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THE BB ONCE AGAIN SHILLS FOR THE SUITS; MEANWHILE, MORE EVIDENCE THAT THE BEACON IS A BAD RISK

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BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

Part Three of a Series

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016) — So much for The “new” Boring Broadhseet. The pitiful rag shoved it to citizens by showing its first loyalty is to The Suits, dutifully printing a gushing lead story on Page One yesterday about what a superlative idea it will be to grant five more years of tax breaks to multimillionaire Richard Stanley. While The BB was glorifying the fattening of an overstuffed but malnourished and failing Beacon Cinema, THE PLANET was digging up more of the REAL story.

THE BB

Not all is harmonious in the newsroom. The hopes of a new era each day recede into the mists. The reality has hit in the newsroom that local owners of The BB know nothing about running a newspaper. They know even less about journalism. Meet the new bosses. Worse than the old bosses. They got The BB’s distressed properties for pennies on the dollar and with it bragging rights at the Stockbridge Country Club. That’s OK for playing the big shot, but it does little for the community’s reasonable hopes for a crusading local daily.

THE PLANET heard from one of our newsroom sources, who spoke of an editorial meeting that mentioned our coverage of The Beacon’s request. We’re putting 2+2 together. (a) The BB has their meeting. (b) THE PLANET has rankled Important People. (c) The next day, The BB presents coverage so propagandistic that it fails as journalism. PR, puff, and cheerleading yes. Journalism, no. It’s clear that someone from city hall, or at least a water carrier between city hall and Stanley, sent orders to The BB to counter THE PLANET’s coverage.

THE BLUE-COLLAR

Meanwhile, THE PLANET heard from a recent former employee of The Beacon, who spoke to us about working conditions there. She said Stanley was rarely to be seen and complained of management’s poor treatment of employees. She cited as an example the order for Beacon staff to search pocketbooks, backpacks, and any bags to check for smuggled in refreshments. Staff resisted to no avail. The former staffer said that following the check policy, attendance at The Beacon dropped significantly.

She said staff repeatedly went to management about issues such as the cleanliness of bathrooms, lack of supplies, and, one one occasion, a emergency exit that was either blocked of locked. Each time the complaints were dismissed, said said. These claims align neatly with other reports of poor customer service at The Beacon. We have lost count of people who have told us that they tried the venue once or twice, only to swear never to go back again.

THE BOOKS

Another source familiar with The Beacon’s finances shared the belief that the venture “has not been profitable [in the nearly nine years] of operation. The Beacon has not once met its estimates of revenue or its projections of attendance. Folks will recall the grand promises … that it would bring 250,000 additional people to downtown Pittsfield. That has not happened, obviously.”

We asked how the city council — or anyone else, for that matter — could decide on facts and not fiction if a continued five years of tax breaks are in order for The Beacon. Answer: “The only way to know for sure is to open up the books.”

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The pattern is clear, for it has happened time and again with so many of the “quasi-public-private” projects: EV Worldwide, WorkshopLive!, Spice Restaurant, The Beacon. Citizens will once again have no say, even though they disapprove. It was the same way with the new high school project that The Suits shoved down your throats. Resign yourselves, ladies and gentleman. They’re going to do it again.

It’s clear the city council needs to deny this request.

It’s also clear that in Pittsfield, the game is rigged.

——————————————————————————————-

“Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina.”Marty Robbins, “El Paso,” (1959).

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

The views expressed in the comment section or opinions published within the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not those of PLANET VALENTI or endorsed in any way by PLANET VALENTI; this website reserves the right to remove any comment which violates its Rules of Conduct, and it is not liable for the consequences of any posted comment as provided in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and PLANET VALENTI’s terms of service.

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amandaWell
amandaWell
7 years ago

Remember the famous quote from the Councilor who is now on the conservation commission, pun inteneded….Quite frankly was the one of the easiest votes I’ve taken as a City Councilor’, if that wasn’t enough, he tried to increase the Pay of City Councilors…good friend of Clairmont and Tyer. This is all relevant, to the Stanley bonus as to who voted for this in 2008, Roberto re-incarnation is an appropriate term. The biggest joke of that night was Deanna Ruffer chiming in from who knows where to affirm the tif also.

amandaWell
amandaWell
7 years ago

Intended….

dusty
dusty
7 years ago

This city denies its people the right to a fair deal. Our options are limited. But if boycotting any business or venues makes you feel good by all means do it. I know I am and will continue to do so. And it does feel great.

If that theater went out of business he would not need tax breaks and the people on social security would not need to support him. They could keep that money for their medicine or even food.

Sonny
Sonny
7 years ago

Isn’t it time this city hired a real police chief ? Someone who would feel he is answerable to his real boss the taxpayer. Not some hidden agenda mayor. Most of these punks are government sponsored in one way or the other (welfare-section 8 housing-food stamps- healthcare) Time for this blue state to change a lot of their giving practices. So many cities from here to Boston have become hell holes. This ghetto crap is not fair
to the honest hard working people trying to live and raise their families the right way. Soon the real estate will plummet in Pittsfield. The school exodus has begun Lenox, Adams etc.
Now families will just move to Dalton, Richmond, Lenox, etc.
Sad to see this once great city implode!