GUYER-GATE: RESIGNATION LEAVES MANY QUESTIONS … SHOULDN’T THERE BE AN INVESTIGATION? WAS HE DRIVEN OUT BY NEFARIOUS INTERESTS? IS THE DEPARTMENT HOPELESSLY CORRUPT? CITIZENS WANT, DESERVE ANSWERS
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
We begin with this advert. It involves a new book, CHASING WILLIE MAYS by Paul Kocak. Full disclosure: THE PLANET was heavily involved in the editing and revision. We also wrote the Introduction. If you like memoirs, you’ll love CHASING WILLIE MAYS. Full information here: Press Release (Kocak)
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION NOV. 18-20, 2016) — Was the resignation of Denis Guyer an inside hatchet job designed to get rid of a good manager out to reform a bad department, or did the exit occur for reasons justified by Guyer’s unprofessional behavior on the job? THE PLANET has heard both versions now, in person from Guyer and supporters and electronically by those who seem gleeful at his ouster.
Which is it? Good man sunk by bad politics or unqualified manager in over his head? Cut to the chase: Until a full investigation airs the dirty laundry, from what we know now and pending discovery of new information that convinces us otherwise — to which, incidentally, THE PLANET shall gladly give light of day should it come our way — it appears that Guyer got railroaded by political subterfuge set in motion the moment Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer announced him as her pick to head the awkwardly named Building & Grounds Maintenance Department (B&GM), what used to be the DPW.
And while The Rutberg Boring Broadsheet (The RBB) ran a lame inside B-section story about Guyer’s resignation, purloined in whole cloth from THE PLANET without credit, we kept digging. The deeper we dug, the more buried toxins we found. Incidentally, the editors ought to know that stealing a story is literary theft — plagiarism, they call it in the biz — although we questions whether any of them dare complain. Yes, the reign of terror is in full swing there, too, at least according to our trusted newsroom sources.
Now let us go then, you and THE PLANET, and learn more about a story that has come to symbolize the utter dysfunction that poison politics have inflicted on our once great little city.
Guyer ‘Tried to Set a New Tone’
He “decided to resign to protect his reputation,” said a well-placed city source who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity. “Denis had just come over from Jane Iredale [Cosmetics]. His five years there were mostly spent supervising the company’s move to its new headquarters in Great Barrington, the old school there. He did a great job. Ask them over there. They’ll tell you. What happened to him after he joined the city shouldn’t happen to anybody. They didn’t give him a chance. They were like a bunch of ravenous wolves.”
Another source with intimate knowledge of the B&GM department, another “Guyer guy,” told THE PLANET: “Denis made some mistakes. He admits that. He admitted that to you [THE PLANET], but he came in [to the job] tried to set a new tone for what he saw — some good workers being screwed by incompetence, laziness, and corruption [in the department]. He had been told it was bad, but he didn’t realize how bad. You have supervisors and others in the department taking ‘lunches’ that go on for hours. There’s drinking on the job. There’s abuse of city vehicles and smart phones, including surfing porn on city equipment and city time. You got people out doing personal errands — groceries, trips to the pharmacy, stuff like that. There will probably a lot of scrubbing of hard drives going on once this gets out. If a private business ran this way, it’d go belly up in a month. There’s no doubt in my mind that certain individuals in and out of the department wanted Denis out and saw to it that it happened. They got what they wanted.”
“Certain individuals?” Specifically, who. Our source shook his head, smiled and uneasy smile, and wouldn’t say. We saw the fear.
THE PLANET asked how many allies Guyer had in the department? Answer: “Plenty although they have been intimidated by all this. They are afraid to speak out, even with the mayor on his side. [The mayor] took a hit because of this, but I’m hoping she brings in someone who will finish the job Denis had just begun. Fat chance, probably. Job One is getting rid of the corruption. We have good people [in the department] and they’re getting screwed .”
