PITTSFIELD’s DISASTROUS ‘BIG BANG’ LEADS TO THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH SEEPING OUT
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2016) — You might have heard about …
- A creeper in a van tries to pick up a middle-schooler.
- A man who can’t get a taco at that noted spot for gourmands, Taco Bell, backs out in a rage and, like the Big Bad Wolf wishes he could do, destroys a brick building.
- The local population continues to plummet.
These are just three of the many items bubbling up through the Pittsfield ground like popping domes of liquid toxin seeping at a dump site. For years, The Suits have wall-papered over the city’s systemic problems, each one of which can be traced back to a single cause, the city’s “Big Bang,” if you will. THE PLANET speaks of the destruction of the local economy, highlighted by the loss of 20,000 manufacturing jobs from GE, Sprague Electric, the woolen mills, Beloit Jones, Sheaffer Eaton, and other industrial hubs.
‘All is Well,’ They Kept Telling You
For 30 years, city “leaders” and “representatives” have been pretending that all is well. We’ve lost count of all the ersatz jobs initiative, dozens of them, that come and go like the women talking of Michelangelo. The Berkshire Jobs Corps, the Pittsfield Economic Recovery Initiative, PEDA, PISSAH, the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board, Berkshire (Don’t) Works, Berkshire Jobs 4 Youth, the Disability Employment Initiative, 1Berkshire, 2Berkshire, 3Berkshire, 4Berkshire, the Chamber of Commerce, the Pittsfield Fake-a-Job Agency, and the like. We’ve lost track.
During that generation, as We The People abandoned our posts due to apathy, indifference, ignorance, or plain trying to survive, The Suits have picked the store clean for themselves. That’s how you get municipal jobs that bring in high five and low six-figure salaries. That’s how you end up with city employees and retirees slurping the pyramid of benefits added, without objection, to contract after contract of The Big Three unions, led by the Pittsfield School Department.
With the money they’re making — and endless line of top administrative staff led by Supt. Jason “Jake” JIV McCandless at $157,000 a year ($200K counting bennies) — why would they want to acknowledge the truth? Funny thing is, though, when things get bad enough, truth cannot be hidden nor can subterfuge provide a strong enough barrier to contain it. It begins to spill out like a toxic leak, so that even the apologists have a hard time dishing with a straight face.
A ‘Tipping Point’ Budget?
Pittsfield is in the process now of preparing one of the most important budgets in city history. THE PLANET won’t call it a Tipping Point spending plan, but it will be close. If the city grants, for example, the millions more for which Supt. JIV is asking, Mayor Linda Tyer will have sent a message loud and clear: Taxpayers will continue to be slaughtered while the fattened calf gets fed fried butter balls.
In an effort to find out what The Lovely Linda is thinking, THE PLANET asked her the following:
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Can you tell me where you are in terms of budget preparation?
What are your assumptions as you prepare the FY17 plan?
Do you expect that the school department will have to take one for the team this year, given the dire conditions of the finances?
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The answers shall prove to be, in not definitive, at least indicative.
Citizens, Are You Ready to Fight Back?
How about when the school committee takes up JIV’s multimillion dollar request in more money, a L-A-R-G-E group of ordinary citizens shows up, en masse, and makes their presence known? Would you like that? Well, you can make it happen. Yes, you. Same when our Right Honorable Good Friends on the city council take up the school budget. Who’s in? We can call it the Tax Equity Network (TEN), and it could be built quickly via social messaging, phone calls, and word of mouth — one tells two, two tells four, four tells eight and so on.
Would you be willing to take at least one night “taking one for the team?” Anyone who is willing to organize, let THE PLANET know.
Remember, no matter what the school committee passes on to the mayor, no matter what the mayor passes on the the city council, our Right Honorable Good Friends can cut, cut, cut.
Ah, but will they?
Tomorrow, THE PLANET shall share the insides of the new deal teachers just signed with the school committee. THE PLANET and THE PLANET alone has previously published some of this information. Due to its shocking nature and the proximity of budget season, it bears repeating.
Say it again, “It bears repeating.”
“It bears repeating.”
“It bears repeating.”
“It … ”
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“Love’s in Need of Love Today. Don’t be late. Get yours in right away.” — Stevie Wonder
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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DV…how bout them Orange men AND women?!
The leaders in Pittsfield need to start thinking different. And it needs to start now.
I’ll be there. Boots.
