DEBATES? SURE, BUT ONLY IF THEY PUT CANDIDATES IN THE HOT SEAT
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, SEPT. 28, 2015) — It’s not exactly “Man Bites Doberman,” but it is out of the norm for a two-term, incumbent mayor to issue a debate challenge to an opponent who has never held a public-service executive position. Last week, Mayor Dan Bianchi challenged Linda Tyer to five debates, one a week, on different topics at various venues throughout the city.
The most interesting revelation, however, is the mayor’s list of four topics. Bianchi proposed public safety, education, economic development, and city management. He might just as well said corn puffs, cotton candy, glitter, and sparkles. Not one word about the city’s pre-eminent problem: Over-spending. If Tyer wants to apply the kill early on in this race, she should counter with four topics of her own: Pittsfield’s spending problem, lowering taxes, reeling in the over-bloated school department, and eliminating corruption in city government.
Even if she didn’t mean it, the declaration that she cares about the forgotten Little Guy would go a long way in establishing how she differs from the mayor. Who know? If she expressed a common touch, it might actually cause her to get away from The Suits who think they can control her and embrace long-suffering taxpayers.
Those are relevant topics that should be addressed, not Puff The Magic Dragon and other softball subjects meant to send the “right” message to to the municipal unions and other pigs in the trough. If Tyer doesn’t do this, she hands Bianchi a victory by showing she’s not running to win but running to govern.
Will These be Debates or Another Round of Power Puffs?
“Bring it on,” Tyer said to Mayor Lockdown‘s challenge. “Anytime, anywhere, any topic. I eagerly accept the challenge. There are clear distinctions between myself and Mayor Bianchi. Debates are an opportunity to showcase those differences.” The Lovely Linda now has only to insist on topics that show she’s at least aware of the problem faced by the majority of ordinary citizens and small businesses in Pittsfield. Presently, they have no advocate. They aren’t “connected.” They are left out in the oncoming cold, needed only to vote and pay taxes.
An associated question is to ask if five “debates” are even worth it. THE PLANET thinks they are …
… providing —
— providing these events do not repeat the two mayoral forums in the prelim. The first, held at union hall, meant nothing to the general public. In it, Bianchi and Tyer did the usual amount of sucking up to the “labor” vote. The second, at BCC, was not a debate but a safe house meant to keep candidates in the comfort of rehearsed “auto” responses and campaign rhetoric.
Make Them Sweat
Any debates between now and Nov. 3 must be conducted with one overall goal in mind: Put the candidates in the hot seat. Make them uncomfortable. Make ’em sweat. The idea is to conduct a grilling. The city isn’t looking for a dishwasher. It’s looking a CEO.
THE PLANET had moderated countless radio and TV debates. Here’s how you do it: Throw out the clock, get rid of the “panel of experts” to ask questions, ban notes, set up two chairs for the candidates to sit close to one another, ask tough questions, press with followups, throw in a couple “gotchas,” and let them have at it.
If you don’t have that, you would do just as well not to waste anyone’s time. If you get “the usual” timid moderator and tame set-up, you will get a host even more scripted than the candidates. The effect is like chewing on cardboard and cotton balls.
So what will it be, then, eh? Polite decorum or war?
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“I am the little, red rooster. Too lazy to crow today. Keep everything in the barnyard upset in every way.” — The Rolling Stones, “Little Red Rooster,” (1965).
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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Sounds good to me Dan. However, I don’t think we’ll see that anything soon.
I agree that the debates should be job interviews with all the stress of one but the only way Pittsfield gets that is if DV is the moderator.
I heard from a friend that the Bianchi campaign was door knocking wards four this weekend.
They put a lawn sign on my friends parents house. The house already had a Tyer sign on the lawn.
Turns out the parents weren’t even home. The Bianchi campaign put some literature in their door and stuck the sign in their yard without permission.
This is an example of how to lose a campaign. I’d be pissed if anyone did that to my yard.