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Daisy: ‘Singing a Different Tune’
The other side was represented and typified by Daisy in a comment to THE PLANET. She wrote:
| What an interesting article. It’s too bad it left out some of the truth about Mr. Guyer. His so called comments that he said were just shop talk and “letting loose” were sexist, discriminating, unprofessional, snide and degrading. I am certain that if you knew the exact nature of the comments you would be singing a different tune.If one reads any rules or descriptions of work place harassment, one would see that what he said and did fall exactly into the lines of this type of harassment. A very serious situation. While there seems to be a negative connotation on the documenting of the comments, it is actually fortunate that they were documented. Anyone should know that if you are trying to prove the truth, you must have exact documentation.He seems to be portrayed as the victim here, when in reality he is not anywhere close to being a victim. He did not just discriminate and disrespect against”the brothers”, he also victimized other employees in the office. There are witnesses to back these facts up.Harassment and rudeness can ruin job satisfaction of fellow workers, as well as lead to emotional turmoil and work productivity.While it is unfortunate that he suffered losses in his family, his actions and discriminating comments began well before these losses occurred and continued long after. If he was so distraught, he should have sought help to deal with his emotions and grief.This should not be a “witch hunt” in search of those that were brave enough to come forward and say NO to further abuse. Everyone involved needs time to heal. He was wrong. He was unprofessional. He took advantage of his position and power. He has hurt his own political career. He should “man up” and admit the truth and if he can not then he should seek guidance to deal and prevent this from occurring in his next position. |
Fair enough, Daisy. We allowed your say. Now THE PLANET invites you, Daisy, to contact us privately. Let’s meet. We want to hear it live and in real time, in person, so we can ask questions and see the evidence. You’ve made strong accusations here. Can you back them up? If so, we’re all ears. THE PLANET shall be keeping watch for your response. As always, we can provide protection and confidence. We have never betrayed a source and we won’t start now. We honestly want to hear your side. Failing to respond to this invitation can be, and likely will be, taken as a sign that the evidence just isn’t there.
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Marchetti Hides Behind ‘It’s a Personnel Matter’
One city official did go on the record — though he didn’t say much. City council president Peter Marchetti told THE PLANET, “I do not know all the details and understand it is a sensitive personnel matter. Since I don’t know the details, I would prefer not to discuss it. I want to avoid the rumor mill.”
Thanks, Peter — for next to nothing. We understand hiding behind the “personnel matter,” but doesn’t the council have any interest in finding out the truth? Don’t you? The august body that you head has investigatory powers. Use them.
You are council PRESIDENT, for Bog’s sake. The city is abuzz with rumor, and whatever confidence We The People have in city government is rapidly waning. Or is that what you want? Do you want to drive apathy and helpless anger with your combination of tax hikes, declining service, and the pretense of “Everything’s great!” That does allow the hijacking of local elections year after year so that the con game can continue, doesn’t it? THE PLANET, on behalf of all the common citizens you kind of liberalism has demoralized and hosed, want to know if you will act and if not, why?
Councilors, city officials, and others can pretend this is a simple resignation, but it isn’t. Serious charges have been leveled. Guyer may be gone, but does the battery acid leaking into the pores at B&GM needs to be probed. Is GuyerGate just the typical inefficiency you get in all organizational groups, especially in the public sector, or does the problem go much deeper? Don’t city officials owe citizen taxpayers answers?
Tyer: Friendship is in ‘Holding Pattern’
Mayor Linda Tyer also went on the record in an interview with THE PLANET. Tyer said Guyer’s resignation came as a surprise. She also said that the action wasn’t taken under official duress, in other words, he wasn’t given an ultimatum of “resign or get fired.” The mayor confirmed Guyer’s last day of Thursday Nov. 3, although he had stopped reporting for work a couple weeks earlier to preserve his health.
We asked the mayor how Guyer’s resignation affected her personally. She declined to specify (“It’s a personnel matter”), although when pressed, she said her friendship with Guyer “is in a holding pattern” at the moment. That made us wonder why she wasn’t staunchly defending Guyer in light of the accusations? Does she believe they drummed him out with just cause? If not, why wouldn’t she call for an investigation or, better, launch one? THE PLANET fully understands that a mayor — any politician, for that matter — must pick her battles, but if this isn’t one, what is?
