BUDGET BUSTERS, PILOTs, SHOOTINGS, & NEWS TOP PLANET ROUNDUP
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY MAY 22-23, 2018) — Some observations from THE PLANET while whittling down a Cohiba Blue Dot:
- Watching a City Council budget hearing can be likened to yet another viewing of a Three Stooges short. You’ve seen “Shivery Sherlocks” 37 times, you know all the gags, you still laugh, and you know how it ends. With the looming shadow of the Pittsfield School Department causing councilors to cower in political fear, our Right Honorable Good Friends rubber stamp yet another 4 to 5% raise. No cuts, no hits, plenty of errors. Final Score: The Suits 11, The Kapanskis 0. Sickening.
- At the May 22 council meeting, the agenda includes a petition sponsored by John Krol to require Berkshire Health Systems to pitch in $1 million in PILOT payments. Currently, the “non-profit” health conglomerate pays a fraction of that in voluntary PILOT money. Krol, of course, once worked for BHS. Sources there see something of a vendetta in the proposal. THE PLANET sees the intended result of the move. Incidentally, Ward 1 councilor Helen Moon works as a nurse at BMC. Supposedly she will have an opinion from the State Ethics Commission on her ability to vote on the measure. Wethinks there’s more than meets the eye in this petition.
- Former Ward 4 councilor Chuck “The Man From Mensa” Vincelette said it all when he told citizens via THE PLANET that any mayor with at least six pocketed votes can and will invariably push through a budget calling for MORE SPENDING, regardless of the city’s perilous debt, income, and expense situation. Mayors are elected by the Powers That Be, who will provide organization and backing PROVIDING the candidate “plays ball” and knows how to take orders. Chuck chided the current group for being unable to find 1% in overage. That would amount to about $1.6 million. It would take THE PLANET roughly 11.379 seconds to find that amount, looking no further than the corrupt school department.
- Another school, another shooting. Parkland, Fla., shooting survivor Eden Hebron, 15, comforted students in Santa Fe, Texas, lamenting that “another group of high school students had to lose their innocence.” Noble of the lad, and we concur. However, THE PLANET disagrees with the boy when he writes in USA TODAY (May 21, A1): “Once again, our community has failed us.” This line of illogic has typified teen activists protesting shootings. “The community” failed no one. A young gunman failed himself. He took his dad’s shotgun and .38 revolver and went to work, upset because his girlfriend resisted his advances. Hebron expressed “anger that law enforcement can’t recognize the red flags and act upon them.” What red flags? And if the law acts in advance, then we hear cries from progressives yelling spit about “profiling.” Hebron is angry “that until our politicians do something, there will be more and more schools feeling what we have felt.” “Do” what, specifically? Hebron doesn’t say. They never do, because politicians are good for nothing, except making hay after such tragedies.
- And closer to home, what middle school under what principal in what district led by what superintendent experienced reports of a shooter in the building and DID NOTHING for more than 90 minutes? The principal was nowhere in the building, as (s)he should have been, leaving a secretary flailing in ether because, according to our sources, the school had no plan in place. On the same day, what superintendent called a meeting of staff, admitting the delay but then issuing a press release-cum-letter to parents that lied about the incident, claiming police were notified and immediately and the building secured. The inaction and the campaign of face-saving lies, sources say, still festers. If parents only knew. Soon, they will.
- Why does The Boring Broadsheet refuse to honestly cover politics in the city? Why has it turned the newspaper into a tame puff piece interested in promoting the fiction that Pittsfield is anything but dead and dying? From a key (but demoralized) staffer: “Kevin (news editor Kevin Moran) has his hands tied. He’s a good newsman, but he’s held hostage by the business side [of the paper]. Advertisers insist on no real news, or anything that reflects bad on the community. …[For example,] we have a city hall reporter who has no experience and is afraid to dig for stories. She is too easily buffaloed by the people she is covering. Kevin tried to coach her (into more aggressive stories), but he was in effect cut down by the big shots upstairs and told to back off.” Welcome to journalism in the Big City.
