‘KUFFLINKS’ MAY PRONOUNCE IT, ‘THE BB’ MAY HYPE IT, BUT THE ‘MIRACLE OF THE VALUES’ IS A DEATH SENTENCE FOR CITY TAXPAYERS
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY NOV. 21, 2016) — The funny money continues to pile up in the city of Pittsfield, but taxpayers aren’t laughing.
In a ridiculous effort to make a nearly-5% tax hike sound palatable, city finance director Matt “Kufflinks” Kerwood announced The Miracle of the Values. He can’t walk on water, unless its ice at the Common in January, and he can’t raise the dead, unless it’s 4 p.m. any weekday at City Hall, when there’s a stampede to the exits.
Kufflinks, though, can miraculously create “value” out of fat air. That’s what Kerwood did when he declared — against every sign, symbol, signal, symptom, suggestion, mark or manifestation — that property values in Pittsfield are up.
Based on what, Matthew?
THE PLANET challenges Kerwood to back his claim that the city “saw an increase in valuation this [fiscal] year,” gaining “more value than we expected when we put the budget together in January.” That last quote tells us much. It says the city pulls valuations out of its ass-ets in an arbitrary, political manner.
Kerwood and the mayor knew The Miracle of the Values would occur the moment they decided on another punishing, unaffordable budget in which they granted every wish of the Pittsfield School Department (PSD), including a 16%-18% pay hike over the next three years. You see, the Miracle of the Values is a ruinous tax hike in shabby disguise. Higher valuations mean higher taxes. Anyone over the age of 4 sees this as another financial hosing.
Mayor Linda Tyer, Kufflinks, and a compliant city council just gave Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski the Triple Whammy on taxes:
- The first hit is the 4.6% percent levy hike itself.
- The second is that the higher rate will apply to higher value, even though that “value” is fake.
- The third is that tax increases are cumulative, like interest in a savings account. Consecutive tax hikes compound. When you consider there hasn’t been a tax decrease in more than 35 years … wait, don’t consider it. It’s too grim.
Tyer, Kerwood, the School Committee, the council and the other architects of this financial fraud can pretend that “rising” property values in a dead economy are a good thing. Anyone with a child’s understanding of economics, however, knows that an arbitrary increase in property values in an area with a depressed economy spells enormous economic hardship. Proof lies in the marketplace.
Homes do not sell at asking price, if at all. The fake “increase” in value is not reflected when an ordinary citizen tries to sell a home or business. Why do you think Fred Rutberg and His Wealthy Amateurs copped the daily newspaper that used to be known as The Berkshire Eagle for $1 million, a paper that once went for $75 million. One and a half cents on the dollar doesn’t sound like values have gone up.
One must take such a marvel THE MIRACLE OF THE VALUES with the due consideration of Kuffink’s pedigree as a public “service” lifer, a man who is essentially unemployable in The Dreaded Private Sector. With Thanksgiving neigh, we should count our blessings, though. At least Kufflinks has ditched the Eddie Munster hair plugs in favor of the Bald Fringe look. With work, it might conjure up Adlai Stevenson.
Death Sentence for the Daily
Speaking of The Boring Broadsheet (The BB), we find the following sentence in an alleged news story penned by our Right Honorable Good Friend and Colleague Dick Lindsay: “The better-than-expected hike in property valuation is good news for a municipality getting closer to its taxing capacity.”
Yes, Lindsay actually wrote that. We’ve known and loved Dick for a million years going back to our radio days. He knows that is not “good news.” Moreover, he’s enough of a news hawk to know that you shouldn’t editorialize in a straight news story. But he has orders to follow.
The BB, which just appointed an 18-member committee to gaze at the newspaper’s jurist-crusted navel, doesn’t know what it’s doing. Judge Rutberg, in playing along with the city to keep its advertising dollars and in perpetuating a reign of fear and loathing in the newsroom, has just given his paper a death sentence. What’s the value on that?
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“The spending of words without an income of ideas leads to intellectual bankruptcy.” — Ravi Zacharias
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE”
LOVE TO ALL.
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All the taxpayers need to do is file a request for abatement.
http://www.cityofpittsfield.org/city_hall/board_of_assessors/abatements.php
Right. File and abatement and if your are a nobody forget it. The big shots have their properties assessed below value. When they sell they get way more. it’s a scam.
Shakes I filed an abatement once. It was denied. I appealed. It was denied. I protested. The clerk in assessment, a witch who’s no longer there was like hte Gestapo. Threatened me with arrest.