Tyer confirmed that she appointed Brian Filiault as acting director of the department, a position he can hold for up to 90 days. She said the job will be posted, with the job description reviewed and rewritten. In light of GuyerGate, THE PLANET invites readers to submit what they think the new job description should include?
Should any mention be made of the city’s and department’s corrosive politics? How about deep division in the work force or supervisors who damn well do what they please? Yes? No? Should there be a line that says, “Crusaders, boat rockers, lovers of justice, and intelligent reformers need not apply” or “Successful applicant must play deaf and dumb.”
One councilor spoke of “getting calls a week ago that Guyer was getting fired. I tried to call and ask the Mayor and she was unavailable. Friday [Nov. 4] the Council got an email informing us that Guyer resigned and that was all the detail given. There was some mention that she and the HR department would be re-evaluating the job description for the Director of Maintenance. But the word on the street was that he was forced to resign for inappropriate talk at work, gay bashing and sexual remarks.”
Again, if that’s so, and we don’t know that it is, we want to see the evidence.
Another source told THE PLANET the corner office is embarrassed about her “golden boy caught being a dirty boy.” THE PLANET asked the mayor, and she sounded like Bill Belichick when a player goes down. It’s “next man up.” Tyer said she has a city to run, and personal feelings must sometimes be put aside. This, she said, was one of those times.
We wonder.
At that, THE PLANET opens The Comment Line. Be smart. Be to the point. Be hard hitting but decent.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
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“Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.” — Ambrose Bierce
“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 that 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.
Be thankful he’s not jumping the shark and hiring some Needham law firm to empty out the rest cash drawer in the Mayor’s office.
I really think this calls for a consultant and a nation wide search. Then we can go ahead and hire a relative and give a hefty pay raise. I am pretty sure that is how it works in Pittsfield Ma.
Then why isn’t he?
Hire someone who can respect the work that people do.Both schools and City hire people that have very low self esteem and all to often a great need to have people bow down to their ignorance. Just look into the eyes of a school teacher and you will see a very depressed person who has lost all ability to think on their own.The number one reason is almost every person in charge is not qualified to lead and that’s when low self esteem shows up as harassment.If you look at every city department there is a guy or gal harrassing somebody.
If school teachers are depressed and cannot think on their own they only have their union and themselves to blame. Find it hard to believe someone who only works 183 days a year and gets paid 60k with incredible bennies has any any reason to feel depressed – unless they feel guilty about shafting the taxpayers.
60k + bennies still isn’t enough to teach in Pittsfield. Mosul is a more attractive destination.
Who believes that the now President elect will embolden more ignorance in the workplace as I believe will happen.Pittsfield employment is about people making their unqualified boss keep his job and that is all.Why do you think the pittsfield schools just piss money away…..that wasted money is to cover up the failings of the unqualified people in charge.Inspite of what is glossed over your pittsfield schools are a complete mess.
Who believes that Pittsfield department heads will be less likely to deal with bad apples now that they see how easily a mutiny can be pulled off?
Know this…..Mrs Yon was a teacher and lives in a fantasy world where she believes this romantic view that teachers save lives.So if you believe this nonsense then you can not be a good overseer of the department .That is what it is ,just another department that should do a great job.Every department in pittsfield is totally understaffed doing a good job and schools are completely overstuffed and overpaid.
I drove by the Mercer building 3 times yesterday. Once at 8;30. Each time there were people sitting outside smoking their cigarettes. You almost have to be working for the school department to be able to afford cigarettes.
Oh my!
Of course they ban taxpayers from smoking on city property, but the masters can do whatever they want, and have their healthcare paid for life
I drove by 3 times and didn’t see anyone sitting outside smoking. I think you would find that most school department workers don’t smoke.
prolly just some of the local deplorable s my bad
No…Must agree with hey hey….I travel past Mercer several times a day and in almost every instance there are people on the picnic table in the 1st Street doorway smoking cigarettes- usually 2 or 3 older females who are obviously employees of the building. One day, I saw the same 3 smoking there on 3 separate occasions throughout the day.
If ya got em, smoke em.
The job description should include, but not limited to: The candidate should possess a Construction Supervisors License, have experience supervising tradesmen, have a good understanding of how commercial buildings mechanical systems operate, functional computer skills, ability to manage a budget, should have decent people skills.