Keep the cards and letters coming.
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“I can’t do anything about things when they’re going well, but I can when they’re not” — Stanley Kubrick.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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I hear that Jimmy Ruberto still runs the show from Naples, Florida by telling the lovely Linda Tyer how to increase spending on the mostly financially constrained local taxpayers. Not that it makes a difference, because it has been decade after decade where Pittsfield politics raised municipal taxes by 5% per fiscal year. I also saw all of the political campaign donors to the lovely Linda Tyer’s coffers. She has the Good Old Boys tied to her pinky finger! What a one-two combo of Jimmy Ruberto and the G.O.B. supporting the lovely Linda Tyer administration.
You may very well be correct Jonathan. And how insulting to the the METOO movement is it if a grown woman allows herself to be controlled by a man or men?
What does local politics have to do with rape and sexual harassment in Hollywood?
Mr. Valenti,
The fact is that Pittsfield voters are getting EXACTLY the kind of incompetence for which they vote.
Pittsfield residents vote one-party rule year after year, decade after decade, so how can anyone seriously complain about high taxes, incompetence, and corruption when one-party rule guarantees all of these?
but you will admit there are not a whole lot of republican choices?
In fact for the most part the only choices are bad and worse depending on just how embedded a candidate may be. For the last 20 years I have voted for change in Pittsfield and representation has only gotten worse. Much worse. Most councilors are owned before they served their first day in office and their agenda has much more to do with pleasing the mayor than serving the people they made all the hollow promises to.
The sad truth is that elections in Pittsfield are a waste of time and money. They are a charade and only done because it is the law.
Should just have the teacher union administer the city, will not only save on the expense of a useless mayor and council, but also keep non-school spending in check, and maybe even result in efficiency since unlike the politician clowns the union has an interest in keeping its business running. You would never hear the union say the city should stop repairing the roads to fund the schools, for example.
Other cities across the country who are demanding more money for teachers should hold Pittsfield as a cautionary tale. Once they get a taste of big money, they get very greedy and want more and more every year until they essentially OWN the politicians and it becomes a huge SCAM like just here in the once great city of Pittsfield.
The Nurses are no different. How come you dont see construction labor unions complaining about hard labor and freezing their asses off
yet you hear about Teacher and Nurses sitting cozy with high salaries and benefits complaining
Hey Pat and Lone. This really is an interesting dilemma. I agree that locally, not only in Pittsfield but elsewhere in the countyas well, teacher pay has been raised excessively, in some peoples’ minds to make up for decades of undercompensation. Teacbers in these parts have a good gig and are paid decently. However, it just struck me that these people are indeed our neighbors and friends. Nurses too! We should want them to do well since a rising tide floats most boats, until it overwhelms its banks and makes a mess. Rather than begrudging the teachers and nurses (who are NOT publjc employees taking home tax dollars) good pay we should be looking at why those are the only decent wage jobs left in this entire region. When nurses and teachers have the best paying jobs in your community, your community has a jkbs problem!! Rather than bitching about the other guy’s pay check, we need to brainstorm ways to get lots of other people paid, and I am not talking about government jobs and subsidies. Try some regional planning!
I think we know the answer to why so few good paying jobs are in the area. Local politicians have no interest in this subject. They want people to stay here for the scenery and OTHER reasons besides good paying jobs. Local politicians cater to the schools, but have no motivation to do anything else. Stores and businesses keep leaving, but politicians just bring in pot stores and expect everyone to be happy about that.
Local politicians could do a LOT more than they are doing to help the job situation in this area. If local politicians can worry about how many genders we have, then I really think they could put their minds to work solving the lack of jobs problem.
Also, Mr G we are complaining about school salaries because these salaries are coming out of a limited budget which leaves little money left after the school department takes its lion’s share.
You’re talking out of both sides of your mouth. Can’t have good paying jobs and then cut all the good paying jobs.
