By DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2014) — The resignation of William Monterosso as executive director of Berkshire Works — first reported by THE PLANET, who was also the first to bring the spotlight on the situation in the first place — ends one phase of a sorry saga brought about by another disastrous personnel decision made by Pittsfield Mayor Dan Bianchi.

We say “disastrous” because it was unnecessary. How much “due diligence” did the mayor and his search committee perform when looking to fill the big footprint of John Barrett III? Also, think of the impact it had on out-of-work folks who depend on agencies such as Berkshire Works being something more than a resting home for political hacks who need a situation.

In his blind haste to deep-six Barrett from Berkshire Works, sources say, Bianchi employed the dreaded “nationwide search.” It ended in bringing Monterosso to Berkshire Works on Jan. 21, 2014, not long after he had left public-sector executive jobs in Kentucky and Virginia in what appears to be a right-quick hurry. Monterosso, a Pittsfield native, was in the same high school graduating class as former state senator, register of deeds, and failed congressional candidate Andy Nuciforo, sources say, adding that “they were buddies.” It is widely believed that Nuciforo brought Monterosso’s name before Bianchi.

What’s that “they” say: “It’s not what you know, it’s …”

Though Monterosso’s exit from Berkshire Works is being called a resignation, it’s clear he had little choice in the matter. With pressure mounting from internal complaints, with the mayor looking for a way out of a wet corner, and with state job officials angered over these latest Pittsfield shenanigans, it was only a matter of time before Monterosso’s affiliation with Berkshire Works came to an inglorious end.

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Sources say city personnel director John DeAngelo notified Monterosso by phone yesterday afternoon (Monday, 5-19). Monterosso has been on administrative leave with pay. DeAngelo’s call came following a meeting he had with long-time Berkshire Works employee Dan Collins, who late last month filed a discrimination complaint against Monterosso with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD).

MCAD has yet to rule on the complaint, the nature of which hasn’t been officially revealed. Sources say Collins complaint includes allegations of age discrimination and harassment. It’s unclear what effect Monterosso’s resignation will have on the discrimination suit.

Sources say that prior to Monterosso’s resignation, the atmosphere at Berkshire Works has been dominated by fear, toxicity, and intimidation. One source intimately familiar with the day-to-day activities of the office says that since Monterosso’s hiring, the agency has become “frozen” and ineffective.

Sources familiar with Monterosso’s management style described it as that of “a blowhard with an arrogant personality.” One source says Monterosso “made enemies all over the state [with officials] in workforce development.” For example, the source says Monterosso would attend professional conferences “and tell the professionals there how to do their job. ‘He’d say, “That’s not how we did it in Kentucky.”‘”

Ah, good ol’ Kentucky. Where everyone has the same DNA. Where birds fly upside down because there’s not enough on which to crap. Where the toothbrush was invented. How do we know? Because if it was invented anywhere else, it would have been called a “teethbrush.”

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Then there’s the infamous “Fish Story” that’s been running wild through the offices and corridors of city hall. The story goes that Berkshire Works hosted a workshop on a Friday afternoon. Most of the attendees were female, including many nurses. At one point, according to the fable, Monterosso said out loud, “I know it’s Friday, but boy does it smell fishy in here today.” Attendees were shocked.

“[Berkshire Works] employees were scared to death” of Monterosso, one source said. “Some employees would literally get sick to their stomach” having to work there.

It’s interesting to note that when John Barrett’s contract expired, Barrett applied for re-instatement. In that first round of the executive search, Barrett and one other person applied for the job. That person dropped out, leaving only Barrett. BW staffers confirm they wrote a “please keep John Barrett” letter to Bianchi. They wrote to Bianchi, said a former staffer, because the office was running smoothly, with quotas met, morale high, and an internal audit that uncovered no issues.

Bianchi had other intentions than to keep Barrett, however. Barrett could have been a combination of Gandhi, the Cisco Kid, and Tupelo Honey, and Bianchi still wouldn’t have had him back.

Old Jamaican saying: “Politics be hot, and him bite hard.”

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Rather than deliver the word personally, Bianchi had DeAngelo tell Barrett he would not be coming back. The mayor then instituted a second-round talent search. Sources say that’s when Nuciforo got involved, telling Bianchi “about his buddy [Monterosso].” It should be noted that the first call for candidates did not include Monterosso.

Shortly after Monterosso took over on Jan. 21, BW staff began to complain to DeAngelo that “Something’s wrong with this guy.” Sources say DeAngelo and the mayor met regarding the situation more than once but decided to do nothing, hoping the situation would settle itself. Above all, sources say, the mayor wanted to keep the deteriorating situation hidden from the public.

And what of the silence of Heather Boulger, executive director of the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board? BCREB is the umbrella agency for Berkshire Works. Boulger’s style has been described as “trying to fly below the radar,” indicating the type of timid bureaucrat who may be in over her head but one who has political cover and an instinct for political survival. Generally, such a talent involves a lot of “yessing” and little to no independence. Boulger, sources say, was notified about the problems with Monterosso two months ago, yet she did nothing. Note also that the BCREB board includes a “Who’s Who” of The Suits, people like Al Ingegni III, Mike Supranowicz, and Doug McNally. They, too, did nothing — except once again fail the public and the poor, beaten-down staff of Berkshire Works.

Perhaps that is the most revelatory aspect of the Monterosso Affair. It illustrates what happens to a community when the political hacks take over. When trouble comes, as it always will, the hacks don’t want to make waves. They have a vested interest in maintaining the fiction that everything’s Ethel Merman, you know, coming up roses.

Meanwhile, the good, honest, ordinary people of the community see through the lies and liars, the fakes and the phonies. The Monterosso case shows what can happen when good people ignore the fear, speak up, and act to take back their government. It sure beats apathy.

We sense a build-up. It’s arriving slowly for We The People, but it is arriving. One way of the other, the Status Quo has to come down.

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“One summer day, she went away, gone and left me. She’s gone to stay. She’s gone, but I don’t worry. I’m sittin’ on top of the world.” — By numerous artists including Cream, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Doc Watson, and Howlin’ Wolf, “Sittin’ on Top of the World,” (1930).

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.