By DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary

First of Two Parts

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JAN. 20, 2015) — We start with a bit of dialog by way of making our point.

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WILLIAM OF BASKERVILLE: It seems that we are in a labyrinth.

ADGO: But how will be get out, master?

WILLIAM: With some difficulty (UNDER HIS BREATH) … if at all. That, Adgo, is the charm of a labyrinth. — from The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco’s great novel.

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The labyrinth comes from Greek mythology. It refers to a maze-like structure built for King Minos of Knossos, Crete. Depending on which translation you read, the labyrinth was built either to contain the legendary beast, the minotaur, or another legendary beast, the Aging Greek God, Peter Arlos. THE PLANET admits that the Arlos version comes only in a translation so loose that it might fall off the middle finger. That discussion, though, we shall leave for another day. THE PLANET expresses our love for the late Peter Arlos. We have no love, however, for the ineptitude that so characterizes Pittsfield politics.

A labyrinth is easy to enter and difficult to leave. Similar to Pittsfield politics.

A labyrinth contains many side alleys, dead ends, illusions to somewhere, paths to nowhere. Similar to Pittsfield politics.

A labyrinth is designed to confuse, disorient, and hide. Similar to Pittsfield politics.

Project Has Never Been Properly Vetted by Citizens, Taxpayers

One of the most labyrinthian projects to plague taxpayers in recent years and certainly the prize Pork Barrel of The Bianchi Administration is the proposed new Taconic High School High School. This project has been skidded along on greasy runners with such rapidity that a proper, prudent review cannot be done.

Project defenders will point to the many meetings of the School Building Needs Committee in a futile attempt to rebut the assertion, but they will fail. The SBNC, a panel stacked with political hacks, has held a lot of meetings, but they have been held with little or no prior publicity and usually at times and in places when ordinary people can’t make it. They voted to proceed with the project, 16-1. If they held it today, it would be 16-0. The lone dissenter, the fabulous Man From Mensa Chuck Vincelette, resigned his SBNC post, presumably out of frustration and his distaste for fixed politics.

Speaking of alone, THE PLANET stands solitary among all local media in offering an honest, critical look at this project. All other coverage, especially that of The Boring Broadsheet, has been fawning, non-critical, propagandistic, and straight off The Suits’ official press releases.

That’s not good enough. Pittsfield is in dire financial straights, with a budget that’s pushing $150 million, a shrinking tax base, a plummeting population, an a maxed-out municipal credit card. Why build a new, $130 million school, when the school population continues to decline and renovations costing a fraction of that amount would more than suffice?

Selling the Unsellable

Here are the likely reasons, some of which or all of which may be applicable.

— Follow The Money: The project will reward many favored inside players who own construction companies and other suppliers that will be required for a project of this size. These rewards will be in the form of legal contracts. Inevitably, we must add, an illegal component stands always as the low-hanging, ripe fruit when we’re talking money this big — you know, the “kisses in the mail” in the form of bribes, kickbacks, and graft. What? That stuff doesn’t happen? Check your memory banks for “Big Dig.” It’s something to be on the lookout for with the THS project.

— Monuments to Myself: Under this scenario, local pols in love with themselves will see this needless project as their political “legacy.” They will forever yap about “doing something” for public education, for “The Children.” More likely, they will do something for the entire city, and that is to bankrupt it. If the project goes up, it should be named The Daniel Bianchi Memorial High School — memorial because there’s no way he can be re-elected.

— Misdirection: It’s clear with the mismanagement of the public school system that local officials have no clue how to drive improvement and performance. Improving public education does not need more money! That is a fallacy. The community experience, expenditures, and public policy have settled this question going on 22 years now, since Ed Reform hit the Commonwealth in 1993. By building a gleaming new shell to perpetuate the same, poor product, officials hope to distract your attention from the job they are not doing.

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In his New Year message, Mayor Bianchi, also known as The Empty Suit (TES), took inventory of the past year. Here’s in part what he said:

Bianchi Admits the the City Can’t Afford to Build a New School

“Investing in a new high school may not seem prudent given a stagnant regional economy and the recent population trends for Berkshire County. A new comprehensive school is, however, an economic development initiative as well as an educational initiative. With rigorous academics, and well-developed programing, a new high school will provide businesses with the employees of the future.”

Did you get that? In that first sentence, the mayor himself uses that prune-jice of a word, “prudent,” to admit that the new school is a loser.

 “Investing in a new high school may not seem prudent given a stagnant regional economy and the recent population trends for Berkshire County.”

The Dreaded ‘Economic Engine’

Then, to confirm the diagnosis, TES administers a dose of pure hokum, calling the new school an “economic engine.” Right. We’ve have these snake-oil sure-cures by the dozen in Pittsfield, which has become home for every bunko artist looking to milk a free dollar out of government: EV Worldwide, economic engine. Workshop Live!, economic engine. PEDA, economic engine. The airport expansion, economic engine. The Colonial Theatre, economic engine. The Civic Authority, economic engine. Overly generous tax-breaks for the “connected” few, economic engine. Now it’s the new school. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before.

Quoting TES again: “A new comprehensive school is, however, an economic development initiative as well as an educational initiative.”

‘Academic Rigor’ … but Not a Peep for Bedraggled Taxpayers

The mayor then basically admits that at present, Pittsfield pubic schools, despite eating up more than $100 million each year of taxpayer money, cannot provide strong adademics: “With rigorous academics, [sic] and well-developed programing, a new high school will provide businesses with the employees of the future.” The deductive inference here is that the current school system does not provide “rigorous academics.”  Why is that the case? It can’t be because of the 1970-era bricks and mortar. New bricks and mortar do not have it within their atomic structure to confer improvement on a failed public school system.

Tomorrow: Part 2

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“I’ve been loving you a little bit too long. I can’t stop now. You are tired and you want to be free. My love is growing stronger, as you’ve become a habit to me.” — Otis Redding, “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.