Nobody wants to cut the good paying jobs. We just want to stop raising school salaries every year when we have OTHER priorities in the city.
GMH
That’s just the point. Those who DO NOT VOTE comprise the vast majority of the electorate. They do not vote for one-party rule, except to say that when they do not vote, they in effect leave the choice to those who do, and those who do are for the most part controlled. They vote the slate, and the slate is dominated by the Status Quo Mob.
And that one party has all the money and all the unions behind them. The only hope for any R/D balance around here is if a conservative candidate somehow was able to drum up enough money, or have enough of their own, to run an aggressive campaign vs. the GOBs and SIGs so that those who normally don’t vote due to apathy and lack of choices go to the polls. I’m not sure that candidate even exists.
Dan, I would like to hear more about the Krol / BHS connection. Could you explain your thinking a tad more? I think it’s outrageous that the city is trying to shake down the hospital.
Krol was allegedly fired by BHS. Moon is a member of the nurses’ union. This has vindictiveness written all over it.
Won’t see that story on his show!
This is just a glaring example of Progressives running out of other people’s money so they need to shake down the hospital.
BHS places a substantial burden on the community and regardless of its corporation status does not cover it’s nut. When they can pay their top executives several hundred thousand dollars a year they are essentially taking the money that a for-profit operation would pay in taxes and spreading it across all the Kapinskis.
You could say the same thing about the highest paid in the Pittsfield School Department. The truth is that local politicians do not have the financial skills to properly run this city AND the ability to say “NO” to more demands for even more money for the School Department so that roads can be repaved and other pressing issues can be addressed.
The money provided to the school departments is from a different resource than the money provided to pay for roads. That said, the Commonwealth is not providing sufficient Chapter 90 resources to local communities to complete projects.
Call MassDOT District 1 and ask how Pittsfield spends its annual Chapter 90 allotment.
Councilor Krol worked for BMC for several years. He left to administer and run Sweetwood, a nursing home in Williamstown. That gig ended soon after. He then started 180 Media, a marketing communications agency. My “thinking” is that the petition to get BHS to contribute substantially more in PILOT funds seems a good one for a cash-strapped city. As the largest not-for-profit in the city, it would seem a good place to start getting after more PILOT funds. The city still needs to audit every not-for-profit to determine (a) if that status is legitimate and (b) if the PILOT payments are sufficient.
I agree Dan…That BHS, which probably owns about 20 percent of all of the city’s prime real estate, should contribute more, and that should be an effort led by the mayor through diplomatic channels. (though that would take true leadership and negotiating skills not seen in some time) But what bothers me is that it is 2 city councilors whom are tied to the hip and both with personnel agendas against BHS that bring it forward. Is there anyone in city hall that truly has the taxpayers and citizens at heart? Or will it always be one big circle-jerk among the power brokers and wanna bees, looking out for their own wallets and egos?
One burning question is did the nurses’ union put the idea into Moon’s head?
Krol is a kon man pure and simple. It’s a miracle he finds people to advertise on his hokey show. A fool and his money are soon parted.
In most Pittsfield schools as Ive stated many times the administrators get a assistant not to help them in their building but to replace them from doing their jobs.The Superintendant and all his assistants need to put on their sneakers and walk these buildings and demand that the principles and all their assistants manage schools from the hallways not from their newly furnished offices.
Mrs Benke under the direction of McCandless has the schools spend surplus cash on anything rather than return it to the general fund,it is irresponsible at best as most schools must quickly spend this money to show that there is not one penny to spare in the budget.This spending is very well known by school principles who in a city of poverty buy thing that know one needs..This kitty of cash is only spent to balance the books so everyone on tv budgets hearings are fooled. Personally I feel its a insubordinate act and people should be fired.Investigat this practice for the last 10 years and there will be millions spent in the final days of the school year.It all right there to see if somebody just looks.
