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Seven luxury condos are occupied inside this three-story building on High Street, where developer Eric Rudd took a unique approach to the exterior siding. Photo by Scott Stafford/Berkshire Eagle
Rudd’s Eagle Street Beach Party is a free annual event in North Adams, and has since been copied in Pittsfield.
Eric Rudd inside one of his two North Adams galleries.
ENDORSE ACTIONS AND RESULTS, NOT COMMITTEES, WRITES ERIC RUDD Opinion by Larry Murray
As a candidate for Mayor of North Adams, Eric Rudd opened up many entrepreneurial possibilities for the emerging city to promote itself and expand its base of revenues. North Adams is an old factory town with a great contemporary arts museum and a growing reputation as a small city that welcomes creative artists to its taxpayer rolls and community life. This was Rudd’s second attempt at the Mayor’s cup though he came in third in the recent primary, and that was not sufficient to land him on the final ballet being proffered on Tuesday, November 3, 2015.
But as with any political contest, some candidates continue to add important elements to an ongoing election campaign, now down to former Mayor John Barrett III and incumbent Mayor Dick Alcombright.
In the cities of the Berkshires, the political battles are fought with lawn signs, debates, rumors and the occasional letter to the editor of the Berkshire Eagle, the county’s only remaining daily newspaper. It is of course, the “paper of record” but when it redacts letters from its readers, you have to wonder if it is reporting the record, or adjusting the information that voters need to know before checking off candidates on the ballot. In the case of Rudd’s letter, I can see some of the tightening up the opinion page editor did to his missive, but other elements that were left out deleted some of the main purposes for which Rudd has continued to lend his voice to this contest. Below is his original letter, and following that the same later with the elements deleted in bold.
Original Letter
ENDORSE ACTIONS AND RESULTS, NOT COMMITTEES
North Adams Councilor Kate Merrigan made a case to re-elect Dick Alcombright with her recent letter (October 13), essentially saying that he cooperated with the establishment of a Public Art Commission, to “make decisions about what art works can be mounted on city-owned buildings and other property.” This was because the Mayor “did not feel qualified to make those decisions,” and didn’t want to have that much power in the Mayor’s office.
Okay, so we have yet another bureaucratic board to deal with. I don’t call that progress or an achievement. What happens if no one applies for permission to put up art? North Adams needs actions, not more red tape.
As a participant in the arts, I happen to know a thing or two– and progress to me would be a discussion by the Council and the residents about whether we want public art and if so, who should lead the charge (because so far, public art has confused, not complemented, the off-site works sponsored by MASS MoCA) and spell out the visions for the future that will stimulate commerce in our city.
For example, we could go after large NEA grants to do exciting arts-related public projects. Imagine MoCA’s signature sculpture, the upside-down trees, if it had been even larger and installed down Main Street, so cars would drive under and through. Having that as our own “signature” public art piece might have put our downtown on a “must see” list for every visitor, instead of seeing them drive out of the museum’s parking lot without stepping foot on Main Street.
An aggressive city arts program would try to do something about the lack of pedestrian traffic that keeps historic buildings vacant and hurts the other art attractions – like the galleries on Main Street (although on a strategic corner, NAACO gallery closed only due to a lack of visitors walking in), or the Berkshire Artist Museum, or the Eclipse Mill Galleries, etc. A ‘with-it’ city hall would know how to better use the (now part-time as an events helper) tourist director position, and team it with a new Chamber of Commerce Visitors’ Center, with programs to stimulate tourism outside of MoCA. And an energized and different type of arts commission might have more input as the bike path is being planned, because it should be partnered with a “Gateway Beautification Program” to increase property values along the (oft-ignored/drive-too-fast) Route 2 entrance to North Adams. Imagine a green bike lane, with nice signs, better sidewalk landscaping, and fresh “skins” on some of the historic houses along that route that have suffered from “deferred maintenance!” Using the arts for that area would create an entirely different impression of North Adams when driving in, and would help stimulate tenants for the vacant commercial spaces along the way, while connecting it to the potentially exciting Global Art Center and the Cariddi Mill projects.
