Pittsfield Town Council swears in returning councilors Heather Donahue, Howard Margolskee

PITTSFIELD — The Town Council this week officially welcomed two returning members to the council, Heather Donahue and Howard Margolskee.

Donahue and Margolskee were sworn in at the first meeting of the new year on Tuesday, after winning their respective elections in November. Margolskee was then chosen to serve as the council’s deputy mayor, and At-Large Councilor Michael Cianchette was chosen to continue serving as mayor.

In Pittsfield, the mayor and deputy mayor positions function as chair and vice chair, responsible for running the council meetings. Any person on the council can be nominated for the position, and the councilors then vote to approve the nomination. A new mayor and deputy mayor are chosen at the start of every year.

Donahue won her at-large council seat in November, after losing a special election in the spring and an election last fall. She had sat on the council for several years before then, and served as deputy mayor and mayor.

After narrowly defeating incumbent Lindsay Holmstrom in November, Donahue maintained her victory after a recount later in the month.

Ahead of the November election, Donahue said she ran again, because she has more to offer the town and feels her experience on the council is an asset, especially when several councilors are new to the town’s governing body.

“I’m glad to be back on the council, looking forward to being an active participant,” Donahue said Tuesday.

Margolskee also served on the council for several years before stepping down while he was in the process of retiring. But after speaking with residents and current councilors, he decided to return to the council. Prior to the election, he expressed concern about transparency and leadership among town employees, and said his experience and forward-thinking style would benefit the town.

“I’m glad to be back on the council again,” Margolskee said Tuesday.

After being sworn in, Margolskee was nominated by Councilor Jason Hall, and the council voted unanimously to approve him.

Hall also nominated Cianchette to continue to serve as mayor, with another unanimous approval.

Cianchette previously served on the council but stepped down for several years. He returned to the council after winning a special election in June 2021, and then won a regular election for a three-year term in November 2021. He served as mayor in 2018, and was voted by councilors to take the position again last year.