Archive | September, 2013
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LOTHROP, MAZZEO SHARE THOUGHTS ON RACE FOR ‘THE SECOND ELECTION,’ WHICH WILL BE FOR THE COUNCIL PRESIDENCY … LOTS AT STAKE

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPT. 30, 2013) — In our previous installment, THE PLANET presented some thoughts on the two elections coming up in Pittsfield. The first will be for ward, at-large, and corner offices. The second will be for council president. Obviously, both hold critical importance […]

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THE TALE OF TWO COUNCIL ELECTIONS, WITH THE SECOND ONE BEING THE MOST DESPERATE … plus … BIANCHI AD PERFECTLY SUMS UP HIS THE BIG ZERO HE’S PUT ON THE BOARD IN TWO YEARS AS THE GREATEST MAYORAL FLOP IN CITY HISTORY

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 27, 2013) — There will be two elections this year for the city council. In the first, voters from the electorate will select seven ward councilors and four at-large. In the second, the newly formed city council will elect a council president. […]

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WITH 88% OR SO OF THE ELECTORATE NOT BOTHERING, AT WHAT POINT DOES THE WORD ‘DEMOCRACY’ BECOME A SHAM? … HAVE WE REACHED THAT POINT?

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 26, 2013) — The preliminary election on Tuesday had to be the snooziest, not snazziest, in recent history. THE PLANET isn’t saying that action at the polls was slow, but it’s the first time in memory that the city gave out toothpicks […]

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FINALLY: A POPE WHO “GETS” IT

BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25. 2013) — Finally, a pope who “gets” it. “Gets” what? He gets that it isn’t 1958 any longer and that “good” Catholics don’t expect or want the prelates to tell them what to do or to do their thinking for them. […]

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ALLEGED ‘ELECTION’ TODAY WON’T TOP 10% TURNOUT … PLANET ENDORSES YON, IVES in WARD 1; WELLS, LATURA in WARD 3 … CREW AS VARSITY SPORT HASN’T YET BEEN SENT TO WATERY GRAVE, THOUGH IT SHOULD BE … plus … JIVE, PITTSFIELD’S NEW SUPER, WANTS TO RESTORE UNNECESSARY ADMINISTRATIVE POSITION (TAXPAYERS, ASSUME THE POSiTioN)

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 24, 2013) — Today, there is, allegedly, and election. It doesn’t look like an election, hasn’t sounded like and election, and hasn’t walked or talked like an election, but rumor has it: It is an “election.” Maybe it’s a duck. There were […]

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YET ANOTHER DOLLAR STORE WILL BE ADDED TO PITTSFIELD’s DYING ECONOMY … plus … ‘WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES’ LACKS SOLE; EVENT HAS BECOME RATHER WORN AT THE HEELS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPT. 23, 2013) — We got a dollar if you got a dime. That seems to be the bargain offered to the Pittsfield economy by the deterministic, often harsh etiquette of the marketplace. When markets rule, cities like Pittsfield — with its politics […]

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CAMPAIGN FINANCE BUGABOOS BUG BIANCHI, MAZZEO … MAYOR NOTIFIED ON APRIL 3, 2013 OF LAW BREAKING BUT KEEPS PUBLIC DOCUMENT HIDDEN UNTIL NOW … PLANET’S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING UNCOVERS ABUSE

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 20, 2013) — Campaign finance law has its many arcane nooks and crannies, its nuances and subtleties. It’s surprising that there are not more campaign finance violations that actually occur.  That being said, many more occur than are reported, and there is […]

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WHAT’S IN A NAME? ASK SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ABOUT ITS PC-STANCE ON ‘REDSKINS’ … plus SCHOOL UNIFORMS IS AN IDEA WHO TIME IS LONG OVERDUE IN THE PITTSFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013) — If we may step back from the boiling cauldron of local politics for a moment, near simmering in some aspects that THE PLANET shall be revealing in the near future, we have to ask, with Will Shakespeare and Gertrude […]

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SIGNS OF THE TIME … or … PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION (SIGN QUE NON)

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 2013) — Dan Valenti, the non-candidate for mayor of Pittsfield, is not running a write-in campaign. Therefore, when you don’t write him in, the spelling is “Dan Valenti.” That’s “Dan Valenti.” Got that? D-a-n- V-a-l-e-n-t-i. With Mayor Dan Bianchi running unopposed […]

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MAYOR’s CONSENT DECREE REOPENER REQUEST GOES BEFORE THE COUNCIL TONIGHT … COUNCIL SHOULD APPROVE THIS MOVE … MEASURE WOULD HELP REMEDIATION AT SILVER LAKE … IN PRACTICAL TERMS, IS THAT THE BEST PITTSFIELD CAN HOPE FOR, OR IS ANOTHER FORM OF RE-OPENER IN ORDER? WHY NOT GO AFTER HILL 78?

