A Familiar Face In MA Is Running For The Coveted 3rd Berkshire District Seat

This past Friday, Leigh Davis, vice chair of Great Barrington's Select Board, announced her candidacy in front of Town Hall to succeed William "Smitty" Pignatelli.

A few weeks ago, "The Dean" of the Berkshire delegation will not seek another term in office. He will step down in January 2025, after serving 12 terms in advancing the southern and central region. Davis praised him in high fashion:

(Photo image of Leigh Davis on the campaign trail courtesy of www.iberkshires.com)

“I believe that people from all walks of life who call the Berkshires home share a deep sense of pride and appreciation for where we live. I owe a debt of gratitude to Representative Smitty Pignatelli, whose stewardship of the Berkshires has inspired me to take my role as a public servant to the State level. With the support of our community, I hope to carry on Smitty’s hands-on approach to serving his constituents and be able to fight in Boston for working families, small businesses and farms, housing, and to protect the environment.

Davis has been a true advocate in south county after relocating from Ireland to Great Barrington with her three children in 2009, She enrolled them in the Berkshire Hills School District and immediately began volunteering for our community which included serving organizations such as Hospice Care in the Berkshires, Volunteers in Medicine, The People’s Pantry, and the Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation. Additionally, Davis received appointments to the Saint James and 1Berkshire Board of Directors, Local Option for Housing Affordability Steering Committee, Berkshire Leadership Impact Council, and the Berkshire Blueprint Advisory Council.

Davis is in her fourth year at Construct, the largest affordable housing nonprofit in the Southern Berkshires and also serves as the non-profit's communications and community engagement director. Two years ago, she was instrumental in acquiring The Windflower Inn located at routes 23 and 41 as a more flexible workforce housing option, leveraging her skills and experience to support workforce development which includes the Southern Berkshires Community Development Cooperation.

Since 2019, Davis is active in her second term as vice chair of the Great Barrington Select Board and Planning Board Housing Subcommittee. Other accomplishments include her involvement on the W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee, Great Barrington Community Preservation Committee, and Lake Mansfield Improvement Task Force. A "full plate" if you ask me. Some of the words in her daily vocabulary include service, trust, courage, equity and sustainability.

But there is one caveat to participating in this race: She will compete with Stockbridge  Select Board member Patrick White who announced his candidacy earlier this month as voters need to choose their Democratic candidate to fill some big shoes in the upcoming November election.

During her campaign, Davis is determined to forge ahead in this all-important representation due to her love for the community as she will also introduce herself to residents and towns in Central Berkshire county in bringing word about her mission, if elected:

“The Berkshires is more than a place to have a second home.  We are deeply invested in living in a beautiful rural area. I want to help our community thrive. I want to support our small businesses, farmers, entrepreneurs, renters, landlords, and developers. I want to remove the barriers that make developing and sustaining a business and farm so onerous, and make it easier for them to do what they do best: sustain our communities, drive our economies, hire our workforce,”

Davis was also nominated for a 2024 Women in Leadership Award in January due to her contributions to the Berkshire business community. For more information on Leigh Davis’s campaign platform, log on to her web site by going here.