IN THE NEWS
For press inquiries contact us today.
Q&A: THIRD BERKSHIRES' LEIGH DAVIS TALKS PATH FORWARD
By Sabrina Damms
iBerkshires Staff, November 07, 2024
Q. Why do you think you were the voters' choice?
A. "I think that people could identify with what I brought to this role, being someone that is working in affordable housing. During this entire eight-month campaign, I was working full time, running a campaign, and being a solo parent to three kids."
The issues that Davis will work to address while working at Beacon Hill, including affordable housing, economic development, and ensuring that families have childcare, are ones that she identifies with and has gone through on a daily basis.
"I think that resonated with voters. I think that they saw that I was a hard worker. They saw that I'm someone who appreciates balance and research, and I'm willing to do the deep dive and actually bring something forward to this district that people really identify with and value. So, I think my values speak to the residents' values, and I think they appreciate that I'm someone who's going to roll up their sleeves and get the work done."
LEIGH DAVIS WILL REPRESENT THE THIRD BERKSHIRE DISTRICT
By Brittany Polito & Sabrina Damms
iBerkshires Staff, November 06, 2024
"Leigh Davis will represent the Third Berkshire District on Beacon Hill.
"With a handful of precincts not yet reporting, she was leading opponent Marybeth Mitts by 12,603 votes to 9,480, winning 55.5 percent of the vote at as the clock struck midnight.
"'This is such a special, historic moment nationally and obviously locally,' Davis said, thanking her supporters at the Barrington Brewery earlier on Tuesday night.
"…we are going to be loud and we're going to be proud. And we're going to go to Beacon Hill as a unified 18-town district. So, I'm here to work for you."
DAVIS WINS 3RD BERKSHIRE STATE HOUSE RACE, WILL SUCCEED PIGNATELLI AS THE SOUTHERN BERKSHIRES' VOICE ON BEACON HILL
By Josh Landes
WAMC Northeast Public Radio, November 6, 2024
"Davis declared victory over independent candidate Marybeth Mitts of Lenox just after midnight on Election Night at her Barrington Brewery results party. After a prolonged wait for unofficial numbers from Lenox – one of the 18 communities in the largely rural district – the Great Barrington selectboard vice chair read off the rough tally to her remaining supporters over four hours after polls closed.
“'Davis has 55.5% of the vote, and Mitts, 41.7%,' said Davis to cheers. 'We have not heard from Ms. Mitts, but I think that we can call it.'
"Mitts, who serves on the Lenox select board, confirmed to WAMC that she conceded just minutes later."
OUR OPINION: AS SOUTH COUNTY'S NEXT REP., DAVIS IS BERKSHIRE DELEGATION'S NEW VOICE
Editorial
The Berkshire Eagle, November 7, 2024
". . . a new state representative for South County means a new and hopefully resonant voice in the straining choir of the Berkshire delegation. Net population migration out of Berkshire County as captured in the 2020 census resulted in a dilution of regional representation on Beacon Hill since 2022 redistricting. That’s a concerning trend given the systemic issues, from infrastructure woes to economic development hurdles, facing our smaller, more rural communities that too often feel overlooked by state leaders in Boston.
"With a clear-eyed view of that reality, we hope that Rep.-elect Davis can be a strong advocate for her district and a force multiplier for the Berkshire delegation who can bring to bear in Boston the issues and interests most important to this region’s constituents. And there is reason for that hope, given Rep.-elect Davis’ clear capability as coalition-builder and political communicator as well as her focus on critical issues like housing, affordability and sustainable development. We hope her experience in those domains — from seeking solutions in Great Barrington town government to working for a South County housing nonprofit to helping shape the Eagle Mill redevelopment project — will inform a productive presence on Beacon Hill."
"I'M READY TO WORK." LEIGH DAVIS WINS
THE RACE FOR THE 3RD BERKSHIRE DISTRICT
By Greg Sukiennek
The Berkshire Eagle, November 6, 2024
"Leigh Davis has won the race for 3rd Berkshire District in the state House of Representatives on Tuesday night, according to The Associated Press.
'I am hopeful, excited, and incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and I’m ready to get to work on behalf of the 3rd Berkshire District," Davis told The Eagle by text message Wednesday morning. "I want to extend my congratulations to Marybeth Mitts on a well-run campaign and thank her for her commitment to the issues we all care about.'"
Photo: Stephanie Zollshan/The Berkshire Eagle, used with permission.
GREAT BARRINGTON APPROVES BERKSHIRE BUSK ROAD CLOSURES FOR ANOTHER SUMMER OF MUSIC DOWNTOWN
By Josh Landes
WAMC Northeast Public Radio, October 25, 2024
"Selectboard vice chair Leigh Davis, who disclosed that she is an advisor to Berkshire Busk and is running for an open state House seat, said the program’s popularity is evident beyond the town limits of Great Barrington.
“'I'm on the 1Berkshire board, and I constantly bring up Berkshire Busk as really saying this is what we're doing in Great Barrington and thanks to you," Davis said. "And a lot of the other towns and the people that sit on that board that are all about economic development are saying, oh, we want to get hold of that. So, for us to have this feather in our cap is is really something I'm very feeling very strongly about, that we should do anything we can to keep it going.'”
