PITTSFIELD, MA — Linda Clairmont, Executive Director of Workforce Development and
Community Education at Berkshire Community College (BCC), has received the Canon Brian
S. Kelley Public Service Award from the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance
(MHSA). Clairmont accepted the award at MHSA’s annual Home for Good fundraiser and
award ceremony on May 16, 2024 in Boston.
Clairmont, who served as mayor of Pittsfield for eight years before joining the College
in early February of this year, joined fellow award winners Thomas Koch, mayor of
Quincy, and Robert Sullivan, mayor of Brockton. The three were recognized for being
"steadfast in their commitment to ending homelessness."
During her tenure as mayor, Clairmont sought to find effective ways to support those
experiencing chronic homelessness, often partnering with social services agencies
in the Berkshires. In a November 2022 editorial board meeting with the Berkshire Eagle,
Clairmont said combating homelessness means being flexible and working at it constantly.
"Part of the challenge that we all face is that it literally evolves every day," she
told the Eagle. "Every day, we have to tweak and tinker and fix and think about the
individual situation that’s in front of us."
Clairmont served as an elected official for nearly 20 years. Before being elected
mayor of Pittsfield in 2016, she served as city clerk from 2009-2016 and as city councilor
for Ward 3 from 2004 – 2009. She is a graduate of Bay Path Junior College in Longmeadow,
Massachusetts.