This would be a good start.
You expect to find that in the Berkshires then pay them peanuts? ha
You are right, Dan. My contact at City Hall, who I find to be honest and trustworthy (even though we may differ on issues) tells me that the atmosphere at City Hall is one of distrust and fear. They are afraid that anything they might say or do will be noted by the PC police lurking nearby (i.e. brothers).
Who wants to work in that environment?
There is much of what the mayor says that doesn’t ring true. Is she protecting the wrong people because of threats?
PC police as in not being racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory in a workplace as required by Federal workplace protection laws?
That’s the thing. It’s policy. It’s all laid out. And by the way, when did it become politically correct not to be politically correct?
With a department this broken the next logical step is to have an auditor go in there and stick a microscope up everyone’s business. If a generalist like Guyer was able to find that much waste in a few months there’s probably a lot more room for improvement. How about drug testing and sobriety on the clock testing while we’re at it? These guys will wish they had potty mouth Dennis back.
Guyer as a lawmaker and a management position in the city has to sign papers that say he’s been to workshop on what is not allowed by a boss in a position of power.No excuses….state rep,private business manager,head of buildings….he gets no free pass .This guy was a Law maker.The guy there now knows how to run things.
Curtis….Behnke….Rush…
All hired by Yon and Taylor and Elias are very unqualified.
These people cost the city millions in wasted money.Curtis buys a school program 1 year at 400k just to throw it out in less than a year.He buys another and another and another trying to make himself look good.He has no clue what he’s doing.Behnke has 9 people in her purchasing department.That is more people than the building department has to fix all over 100 buildings
9 people wow…wonder how many of them are related
Curtis needs to be shown the back of the woodshed. You wont find a single teacher who likes working under him. All he cares about is data, data, data and his approaches/demands are horribly impractical. I had two family members quit PPS and go to other districts simply because they hated dealing with him regarding programs and evaluations. He got that job because he had good knee pads and lasted longer than anyone else “applying”
My. Guyer ran up and into an ambush. It’s as simple as that. I’m waiting for the mayor to come out with more than “It’s a personnel ” matter.
What will it take? My home assessment magically rose. Means my taxes are going up and by more than 4.6%. Market value of same house. Falling like a stone in Berry Pond.
70 homes sold or were foreclosed on in Pittsfield in October alone. These are the survivors who read the tea leaves and bailed before they lost everything. The rest of us may lose everything
get a clue people these people left for a reason
I wonder what kind of hit they took with the pricing? seeing as how valuations have apparently improved
This isn’t just about Dennis Guyer. It’s about a corrupt dept. that has allowed and condoned unacceptable behavior by it’s employees. And because of Guyer’s leaving, it’s all coming out now.
This would never be tolerated in the private sector.
And to think that my taxes that just went up are paying their salaries!
It’s time for the mayor to “clean house”. Let’s see if she does!
Doesn’t the City have a Human Resourcc dept?
That is a personnel issue question and cannot be discussed. Even though the taxpayers pay these people salary they are protected from public scrutiny if they mess up. A cloak of obscurity built into the system to protect corrupt public officials.
Being an idiot is far from corruption.
I thought smoking was prohibited at any of the Public Offices or Schools?
