DISSECTION OF A POLITICAL BROUHAHA: WAS COUNCIL’S INACTION OF MAYOR’S ORDER AN INNOCENT MISTAKE OR DELIBERATE POLITICS-AS-USUAL? PLANET HAS A LIVE TV DEBATE IN THE WORKS
By DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEEKEND EDITION, DEC. 12-14, 2014) — In trying to dissect the issues involved in the automatic enactment of the mayor’s administrative order to undo “The Barrett Reforms” of public works and return DPW pretty much to the same setup it had prior to Der Wunderbarrett, THE PLANET has pieced together the timeline, crucial in this case.
Timeline is crucial because of a new wrinkle added to administrative action and legislative response by the city charter “approved” by voters in November. We used the word in quotation marks because of appallingly low turnout, the failure of the city to educate the electorate on the content of the charter, and the ignorance of so many voters who cast an up/down on the measure without realizing. Article 6 attached a game clock to Administrative Orders.
[Article] Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other
Here’s the language of Article 6, Section 6-1:
The organization of the city into agencies to provide services and administer the government may be accomplished only through an administrative order submitted to the city council by the mayor. No administrative order may originate with the city council. The mayor may, subject only to express prohibitions of a general law or this charter, submit proposals to reorganize, consolidate or abolish any agency, in whole or in part, or to establish a new agency as is deemed necessary, establish terms of office and prescribe the functions and administrative procedures to be followed by all such agencies. No function assigned by this charter to a particular agency may be discontinued or assigned to any other agency unless specified by this charter. The mayor may prepare and submit to the city council, administrative orders that establish agencies for the orderly, efficient or convenient conduct of the business of the city. These administrative orders shall be accompanied by a message from the mayor which explains the expected benefits and advises the city council if an administrative order shall require amendments, insertions, revisions, repeal or otherwise of existing ordinances. Whenever the mayor proposes an administrative order, the city council shall hold one or more public hearings on the proposal giving notice by publication in a local newspaper, which notice shall describe the scope of the proposal and the time and place at which the public hearing will be held, not less than seven nor more than 14 days following the publication. An organization or reorganization plan shall become effective at the expiration of 60 days following the date the proposal is submitted to the city council unless the city council shall, by a majority vote, within that 60 day period, vote to disapprove the plan. The city council may vote only to approve or to disapprove the plan and may not vote to amend or to alter it.
The question comes up in light of the automatic enactment of the mayor’s re-reorganization of DPW, which basically returns the beleaguered Bruce Collingwood to the departmental throne: Did anyone on the council know of and understand Article 6, Section 6-1 when the mayor first put in his order? THE PLANET also wonders if a public hearing on the measure was properly advertised and held?
Just the Facts, Ma’am
We have done this through research, interviews with council observers, and responses from councilors, notably Barry Clairmont via the comments section of THE PLANET, as well as Melissa Mazzeo, Chris Connell, John Krol, and others. Here are the facts as we understand them.
* Sept. 2: Mayor Dan Bianchi submits an administrative order to split up the public services department into three units under the oversight of Collingwood. The three divisions are Public Services, Public Utilities, and Maintenance.
* The 60-day clock begins on Sept. 2. when our Right Honorable Good Friends on the city council referred the matter without discussion to its Ordinance and Rules subcommittee. O&R is chaired by Connell, with Mazzeo, Lothrop, Kathy Amuso, and Kevin Morandi as the members. It’s interesting to note how Mazzeo kept Jonathan Lothrop, Krol, and Clairmont — the Administration’s perceived Unholy Trinity — from serving together on any subcommittee. Each of the six has one one of the three — another one of those “Pittsfield coincidences.”
* At the next O&R meeting, members voted to table the measure because, to quote Clairmont, “the Solicitor [Kathy Degnan] said she made numerous mistakes with ordinances that accompanied the Order.” Mistakes? What mistakes? And why? Hmmmmm …
* O&R didn’t take up the measure again until Nov. 17. That was two weeks after the 60-day window had expired. Why the gap?
* The measure came to the council on Nov. 25, or 23 days past the deadline. Done Deal.