LEE'S INAUGURAL "SAVE THE HOUSATONIC" DAY SEES LOCAL OFFICIALS EMBRACE CLEAN WATER ACT ANNIVERSARY WHILE EMBROILED IN LAWSUIT TO REMEDIATE THE WATERWAY FLOWING THROUGH ITS CENTER
By Lee Bassman
The Berkshire Edge, October 18, 2024
Two days after GE released its Revised On-Site and Off-Site Transportation and Disposal Plan, Leigh Davis, vice chair of the Great Barrington Selectboard and Democratic nominee for state representative in the 3rd Berkshire District, asked the Lee Select Board to comment on the proposal, with its 400-plus pages having dropped October 15. The new plan touts a hybrid rail/truck and hydraulic pumping proposal, culminating in fewer truck trips.
Davis, who has attended past sessions of the Lee PCB Advisory Committee, commended the Select Board and citizens attending the event. “I think this was a very, very important step in highlighting the issues surrounding the Rest of River and what the town of Lee is going through,” she said.
BERKSHIRE DELEGATION MEMBERS ENDORSE LEIGH DAVIS FOR 3RD BERKSHIRE DISTRICT IN THE STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The Berkshire Edge, October 16, 2024
Leigh Davis, Democratic nominee for state representative in the 3rd Berkshire District, has earned endorsements from three prominent members of the Berkshire legislative delegation: State Sen. Paul Mark (D – Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Hampshire District) and State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D – 2nd Berkshire District) and John Barrett III (D – 1st Berkshire District).
THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE CANDIDATE DEBATE, OCTOBER 7, 2024
LEIGH DAVIS, RUNNING FOR 3RD BERKSHIRE DISTRICT, TOUTS A 'CREATIVE MINDSET IN TACKLING REGION'S CHALLENGES
By Clarence Fanto
The Berkshire Eagle, October 7, 2024
Selectboard Vice Chair Leigh Davis was at the Board of Health’s September 5 public hearing and spoke during public comment, addressing HWW President Frederick Mercer and Treasurer James Mercer.
“I appeal to the Mercers that they show empathy and that they look at the short-term impact and the financial hardship of those customers of theirs that they serve,” Davis said. “I don’t see anything that points to the fact that they recognize that people are scared of drinking the water."
HOUSATONIC WATER WORKS APPEALS BOARD OF HEALTH'S ORDER, BOARD STAYS ORDER UNTIL AT LEAST SEPT. 3
By Shaw Israel Izikson
The Berkshire Edge, September 6, 2024
Selectboard Vice Chair Leigh Davis was at the Board of Health’s September 5 public hearing and spoke during public comment, addressing HWW President Frederick Mercer and Treasurer James Mercer. “I appeal to the Mercers that they show empathy and that they look at the short-term impact and the financial hardship of those customers of theirs that they serve,” Davis said. “I don’t see anything that points to the fact that they recognize that people are scared of drinking the water."
SEPTEMBER 3rd PRIMARY COVERAGE
“I FEEL LIKE IT'S THE YEAR OF THE WOMAN:” DAVIS DISCUSSES PRIMARY WIN, ROAD TO NOVEMBER
By Josh Landes
WAMC Northeast Public Radio, September 5, 2024
"I've always looked to the Berkshire delegation as a strong team, and I want to be a part of that team. I want to contribute, and I want to do as much as I can to help this district. So, I'm just so proud...I'm looking forward to making a difference. I know I have two months to go. I have to keep working hard, dig in, and try to make sure that those supporting me are along with the ride and that those who haven't come over will come over. So, I'm going to be working very, very hard to do a lot of listening and outreach and try to cement this victory on November 5th."
DAVIS DEFEATS WHITE, MINACCI IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
By Shaw Israel Izikson
The Berkshire Edge, September 4, 2024
" I’m so proud to be a Democrat with what’s going on with the Democratic Party. I want to be part of this machine and be part of the 3rd Berkshire District. We have a lot of work to do here. There are issues and challenges, but there’s a lot of pride, and I want to celebrate that pride, and I want to make sure that everyone’s voices are heard and that we’re uplifting each other in support."
LEIGH DAVIS HAS WON THE DEMOCRATIC
NOMINATION FOR THE 3RD BERKSHIRE DISTRICT
By Greg Sukiennik
The Berkshire Eagle, September 4, 2024
"Jamie and Patrick ran wonderful campaigns. I'm grateful to have them as candidates," Davis said from the Barrington Brewery, where she gathered with supporters. "I'm looking forward to the next step. This is step one; it's on to step two. I could have never done this without a team of volunteers and supporters,” she said. “We’re all looking forward to working hard and unifying behind the issues that matter to the 3rd Berkshire. We’re in it to win it."
