Connell, Morandi Will Forgo Pittsfield Reelection Bids

A pair of Pittsfield City Councilors have apparently decided to not run for re-election when the City of Pittsfield holds its municipal election in September/November.

Ward 4 councilor, Chris Connell announced via a post on his personal Facebook profile on Monday, that he has decided not to run again for his seat, which he has held over the better part of ten years. He won his fifth term by beating out Mike Merriam in 2019.

Connell’s post on Facebook was simple and to the point... simply stating that he wanted all of his friends and family to know that he has decided not to run for re-election. That post garnered several responses from area residents, from letting Connell know that he will be missed, to asking him why he had decided not to run again. Connell followed that post up with another shorter post, asking Pittsfield residents to consider running for City Council and ending with the words “Take your city back”.

The Berkshire News Network reached out to Connell this morning. He didn’t give us any specific reasons as to why he made the decision, but he has agreed to come on 1420 WBEC’s ‘City Talk’ program to discuss the details of his decision. We are working out a date for that to happen, likely next week.

The Berkshire News Network also learned this morning that long-time Ward 2 City Councilor Kevin Morandi has apparently decided to forgo another run for re-election. Planet Valenti, the website of long-time political commentator Dan Valenti, reported yesterday that Morandi would not be running again. We reached out to Morandi this morning for comment, but we haven’t heard back yet.

All of the council seats in Pittsfield will be on the ballot this coming election, as they are every two years.