By DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary

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BULLETIN! Allow THE PLANET to break into this story at a little before 6 p.m. Monday Dec. 8. Speaking of break, we shall break the story that Jon Lester has opted not to re-rsign with the Boston Red Sox in favor of the pitch delivered by Theo Epstein on behalf of the Chicago Cubs. THE PLANET received this word from a knowledgeable baseball source, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to officially comment. Our source believes that Lester agreed to terms after the Cubs agreed to his demand for $150 million. Having reported this, THE PLANET offers our own tiny caveat. Sources in Boston tell us that later this evening, Lester’s agent plans to meet with officials from the Red Sox. We question why, if the deal with the Cubs has been 1000% finalized that Team Lester would not have called off tonight’s scheduled gathering. The world will probably find out tomorrow. Meanwhile, you got it first.

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(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, DEC. 8, 2014) — You’ll recall earlier this year THE PLANET broke the news when The Bianchi Administration instituted a “press protocol.” Under the policy, media inquiries are referred to the mayor’s office. There, the mayor’s administrative aide, Julia Sabourin, acts as gatekeeper, deciding on which ones to allow and which ones to banish. Such policies fail because they don’t take into account reportorial enterprise, the doggedness of an aggressive newshound when he or she is on the trail of a story.

With that comes word from the Police Advisory Commission of what looks like a trickle down. At its meeting a week ago, the PAC adopted a “press protocol” similar to that ordered by the corner office. The justification for the policy stems from the disastrous roll-out of the “downtown ambassador program” (DAP). The DAP was meant to put additional eyes and ears downtown, using BCC criminal justice students as a resource.

Is Downtown Burning — or Isn’t It?

The issue stemmed from a dramatic uptick in the perceived safety of downtown Pittsfield. Is downtown safe? Is crime increasing? If so, why, and what should be done about it? A fatal, drug-related shooting in the downtown Big Y parking lot put the question in sharp focus.

One group of qualified shareholders — notably, many downtown merchants — questioned police chief Mike Wynn’s personnel decisions. Why weren’t there more police patrols downtown? Would a shift in deployment free more officers for foot patrols? Were too many resources being used on desk work and other tasks not directly related to active policing?

Sources say the questions didn’t set well with the mayor, Chief Wynn, or with Downtown Pittsfield Inc. (DPI). Each has a political reason for being in denial about the state of public safety in the downtown.

Sources say DPI didn’t like that “certain members” of the PAC were “butting into their business,” outlining a classic, “petty Pittsfield” turf war” of the kind that has kept this city politically hamstrung for a generation. So look at the political tar pit: Here we have a highly political corner office, an “acting” police chief serving entirely at the mayor’s whim, a PAC split along political ancient Wojtkowski-DelGallo fault lines, a sorely underperforming DPI, and the poor students, caught in the middle [ED NOTE: Full disclosure. Dan Valenti is a member of the English Department at BCC]. Anyone expect public-policy brilliance to emerge from this ra-ta-tooie?

At some point and from this political confusion the downtown ambassadors program emerged. It’s purpose was never clearly defined.

Wynn: ‘Violent Crime is Decreasing in the city of Pittsfield’

Of the concerns of crime, Wynn said, “Violent crime is decreasing in the city of Pittsfield.” In his office’s official press release, Mayor Dan Bianchi portrayed creation of the ambassadors’ program not as a response to increasing crime but as an “out of the box method” to addressing the “increased downtown visitor presence during the tourist season and beyond.”

So which is it? Is the program a response to increased crime or increased tourism? You decide, dear readers, using your downtown experiences as the evidence. Observe the number, kind, and quality of the downtown populace. Focus especially on “visitors,” that is, those who have discretion about being there or not. Do you notice patterns? Do the people seem to be well-dressed, respectable people or extras from a zombie movie?

The press protocol, at least for public consumption, technically doesn’t limit the ability of individual PAC members from talking to the press. The following are listed as members of the Police Advisory Committee: Sheriff Tom Bowler, Ken Wilson, Radcliffe Harewood, Kathleen Roucher, Larry Tallman, Phyllis Smith, Diane Ferraro, Charles Smith Jr., Donald Bercury, Alan Righi (chair), and Cheryl Nolan.

“You can say what you want to say,” says Righi. “But you say it as a member and not a representative of the committee.” Fine, but what Righi doesn’t say is that comments had better be politically correct, or else. Any comments made by individual members must be OKd by the (1) PAC, (2) Chief Wynn, and (3) the mayor or his office. THE PLANET asks: Will such a gauntlet encourage or discourage rousing debate, particularly where there are honest disagreements?

‘You Have to Read Between the Lines. This is a Gag Order’

A PAC member, speaking on condition on anonymity, told THE PLANET, “You have to read between the lines. [The press policy] is a gag order. The intent of this is to keep members from talking [to the press]. I think it’s meant to stifle information. If a member speaks to the media [on record without permission], there’s going to be trouble. Guaranteed. And they’ll try to keep even that under wraps. I was disappointed in the [new press policy] and in Alan [chairman]. We can only do our job if we have an atmosphere free of politics and tension. That’s not the case, unfortunately.”

How, then, with this type of political morass and confusion, can that declining and bedraggled subclass known as decent, law-abiding citizens expect a fair shake from their “leaders?” The situation is bad and getting worse.

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“Did you know your lover’s name, at any time before he was through?” — The Quarry, “Paul Small,” from the band’s Seeds album, (1969).

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.