DAVIS TOPS WHITE, MINACCI IN DEM PRIMARY TO SUCCEED PIGNATELLI; FACES MITTS IN NOVEMBER
By Josh Landes
WAMC Northeast Public Radio, September 3, 2024
"'It was a great race,' said Davis. 'I have to thank my opponents. I have to thank Jamie and Patrick. We all ran a really good race, and I salute them, for sure, because they made me a better person. And I'm always working hard. I'm going to continue to work hard. I'm going to continue to work with you and for you. I'm going to be your voice, hopefully.'”
DAVIS LAYS OUT CASE TO SUCCEED PIGNATELLI AHEAD OF TUESDAY'S PRIMARY
By Josh Landes
WAMC Northeast Public Radio, August 30, 2024
"I think the number one topic I'm hearing is keeping Massachusetts affordable for all families," she answered. "So, affordability is a huge concern, and along with that comes housing and economic development. Without housing, we can't have a workforce. And what I keep hearing time and time again is that we really need to realize that there's a marriage between housing and economic development, and in order to keep Massachusetts affordable for families and have our economic engine turning, we need to make sure that there's housing.”
CANDIDATES DISCUSS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN 350MA BERKSHIRES FORUM
By Dana Drugmand
The Berkshire Edge, August 30, 2024
"Editor’s Note: Following the forum described below, in an August 30 press release, 350 Mass Action announced its endorsement of Leigh Davis for the 3rd Berkshire District seat.
"Where do the four candidates vying to become the next state representative for the 3rd Berkshire District stand on environmental issues, including climate change, and clean energy? These questions formed the basis of discussion on Wednesday, August 21, as the candidates participated in an online forum hosted by the local climate action group 350 Mass Berkshires."
HOPEFULS DISCUSS CLIMATE ISSUES, STORM READINESS
3RD BERKSHIRE HOUSE DISTRICT CANDIDATE FORUM
By Sten Spinella
The Berkshire Eagle, August 24, 2024
"Davis was the lone candidate to bring up what is happening in the Housatonic with PCBs. She advocated bringing emerging technologies in bioremediation to the Berkshires. GE is removing the PCBs it disposed of in the Housatonic River at its power transformer plant in Pittsfield. The cleanup permit was revised in 2020 to include a landfill for lower-level PCB-contaminated sediments in Lee. PCBs are listed as a probable cause of cancer, and removing them from the river and its floodplains is expected to take 13 years and cost GE about $565 million."
VICE CHAIR LEIGH DAVIS FORMALLY REQUESTED THE PUBLIC RELEASE OF EXECUTIVE SESSION MEETING MINUTES FROM THE HOUSATONIC REST OF THE RIVER MUNICIPAL COMMITTEE
By Shaw Israel Izikson
The Berkshire Edge, June 26, 2024
"Davis read her written request to Town Manager Pruhenski, in which she requested that the executive session minutes be discussed at the Selectboard’s July 8 meeting. “Transparency and accountability are essential for maintaining the public’s trust in our local government and are the cornerstone of effective governance,” Davis wrote. “For this reason, I believe that these minutes will provide the communities impacted by the Rest of the River agreement — Lee, Great Barrington, Lenox, Sheffield, and Stockbridge — with a clearer understanding of the decisions made and discussions held by our elected officials and appointed representatives."
ATTORNEY GENERAL SUPPORTS PROPOSED HOUSATONIC WATER WORKS RATE INCREASES, WHILE TOWN OFFICIALS AND RESIDENTS ARE STILL STRONGLY OPPOSED
By Shaw Israel Izikson
The Berkshire Edge, June 21, 2024
“This is a travesty,” said Great Barrington Selectboard Vice Chair Leigh Davis. “We have folks in Housatonic that have been paying for water that they can’t drink. When they turn on the bathtub, it’s brown water. When they try to brush their teeth, it’s brown water. Businesses are unable and unwilling to move to Great Barrington [because of HWW,] and that’s affecting our economic development and the selling of houses. [HWW customers] haven’t had any other option of where to go with this water, or they have to step up and pay for private water. So from the get-go, they’re losing. To throw a rate increase on top of the hundreds and thousands of dollars in emotional turmoil. To ask to throw an increase such as this on top of [customers] is something that is just unimaginable.”
LAKE MANSFIELD NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED, FAMILY FRIENDLY, AND SAFE
Letter to the Editor
The Berkshire Edge, September 22, 2016
"I urge the Selectboard and members of the community to see the bigger picture of how creating a designated pedestrian pathway along the lake’s edge would benefit the town for years to come, while at the same time protecting the delicate and vital ecosystem that it hosts. Serving as a safe and peaceful respite from the busyness of day-to-day life, the creation of a new path which separates driver from non-driver would also promote fitness, socialization, reflection, and, as in my case, encourage new families to move to the area to enjoy the wonderful natural resource that is Lake Mansfield."
