Frederick Conyers Jr. had a choice: he could run and hide from his past or he could face it head on.
On Tuesday, he sat, flanked by the mayor and the fire chief and surrounded by microphones and cameras from a half-dozen local reporters, detailing his criminal history, incarceration and rise to redemption.
Conyers is set to be appointed as one of the city's newest firefighters despite opposition from members of the firefighters union and some in the general public.
"When I did move back to Pittsfield, that's when I started heading down the wrong path, making bad decisions in my life, which led to me being incarcerated. I went to prison for 3 1/2 to five years. I had a drug charge and I got caught with a firearm," Conyers said.