The BHS thing makes me wonder. Just from a PR point of view, which Krol clearly likes to self promote, why would he stick his neck out and potentially lose by asking this? This could be a stunt to jumpstart his run for mayor by setting up this “done deal” I advance. If it happens I’ll bet there is a deal in place for a favor down the road. Just a hunch.
and what about the other 200 plus non profits who are getting a free ride? There is a reason they do not want to discuss this subject in detail and I wish someone would flush the whole thing out in the open. And since Krol has opened the door I think he should be the one to name the others ….who are they and what is their legitimate reason for not paying any taxes. OOpsie…I think he probably is coming down with laryngitis about now. Darn it!
Dusty and Harrison are absolutely correct. I also want to know the names of the other 200 non profits. I have always felt that many of these groups are questionable.
Also, who decides who is eligible for non profit?
corporation status and filings are at the state and I believe the IRS watched compliance, but I could be wrong.
The nonprofits are not the bad guys and not the issue. The issue is the city’s spending problem. The Mayor & Council need to pare down the budget especially in light of the water issues, the monstrous new Taconic school expenses and the lack of adequate city services like road maintenance, etc. The focus, however, should be on the school budget, which is out of control and getting worse every year. There is no reason to keep all of the city’s elementary schools open – our declining population does not justify the expense. Come on city council – insist that the school budget be cut!
I think you may be onto something!
Krol, Clairmont and Tyer are thick as thieves and while there is no doubt Krol aspires to the corner office-god help us all-He would never run against LInda under current social circumstances. I guess that’s the bright side of this administration.
I don’t think Tyer will run for re-election. What has she accomplished as mayor since she was elected?
In regards to non-profits, do they pay into the Community Preservation Act? If not, why not. Seems like it’s the least they can do. And speaking of the CPA, why wasn’t the senior center marquee covered under it? (A rhetorical question)
I would love to hear the answer to that one. Is it because the taxpayers coffers are running over?
Who are Gina Coleman and Amanda Drane?
Coleman had ZERO experience and got the job because she was a minority candidate. There were 1-2 other finalists who are now in schools elsewhere in the state that are progressing nicely.
Good Job School Committee. Good job “Doctor”
Wow Lone. Not cool. I have no skin in the game and know none of the players, but what you said there tryly in libelous and could be actionable. Keep that kinda crap to yourself.
Libel is when false information is presented. It is a well known fact within the school and community that 2 other, well qualified candidates, were passed on, Herberg was a MESS for years and Dr. Coleman had the LEAST experience for the job.
Not hiring well qualified candidates is the norm in Pittsfield. Those jobs go to the well connected only. That’s why we have so much incompetence.
Why hire someone who can do the job correctly when you can hire someone’s relative or friend instead?
The Boring Broadsheet (Berkshire Eagle) is so out of touch with the majority of residents in the city that there would be major celebrations going on if it failed.
The BB caters to far left Progressives and other moneyed interests in the city. The BB ignores or downplays any voices that differ from its political agenda and has made living in this area like living in Russia. Very few parts of the country are as locked down for free speech as this area and we have a reputation throughout the country for having an extremist far left agenda that is not open to other points of view. Planet Valenti has one of the very few discussion forums where people can express their real opinions. The BB shut down its comment section over a year ago after many of the comments were daring to question the political agenda of the BB.
What is a liberal agenda.Its not financial because liberals would want the wealthy to pay their way and same with large corporation so we must be talking socially liberal
I don’t believe the comments were questioning the political agenda of the paper. The discussion site was turning into another Topix.
Talked to a guy from Dalton the other day. He is looking at properties elsewhere and is dead serious about moving because apparently Dalton is going to get hit with the Pittsfield ginormous water rate increases. He said he knows others checking out their options as well.
And this guy is a smart money guy….weighs income against outlays and does not like the comparisons coming at him.
Sounds like a really smart guy Dusty,
Test..