Denis Guyer is a politician who is known to hurt people with gossip, rumors, inappropriate language, and anti-Semitic remarks. I was told that Denis Guyer said mean-spirited and spread vicious rumors against me over the years. He allegedly said that my mental illness is due to my love for a Jewish woman from Otis, and that all I ever did was stalk her. Denis Guyer did not tell people that the woman, who lived in Becket, was married in 2002, and that I agreed to never contact her again after the matter was resolved at the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office in the Fall of 1999 when I was 24 years old. I will never harm this woman or any other person. I never hurt this woman or any other person. Denis Guyer made me out to be a monster. I believe that Denis Guyer was one of Luciforo’s many bullies who have hurt me since I was 20 years old in the Spring of 1996. Nuciforo hurts people by conspiratorially using other people’s fingerprints without leaving behind his own fingerprints. For over 2 decades, Nuciforo has used people to hurt me and my family, while no one has apologized to me during all of the time that has passed. Nuciforo is the inbred, dark prince of Pittsfield politics. His late-Aunt, Anne Everest Wojtkowski, was a former Pittsfield Mayor and BCC Professor. Nuciforo’s late Uncle, Tom Wojtkowksi, was a Pittsfield State Rep. Luciforo’s late-father, was a former Pittsfield State Senator and Probate Court Judge. Nuciforo used his political power to hurt people like me and my family instead of helping people. Nuciforo got into trouble for his conflict of interest with big banks and wealthy Boston area insurance companies. Nuciforo wanted to oust Congressman John Olver to be the financial lobby’s special interest Congressman from Pittsfield. He ended up losing to Congressman Richie Neal, who also collects a lot of lobbyist money from the financial industry. But that is Northeast politics: Wall Street, big banks, wealthy insurance companies, and other financial interests. The irony is that most of the area doesn’t benefit from the Haves profiting while the have-nots pound sand.
I don’t know about anyone else but it’s of no surprise to me that there is corruption and that department . I believe it’s been going on for a long time .
I don’t know about anyone else but I’m getting tired of seeing Peter White posting every single move he makes during the day . Who cares if you’re stopping for breakfast coffee or anything else of that nature
The scary part about White is that the virtual life he leads on Facebook seems to be more vital to him that his actual life. Perhaps Peter is an advanced hologram and not real at all. He wins “Most Useless” award on this council, and that’s saying a ton, son.
I so agree Dan
I think the facebook thing is never ending campaigning for Whizzer White.
Thank got the real water whizzer can’t figure out social media.
General Flynn was a paid speaker at a dinner hosted by Vlad Putin. True
The assessment of the current tax rate on property and commercial should be illegal. The assessment calculation is correct to fit what the City needs. The assessments are too high. The average single family increase is about $150.00
The property should have zero increase with lowering the overall current tax rate, homes have gone down, in my opinion. Chris Connell of all people should know this.
I agree
Good luck with that, all law enforcement is done by people who live off taxes
Tax and Spend Connell was too busy trying to get to Beacon Hill to worry about your tax bill.
I think this is another issue of the truth having at least three sides. If there is any place in City Government where the so called “locker-room talk” is accepted and encouraged – that department would be high on the list. I doubt that anyone was really offended, but hey – if it’s out there, it’s a great way to stir the pot and get what you want if the offender is someone you want to be rid of.
Maintaining City properties is a tough job. Working in the schools takes place during these narrow windows of time where you aren’t interrupting or putting the kids or other users of the buildings at risk. Finding folks who want to work nights doing the work is tough especially when the pay for the tradesmen employed is less than market, even with the union. What makes it up is the bennies, but you also need to be someone who has a high tolerance for the backroom b.s. that accompanies any Government job.
I would say that it starts by Guyer wanting the guys to do “more” and work faster. We all should and would, but I have learned that the pace of these places has been long established. It is true in Government that the workers set the pace and that managers manage the chaos. It doesn’t help that 11 City Counselors upend legitimate priorities to make sure their pet projects get done or that one screaming constituent gets what they want, even of it is unreasonable. it’s hard to tell a tax payer that their request makes no sense – even if it’s the truth. And since elected officials have the tiniest of balls, that never happens. that’s also why they propose cuts but never make them.
We all carry this fantasy that all municipal workers are lazy and cheating. It’s just a percentage, and it’s probably the same as in the private sector – but in municipal jobs, we all see the payroll as something we are footing, which we are even if its just a tiny percentage of it on any one individual. Part of the problem is that the managers serve at the pleasure of an elected official – and misplace their duty to run a reasonably tight ship with the fear of losing their job if they fire or discipline a worker who is favored by one of those elected and have control of your job. it’s hard to do the right thing I you are always in fear of being replaced. So you choose to protect your job – and the bennies and the pension. Tell me who on this blog would not do the same thing if we were 25 years or more into our pensions?
Guyer was naïve. he saw the municipal workers from the position of the man elected – and never saw the job from the other side. over time, even the best City workers just learn: adjust their pace, do the bare minimum so as not to look like they are too ambitious, keep their heads down, and watch for stray knives.
