica L. Boldyga, both of Southwick.
 
The Libertarian ballot has Jacob George Hornberger of Virginia, Michael D. Rectenwald of Pittsburgh, Chase Russell Oliver of Georgia, Michael ter Maat of Virginia and Lars Damian Mapstead of California. There are no candidates for party committee representatives. 
 
All three ballots also offer "no preference" for presidential candidates and voting for town and city party representatives.
 
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; find your local polling station here

Tags: election 2024,   primary,   

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North Adams Schools Talk Final Budget Numbers for Public Hearing

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The elementary schools will be phasing in a new math curriculum over the next two years. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The School Committee received the presentation given last week to the Finance & Facilities committee for the fiscal 2025 spending plan.
 
The subcommittee is recommending the budget of $20,357,096, up $302,744 or 1.51 percent over this year. This was expected to be funded by $16,418,826 in state Chapter 70 education funds, local funding of $3,938,270 (up $100,000 over this year) and a drawdown of school funds of $575,237. This will also include the closure of Greylock School at the end of this year and the reduction of 26 full-time positions. 
 
A hybrid public hearing on the budget will be held on Thursday, May 23, at 5:30 at Brayton School, with a vote by the School Committee to immediately follow. 
 
The extra $100,000 from the city will likely not be part of this funding package, warned Mayor Jennifer Macksey, chair of the School Committee. 
 
"Going through all my process on the city side, so to say, with the rest of my departments, it's going to be really hard for me to squeak out the additional $100,000," said the mayor, alluding to a budget gap of $600,000 to $800,000 for fiscal 2025 she's trying to close. 
 
"I just want to be fully transparent with everyone sitting here, and as your School Committee chair, I don't know if the city budget is going to be able to squeak out that $100,000. That number will most likely change."
 
Director of School Finance and Operations Nancy Rauscher said the $100,000 had been a placeholder with administration understanding that it could change.  
 
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