I agree that the local media can no longer wallpaper over how bad things are in Berkshire County, but that doesn’t mean they make any sense when they attempt to portray our current reality. For example in today’s BB editorial the writer states things are bad here in Berkshire County. So far, so good. People are leaving, there are no jobs, but then the editorial states that the new Taconic will bring in families to the area and in the next sentence states that shared services must become accepted by local schools. So on the one hand they are expanding spending by building the new high school, but then they are encouraging cutting back by promoting shared services. Also, I never heard of a new high school attracting families to an area. A thriving economy is what attracts people to live in a certain area.
Hey Marge, I hear they are building a new school in Pittsfield, Ma. Let,s pack up all our belongings and move there. What else do we need to know?
The new THS as an “economic engine.” We are doomed. but I will attend any planned storming of the PSC. Cant organize but will attend.
Thank you for calling out these pathetic attempts at creating jobs in the area. I would give them points for trying, but these were half hearted attempts at best. Berkshire Works should definitely be called “Berkshire (Don’t) Works” because their attempts to get people permanent jobs can only succeed when there are actual jobs in the area.
I will go to the school committee meetings as should all others on this board. The Pittsfield schools have used this tactic for years. They will show up in huge groups at budget time to force their outrageous budgets to be passed. The Pittsfield school people do not care about the ultimate fate of this city. They only care about their own personal finances.
do I not recall that the City Council reserved for itself the ability to ADD to the School Dept.Budget in case a “bad” mayor tried to cut the budget as submitted by the School Committee?
You are correct “southeast”. I think we can see where this is going!
Along with the gangs and drug activities, add the PSD and PSC to the list of those endangering our city. They more than anything else are destroying this city.
The school budget is an outrage to struggling taxpayers and the PSC blatantly rubber stamps everything.
And we will be lucky if we hear just one whimper from our weak city council.
Pay attention to the ACRSD. Cheshire is continually at their levy limit – forcing District wide cuts (there is a formula, so a cut in the lower paying Town forces cuts to the higher paying town).
This may be the salvation of Pittsfield since what are the chances of an override vote succeeding in Pittsfield? Maybe this (like a State takeover of the District) is the only way we will see the system and the tax burden right sized.
In Sunday’s Boston Globe, there was a story about Lawrence MA. A City on the North Shore with 80,000 people. Their municipal budget (including schools) is $94 million. Now I don’t know how many miles of streets they have, if they provide garbage pick up, or how much park land and public buildings they have – but I do know that they spend about $55 million per year less than we do…
Yeah Cheshire was told it had to up their payment and voted to raise the limit, but low and behold a drop in assessments and there is a $220,000 surplus. The town administrator thought the town’s assessment from the district would raise by nearly 150,000 when it fact in came in $220,000 lower. The vote for the tax levy was not even needed. You really think they will use the surplus to ease the tax levy? Me either. They got the money can open and noooo way are they going to close it.
I’d like to be there Dan. Has the meeting been scheduled?
One example of this nonsense that makes me crazy is an add to this years budget for $229,000. This is a substantial chunk of the more than two million bucks they want to increase. This amount is for three positions (!!!!), community coordinator, at Crosby, Morningside, and Conte. Not sure why the other schools don’t have them nor am I sure what their jobs are.
In any case, Behnke said that these positions have been in the system “for years” but have previously been grant funded. These grants are no longer available so they want the positions added to the budget. Behnke says “it’s not an add to the district…we’re just paying for it in a different way.”
Umm…yes, it’s an add!!! I’ve worked for nonprofits. When the grant is no longer available, the position goes or the project shuts down unless another source of funding is found. Chances are those grants are no longer given because the positions are no longer necessary or the program was ineffective. That’s an awful lot of money for three positions. More administrative horsesh*t!
Horse sh*t and Behnke go together like lust and marraige.
School committee just approved renewing her contract until 2021. Must be nice. Wonder how many more raises she’ll get?
Biggest success story in Pittsfield right now is General Dynamics. Funny thing is there growth had nothing to do with any of the groups Dan mentioned above. Also we didn’t even have to give them a hand out.
Well, we do give them a hand out – they rent the entire facility from the Navy for a dollar a year has always been the common discussion about why they stay. But that is true, the folks who really do grow, never use those groups. they never ask for a dime and never tell you when they are cutting back either.
Well the city of Pittsfield had to help out some of the starving business owners. The poor guy that owns the Beacon theater had to have a tax break. Same with Haddad car dealership. Same with Spice restaurant. Same with Hotel North. Just to name a few. So between these tax breaks for millionaires and the dozens of so called non profits which pay NO taxes at all the burden is shifted to the blue collar sucker and the senior citizen on a fixed income. Not a very user friendly city I would say. Why the hell would anyone move here?
Oh I forgot….they are getting a new school and people all over the country will be selling their homes at a loss just to come here.
Can’t fix a stupid mindset like that..