I AM GRATEFUL FOR LEIGH DAVIS’ LEADERSHIP
Letter to the Editor
The Berkshire Edge, July 2, 2024
"I appreciate Ms. Davis’ efforts to have executive session minutes released so that, as she states, “we can ensure that our community members are fully aware of the deliberations that affect them and can participate more meaningfully in the governance process.” For me, this is exactly what good leadership and good governance look like. Ms. Davis’ ability to work collaboratively with other leaders to help us here at home not only makes her a great local leader but also one who will serve us well as the next state representative for the 3rd Berkshire District. She will have my vote in the Democratic primary on September 3." — Karen Clark, Housatonic, MA
LEE RESIDENTS LAMBAST GENERAL ELECTRIC OVER CLEANUP TRANSPORTATION PLAN SHORTCOMINGS
By Leslee Bassman, The Berkshire Edge, November 29, 2023
"Davis delivered a blistering recapitulation of the presentation. “I’m very, very disappointed, and I actually feel that this presentation was an insult to those who are gathered here,” she said, adding that no attempt was made by GE to discuss the feasibility of using rail as the transportation mode. “That is our number one priority: to take this toxic material off our streets and onto someplace that does not affect us and impact our children and impact our lives. And I did not see that. I did not see [a] cost analysis.”
GREAT BARRINGTON SELECTBOARD VICE CHAIR DAVIS FOCUSES ON REGIONAL EQUITY, HOUSING, FARMLAND PRESERVATION IN BID FOR MASS. STATE HOUSE
WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Josh Landes; Published February 26, 2024
"I really come from a moment of balance and common sense and investment and seeing through the lens of different populations and communities. So, I approach things, really, from almost like a puzzle. I understand the big picture and know what my goal is, and then I study each piece individually to see how they work and fit in together. Sometimes it may take a few different ways to get it right. It's really kind of seeing the big picture, knowing what the goal is, and making sure that all perspectives are honored, and that there is a sense of balance and forward thinking in everything I do."
BERKSHIRE HOUSING WOES HEARD AT STATE LISTENING SESSION
By Brittany Polito; iBerkshires, Thursday, May 16, 2024
“Leigh Davis, vice chair of the Great Barrington Select Board, said there is an increasing feeling of isolation and lack of connection and that housing can bring people together. She referenced the senior population, who may need or want to downsize but have no viable options due to price and availability. "More intergenerational opportunities and co-living arrangements...letting people downsize with dignity and bringing together the feeling connection and addressing isolation," she said. "And then with houses that they do leave, being able to refurbish them and make sure that we're caring for the housing that is existing."
STATE REP CANDIDATES SPEAK AT DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE MEETING
By Sabrina Damms; iBerkshires; Saturday, March 30, 2024
"Leigh Davis, vice chair of the Great Barrington Select Board, emphasized the importance of community and making the area affordable so people can support their families.
Growing up, her family instilled the importance of conversation, she said. "I grew up in a household being a biracial child. My father was a Republican and my mom was a very liberal progressive …I have this tapestry of experience," Davis said.
"[While growing up] our dinners were very interesting. We had a lot of conversations around balance and listening to other people's perspectives, and seeing through different lenses, [such as racial and gender lenses.]"
Davis left her tenured professor position in Ireland because of the high cost of living and moved to the Berkshires to raise her family as a single mother. She did the "Berkshire shuffle" to reinvent herself. She struggled so she empathizes with residents who are struggling, Davis said."
STATE HOUSING SECRETARY HEARS OF COUNTY'S HOUSING STRUGGLES
By Brittany Polito; iBerkshires; Monday, April 01, 2024
Heads of organizations met with Housing Secretary Edward Augustus for a roundtable held at Berkshire Country Regional Housing's offices.
Leigh Davis, vice chair of the Great Barrington Select Board and director of development at Construct Inc., said that she was heartened by the act.
"I think you really have a sense of the need of the housing crisis," she said to Augustus. "And the fact that this is a top priority for the administration."
Davis said there is a lot of innovation going on behind the scenes including private and public partnerships and municipalities need both funding and technical assistance to address the issue.
LEIGH DAVIS JOINS THE RACE TO REPRESENT 3RD BERKSHIRE DISTRICT IN MASS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
By Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle Feb 16, 2024
“Together, we can make our beautiful Berkshires the affordable, equitable and sustainable place it deserves to be — the place where our kids can learn a trade, attend good schools and thrive. The place where our families can be healthy and secure,” she said. “The place where our farmers are profitable, our businesses supported, our seniors and veterans valued, our environment protected. A place where everyone matters and everyone belongs.”
LEIGH DAVIS SPEAKS AT BERKSHIRE COUNTY NAACP MEETING ABOUT PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH RACISM, ISSUES IMPACTING BERKSHIRE COUNTY
By Shaw Israel Izikson, The Berkshire Edge, March 8, 2024
"My parents' work ingrained in me this idea of public service and believing in something outside of yourself, which is something that has been a thread through my whole life,” Davis said. “I was surrounded by this whirlwind of public service and giving back to the community, and this is part of my DNA.”
DAVIS BRINGS CASE FOR TRANSFER FEE TO STATE HOUSE
By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle
January 22, 2024
It’s the second time Davis has testified in the Legislature in favor of the transfer fee as she and other town officials struggle to solve a housing problem that morphed into a crisis during the pandemic. Last year, Davis began driving the proposal as the town continues to suffer from a lack of available rentals and the high cost of available housing. Great Barrington is in danger of losing its charm and livability, she told lawmakers. It’s already lost workers who can’t afford to live where they work. At least one large employer — Fairview Hospital — can’t fill five health care positions, she said of what is anecdotal information from hospital officials.“We are drowning."