* By virtue of the fact that the council took no legislative action within the timeframe from Sept. 2-Nov.2, the measure went into automatic effect.
Let’s Hash It Out in a Televised Discussion
Those are the facts. How one interprets the facts is the issue here.
* Did the Administration manipulate the rules deliberately to sneak the measure into effect, especially since it doubted it would pass the council?
* If so, how and who? How did it play a stall game, and who “took a dive” to help the mayor? If not, was this just an innocent oversight by all the members?
* Can We the People afford such lapses, innocent or otherwise? How much do taxpayers end up login when its elected officials don’t know or follow the rules?
* Did no one on the council, did no one on O&R, and did not the council leadership (Mazzeo and Connell) realize the clock was ticking? If not, why not? Isn’t is the job of councilors to know the rules of the game? Isn’t that why they are elected? They are the representatives of We the People? If we can no longer expect We The People to read every line of a new charter prior to its enactment, can’t Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski at least assume that their representatives will do that on their behalf?
In light of this latest mush and mess, charges are flying both ways. Mazzeo and Connell say one thing. Lothrop and Krol say another. The former makes two points (a) It’s not my job to mother other councilors. They are expected to know the rules (Mazzeo) and (b) We made a simple, honest mistake (Connell). The latter claims rotten politics was at work: “This raises the situation to a completely new level of strangeness” (Krol).
THE PLANET is trying to arrange a live, televised debate/discussion of this matter. Yesterday, we invited Mazzeo, Connell, Krol, Lothrop, and Clairmont to participate in a two-on-two. Connell and Clairmont have accepted, and as far as we’re concerned, it’s a go. THE PLANET would prefer a two-on-two, and there is still time for that, but if either Mazzeo or Krol/Lothrop (one of them) fails to accept, we plan to go one-on-one. Stay tuned for details.
Have a safe and happy weekend, everybody. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
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“This one’s called ‘I’m Going Home’ — by helicopter.” — Alvin Lee, prior to delivering the best performance among all the acts at the original Woodstock main stage, with his band Ten Years After, (August 1969).
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
“Congratulations, Bill! You’re a law!”
So, this whole thing nullifies all the work that Mr. Barrett instituted and makes all that money the city of Pittsfield paid him, a collossal waste of money.
But isn’t that why Dan Bianchi was elected? To waste the taxpayer’s money. He ran unopposed because city taxpayers love high taxes and tax increases and a wasting of their money. It has to be. Otherwise they would be taking measures to remove him from office.
If Mr. Collingwood refuses to follow mayor Barretts policies anyway, then all this does is make it official. Tax and spend with no accountability. Locked out, uniformed and have no say. Its what the people want. Has to be. Otherwise they would do something about it. Complacence is approval.
UNOPPOSED
Your quote says it nicely: “Tax and spend with no accountability.” This is the city of Pittsfield, 2014 going into 2015.
Citizens of Pittsfield are Brain Dead. It is appalling how no hair is raised. DUMBFOUNDED.
When I saw who was pushing the charter I had all I needed to know as to whether it was good for the people or not. My guess is that more surprises are in store for the unsuspecting. I am looking at homes in surrounding communities and hope to join the thousands of others who had the foresight to bail before they lost all they worked so hard for. i may go down with some ship but it won’t be the Pittsfield ship.
The new charter was no improvement. The first rule of medicine is “First do no harm.” Perhaps a new charter was needed, but not this one. THE PLANET predicted these problems when we wrote against the charter. It was pushed through in a time of apathy and inattention. Few had bothered to read it, and that includes some of those who passed it.
Do no harm is not a rule of medicine. Think bleeding, anesthesia delivered by hammer to head clad in brass, chemotherapy, amputation, coma inducement.
Dusty don’t let the door hit you in the ass!
PP
Many folks have left. More will be leaving. Some doors will hit. Some won’t. Net effect, though: Population decrease, student enrollment drop, and shrinking tax base.
According to a recent study the County population will drop 12,420 people by 2030. They think the trend will continue, time for communities to start merging programs and schools.
Thanks for your support Mr Bianchi
Bianchi is a poor excuse for a man.