The not for profiting the people, the government for the few, the family contractors and the regional hierarchy of confusion, they do not want to work together. They do not want a serious discussion of how to move forward. Thy do not want regional consolidation. Why? Streamlining services and reducing and consolidating costs is contrary to their missions of skimming funding off the top to pay for $100k+ salaries and trickling the crumbs down to the people that would benefit from the services. They are all culpable.
The charities, the governments, the districts, the public safety forces. They are all complicit because it pays hefty salaries for those in charge. They flog the workers, the people that choose the professions for the silly notion of good for a community or a cause, to take their cut and pay them selves immensely. The audits are a joke (make the management notes public). These narcissists are so blind to their titles and their pay that they are willing to sacrifice not just the common taxpayer, but the neediest residents in the Berkshires.
You want to complain about salaries? Look at the brass for BREB, OneBerkshire, the UnitedWay, BRPC, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, BCAC, BerkshireWorks, the register of deeds (really, multiple offices when everything should be electronic?) PEDA, etc. McCandless, although unpopular, may seem like a bargain. Note the local franchise of the Red Cross folded, likely because BHS cornered the market on blood donations.
Might jus as well throw in BCC where 17 people make over $100,000. President knocks down $194,500 and has 5 vice-presidents to help her. They only graduate about 250 a year yet claim 6000 students.
And that president lives in Williamstown and is on the Pittsfield school building needs committee…..and we have Bouvier who doesn’t send her kids to school in Pittsfield but is on the same committee….Let’s not forget Warren Dews who lives in Hinsdale and is on the committee as well. Why are these people on this committee? Bianchi put them there and Tyer keeps them there. Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture?
We should be prepared with questions at open mike also, no? Remember when Mirs. Behnke took Mr. Clairmont to the woodshed, it wasn’t pretty. These contracts are pretty narrow as to the way they get funded as much as the cost to fund them. There was a gentleman who used to speak at Budget time, his last name escapes me, last name with a C. maybe he could show up and speak.
How about that guy whose last name begins with G? Helping to organize this would seem to be perfectly suited for The Big Wiz!
all lower case, his last name and first name g——c—-@gmail.com or call him he’s in the book
So that’s gregcaetani@gmail.com?
yes
That’s incorrect BF last name followed by first name is correct
I’m shocked that senior gentleman is not using AOL.
Do you think Behnke can defend her obscene raise?
One thing’s for sure, she won’t go on with DV!
When is this school committee meeting ?
February 10
February 24
March 9
March 23
April 13
April 27
May 11
May 25
June 8*
June 22*
July 13*
August 17*
All meetings will begin at 6:00 P.M. and will be held in the Pittsfield High School Library with the exception of those designated with an asterisk(*). These meetings will be held at City Hall in the City Council Chambers.
For all meetings, agendas and notes may be reached at:
School Committee Files
Agendas and Meeting Minutes will no longer be posted separately on this page.
Then I wonder where the F we can find the minutes.
Posted the link below. I hope it works.
Yes it does. See pdf from 3/23.
Trollup
Even wealthy communities with high median incomes could not afford to run their municipalities the way Pittsfield does. Each and every year, Pittsfield adds about 5% to its budget, which compounds higher and higher in cost. Pittsfield also adds millions of dollars on its debts, which hover in the one-half billion dollar range. Pittsfield’s finances are unsustainable.
The lovely Linda Tyer is a G.O.B. girl. She is going to manage Pittsfield politics the same way it has been mismanaged for the past 4 plus decades.
Pittsfield cannot afford to pay for a new Taconic High School. Within the next 5 to 10 years, Pittsfield politics will go financially insolvent. The writing is on the wall for a future bankruptcy in Pittsfield.
Dan Valenti points all of these sad facts out to the people of Pittsfield, but the G.O.B. refuses to listen to him.
I’m not sure where the budget stands now after reading the meeting minutes from March 9 but it appears to be with the Mayor. The next SC meeting is 4/13 @ City Hall but would that even be the appropriate meeting if the school committee has already approved the budget? (It appears that they have … https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1re31yVRHK2RndMNEdIaHM3clE&usp=sharing) I’ll wait to see what DV says.
Behnke buried Barry in a amateur presentation and after crafting the budget already with this Mayor at meetings, it will be easy pickings for the ( Bank).
Now Barry is being appointed to the PEDA board. WOW
The hell with a vote, already under way at Taconic.
Let’s Boycott Taconic this weekend, what do you say?
You gotta check out the License Board Meeting on at 18 PCTV.
There’s a Dance Floor at Lach’s?
Could we do a protest outside city hall? Nice little mall there. Get a camera crew in from Albany and Springfield TV stations. Have some fact sheets to hand out to any news outlets that show up. and a knowledgeable spokesperson so the message gets out in a clear and concise manner.