After perusing the High School rankings nationally,nowhere could I find any of the schools from here? The last one was in the 2000
Pittsfield High School is an above average, public school located in Pittsfield, MA. It has 896 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1. According to state test scores, 68% of students are at least proficient in math and 84% in reading. – according to NICHE.COM – Don’t you just hate it when anyone says anything good about Pittsfield.
Thomas,
That is outdated info. PHS is being closely monitored by the state, as it is on the verge of becoming a level 4 school. Unless school testing scores and other school data improve, it will be taken over by the MA Dept. of Education.
TSC,
Lenox is the finest school in the area.
Fat ass McCandless is doing a fine job. Let’s give him a raise.
TM, it’s nice to here something good for a change. Everything is not always the sky is falling.
Halo they are unranked nationally and locally they suck also,as does Taconic, Lenox, my a m and Lee a middle are pretty good though.
Aside DOW DOWN AGAIN…..
Lenox high is a do nothing school with no services for kids.
Trump and company bring and help foreign companies,Trump and Swamp are invested, the Trump and Swampers provide services that are needed to Trump and Swamp friends who own overseas stock and are invested.. And it is all legal. This is not just China, Trump will be outed eventually with Russia, that’s the end game.
Intellectual Property…is real
Another exploding head. Become an American and support your President.
Hillary has already been outed with Russia, but still no action taken against her. We all know why.
And we are still waiting for her tax returns. I hear she is still being audited.
3 years of Benghazi “witch hunt” investigations spending a half billion dollars of taxpayer money and Trey Gowdy could not get Hillary. Now Trump, who is banging porn stars and getting peed on by young Russian ladies is complaining about his one year investigation. So sad….and definitely NOT making America great again.
We are still looking for her emails she destroyed that had information on her Russian collusion.
You keep looking Pat. You must have lots of free time on your hands while the world moves into chaos with Trump leading the way into another mid-east war.
Dusty, it was Obama who created all of this chaos with other countries. All of the appeasing and apologizing made us look very weak and countries like Russia and Iran and North Korea took full advantage of that weakness. Now President Trump has to deal with the mess left behind on the world stage by Obama.
Do you know how many people died from ISIS getting out of control because Obama refused to do anything about them? Trump has been able to take away territory that ISIS had taken and fight back against them, but with NO recognition of this major accomplishment by the in bed with liberals media and the gullible people this lying media manages to fool.
Pat refuses to acknowledge there have already been 5 guilty pleas from Meuller’s team. So the ‘witchunt’ did uncover criminal activity.
So in order to renew your drivers license you need a good birth certificate and a non laminated SS card. Anyone know how much city hall rips off its taxpayers for a copy of a birth certificate?
And a woman in my family learned that if your name differs from your birth certificate (like if you’re married), you must bring further proof of you last name (now).
Walmart is closing 150 American stores to go headon with Amazon for internet sales.Walmart will invest 16 billion in India.Trump is the swamp and there are millions of minimum wage jobss,come and get it.
DUSTY
A birth certificate costs $10, available at the city clerk’s office.
Thank you Dan.
Taxpayers are paying for the heat, air conditioning, all building upkeep, salaries for employees, materials like ink and paper, electricity etc and so you wonder why you would have to pay again $10 to get a copy of your birth certificate. Seems like a service high taxes should cover.
No worries Dusty. You can always sell your birth certificate to an illegal for much more.
Good one, NIB!
Walmart is closing 150 American stores to go headon with Amazon for internet sales.Walmart will invest 16 billion in India.Trump is the swamp and there are millions of minimum wage jobss,come and get it.
Pot shops vs. methadone clinics, which have become Pittsfield’s big booming businesses, are fighting over territory. The meth clinic owner is claiming that a pot shop soon to be located right next to his clinic on Merrill Road will be a disaster for his recovering patients.
According to the meth clinic owner, the recovering patients are very susceptible to pot leading them back into addiction. He has seen it happen with many of the people he is treating. He worries about the pot shop which will be located right next door turning his fragile patients into pot shop customers and thus leading them right back into addiction. For many of the people he is treating for drug addiction, pot really is a gateway drug.