Dusty, I’m surprised you’re still in Pittsfield? Thought you were moving a while ago, no?
It is not that simple when you don’t have a lot of assets. And the process is a bit of a challenge for older folk on a small fixed income. But I have dreamed about it every day for the last several years. There really should be a program to assist folk with the logistics end of it. Maybe the mayor would fund it just to get rid of the negative people like myself.
Dusty, I too dream of moving out of Pittsfield to a land of low taxes and no silly politicians. Hancock calls out to me, only if there were more properties in my price range. Some day I will get my break from this bs.
Pittsfield’s population is shrinking by thousands of people per decade. Pittsfield politics is known for very high taxes, spending, and welfare caseloads. If you want your daughter to go to Harvard University, you move away from Pittsfield. If you want your daughter to get pregnant at 16 and go on welfare, you stay in Pittsfield.
I have better odds winning the lottery jackpot than finding a full time living wage job in Pittsfield. I believe that if I grew up anywhere but Pittsfield, I would have done much better for myself in my life.
Jimmy Ruberto sold Pittsfield on a lot of hot air. He said former North Adams Mayor Johnny Barrett III would find efficiencies in the municipal government and cut spending. That never happened! Danny Bianchi is spending Pittsfield into financial insolvency. Both Jimmy and Danny want a new high school in Pittsfield with no way to pay for it. Meanwhile, hundreds of students are choicing out of Pittsfield’s schools, costing Pittsfield millions of dollars in lost revenues.
Dan Valenti blogs about all of Pittsfield politics’ problems, but Pittsfield is still on its never-ending downward spiral.
” Pittsfield politics is known for very high taxes, spending, and welfare caseloads”
True for most cities.
“If you want your daughter to go to Harvard University, you move away from Pittsfield”
Does Harvard discriminate against urban applicants?
“If you want your daughter to get pregnant at 16 and go on welfare, you stay in Pittsfield”
I see lots of 16 year old girls walking around, in and out of my neighborhood. None appear to be pregnant and show no signs of welfare abuse.
” have better odds winning the lottery jackpot than finding a full time living wage job in Pittsfield”
Spend that $5 bill wisely, John M.
“: Mayor Johnny Barrett III would find efficiencies in the municipal government and cut spending. That never happened!”
Didn’t last long enough to find out what he found, and he had no mayors willing to implement whatever findings he discovered. Why are you beating up on Jack Barrett?
“Danny Bianchi is spending Pittsfield into financial insolvency. Both Jimmy and Danny want a new high school in Pittsfield with no way to pay for it. Meanwhile, hundreds of students are choicing out of Pittsfield’s schools, costing Pittsfield millions of dollars in lost revenues.”
Maybe, but I still think this would work better as an opera.
“Dan Valenti blogs about all of Pittsfield politics’ problems”
And can even find some where there aren’t any. Anyone remember talk of salt ruining the neighborhood roads last winter?
Dan V. I checked out an episode of yours. Lose the artificial plants – they always look staged. It’s a tip from one captain of consciousness to another.
CHUCK
If you area a “captain of consciousness,” praise to those who are unaware.The plants ARE staged. It’s a (um) s.h.o.w. They stay.
Plants are boring and silly. Get a dog.
Dogs and children upstage a performer every time. The plants, BTW, are the two most famous in the city — on the set of virtually all shows produced from the PCTV studios.
Dan, free advice should never be looked in the mouth. The plants on your set hurt your goal of suspension of disbelief.
CKB
I never look free advice in the mouth. It doesn’t get that close. I want the suspension of BELIEF not DISbelief. Only “belief” is dangerous, because people act upon beliefs.