Expect an intimidating police presence courtesy of the GOB to discourage future democratic gatherings.
Great idea. The mall in front of city hall. I would make it for sure. Anyone else?
Sounds good to me johnny. Now all we need is a knowledgeable spokesperson. DV put out the call for someone to contact him about organizing this. Hopefully that will happen.
Time to walk that talk!
Yes. I do not have the time to organize this, but if someone (or a committee of someones) steps forward, I would help with planning and logistics.
Let’s go for it
PCTV will be the only media to cover such shenanigans.
Yes there is. And they have instituted a new management plan. You’ve got to give them credit. It’s a facility with great tradition as said by Carmen (the chair) Massimiano.
The owner of Lach’s did what they wanted so restore the hours and party at Lach’s. One of Pittsfield’s premier Bars !
Economic Engine Bulletin !!! The Lovely Linda Tyer under the guise of seeking racial diversification has just appointed that consummate ball of energy and prominent business developer, Churchill Cotton to the PEDA board. She also appointed her beau, Barry Clairmont to the same PEDA board and also Chris Gallo to the same board who is a friend of none other than one of Tyer’s campaign managers, the omnipresent, Christina Barrett, vice chairperson of this same PEDA board. None are from Pittsfield as are the majority of the board members of the so-called Pittsfield Economic Development Authority (PEDA), including its executive director. These three new appointees in sum total with the known political camp alligiances of the former existing Ruberto appointees, give the Ruberto/Tyer coalition GOB majority control of PEDA, very similar to the existing controlling faction of the city council.
It now makes sense that Gerry Doyle and Ruberto were seeking direction on obtaining real estate licenses in anticipation of the disposition of the former GE property, Garry Grunin and big box store consultants; you’re in like flint just like the rest of the cabal.
Same stool different day.
you mean Barry no longer lives n Pittsfield? Church Cotton no longer lives here either?
I also heard that former councilor Tuttle was going to be named to the airport commission. I guess because of his experience as a pilot. .
Barrett and Cotton live n Pittsfield but who the hell is Chris Gallo?
Way to be racist.
The Mayor is not on the P E D A Board. Not for a Box Store Mayor. The jobs aren’t sustainable and don’t intend to pad someones finder fee.
Please clarify and expound. No one said that Mayor Tyer sits on the PEDA board. Former Mayor Bianchi did indeed sit on the board. Tyer elected not to, Bianchi’s vacant seat is one of the three filled by Tyer. Explain ” sustainable”; this is a uncompensated volunteer board. It’s their vote on issues and projects that matters. Who said anything about finders fees ? Are you privy to some esoteric information ? Intentions ???
T.S. Elliot said;” Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions”.
GOB SIGS are recruited on a daily basis. Kapanski is doomed.
R E T R E A D S……
Why is the population declining in Pittsfield/Berkshire County?
Because there are no living wage jobs, unless you are connected to the G.O.B., of course.
Or you don’t depend on social services. Even vets services.
God help all of us Kapanskis.
I just got a robo call from TRICIA asking how I felt about her sponsored bill allowing illegal aliens to get a drivers license. IS SHE CRAZY????????????????
How about asking before you put forth the bill.
Got the same robocall tonight. Wonder who is behind it though.
There you have it, a rotoscope of what’s ailing Pittsfield. The city is sinking economically, but its “Rep” wants to get illegals drivers’ licenses and give transgenders the right to piss in the opposite’s powder room. Anybody but her.
How about you all get incensed about issues that matter and not these political distractions.
Off topic-ish, but Friday night in Pittsfield was maybe the most violent since July 4th, yet no mention of it in the BB. A drug bust on one of the streets off Linden, a shooting on Appleton Ave, where of course, the shooters escaped, a huge car chase and manhunt on Linden unrelated to the drug bust—ended with an SUV driving through someone’s house. Of course, this was all reported, with some photogrqaphs, on social media, so maybe these things didn’t really happen… But seriously, the BB should be on top of these stories.
The BB? Really?
Behnke will meet her match when the Wiz shows up for the next SC MEETING. Start preparing now Kristen……but it won’t really do yo any good…..good luck hack.
kristen
Some Pittsfied demographics………
The median income for a household in the city was $35,655, and the median income for a family was $46,228. Males had a median income of $35,538 versus $26,341 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,549. About 8.9% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Benkhe can/t bullshit her way around that.
CG can bullshit driving his yacht around his bathtub.
Exactly what is your purpose in making such an ignorant statement?
Thanks to Mr. V and this wonderful blog!
Thanks, MADAME!