I would like to thank Carole Owens for the opportunity to contribute a periodic article to Stockbridge Updates. This is a great way to make sure the people of Stockbridge are aware of what is going on at the State House in Boston and how to get in touch with our Senate office. 

My name is Paul Mark and I serve as the State Senator for the Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire District in Western Massachusetts. The Senate district consists of 57 cities and towns, including Stockbridge, in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties. This is the largest legislative district in the nearly 400 year history of Massachusetts and is larger in area than the State of Rhode Island! 

In order to keep in touch with as many constituents as possible, we have come up with a recurring and floating series of office hours in each region of the Senate district. Every month we hold office hours in Adams, Buckland, Dalton, Great Barrington, North Adams, Pittsfield, Southwick, and Williamsburg to be as accessible as possible. The full office hours schedule can be found at this link District — Senator Paul Mark. Additionally, we also float to two other towns each month for an open forum. Stockbridge was one of our first stops early last year! With 57 towns in the district, even if I did one town per week, I could not get to everybody in a year. But with this robust schedule we are on track to stop in every town for a discussion at least once per legislative session.

You can also reach out me directly by email at paul.mark@masenate.gov or to our district office line at (413) 464-5635. We have a fixed office location at 773 Tyler Street in Pittsfield and an office in the State House as well if you happen to find yourself in Boston. Our Berkshire County staff member Casey Pease can also be reached at casey.pease@masenate.gov. If you are having an issue navigating a state agency or state service, please do be in touch. We also want to hear from you about policy and budgeting issues at the state level.

In the future, I will plan to talk more about what is happening in the Senate when contributing an article. 

Next time in Stockbridge Updates – I will feature updates on the state budget. In the meantime, thank you for the opportunity to be your voice in the Senate.