By DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, OCT. 16, 2014) — One councilor dubbed Tuesday’s meeting as “magical.” Another talked of “fireworks.” THE PLANET shall not give a play-by-play or blow-by-blow. There was a lot of noise but, in the end, not much thunder.

100gate proceeds untouched by council hands, the health insurance switch will happen despite a 26-4 aggregate count against it over two ballots by union representatives, and other high-ticket items (new school, mayoral pay raise) were left untouched. Taxpayers will bleed untold millions more as a result.

We have heard from observers, sources, and members of The Secret Squadron. You can and should watch the meeting for yourself on PCTV. Allow, though, this distillation of intelligence gathering.

HEALTH INSURANCE SWITCH

As one of our spies put it, “The whole thing is a sham.” Angriest of all at the city’s switch from the cost-saving GIC to the more expensive Blue Cross Blue Shield are the retirees. Several speakers at the open mic, city retirees, were incensed. Their testimony matches that of literally every retiree THE PLANET has heard from. They are livid that no one from the city ever contacted them about the switch and  that their alleged representative, a collusive Gerry Miller, didn’t say a peep.

One woman expressed concern in the difference of premium years between GIC and BCBS. The GIC runs from a calendar year, January to January. The BCBS enrollment period begins in June. The woman wondered if the six-month overlap would eat the contributions of her and her husband. The BCBS representative did not have an answer.

Sources agreed the BCBS rep made “a piss poor presentation.” Included in that assessment was the astounding admission by the company rep that BCBS has yet to define all of the benefits in the new plan. BCBS gave out no handouts or information packets. Instead, he gave a boiler-plate presentation with generic information.

Political Preview of 2015?

One interesting point came when Ward 6 councilor John Krol asked council president Melissa Mazzeo if she was comfortable with how the health insurance switch was handled. The exchange took on what may prove to be prophetic overtones, given “street talk” that these two council rivals butting heads next year as mayoral candidates.

Mazzeo defended the mayor, saying that the council didn’t have a role in the insurance process. Krol was incredulous, calling Mazzeo “the council’s liaison to the mayor.” Mazzeo was quick to refute that description:

MAZZEO: “I am not the liaison to the mayor.

KROL: “Well, as president, you are the leader of the council.”

Mazzeo admitted the manner in which the switch was handled wasn’t the best, but then she listed the reasons why the council didn’t have a say. A neutral observer would find that claim unconvincing in the extreme. By law and charter, the council is the city’s co-governor with the mayor.  If the council president claims the council has no say on a matter than costs taxpayers more than $20 million a year, then the city doesn’t need a council. Just hand the keys to the kingdom to the mayor and call it what it is: a pseudo-dictatorship hiding under a pseudo-‘democratic’ veneer.

The Krol-Mazzeo exchange bears notice. Sources tell THE PLANET that Mazzeo’s “insiders” insist “she’s going to ‘separate herself’ from the mayor when the time is right, politically. The presumption is that the mayor has become so toxic that Mazzeo will boldly separate from Bianchi to set herself up for the mayoral run.” Krol’s line of commentary seemed to be probing that point.

Krol drew the mayor’s visible ire when he said that the person “who would have most vehemently protested how [the health insurance switch] was handled would have been Ward 6 city councilor Dan Bianchi.”

THE PLANET also notes the work of Ward 5’s Jonathan Lothrop. J-Lo’s lacerated the process employed in the switch — one of unilateral, underhanded action on the part of the corner office, one of leaving the council in the dark, one of ignoring retirees, one of slamming taxpayers.

——– 000 ——–

100GATE

Supercitizen Terry Kinnas spoke during the open mic period and made several trenchant observations about the ethically suspicious move of city hall offices to 100 North St. Permitting, he noted, is not a complex process. It may be tedious, but it’s not complicated. The problem in Pittsfield is lack of coordination, a problem readily solved by software, not the hardware of relocated bricks and mortar.

Kinnas looked at the data. What do city inspectors actually do? He said the vast majority of their work involves routine inspection of site plans for fences, pools, decks, patios, and the like. There’s not a lot of “real construction” in Pittsfield. His point is that inspections for these routine items should take minutes, not days, weeks, or months. Of course, permitting in Pittsfield is about politics first and process second.

——– 000 ——–

The Greatest Films Never Made

The mayor’s preposterous permitting example of a “film company” drew many snickers. THE PLANET had our best joke writers on it, and we shall have a list of movies looking to be made in Pittsfield but weren’t because of “permitting paranoia.” We shall be presenting our list tonight on the television. Yes, friends, another live hour of PLANET VALENTI TELEVISION begins tonight at 7 p.m.

Here are just a few of the titles:

* Gone with the Windbags

* 100 North St.: A Space Idiocy

* Casabianchi

* Raiders of the Lost Pork

You get the gist. If you have some funny ones, send them in. If we get them in time, who knows? Maybe we read them on the air!

——– 000 ——–

Mayor’s Disclosure Raises Questions

THE PLANET also received many comments about the “Disclosure of Appearance of Conflict of Interest” the mayor filed with city clerk Linda Tyer on Sept. 11. Many noted the date — that it took place five months after the RFP was issued, six months after city workers were seen in the space on 100 North doing prep work (in March), and 10 months after the first reference to this move in one of the mayor’s e-mails (November 2013). Why the sudden disclosure? It couldn’t have been because a ceratin website spilled the legumes on what was supposed to be a veddy hush-hush deal, could it?

The most interesting part of the disclosure was this sentence: “I no longer have an office in this building, so there is no connection between the Lease and the fact that I formerly had an office there.”

Really, Mr. Mayor? You expect We The People to swallow that tarnish and brine? Just when did you vacate you office? THE PLANET hopes it was before November 2013. Otherwise, it appears that you are admitting a conflict. We also note, Mr. Mayor, that you made no mention of your friendship with the agent representing the landlord in the transaction, David Carver of Scarafoni Associates. Why not?

Actually, THE PLANET sees more of a reason to suspect a conflict than less because of the filing.

——– 000 ——–

Cha-Ching!

Finally, the $28,000 pay raise the mayor has put in for himself didn’t come before the council. Reason: Two councilors were missing (Lisa Tully and Tony Simonelli). The measure will require a supermajority (eight votes) to take effect. Look for the proposal to come forward at the next council meeting.

THE PLANET can confidently state that if eight councilors agree to this unaffordable slap in the face to taxpayers, there will be a political firestorm of epic proportions that will continue until November 2015. A “yes” vote will foretell near-ceratin doom for those who casts their lots thusly.

———————————————————————————————-

“Your eyes have set man’s heart ablaze / And you have had your will of him. / Are you not weary of ardent ways? / Above the flame of smoke and praise / Goes up from ocean rim to rim. / Tell no more of enchanted days.” — James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, (1916).

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.