Welcome to the city.
Oh jeez. There is always an appeals process. While it may be difficult for the average homeowner to understand, I would be shocked if the final say always rests with the board of assessors.
Also, while I appreciate that your use of ‘Gestapo’ is meant as satire, I sincerely doubt you felt as if your property was taken from you and you were getting shipped off to a death/concentration camp.
Maybe city hall should be a ‘safe space’ for all of Pittsfield’s snowflakes.
All tax abatement appeals go before the Appellate Tax Board. No municipality hears appeals of its own abatement decisions.
Matt nobody cares what you think
so Happy is a liar. why am I not surprised.
The abatement process is all spelled out. It’s straight forward.
Maybe Happy is not a liar. Maybe the grumpy woman who was in the assessor’s office at the time was the liar. Ever think of that because wouldn’t be the first time we heard such reports.
If happy is claiming that he appealed his appeal again at the city, yet the city can’t review their own appeals, then it ain’t adding up.
Once more the local paper proves it is not your friend by lying right to our faces. Why would they do this unless they were an arm of local government who wanted an ignorant population to think they were being well taken care of.
When Cuff Links left to give his services to Richmond I felt bad for them but good for us. He was a tool when he was on the city council and he has reemerged as a tool of the current mayor. Never really trusted him as he rambled on and on in circles trying to baffle his listeners in a cyclone of dubious verbal content.
He was loyal to the special interests in vociferously advocating for the Civic Authority and the demolishing of Waconah Park. Apparently he has not changed since then.
Has he offered any proof or evidence to back up his claim of higher evaluations or are we supposed to just take his highly questionable word for it? Matt please post here explaining to us with references how this is accurate information you are giving.
Thank you for your public service as your work your way towards a pension.
Rents in Pittsfield are very high because people see no value in home ownership.My taxes have gone up another 168 bucks.The Mayor is no where to be found.
She is at her $million house in west Pittsfield with her rich boyfriend losing touch with the real world more and more everyday.
Happy, I filed an abatement with the exact same results. I know the lady your talking about. She was the one that was so lazy she would yell from her desk in the back “what do you want”rather than get up and come to the counter.
She was nursing a bad hip.
She was nursing a bad lip not a bad hip. Heavy smoker, nasty personality. Jimmy Ruberto canned her. From that moment Jim became my favorite mayor of all time.
He even helped me with my assessment problem.
Do you think the ‘voting block’ accepts the increase in property values..you betcha!
The Berkshire Eagle needs to keep the local population “under control” which is why they have stopped the comments section under articles and they continue to report the news that fits their political progressive narrative. They give all their stories a political spin to the far left. In one of their first editorials after Trump’s nomination, they attempted to calm local progressives by saying that politics is local so no need to worry as the local politicians have this area under control. Pittsfield needs to drain its own swamp and this would start with the BB.
and it is no small swamp
The LEFT WINGER PARROT has also instituted pay per view to see it’s online liberal circus and dog and pony show.
Why pay for this drivel if you can’t burn it or line the kitty box with it?
The Eagle started limiting the free stories available online years ago. I respect that computers are new to you, but the “paywall” you bemoan is not a recent development – just the new online “look”. If you are so enraged by news, why do you read it? Better yet, why don’t you make your own news source?
Calling anything THE LEFT WINGED PARROT prints “news”, is being generous.
I stopped buying the print version 20 years ago. I get enough junk mail to start my woodstove.
I’ll be calling up their advertisers and telling them they will no longer get my business, and why.
I won’t support their slanted far left agenda, and I won’t pay for their brand of “news”, nor their totalitarian way of running a “newspaper”. And I use the word newspaper very loosely in the context of THE PARROT!
Would you please record everyone laughing at you while you complain and they “no longer get my business” ? I’m sure if that would be a winner on America’s Funnies Home Videos.’
Why do you think you should be able to read a newspaper for free?
I do not take the BB in either print or online I will not give them one plug nickel. Nor will I support business that advertise in it. I was taken rather seriously when I went into an establishment with my receipts from the previous year totaling almost $1000.00 in business and informed them I was done due to their support of the BB. There are a few other business and services I assure you took me very seriously as well.
As I have said before each of us vote every day with our dollars. The “media” is an essential part of our Democracy so much so that it is the only industry that is protected under the Constitution. I for one will not have my hard earned monies used to further the propaganda machine.