Another example that Bianchi’s campaign is not ethical and I made the right choice in the preliminary.
If Tyer becomes mayor how will that benefit the tax paying citizens?
I don’t know. What I do know is I don’t like I’ve seen for the last four years. Do you?
I don’t, but I’d like to see something change beside the drapes and the wallpaper in the mayors office.
Me too!!!
Pumilin – I’d be pissed if it wasn’t true. You’re smearing him with no evidence whatsoever. Talk about ethics.
I heard it from the homeowners adult child. This person is an outstanding individual. I doubt they would make it up.
I know the parents, I think I’ll call them to confirm.
Yeah, state as fact first, then confirm, maybe you are the real “Pummelin”!
Turns out it’s true.
The people told me they weren’t home all day. When they got home there was a Bianchi sign on their lawn that they didn’t ask for along with hit campaign piece in the door.
I know Thomas More is a Bianchi supporter. How about you Dave?
To Pummelin below. Where and who? Accusations like this should include specifics when represented as facts.
I would Love to see Linda,Tyer take all of Bianchi’s issues and stand toe to toe with him. His snide attitude needs a come down.
If she becomes mayor how will that benefit the taxpayers of Pittsfield? Will she just be an agent for the municipal unions? Will she stand up to them?
My guess is that she was recruited to run for mayor and will be told what and how to do it by her handlers. Same as Ruberto. Why would things change? She needs to be elected if for no other reason than to punish Bianchi but taxpayers would be foolish to think their lot in life will improve, because it will not.
She still go after him for the hard truths.Like a pitbull.
If Bianchi is elected mayor again will be qualify for extra benefits as an elected official? He has quite a few years total between council and mayor.
oh yes, his government pension goes up and up.
I’m with you about her handlers. The person behind the throne, B.C. will be the first one along with the GOB.
Remember, 4 years….
When it comes to strong arming voters, nobody beats Jimmy Ruberto’s tactics.
You got that right. His best friend, “Angelo Knows”; knew how to threaten to call in loans if a voter was out of line as well as initiating unexpected code inspections, etc.
Six of one; half a dozen of the other.
Progressive liberal policies of tax and spend are the same no matter who “governs”.
If the GOBs own all the horses in the race, they really don’t care which one you bet on.
Voting for the lesser of two evils is still evil.
Does it really matter what Bianchi says? He will “DO” the same as he’s always done. Tyer has promised a progressive liberal agenda and the GOBs have already given her the nod.
It is not going to happen, Dan Valenti! Pittsfield politics is totally corrupt! Both the lovely Linda Tyer and Dan Bianchi are going to serve the vested interests instead of the people. Every year, for the next 4 years, taxes are going up, spending is going to increase, and the one-half billion dollars in municipal debts or liabilities are going to compound higher. Linda Tyer is using Jimmy Ruberto’s organization to win, while Dan Bianchi comes from the other political camp that has ran Pittsfield politics into the proverbial ditch for generations.
There will never be another Fortune 500 corporation like GE doing business in Pittsfield again. The game is over! Economic development in Pittsfield means poverty, welfare, low-income, part-time jobs, fixed-income Senior Citizens, crime, poorly performing public schools with over 600 children choicing out every year, and a very corrupt, one-party state and local government political system.
Most young adults move out of Pittsfield to find a living wage, full time job to support themselves and their families. If young people stay in Pittsfield, they either end up working for peanuts, going on welfare, or they end up in Sheriff Tom Bowler’s Pittsfield jail.
Senior Citizens on fixed incomes are not keeping up with the sky high municipal taxes in Pittsfield. Home sales and foreclosure rates are increasing in Pittsfield.
Dan Valenti wants the lovely Linda Tyer to take on the vested interests, but it will never happen. She will continue Pittsfield politics downward spiral.