GREAT BARRINGTON SELECT BOARD MEMBER RUNNING FOR 3RD DISTRICT SEAT
By Sabrina Damms
Berkshires, Sunday, February 18, 2024
"We need to do a better job at improving regional efficiencies. We need to find a better way to coordinate our resources, our strategies, our actions. We need to be smarter with taxpayers money. One of my other priorities, if I were to be elected, is to make some noise at the State House. I want to fight for better representation for Western Mass."
Davis wants to ensure that the area gets its fair share in state funds so that the Berkshires can address its rural needs, such as investing in workforce development, broadband, and transportation.
GREAT BARRINGTON SELECTBOARD VICE CHAIR LEIGH DAVIS ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR STATE REP. PIGNATELLI’S SEAT
By Shaw Israel Izikson, The Berkshire Edge, Feb 16, 2024
"We are a community deeply invested in living in a beautiful rural area. I want to help our community thrive. If elected, 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.”
PRESS RELEASE: STATEMENT OF SUPPORT BY LEIGH DAVIS FOR HEALEY-DRISCOLL AFFORDABLE HOMES ACT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
By Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, October 18, 2023
Statement of Support by Leigh Davis, Vice Chair, Great Barrington Selectboard and Chair, Great Barrington Housing Subcommittee: "These are significant steps the Healey-Driscoll administration has taken to address Massachusetts' housing crisis. The investments this administration has made in housing affordability, particularly for the Berkshires, will positively impact the lives of so many. The Affordable Homes Act will encourage the housing production we need to lower costs for all and increase homeownership, and I look forward to working with the administration to make all of Massachusetts more affordable, competitive and equitable. "
GREAT BARRINGTON VOTERS BACK SELECTBOARD-CRAFTED SHORT-TERM RENTAL BYLAW AT TOWN MEETING.
By Josh Landes, WAMC Public Radio, Published June 7, 2022
The vote was a triumph for Leigh Davis, the driving force behind the bylaw as a member of the Great Barrington selectboard.
"I'm elated," she told WAMC. "This is a vote for community. This is a vote for neighborhoods. This is a vote for our workforce. And we worked so hard during these eight months. And I just want to thank all the neighbors that have supported this article 25. It's a beautiful moment for Great Barrington, and I'm thrilled.”
IN FAVOR OF AN MRI FOR FAIRVIEW
By Leigh Davis, Letter to the Editor, The Berkshire Edge
"The Southern Berkshires has an aging population that would benefit significantly from having ready access to an MRI. Having more robust capabilities at Fairview may also attract families and businesses to our area, which would help economic development and give a much-welcome boost to our schools and communities. It would be a big plus not only for Great Barrington but for all the towns in South County. I would ask that Berkshire Health Systems reconsider this decision, especially given how critical an MRI can be for certain diagnoses."
GE'S TRUCKS CARRYING PCBS WOULD GO THROUGH HOUSATONIC VILLAGE EN ROUTE TO LEE. GREAT BARRINGTON IS NOW JOINING THE FIGHT FOR RAIL
By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle Dec 5, 2023
In Great Barrington, Select Board Vice Chair Leigh Davis said at the board’s Monday meeting that this is not just a Lee and Lenox problem. "What I would like to see is that Great Barrington pay attention to this and join the other towns, and show a united front against the use of trucks for transportation,” Davis said, noting that she had attended GE’s presentation last week at Lee High School about its transport plans released Oct. 31. She later told The Eagle she attended as a concerned resident but not on behalf of the entire board. Davis noted that the window for public comment to the Environmental Protection Agency is open until Feb. 1. Comments can be sent to R1Housatonic@epa.gov. And Davis told The Eagle that she isn't sure she believes GE's claim that using rail would double truck trips.
NAACP PRESIDENT GIVES STIRRING SPEECH AT SIMON’S ROCK IN CELEBRATION OF W.E.B. DU BOIS
By Andrew Blechman, The Berkshire Edge, April 28, 2017
Great Barrington resident Leigh Davis, whose father led the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation in Washington, D.C., and was instrumental in helping establish Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday, suggested that we begin with the schools. “Local children don’t even know about Du Bois,” she said. “His writings and their impact are not being taught. We haven’t even named a school after him. We need to start with education.”
GREAT BARRINGTON SELECT BOARD MEMBER SAYS INTERNAL POLICY CHANGES COULD STIFLE FREE SPEECH
By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle, Nov 21, 2019
At a board meeting on Nov. 13, Select Board member Leigh Davis fought the new additions, which include the board chair's ability to use discretion about placing items on an agenda and disallowing citizens from giving the board their opinions outside of public hearings in matters that are before the board. "It's important that we, as citizens, are vigilant in protecting our rights of free speech," she said. "Every bit as important is this board's duty to its constituents to allow for full and equal representation on the board," Davis said.