That model is the same in every community – but larger ones, ones with more “stuff” to manage, whether its acres of parks, numbers of buildings, or miles f road – just have more of it.
I tried working for Government once. It was a spectacular failure for me. I was making headway, and my staff was not armed with knives for my back – but they controlled the pace. They could make my goals turn to crap by 10 AM, and when I did manage to achieve my goals it was because I used outside help. I was so discouraged, I just left. What I used to think of public employees has changed. some has given me a new respect as to how they can be abused and still come to work for years on end. But on the other side, I have learned that the same defense mechanisms they use to survive ensures that they are the least productive creatures you will ever meet.
if I were to run for office, I’d run on the platform of firing every worker – and subbing out the work. I’d keep a few good managers. When you are done the per hour cost goes up by a lot. But what you lose is the downstream costs (pensions, retiree health care, etc). You also lose the fuel costs of trucks idling because City gas seems to be free and non-polluting. You lose the waste, since the job would be bid out and the incentive is to get in get out and get done. But you do lose the votes of those you spread largesse, but that tradeoff is worth making.
Do you really want to know what went down, and Denis can dispute this on here, we like Denis. It my belief his budget was not there, was not there to compensate and work more productive, to make up for the budget shortfalls. Denis just didn’t have enough money coming in to satisfy his employees and to fix what he needed to in the City, the City has millions in work orders. I believe he was ready to leave the moment he knew he couldn’t keep up with the overwhelming number of work orders and the Budget he was presented with, and canmt believe any of his employees believe they worth less than fifteen dollars an hour. And I don’t blame them, everyone else is getting raises.
Caccamo: A +
Simonelli A +
Krol A
Mazzeo A +
White A
Marchetti A
Amuso B+
Rivers B +
Tully A
Connell A
Morandi A
Council Grades
You need to stop using the PPS curve scale where everyone gets A’s just for showing up. Teachers do this to keep parents off their behinds; which hellhound is on your trail?
Those grades are very high, need to be lower.
Trump was innocent of Trump Law Suit Multi million dollar settlement, that’s what you do when you’re not guilty and say it during a primary. Trump will be spending all of his time on the beaches and his golf courses when he becomes full time President. Most likely he’ll hook up with O J and look for…some kind of killers.
Trump will never golf as much as Obamass. He is the leader of vacations and national debt. I thank god they have term limits for Presidents.
Maybe he’ll run into the moron who killed the health care system
Why is the superintendent refusing to release the numbers of children who bailed on his school system this year? Must be pretty bad if he is hiding the data.. I would be embarrassed too.
We should give him another raise so he does not feel so bad.
Maybe he can just wear one of those diaper pins that liberals wear
U S will go to hell in about a year, watch. If Trump is reneging on campaign promises ( at least four or five so far) and he’s not in office .yet?
As opposed to now. You must be watching to much CNN. Our national debt has doubled in 8 years, the borders are left unprotected, allowing drugs and gang bangers easy access. Our President negotiates with terroists, giving them billions. Not to mention giving up 5 dangerous jihadis for one pathetic deserter. Obama has set the bar so low its below grade, won’t take much of a effort to out do him. I’m really hoping for some change.
The Country is in Civil War mode. Trump’s Presidency won’t work, everyone will try to screw everyone at every turn. It will never be stronger together. I see not so good things with Trump.
The Art of the Scam. How can you give 25m without no defense if you are not-guilty?
It will cost 25 m to guard Trump Tower this year alone.
We’ll build a wall but it will have fencing in some areas.
Maybe someone from Pittsfield who needs a job can supervise the constructuion
think of the free upgrades he is going to get…and all his janitorial services will be paid for the next four years as well as every bathroom fixture repair, painting and probably electricity for the whole building who is going to question the bills?
I’m not sure we’re Dan gets his sources but my sources paint a different picture. My picture has a bunch of licensed hard-working individuals getting bullied buy a unlicensed unqualified person. It’s easy to say that he is the victim when he is the only one that is interviewed. Maybe you’re not asking the right people. Maybe you’re not asking the right questions. But what I can tell you is the proof is in the pudding. The man said it himself he wasn’t the right person for the job.