@Charles Kronick Berkshire – “True for most cities”, you write. That makes it o.k. for Pittsfield politics to have a shrinking tax base, while taxes are increased by around 5 percent year after year plus an annual multi-million dollar capital budget plus a proposed new high school that the city government has no means of paying for plus hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded liabilities (or debts) the municipality will never pay off without declaring bankruptcy. You cannot dispute my opinions based on facts! Thousands of people have moved away from Pittsfield. Thousands of job have been lost in Pittsfield. Once people and jobs are lost, they are never coming back in our lifetime! There are more people living in poverty and receiving welfare assistance in PIttsfield than people with full time, living wage private sector jobs in Pittsfield. Teen pregnancies double the statewide average in Pittsfield. Not all teenage girls get pregnant in Pittsfield, thank God, but around 50 per year do (about one unplanned youth pregnancy per week). Pittsfield politics is totally corrupt and controlled by a small group of multi-generational, inter-related families. Pittsfield is a case study in failed city and regional planning over the past four decades. Every socioeconomic indicator is negative in Pittsfield, including poorly performing public schools, crime, violence, welfare, job loss, population loss, political corruption, etc. I grew up in Pittsfield, and I always wished my native hometown would change for the better, but it never happened. Pittsfield keeps getting worse. I spent over one year of my adult life looking for a job in Pittsfield without anyone hiring me. No wonder most youthful Pittsfield natives move away so they don’t either starve or end up in poverty receiving welfare assistance. I feel like I had a better chance winning the lottery jackpot than finding a full time living wage job in Pittsfield. Those are not good odds!
John M.
Thanks for the wallpaper.
“Thousands of job have been lost in Pittsfield. Once people and jobs are lost, they are never coming back in our lifetime!”
First of all, thank me for reading this. Paragraph returns are the reader’s best friend.
Jobs went away from Pittsfield just as they left all other small cities. Look at Holyoke. River there is lined with newly defunct paper factories whose production went to China. Pittsfield is far from unique and the solution to unemployment and loss of manufacturing will come from trade protections and the dissolving of free trade pacts.
Who says that will never happen in our lifetime?
I agree that teenage pregnancies are a symptom of something; just not a symptom of anything that I encounter. That makes it a small matter for me. Welfare is a challenge that perplexes both its founders and its critics. When you come up with a solution, I’m eager to hear it.
“Pittsfield politics is totally corrupt and controlled by a small group of multi-generational, inter-related families”
Welcome to America. The White House is also controlled by a small group of multi-generational,. inner related families and even crime families as of today.
Otherwise, I can’t dispute that Pittsfield, like other cities based on single industry economies, has declined over 40 years. In fact, I think that I too have declined over the last 40 years too. Just take my advice. Don’t bet on the lottery – it’s a tax on those who didn’t do well in math.
I don’t bet on the lottery. I understand finances enough to know the lottery pays back a fraction of a deposit. I understand that the lottery was implemented and administered by the state government as a form of voluntary, regressive taxation that exploits the poor and working class ignorance and impulses. Soon, Massachusetts is going to have casino gambling, which will further redistribute money from have-nots to the haves. But, lottery money is supposed to go to public education and local aid to cities and towns.
I agree with you there, JM. The only solution I have to fixing the semi-permanent state of low productivity, excess taxation, and predatory politicians is declaring Berkshire County a separate state or seceding to join New Hampshire.
I’ve got an idea let’s scrap the charter. Reorganize as a town like Framingham, rid ourselves of the Mayor and replace his position with a town administrator and all 11 city councilors with 3 BOS.
This would make a lot of sense. That’s why “They” won’t do it.Too many fiefdoms to protect.
I’m on board with reducing the size of City Council et al. 11 council seats for a small city is fine if the Charter intends it to be a target range. 5 or seven would be plenty otherwise.
After listening to the new school presentation to the silly council, they talked about the roof, air conditioning, energy cost, boilers, plumbing fixtures,,daylight harvesting, occupancy sensors ect…….Didn’t hear much about learning.NO SCHOOL
First sensible comment today. (Save Dan’s defense of potted plants.) Thanks. New buildings come from a accounting principle that wants to dispose of assets after 50 years. In other communities it comes with noveau riche transplants that want their names on halls. I also blame the State leaders who want to reward certain legislators with money for not voting for her constituents’ needs on bills such as firearm legislation or demanding more bandwidth for Berkshire county.
With that, let’s keep the building and add financial accounting to the curriculum.
Few of the $$$ allotted for public “education” ever see the inside of a classroom.
The politicians go for the pork,(waste) to get relected. They could careless about the real issues. I will vote for every incumbent candidate until this changes. I know it doesnt matter but it’s my principal’s. Our own State Government should be cut in half, the all vote along party lines.