GREAT BARRINGTON SELECTBOARD VICE CHAIR LEIGH DAVIS VISITS BEACON HILL TO TESTIFY ON THE AFFORDABLE HOMES ACT
The Berkshire Edge, By Peter Most January 22. 2024
Ms. Davis has been working both in her professional and elected positions to advance housing opportunities to ensure our town moves forward with housing and does not die. This is not hyperbole. If we are unable to house the folks that work here, if we are unable to attract families to live here, we are on the road to ruin.
Let me share a portion of Ms. Davis’ prepared testimony with you because (i) it should be heard and (ii) assuming the Affordable Homes Act becomes law, we will each need to support its implementation at Town Meeting
LEIGH DAVIS APPOINTED TO REPRESENT TOWN AT HORSERACING HEARING IN BOSTON
By Terrry Cowgill, The Berkshire Edge Posted January 19, 2020
At Thursday’s selectboard meeting, the board voted unanimously to designate selectboard member Leigh Davis as its representative at a public hearing before the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure at the State House. Davis, who is in her first year as a member of the selectboard, immediately took an interest in the subject when she heard that the legislation had been proposed last year. Davis will convey the results of a special town meeting last month that overwhelmingly approved the home-rule petition.
STATE REPRESENTATIVES DISCUSS AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS DURING ROUNDTABLE
By Shaw Isreal Izikson, The Berkshire Eagle posted on September 8, 2023
Davis, who is the chair of the Great Barrington Selectboard’s Planning Board Housing Subcommittee, and is also the communications and community engagement director for Construct Inc., spoke to State Sen. Edwards about Great Barrington’s proposed real estate transfer fee. “83 percent of sales happening in downtown Great Barrington have been cash sales,” Davis said. “We have this great disparity in income [in Great Barrington],” Davis said. “We have the very, very wealthy who are retiring here, and we have the youth who have grown up here. "People are coming here, but it’s pushing out people who want to remain here in their homes who have raised their families here. We’re trying to hold on to the uniqueness of this town in the southern Berkshires and try to find that balance.”
AIMING TO PREVENT TRAGEDY, LOCAL OFFICIALS RENEW PUSH FOR TRAFFIC LIGHT AT MONUMENT HIGH
By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle, May 27, 2021
Select Board member Leigh Davis wasn’t having it. This time, she came armed with a statement from the mother of a student involved in the May 5 crash at the intersection, pleading with officials to take action so a fatal crash “does not have to be the price we pay for a traffic light.”
Davis, who continued to press Heming, noted how quickly the DOT acted to block a Route 7 crossing at Hubbard Street in Lenox within days after a woman was killed there 2018. The DOT since has closed the crossing, which was the site of 30 crashes since 2007, and several deaths. Davis said that officials, including herself, will be to blame if the worst happens. “It’s going to be on all our hands; it’s going to be on everyone that’s in this room right now,” she said. “We cannot wait for a death to catapult us into making a decision.”
GREAT BARRINGTON: MIND(ING) THE GAP
By Hannah Van Sickle, Chronogram Published January 01, 2023
"[This past year] was very difficult for many in our service area, and our waiting lists grew exponentially," says Construct Development Director Leigh Davis. Davis, who also serves as vice chair of the town Selectboard, felt compelled to take a proactive stance on addressing the town's housing crisis. "By getting ahead of the short-term rental trend that has swept across other communities, I hoped to stem the tide of displacement of residents by STRs and help local businesses struggling to find staff."
GREAT BARRINGTON PUBLIC THEATER BRINGS “REPRESENTATION AND HOW TO GET IT ” TO THE MOUNT
August 2023, The Mount, Lenox, MA
Sunday, August 27, 2023
Women In Politics, Women In Place
A conversation about organized activism, electoral inclusion and their personal journeys to representation by women and for all constituents in their communities, with Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Mass. State Representative and Leigh Davis, Vice-Chair Great Barrington Select board.
Great Barrington Public Theater and The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home in Lenox, MA, will bring to stage a cry for universal liberty and the power of the vote that remains as clear in 2023 as it was over a century and a half ago when Julia Ward Howe delivered it to the Boston Radical Club.
MASSACHUSETTS BLACK LAWMAKERS ROUNDTABLE LAUNCHED AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY
Tufts Univerity, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, Medford, MA, May 3, 2022
A group of 20 Black lawmakers convened at Tufts University on Monday, April 25, 2022, to launch the Massachusetts Black Lawmakers Roundtable (MBLR). Amongst the lawmakers in attendance at the MBLR inaugural meeting were: U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Great Barrington Selectboard Vice Chair Leigh Davis. The new coalition will serve as a platform for collaboration and policy innovation, leveraging the knowledge and resources of Tufts University. The local, state, and federal lawmakers represent all regions of the Commonwealth, including Greater Boston, the Berkshires, Central and Metro West, Cape Cod, South Shore, and the North Shore.