When I do see a copy of the paper it doesn’t have any “news” in it occurrences’ maybe Traffic accident here or there etc. How about some investigative reporting. Any word on the Fourth of July shootings yet? How about the guy found dead by lachs lounge a bit ago? The Columbus Ave. shooting that left one dead any word yet? How they doing on publishing the methodology of the assessed evaluation that was just determined? It sounds like they took the establishments word for things and printed it news? Really?
Joe: Advertising in the BB is just spending too much money to reach too few prospects. The purchase of advertising space does not resonate as support for the paper. All’s fair in war is not wrong, but it’s only decent to acknowledge the collateral damage.
Levitan: I do agree that there is in fact collateral damage no doubt about it. And my decision was not entered into lightly and without a lot of thought. I do agree as well a lot of good money for a few prospects. With that said who better to say we will not stand for this in our community? I can only do so much with my refusal to deposit my monies everyday into it. Those that advertise spend a lot more than that thus the louder voice. (Basic economics) It is the left who has used the economic pressure to great effect over the years. If we desire to have a community that reflects everyone regardless of race, religion, age, creed and color we MUST have a newspaper that presents perspective from each of the definers in an equal and appropriate manner. Anything less produces just that in our community LESS and I will not and have not stood for that. We are all equal with a right and the paper has a duty to demonstrate that “celebrating diversity” is a way of life not some slogan meant to make some feel good.
Those that do nothing will get and deserve nothing
Use it for your doomsday prepping then.
Pittsfield needs to drain the swamp and fill it back up with a bunch of old white guys named Mike.
So is it the elderly your against? Or do you discriminate against White guys? Or is it people named Mike? I can’t believe the hate spewed forth all in one post.
No just against ONLY old white guys.
So your only against “old white guys” isn’t white a racist term? You mean like cracker or honkey? Wouldn’t Caucasian be much more appropriate? What about only young Caucasian males? At what age are we defining as old? Isn’t 70 the new 40? Go easy im somewhere in that range Is that old? So would all elderly Caucasian females be ok? So basically you don’t support and are against a group of people because they suffer from a complete lack of or very little melanin synthesis in their bodies? Many have struggled their entire lives with this acute affliction. Do they have nothing to offer the greater society because of this affliction? Are they ineligible to participate on boards commissions etc.? Is there a quota? Who decides how many is enough? What if others who have an abundance the oxidation of the amino acid tyrosine, followed by polymerization are not interested in serving on the aforementioned boards and commissions? Shall we not move forward due to a lack of eligible appointees?
I have an idea it just might work hear me out. Why don’t we have an open discussion where each person who wishes to serve their community (melanin synthesis deprived and those with an abundance of oxidation of the amino acid tyrosine) go out and meet the public, explain and build a case for their vision then each member of the community can decide by a vote which vision they share so long as said vision is in keeping with the Constitution? That’s just a rough thought please do let me give it some more thought But please do play devil’s advocate. A great plan needs to be sharpened just as the stone does to the blade.
just sayin
I’m for firing up the Obamacare death committee and getting rid of useless old white men named Mike or not.
” Since he is of no use anymore, there is no gain if he lives and no loss if he dies”
Dr. Pol Pot
” Yes you can Keep your Dr.” President Barak Obama
H, bad hip or not there was no excuses for her rudeness.
Paul, another liberal snowflake triggered by someone not wanting to hold his hand.
Shakes no one expects their hand to be held when doing business at city hall. But at least we don’t expect rudeness and laziness.
The person were talking about was the worst. Mayor Ruberto got ride of her. He also helped me with my assessment problem.
Everyone note: There are problems at City Hall, and we all don’t like the GOBSIG network, whatever that means. But If I get my problems fixed by politicking, its really okay and that’s how it should be.
Apparently in Pittsfield you don’t need to formally appeal your assessment, just go and talk with the mayor.
she’s been gone for about 10 years now. move forward into NOW.
I have filed a half dozen abatements and gotten about 80% of them all. I saw no need to appeal. I go in prepared. I used data, pictures, and other evidence and presented my case coherently. Yelling at the assessor, calling them crooked, or entering the situation with a chip on your shoulder gets you nowhere.
Kerwood and the mayor by raising property taxes up so high they have ensured that there will be more people giving up their home and by putting these parking meters on North st even less people will be shopping on North Street .
Growing up here I can’t ever remember seeing so many homeless people as there is today .
That’s because there weren’t as many.
The city needs STOP GIVING AUTOMATIC RAISES AND PAY STEPS TO THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT!