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/retail-marijuana-shop-proposed-for-merrill-road-in-pittsfield-sparks-neighborhood-concerns,540182
“Soon to be located right next to his clinic “? When did zoning approve?
Methadone treatments can’t be so great if an addict can’t resist pot.
I believe methadone stops the cravings for heroin allowing the patient normalization and a ability to work and live normally.Pot is such a different animal than herion.
This was an expert in addiction saying that pot is a gateway drug so I think he would know more about it than you or I.
It makes sense when you think about it. People prone to addiction take pot which makes them very mellow and stoned. They then will turn to harder drugs to wake themselves up and thus begins a vicious cycle of drug dependency.
They take pot to stop the cravings for the harder drugs, but when they get too mellowed out (stoned) they then turn to cocaine or heroin to wake themselves up. Since these people are so sensitive to addiction of any kind, they use one substance to offset the effects of another substance. This is how something as innocent sounding as pot becomes a gateway to harder drugs.
Right. It’s debatable, but to insinuate that this is a done deal is premature at least. It’s before the zoning board.
I always thought druggies smoked pot and took heroin because they liked to get high.
Heroin is a depressant, not a stimulant.
I stand corrected, not being a drug taker, but cocaine is definitely an upper from everything I have seen and heard.
So, Hillcrest Educational Center is doing an Infomercial for their new Campus, former St.Mark School, on the Krol Show? They need a Traffic Light now on Columbus Ave and Onota, they should pay for it.
There is far less traffic now with so many less students.They cleaned up a failed unsustainable catholic school with many upgrades to the property and a very good neighbor.
We learned at last night’s CC mtg. that the mayor just signed a new 5 yr. contract with Republic. It seems that the CC were unaware of this.
Supposedly O&R is debating any possible changes to our trash pickup. Why bother when a contract has already been signed? Does the popular word “collusion” apply in this case?
Not if you’re friends with Johnny Krol. Then its just a day at the office with nothing to see
Taxpayers, you will do as you’re told by the four year Mayor. You will pay taxes,you will pay for garbage without transparency, and you will be saddled soon with thousands of dollars a year in water rate bills. And your roads will continue to look the shit. Deal With It!
Lots and lots of houses for sale
Actually there are a lot of buyers looking for quality houses under 250 or so. Ask any realtor. I have been contacted by mail three times in the last two weeks wanting to do assessments. Unless you want to move to the Midwest or more rural areas of the South, there just isn’t anywhere cheaper. The only place in MA less expensive is North Adams.
That is correct cheap houses and high taxes.
Worse than the fact that weed has been debunked as being a gateway drug and can be helpful in alleviating the agony of opioid withdrawal, is that Spectrum knows this information, and if they don’t, there are plenty of evidence based studies available to them that show this.
A more concerning question is Does Pittsfield really want a stretch of substance use facilities all lined up ialong one street!Sure it’s ease of use for the users, but don’t be surprised if the rest if the the citizens start referring to it as the “Wish I had a miracle” mile.
The opioid problem is at every age level with Seniors being hooked because of surgeries and injuries.The most dangerous drug dealeer in every town is your Doctor.The other south berkshire towns are struggling with this problem as Pittsfield deals with it straight up.
People will find that they shouldn’t keep taking strong powerful drugs to treat pain because their bodies will gradually get used to it anyway causing them to need more and more which leads to addiction. Much less stronger medicine would help with pain relief as long as your body isn’t hooked on strong pain medicine. Even some over the counter pain medicine is too strong to be taken on a regular basis like Ibuprofen for example.
Breaking news. The Dems have created an initiative to get MS-13 gang members registered to vote.
Why
So they can be like you and vote for moon bats.
Trump took care of the Wealthy and his Corporations and moonbats love his racist style of leadership.Lemmings follow Trump off his cliff.Don didnt do it.