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 17, 2013) — At tonight’s city council meeting, our Right Honorable Good Friends shall hear about amendments to the GE Consent Agreement (GECA) being proposed by Pittsfield Mayor Dan Bianchi. THE PLANET supports this initiative, which would transfer property around Silver Lake […]

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WALLOWING IN THE GUANO: BIANCHI FINDS HIS HEAVEN ON EARTH in PITTSFIELD’s POISON POLITICS … MAYOR FALLS VICTIM TO ‘GOB-‘n’-MOUTH DISEASE’

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPT. 16, 2013) — It’s easy to measure. You know THE PLANET has rattled the cages and shaken the walls as measured by the way the GOB apologists, particularly Dan Bianchi and his Stooges, have responded to our most recent criticisms and analyses of […]

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IS MAYOR DAN BIANCHI, a.k.a., Mr. HIDE, SCARED OF SITTING DOWN WITH THE PLANET FOR A LIVE INTERVIEW? WHAT ELSE CAN AN INQUIRING MIND CONCLUDE BASED ON MR. HIDE’S REMARKS ON THE STURGEON SHOW? READ ON, FEARLESS EXPLORER, READ ON

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 13, 2013) — On Bill Sturgeon‘s radio show yesterday, the talkmeister asked Mayor Dan Bianchi why Bianchi refuses to sit down to an interview with THE PLANET. As you may recall, we have: (a) Invited the mayor to do this, given that […]

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KINNAS’ WORK ON OPEN MEETING LAW LEAVES CITY, OFFICIALS, CITIZENS BETTER OFF … SABOURIN, REID SUBCOMMITTEE IMMATURE REACTION TO OML COMPLAINTS IS THE TRUE EMBARRASSMENT IN THIS AFFAIR … plus … BARBALUNGA CLUELESS, AS INDICATED BY HIS REACTION TO AG’s RULINGS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 12, 2013) — Because of the great work done by school committee member Terry Kinnas, all of official Pittsfield now has a better understanding of the state’s requirements regarding transparency during meetings. Essentially, the core or heart of the Open Meeting Law […]

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WANT SOME FUNNY LATE-SUMMER READING? TRY ‘MAYOR DAN BIANCHI: 2012 ACCOMPLISHMENTS,’ STRAIGHT FROM THE CITY WEBSITE … WHAT TAKES FOUR PAGES COULD HAVE BEEN ANSWERED IN ONE WORD: ‘SQUAT’

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11, 2013) — If you visit the city of Pittsfield’s website and click on the mayor’s link, you’ll find a side tab labeled “Mayor Dan Bianchi’s 2012 Accomplishments.” It is a ponderous list of breathtaking achievements. THE PLANET would like to share […]

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WRITE-IN VOTE FOR ‘DAN VALENTI’ BETTER THAN THE BLANK AND FAR BETTER THAN NOT VOTING AT ALL … ‘CANDIDATE’ VOWS CAMPAIGN NOT TO CAMPAIGN … RESERVES THE RIGHT TO UNLIMITED FLIP-FLOPS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2013) — Dan Valenti‘s write-in “candidacy” for mayor can be seen as the “None of the above” (NOTA) option — rather, its equivalent. Or as Pittsfield bedraggled voters and taxpayers might phrase it, “Free at last! Free at last! O Lord […]

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GALILEO AND THE INQUISITION: THIS TIME AROUND, THE CHARGES APPEAR — APPEAR, WE STRESS — TO BE WARRANTED … plus … QUICK HITS AND HOT LIX EXAMINES ONE-WAY STREETS, BCC’s NO-SMOKING POLICY, CASTING FOR THE HALLOWEEN PARADE, & RIVERS’ $25 FUNDRAISER

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPT. 9, 2013) — Galileo again will be facing the Inquisition. Whether he should or not is a matter from jurists far more capable than we. Thus, history repeats itself, and thus, Pittsfield gets another round of great publicity, doesn’t it, by serving […]

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