Deanna Morrow, an MCLA alumni who graduated in 2022 with a degree in psychology, has announced her campaign to run for city council.

“I decided to run a few months ago, around the end of 2022. Now, I am officially running and just pulled papers,” said Morrow. “I decided to run now, because it’s a really great time to. Currently, in city council, there’s a lot of things happening, so it was now more than ever that I should… Plus, being a woman and being a young voice is important. You don’t see that a lot, so this is a really good thing.”

Morrow’s campaign focuses on housing resources, and concerns about low-income earners dealing with inflation.

“In North Adams, there’s only been about 1,500 homes built for low incomes in the past decade,” said Morrow. “Right now, the average person’s income goes about 30% toward their rent, since rent prices have just gotten higher and higher. Another big thing for me is trying to get MCLA students to stay here after college.”

Morrow continued, “Addiction resources is another big thing for me. I currently work at Keen House North, and I work in direct care support. This is important so that people can be able to have the resources to stay up here with their families and doctors.”

Morrow also addressed the lack of women’s shelters in North Adams. “There needs to be more female beds. Currently, there is only one program in North Adams. It is cooccurring, so that means that there are both men and women staying there. The issue is that there are only 16 beds. That needs to change.”
Morrow also plans to tackle transportation issues in North Adams.

“Transportation is a huge problem. As MCLA students without cars, it’s hard to get around. If you wanted to go to Pittsfield, especially where there are more things around, it can take up to a total of a three-hour trip during the day,” Morrow said, “if you miss the bus, it’s an entire hour to wait for another one to come. With that being said, it can make even getting to and from Walmart very difficult too.”

Morrow also wants to take on issues with infrastructure, which could include repaving roads and sidewalks around the city.

When asked what advice she had for MCLA students wanting to get involved in politics, she said, “I am a young woman, and that is something that you don’t really see in politics often. It can definitely be scary to run young, since typically politics are seen as more of an older thing for people. Most people don’t think that just one voice can change a lot, but I think it will. If you want to run, you definitely should. Now is the best time to get started!”

If you would like to stay up to date on Deanna Morrow’s city council campaign, follow her on Instagram and Facebook. Morrow also expressed that if any MCLA students would like to reach out to her and see how running for city council works, she is more than welcome to talk about it.

Instagram: deanna4nama
Facebook: Deanna Morrow for City Council