GOING HOME AGAIN: LEIGH DAVIS SEEKS TO MAKE GREAT BARRINGTON A PLACE FOR ALL
By Griffin Cooper, Main Street Magazine, April 2022
From defeat to opportunity, Davis, a native of Washington, DC, moved from Ireland to Great Barrington in 2009 with her three children. Upon arriving, she penned, Are We There Yet?, an op-ed column for The Berkshire Record. After five years of working odd jobs to try to make ends meet, she found herself struggling as a single mother. Feeling defeated, she wrote in the newspaper column about her intention to leave the town she’d grown to love and return to Ireland. Then something happened.
WHY DOESN'T FAIRVIEW HOSPITAL IN GREAT BARRINGTON HAVE AN MRI MACHINE? RESIDENTS WANT ANSWERS ... AND AN MRI MACHINE
By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle, Oct 13, 2023
Fairview Hospital is the only federally designated “Critical Access Hospital" in Massachusetts that does not have an MRI — or magnetic resonance imaging — scanner. Leigh Davis, a Great Barrington Select Board member, had to have two spinal fusions in the last six months that required MRIs. She had to travel to Baystate to see her neurosurgeon and to have the scan. She said she was lucky her daughter was in town so she could be driven there while in excruciating pain. An aging population and families would benefit from an MRI scanner at Fairview, she said.
LAWMAKERS ASSURE GREAT BARRINGTON OFFICIALS: LOCAL PERMITS REQUIRED TO REINTRODUCE HORSE RACING AT FAIRGROUNDS
By Terry Cowgill, The Berkshire Edge,
August 13, 2019
Leigh Davis wanted to know why more town officials weren’t made aware of the legislation and why the town of Great Barrington was not represented at a public hearing on the bills on July 1 in Boston before the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
Davis also read a prepared statement (click here to read it) focusing on transparency and what she called a “legislative loophole” in Section 12 of the Senate bill allowing Sterling Suffolk to “bypass local approval” in re-establishing horse racing at the fairgrounds.
A BERKSHIRES SELECT BOARD MEMBER MAKES HER PITCH FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Great Barrington Select Board member and Vice Chair Leigh Davis has one mission in life as she is determined to implement affordable housing throughout South County. She recently spoke at a forum north of us in Stockbridge as the aim was to address a Real Estate Transfer Fee proposal.
"I don’t need to say to anyone that there is a housing crisis. It’s not just a Great Barrington issue. It’s a regional issue, it’s a national issue. This proposal is just a foot in the door. What we need to do is to give residents something to vote on."
GREAT BARRINGTON NEEDS MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING MONEY. SO A TOWN BOARD MEMBER TESTIFIED AT THE STATE HOUSE TO SUPPORT A TAX ON $1 MILLION REAL ESTATE DEALS.
By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle Oct 12, 2023
Leigh Davis, vice chair of the Great Barrington Select Board and chair of its Housing Subcommittee, told the Joint Committee on Revenue about the lack of available and affordable housing in the Berkshires, and her proposal for a “real estate transfer fee.” “We're doing as much as we can but we just lack the resources,” Davis said. “The struggle is real.”
AS GREAT BARRINGTON CONSIDERS RESTRICTING SHORT-TERM RENTALS, A SIGN OF THE TIMES EMERGES
By Felix Carroll, The Berkshire Eagle, Oct 29, 2021
Leigh Davis serves as vice chair of the Select Board and has written a proposed bylaw to restrict short-term rentals in an effort to address the scarcity of long-term rental housing. “What I’ve really done,” she said, “is tried to focus on Great Barrington residents and what’s the best for the residents that are full-time residents, taking into account that a lot of people rely on short-term rentals as a way to get by.”
“We are seeing people turn to Great Barrington as a way to cash in,” said Davis, who also works for the affordable housing nonprofit Construct.
COUNTY STAKEHOLDERS PUSH FOR HOUSING SOLUTIONS FROM STATE SENATORS
By Brittany Politoi Berkshires Staff
07:35AM / Sunday, September 10, 2023
Select Board Vice Chair Leigh Davis said Great Barrington's lack of affordable housing is causing people to be unsheltered. "People are coming here and pushing out people that want to remain here in their homes, that have raised their families here."
She said the town is trying to prevent this and hold on to its uniqueness. One of the ways is through a proposal for a real estate transfer fee that would impose a one percent fee on transactions over $1 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
MASSACHUSETTS SELECT BOARD MEMBER LOBBIES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
By Ron Carson, WSBS 94.1 Radio
February 2024
Last week, Great Barrington Select Board Vice Chair and Construct Communications Director, Leigh Davis headed east to Boston as she testified before The Joint Committee on Housing at Beacon Hill as she wanted to assure state funding and policy proposals DO NOT bypass the areas that are represented in south county. She stated the bill is a "once-in-a generation" opportunity to build an equitable, affordable and sustainable Commonwealth.
LETTER: KEEP PUBLIC LOT OPEN IN GREAT BARRINGTON
By Letter to the Editor, The Berkshire Eagle, Posted May 5, 2020
We agree with Leigh Davis that it would provide no public benefit and would result in the loss of mixed use development potential as well as the loss of the in-town laundromat. The threat of closing the "Foster's" lot to the public on nights and weekends is pure vindictive extortion. We are so tired of corporate interests prevailing over the public good. Not in our town, please!
