Patrick hosts meeting in Pittsfield

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Governor Patrick visited the Berkshires Tuesday night, hosting a town hall meeting by a lake in Pittsfield. Close to 200 people posed questions directly to the governor at the Controy Pavilion along the shores of Lake Onota.

This meeting provided western Massachusetts residents access to the governor.

Pittsfield residents told 22News it's appreciated. Liz Recko-Morrison is a state worker: "A good time for the governor to get ideas, and say, 'Maybe there is some traction for that. Let me float that by some of my advisers. See if we can do something differently.'"

Marie Cowell is worried about losing funding for children with intellectual challenges. "I don't know if there'll be any more cuts. I don't know if anything's going to be restored. But I know he heard me. And that made me happy," said Cowell.

Tuesday night's town hall meeting was the second to last of 15 similar events, and the third in the western part of the state.

The governor was in Chicopee for one of these question-and-answer sessions last Thursday.