No reply must be your Guyer’s bedtime nighty night sleep tight
RUBBER
I thank you for your participation in this site. A more careful reading of my column acknowledges the many hard workers in the department. It also invites “Daisy” to contact me to deliver verse and chapter. Now that same offer goes to you or any worker in the department who wants to sit down with me and spill. You can deliver the “proof.” OK, there it is, on the table. Now let’s see the “proof.” I’m open for business. Send me a line at danvalenti@verizon.net with a real name and a valid e-mail address. If you’re sincere, let’s do business.
We’re waiting to see if they have the spine to respond. You called them out, Planet, now let’s see if they were just all talk.
Quote from Jake in the Movie Avatar: Sometimes your life boils down to one insane move. Taht is how I view the election of Trump.
Breaking news – The Boaring Broadsheet has formed an 18 member advisory board to tell them how to run their paper. Too bad they didn’t invite Dan The Man to a seat at the table. Any committe with more people than you can count on two hands is too many people. What a joke! On the other hand, maybe it can’t hurt because the paper seems to have gone from bad to worse under Free Em Freddie.
Does this count the shadow members from city hall that edit and control dubious city business articles?
Get a load of the BB’s new ‘Advisory Board’.
Anyone wanna make a guess whether any of these stalwarts voted for President Trump?
The BBs “advisory board” is a case of the bland leading the blind. Should be called the “advisory bored.” Sure sign that no one in leadership post knows what the hell to do.
If Im running the show, I put Dan Valenti on speed dial, swallow my pride, and make the call.
In six months, DV has that paper writing symphonies and singing arias.
I thank Steve for the thought. No way The BB could afford me, though!
An “advisory board” that might actually improve circulation would include a half dozen ex customers. Listen to them when they advise you why they dumped the paper and you might actually have valuable input.
But as long as this or any other newspaper is going to be a puppet of the cronies who run the city they will never be giving the customer what he needs and wants. They need to revise their mission statement because until then they are more a part of the city’s problem and not part of the solution.
And since that is never going to happen the paper will always be clinging to life.
They’ll pretend to listen to an advisory board and continue to do the crap they do
I wonder if the city had anything to do with Sabic staying in Pittsfield did they lpromis to lower there taxes Or promise them some money to stay it just has a smell to it .
Why? Are they staying?
I heard the new facility in Selkirk was going to cost like 75 million. With the price of oil so low, the Sheiks can’t afford it now. Have to take care of the family first.
Can’t afford it. One of the main interest in Sabic has a personal fortune of 800 billion dollars.
They probably are giving up on Selkirk too, no point rearranging the deck chairs
Taxconic 7 Grafton 7 Halftime….Scoring,,Grafton 1 yd run
Taxonic block Punt.Maynard Scores……Game is at half….Game is on 1420 WBEC .
26- 7 Grafton….. 4 minutes left in game.
26- 13 Whitehouse jaunts for six..point after fails….330 left. On side kick fails…Grafton has ball at midfield.
Any word on the crazy driver trying to run down people on West St Friday?
does he live on West St’?
Don’t think so, should be in the news, he was wrangled in at west hous.
won’t be in the news if he is related to anyone of importance…….there is a blackout of news for connected folk
Did he give them hell toupee?
Oh great. A budget busting Sunday overtime snowstorm leaving the city reeling and nobody can get out to get their goddamn turkey.
At least it won’t be Denis fault.
NOTE to city plows…..do West street first all the way to the mountain….sand, salt and repeat
and if any of you deplorable s do not promptly take care of your sidewalks you can expect a visit from a city hall rep who will be more than happy to relieve you of more of your money for fines
and for all of you who are too lazy to clear the snow from your windshield before you hit the road…..you are an asshat of the highest magnitude
Really?
It’s Obama’s fault. Can’t wait to get rid of that guy.
Really? No, really it’s you.
I see the Left Winged Parrot has went to pay per view to see their online version of liberal stories/drivel and propaganda.
The moves keep getting more and more desperate over there. Sad, actually, to witness the demise.
Well the print version has one redeeming quality, it burns.