GREENFIELD — The nominee to finish out the year remaining on the Precinct 2 City Council seat, Mark Berson, said Friday he is a committed “yes” on a new public library.
In an interview the day after a council screening committee unanimously recommended the longtime lawyer and crafter of the city’s mayor form of government, Berson outlined some of his thoughts on his views of Greenfield and what he would like to do if confirmed to the council.
“You don’t have to be small town just because you live in a small town,” said Berson, 75. “The internet can take you anywhere.”
Berson made pitches for various ways to increase the economic viability and sustainability of Greenfield, including attracting younger families to buy homes in town regardless of where they work in the region or state and looking for ways to develop local industry to help convince local students to stay here.
His term would only last about 11 months, if approved by a majority vote at February’s council meeting. Berson said he consulted with his wife about his decision to try to get involved in local politics, and he hasn’t ruled out running for the four-year term in November’s annual election.
“I want to see how effective I can be,” Berson said. “Am I going to make a difference?”
The other four candidates for the position included acting Co-Director of NELCWIT Rachel Gordon, who received strong support among the five councilors.
“If they do vote me in, I intend to use some of those folks as resources,” Berson said, pointing to an appreciation for a diversity in age, occupation and point of view.
An important aspect of a councilor’s job is the ability to debate ideas, Berson noted. He said he’s concluded from watching recent council meetings “that dialogue, to me, could be enhanced.”
While Berson has lived in Greenfield since 1972 and raised his children here, he said he stayed out of local public office because of conflicts of interest with his work. As a lawyer, he used to represent the hospital on High Street before it became Baystate Franklin Medical Center, among other local businesses. He said he doesn’t see any significant conflicts of interest that may come up now.
“My most immediate issue is the library,” he said. “I am very concerned about that.”
He called the library “something we treasure” and recalled growing up using public libraries heavily.
A library should be fully accessible, including the bathrooms, Berson said. In the current library, the bathrooms are in the basement.
As for the city’s economics, if successfully appointed and able to serve on the Economic Development Committee, Berson had a specific proposition for Greenfield Community College.
He posited the idea of a co-op work program at GCC, similar to that at Northeastern University in Boston, which he attended for his undergraduate studies. The concept is meant to help keep students here because they have jobs here.
Years ago, Berson had pitched for GCC to build its new campus downtown, incorporating the college into the infrastructure of the city in a way similar to the way Keene State College functions. He also pointed to the way the University of Michigan is ingrained into Ann Arbor helping bolster the local economy. His daughter, Julie Berson-Grand, is a pre-health academic advisor at University of Michigan and a city councilor in Ann Arbor.
Berson said he’d like to see GCC, which does have a small downtown center on Main Street, continue to increase its presence in Greenfield.
He also encouraged the idea of agricultural tourism, as a way to bring people into the community and potentially attract them more long term to the area.
As for a possible new fire station, Berson said he likes the idea of a public safety complex, if possible. He said that’s what he sees in most towns on Cape Cod.
The recommendation, made Thursday night by the five-member committee led by At-Large Councilor Ashli Stempel, if taken up by City Council President Karen “Rudy” Renaud, will likely go before the full council at its Feb. 20 meeting, looking for a majority vote. This may also be when a potential vote on a new library could come off the table, because Renaud has said she would like to wait until the council is back to 13 members before a vote.
“I’m going to try to give it my all for the time that is within these parameters, and we’ll see how I’m received, and whether or not I can make a difference,” Berson said. “I’m certainly going into it in an optimistic way, and hopefully it will be received that way.”
You can reach Joshua Solomon at: jsolomon@recorder.com, 413-772-0261, ext. 264