Late Rep. Cariddi Continues Service to Community
First Berkshire District State Representative Gail Cariddi's life ended in 2017, but her impact on the Northern Berkshire communities which she served continues to be felt.
Late Tuesday afternoon at North Adams City Hall it was announced that Cariddi's estate named the city, the public and high school libraries, and the historical society among the beneficiaries of her estate.
Specifically, distributions from the estate to the City of North Adams include:
- $210,000 to the City “for the purpose of maintenance and upkeep of the bike path/pedestrian path connecting the Town of Adams and the Town of Williamstown.”
- $175,000 to the North Adams Public Library, “for general purposes without restriction”
- $35,000 to Drury High School, “for library purposes.”
North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard, along with representatives from the North Adams Public Library and the North Adams Public Schools, as well as the North Adams Historical Society, gathered at the library for the announcement.
Cariddi was a North Adams native and a Drury High School alumna. She served as a North Adams City Councilor for more than 20 years before being elected state representative for the First Berkshire District in 2010, until her passing in 2017.
In addition, Cariddi’s friends in the community established a memorial scholarship at MCLA, from which Cariddi was awarded a posthumous honorary degree in 2018. MCLA President James F. Birge, Ph.D., expressed his gratitude to Cariddi for her generosity to the North Adams and MCLA communities.