Dan, while I truly appreciate you quoting a blues classic in Little Red Rooster, and I love the Stones more than most people, and their version of the song is definitive; the one I hear in my head when I think of the song, you should attribute the lyrics appropriately. Little Red Rooster was written by Willie Dixon and first performed by Nowlin’ Wolf.
MR G
Thanks. I love Willie Dixon and the Howlin’ Wolf version. First time I hears this song, though, was when the Stones did it. That’s the version I still hear in my mind.
Agreed…but if you quote the lyric, you should still attribute it to the writer. It woulda driven old Willie nuts!
I mean…to be or not to be, that is the question.” Lawrence Olivier?!? He was the definitive speaker of those words, and I hear him saying them when I think of that line…but he didn’t write it! LOL…you can see I’m losing sleep over this.
Sorry, Howlin Wolf.
I think Dan V. should do an entire series on Progressive Democrats and their philosophy. It seems to me that this is the problem with the candidates and the voters in this area and many in the country for that matter. They have embraced this progressive democratic ideology, yes the same one that Obama follows. Unfortunately the whole ideology is about high taxes to support everything they want and they want a lot since their type of government is socialist it means that government needs lots of money to fund all of their programs. To me the whole ideology is flawed and this is the problem with government today. They are even having the Pope put down capitalism and cheerlead for climate change all of which makes me very uncomfortable since to me the Pope should not get involved in politics.
To me this is the conversation we need to be having. Linda Tyer came out at the very beginning of her campaign and proudly announced that she is running as a progressive. Dan Bianchi also seems to be a progressive. We need to know more about the political ideology of these candidates and why they believe it will help people to attain their goals of happiness and fulfillment. It seems to me that progressive politics is at the root of many our current problems and these progressive candidates need to be grilled on this. Nobody has really mentioned anything about this as a potential debate question, but this is crucial to understanding the direction these candidates want to take this city. We need to get it out in the open because I think people will then understand very clearly why these politicians make the decisions they are making.
Couldn’t disagree more Pat. Nationally, many of our economic policies can be traced back to trickle down economics; huge tax cuts for the wealthy that do not trickle down, and to corporate welfare; corporate subsidies. Don’t fear socialism. Capitalism is really already dead, not even dying. It has collapsed under its own weight. It was a fine system, but the game has been rigged over the past 30 years to favor only the wealthy…really the super wealthy. Government is not the problem in the creation of the huge 1% disparity. The wealthy, primarily corporations, taking the government over and profiting profligately from it is the problem. That is what has killed the middle class. Another couple of hundred dollars a year in my pocket or yours at the end of the year would be nice, but it does not create financial mobility or independence. The possibility for real, good-paying jobs, good, sound insurance and reasonably priced high quality goods does that. On the local level, taxes, property taxes are indeed out of control, as is spending. But that has little to do with progressives, safety nets or anything else. Fiscal responsibility, and especially good contract negotiation skills, really are important to city management. We agree on that. But to equate that to larger social and economic issues is not right.
I don’t agree. I do fear socialism. This country can’t sustain it. Progressives talk of equality for people, but don’t live it themselves particularly the very rich progressives. Progressives do not know how to create financial mobility or independence only dependence on government as far as I can see. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that progressive government will not also favor the wealthy because it will and it does. Already under Obamacare the people at the bottom of the food chain do not have the same access to quality healthcare as those at the top. I have seen this happen and to me it doesn’t bode well for a fair system of healthcare.
The Mayor cannot really do much without city Clowncil authority and the school budget is always pretty much set, other than dismantling jobs, the mayor is constrained, thus increases in taxes every year. neither candidate brings much to the table, but the incumbent does have flaws, one in particular ( and Tyer should run with it) was the comment for good weather after some sixty odd accidents happened during a storm.
I must admit, Mr. Bianchi is a know master debater
Yeah, Tes’s comment must have been an aberration.Right Sara?
@Dave. Out someone so Bianchi can seek revenge, never. Do you know anyone on Elm or Williams? If so call them and ask,
Yep, the Bianchi camp is very vindictive.