Imagine all the positive, active, and immediate projects that we could actually do if we really tried! Sorry, Kate, I’m not saying the commission is bad– I’m just saying it’s not what’s really needed and it’s nothing to brag about.
I’m not endorsing Acombright or Barrett in this letter – I’m endorsing positive action! There are no medals for trying, only for results! I’m anxiously waiting for the two candidates to explain how each will smartly use the arts to re-energize our bleak downtown, stimulate new taxpayers to move and invest here, and increase economic activity. That will mean a lot more than creating another committee. Voters should demand no less.
Eric Rudd North Adams Artist and Recent Candidate for Mayor
Letter as edited by Berkshire Eagle (omitted sections in bold)
To the editor:
ENDORSE ACTIONS AND RESULTS, NOT COMMITTEES
North Adams Councilor Kate Merrigan made a case to re-elect Dick Alcombright with her recent letter (October 13), letter essentially saying that he cooperated with the establishment of a Public Art Commission, to “make decisions about what art works can be mounted on city-owned buildings and other property.” This was because the Mayor “did not feel qualified to make those decisions,” and didn’t want to have that much power in the Mayor’s office.
Okay, so we have yet another bureaucratic board to deal with. I don’t call that progress or an achievement. What happens if no one applies for permission to put up art? North Adams needs actions, not more red tape.
As a participant in the arts, I happen to know a thing or two– and progress to me would be a discussion by the Council and the residents about whether we want public art and if so, who should lead the charge (because so far, public art has confused, not complemented, the off-site works sponsored by MASS MoCA)and spell out the visions for the future that will stimulate commerce in our city.
For example, we could go after large NEA grants to do exciting arts-related public projects. Imagine MoCA’s signature sculpture, the upside-down trees, if it had been even larger and installed down Main Street, so cars would drive under and through. Having that as our own “signature” public art piece might have put our downtown on a “must see” list for every visitor, instead of seeing them drive out of the museum’s parking lot without stepping foot on Main Street.
An aggressive city arts program would try to do something about the lack of pedestrian traffic that keeps historic buildings vacant and hurts the other art attractions – like the galleries on Main Street (although on a strategic corner, NAACO gallery closed only due to a lack of visitors walking in), or the Berkshire Artist Museum, or the Eclipse Mill Galleries, etc. and so on.
A ‘with-it’ city hall would know how to better use the (now part-time as an events helper) tourist director position, and team it with a new Chamber of Commerce Visitors’ Center, with programs to stimulate tourism outside of MoCA.
And an energized and different type of arts commission might have more input as the bike path is being planned, because it should be partnered with a “Gateway Beautification Program” to increase property values along the (oft-ignored/drive-too-fast) Route 2 entrance to North Adams. Imagine a green bike lane, with nice signs, better sidewalk landscaping, and fresh “skins” on some of the historic houses along that route that have suffered from “deferred maintenance!” Using the arts for that area would create an entirely different impression of North Adams when driving in, and would help stimulate tenants for the vacant commercial spaces along the way, while connecting it to the potentially exciting Global Art Center and the Cariddi Mill projects.
Imagine all the positive, active, and immediate projects that we could actually do if we really tried! Sorry, Kate, I’m not saying the commission is bad– I’m just saying it’s not what’s really needed and it’s nothing to brag about.
I’m not endorsing Mayor Alcombright or John Barrett in this letter – I’m endorsing positive action! There are no medals for trying, only for results! I’m anxiouslywaiting for the two candidates to explain how each will smartly use the arts to re-energize our bleak downtown, stimulate new taxpayers to move and invest here, and increase economic activity. That will mean a lot more than creating another committee. Voters should demand no less.
Eric Rudd North Adams Artist and Recent Candidate for Mayor
Berkshire Eagle edits Eric Rudd’s letter about future of North Adams. We print it in full. ENDORSE ACTIONS AND RESULTS, NOT COMMITTEES, WRITES ERIC RUDD Opinion by Larry Murray As a candidate for Mayor of North Adams, Eric Rudd opened up many entrepreneurial possibilities for the emerging city to promote itself and expand its base of revenues.