ALAN CHARTOCK: I PUBLIUS
By Alan Chartock The Berkshire Edge, posted November 2, 2019
Leigh clearly thinks that every citizen should have a voice. I believe that is her motivation — to give a voice to the town’s citizens — and not be seen as an agitator on the board. She should be supported. Something very strange is happening on the Great Barrington Selectboard. When I asked the brightest light on the board, Leigh Davis, about it, she was uncomfortable discussing the matter. She is the hero in this story. Ever since she arrived on the board, she has been on the right side of the issues, while a majority on that board have been all over the place."
RAILROAD STREET MERCHANTS COME OUT AGAINST CLOSING STREET DURING BERKSHIRE BUSK! PERFORMANCES
By Shaw Israel Izikson; Berkshire Edge; May 1, 2024
"I want to make sure that we embrace all businesses in town,” Selectboard Vice Chair Leigh Davis said. “Sometimes there are compromises, sometimes we have to make a decision. As Garfield said, this will come before us again. Hopefully, we can find some middle ground.”
PLEASE JOIN ME IN OPPOSING ARTICLE 3 ON THE SPECIAL TOWN MEETING WARRANT, WHICH COULD JEOPARDIZE DU BOIS SCULPTURE PROJECT
"This community-led project provides welcome seating downtown and an elegant focal point for reflection on Dr. Du Bois’ work and the rich African American heritage of the Berkshires."
GREAT BARRINGTON GRAPPLES WITH HORSE RACING QUESTIONS AT SELECTBOARD MEETING
By Josh Landes, WAMC Northeast Public Radio | Published August 13, 2019 at 11:44 AM EDT
The intersection of those two levels came from a discovery made by selectboard member Leigh Davis, who began investigating after a public hearing July 1st with Sterling Suffolk Racecourse. "That then led into me diving in deeper into S.101 and finding what I perceive as a legislative loophole that Suffolk could take advantage of in terms of bypassing local approval." Davis says she’s been in productive talks with state Senator Adam Hinds, the democrat who represents the Berkshires and is a co-sponsor of S.101, a revision to the state’s horse racing regulations. Hinds and fellow Democrat Smitty Pignatelli –Southern Berkshire County’s state House representative – published a letter to Great Barrington in an attempt to answer questions around the bill.
GREAT BARRINGTON SELECTBOARD SHOULD NOT GIVE IN TO EXTORTION
By Letter to the Editor, The Berkshire Edge, Posted May 1, 2020
"It all comes down to this: what kind of town do we want to live in? Only Leigh Davis has dared to compare the community benefit of the proposed parking lot (none) to the benefit of an existing laundromat with two apartments above, or even to mention the potential that will be permanently lost for redevelopment of a mixed-use building with six, or possibly significantly more, apartments in this downtown location where the zone’s stated intent is to reduce the use of personal automobiles, encourage pedestrian traffic, shared parking, infill and redevelopment of mixed-use buildings, and to maintain or increase the supply of affordable dwelling units. As dark money increasingly pervades and attacks our democracy on all levels, it is more important than ever for citizens to speak out. "
GREAT BARRINGTON TO VOTE ON HORSE RACING AS SUFFOLK DOWNS PURSUES REVIVAL
By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle Nov 4, 2019
"This is not about whether we should have horse racing in Great Barrington or not, but whether we should control our own destiny," said Select Board member Leigh Davis, who has pushed for a citizen vote. Davis raised concerns over the summer after noticing the new legislation lacked a mechanism for a citizen vote.
CONCERNS AIRED ABOUT SUFFOLK DOWNS’ PLANS FOR HORSE RACING AT FAIRGROUNDS
By Terry Cowgill, The Berkshire Edge, posted July 23, 2019
Selectboard member Leigh Davis asked that the subject be put on the agenda for Monday’s meeting. She read a lengthy statement on the process and presented it as a motion. Davis questioned why more town officials weren’t made aware of the legislation and why the town of Great Barrington was not represented at a public hearing on the bills on July 1 before the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure. She pointed to recent article on the hearing in the State House News Service. Davis said the bill would eliminate the requirement for a public forum and referendum on the Suffolk proposal and instead “a simple majority vote by the selectboard would enable the commercial race track to move forward.”
ACTIVISTS FILE HOME-RULE PETITION ON HORSE RACING, AS QUESTIONS ARE RAISED ABOUT SELECTBOARD POLICY CHANGES
By Terry Cowgill Posted November 5, 2019
Allies of a selectboard member {Leigh Davis} who first brought the issue of home rule on horse racing into the public consciousness are raising serious questions about some proposed changes in policy on board communications and the rights of residents to be heard during the public comment period at selectboard meetings.
Indeed, Chartock cast doubt on the motives of her fellow board members in proposing the changes. “The whole thing comes down to an attempt to silence the independent voice of Leigh Davis, who has been right on the money,” Chartock wrote.