Against every incumbent candidate.
Unfortunately many of the newcomers were encouraged to run by the very people controlling things now. The good old boys control the council votes by making sure a majority of them are in their pockets. Do you really think some of those people on the council ran because it was their own original idea? Don’t you think some of those people got lots of help running their campaigns in addition to financial backing? Who do you think provides such wonderful help? People who want you to vote the way they tell you to vote…that’s who.
and when you see councilors vote against all common sense you should be suspicious of their motives and who they are really working for.
DUSTY
It will take a special type of candidate to break the endless cycle. This person will be intelligent, not a politician, not part of The Club, with access to money, have the ability to organize and then command an organization, possess a thick skin, love to mix it up, and be charismatic. In other words, it will take an EXCEPTIONAL person totally unlike the usual suspects we see running locally. Once that person gets in, his or her ability to energize the electorate will be crucial. If such a person could get even 10 to 15% more of the electorate to vote, that person can win.
I agree Dan. Either we elect a mayor with those qualities or at least 7 councilors like that. Either possibility is a long shot in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
People need a plan B and they need to be ready to execute it.
Rob Ford for mayor of Pittsfield!
Dan Valenti for Mayor!!
That would be a commendable and defensible system of voting.
Does such a person exist, and if so, it would have to be an antagonist of the first order.
Tito that’s you! Now that you’ve scraped that dead skunk off thecrd you’re ready for pitts govt!
DV
I was thinking Frank N Stine
Are we going to subtract all the money the school system will save on gas for its buses and other school vehicles? gasoline prices have dropped by about a third. In fact the whole city budget should save ten thousand dollars or more on gasoline. Anybody factoring this in to the latest money grab?
No chance. The schools will eat up every last cent. Taxpayers won’t see a dime.
Mr. Valenti, we are trying to figure this out especially in light of all the rumors that are flying. You are fond are you not Mr. Valenti of rumor?
You are up to something, especially as it pertains to Mr. Gaetani whom you are pushing with abandon…Is he your creation…Is he your pit bull your attack dog?…Are you going to put him up for mayor…?
Are you not behind all of this turmoil that has prevented the city govt, council and mayor, from doing their jobs? Come clean,sir, on all of this. We raise these questions so that the considerable crowd of hypotized, programmed Planetoids (your followers here and on TV) can possibly break out of their conditioning and begin to think for themselves.
Brainwashing and group thought of your kind is the problem with city government. Your “disciples” would be shocked to learn of your pulling of strings behind the scenes in city govt. unless you care to “fess up”.
We doubt your censors will allow this post but we shall get our message out.
Pitsfield believer you said “we” an aweful lot are you more than one person?
PB is more than one person. They are a “round robin” of sycophants who are periodically asked to write such notices. We have noticed that “PB” tends to surface when “They” are feeling uneasy by our coverage here and on TV.
Allen we know it’s you
DV do you know who Pittsfield (non)believer is? This post is insulting to 99.9999 per cent of your readers including me.
I’m not asking you to take it down but comments this dumb are disturbing.
Maybe you think this is effective or maybe you just wanna throw stinkboms anonymously but it wont work. I enjoy this site for the information and the writing. Take your venom go away you jerk.
Good move, Mr. Em. You attack him for anonymously throwing stickbombs and then call him a vulgarity.
Kind of odd, PB. Your use of hyperbole makes your post appear satirical, which may not be helping your point.
I don’t think it’s satirical. That’s what makes it so ridiculous.
PB
THE PLANET allows freedom of expression, and we thank you for yours. We have met Mr. G one time. Ever. It’s obvious your masters feel threatened by him, to say nothing of our trooth telling. Ludicrous comments such as these are of no concern. They are BBs fired at a battleship.
Good one dusty, they’ll come up with switch to make sure any significant savings are transferred to another account, just like the salt account at the DPW for example, it’s whatever way the wind blows. Remember the P S C member saying how the Mayor should kick in a big hunk of change to pay for something, can’t quite remember for what, believe it was Mrs. Taylor.
At dusty, quick answer, NO!