I literally was told that a teacher at one of the middle schools laughed that his students were correcting his bad spelling in class.
Think about that $70k+ a year and the middle schoolers correct your spelling; and you feel so secure you can laugh about it online.
DISGUSTING!
Sure, drop the wages and see what you get.
If we are already paying $70+ for teachers who can’t spell and blindly giving them pay raises, I’ll take my chances.
Private/Charter school teachers make less than public schools and I almost promise you the educational standards are much higher. Illiterate teachers more than likely get fired too
Drain the swamp!
You get the same people for less money. That’s what you get. Working half a year with countless days off would draw workers at half the price.
Avj total compensation for Pittsfield teacher is $67,000 pay plus at leasst $15ooo in bennies = $82,000 per year. Figures published by the Planet taken from the state dept of Education website.
And still those teachers are underpaid.
Miss Linda, what occupations are you qualified for?
Every June all we hear is they do it for the children Are you now saying they stand in front of the Council and BS? it is really all about the money?
Please say it isn’t so
You were literally told by whom? It’s unlikely that you would tell us if you were literally told that one teacher truly helped their child through a very difficult time.
The only way to remain in the legal levy limit is to add fake new growth, thereby raising the levy ceiling – the spending is what is out of control – watch this video for a nice explanation – DOR owes us better oversight –
http://www.mass.gov/dor/local-officials/training-and-seminars/levy-limits.html
maybe the citizens can file a class action law suit against Kerwood and the city.
I think the incompetence could easily be proven as well as intent to swindle. Is there any documentation that anyone has tried to rein in taxes??? Which is their job for Gods sake.
UAlbany, thank you for sharing the videos. I watched them all. Very informative.
If I understood it correctly, they specifically said that the levy limit can only be raised through real growth, like a new subdivision or condo project. It can NOT be raised based on increased in market value to your home. So my thinking is that there has indeed been recent growth… if they are counting properties like Hotel On North, the Allegrone downtown apartments and the soon to be converted Holy Family church. The problem is that they aren’t paying their fair share of taxes. Which means we have growth, but the untaxed portion is being put on to the average homeowner’s bill. I can’t wait to see if that’s how it’s explained, if they even bother to try. Thank you municipal welfare!
Why is the local “news” not reporting this?
Two Williams College students are now facing disciplinary action after hoaxing vandalism which appeared to be Ku Klux Klan (KKK) inspired days after the 2016 Election.
The two students, whom the college has not publicly named, poured fake blood on staircases of a building and spelled out “AMKKK KILL” on the walls, according to the Williams Record.
On the day that the vandalism was discovered, campus organizations had to cancel meetings in the building as a result.
Shortly thereafter, local police were notified of the vandalism and began investigating the incident, even getting the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Massachusetts State Police involved in the case.
After investigating more than 40 persons of interest, police concluded that two students performed the act as a statement against President-Elect Donald Trump.
Williams College President Adam Falk said in a statement that the two students admitted “they had committed the vandalism to bring attention to the effects of the presidential election on many within our community.”
“Their actions did much more than damage property,” Falk continued. “They harmed our entire community and caused considerable fear, among students in particular.”
“We are deeply distressed that anyone in our community would feel compelled to express themselves in such a destructive and harmful way,” Falk said.
The two students are now facing disciplinary action, according to Falk.
The Massachusetts hate crime hoax is one of many that has occurred since Trump’s victory against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/11/21/students-face-disciplinary-action-hoaxing-kkk-vandalism/
There have been phony incidents on both sides of the political spectrum.
Why does the idiotic behavior of two college kids rankle you so much?
The students should be facing criminal charges. This crap of letting college students off with school punishment is a load of crap.
TRIGGERED
ALT-RIGHT (White Supremacists)
“these are probably superpredators, they are the real criminals”
Lock ’em up!!! (sarcasm)
Paul: the students vandalized private property. Criminal charges would occur only if the College pressed. Each student a future donor makes, so a conservative approach is least likely to cost a president his job.
Rusty, phony incidents requiring FBI investigations caused by Trump supporters? Do tell! Otherwise, the plethora of children feigning victimhood of hate is quickly eliminating that claim of merit.
I’m sure the FBI helicoptered a SWAT team out to investigate.
Talk about wasting taxpayers’ $? Benghazi. E-mails. Repealing Obamacare 58 times to have votes failed and vetoes.
And guess what? Nobody is going to jail. Nobody.
Making threats to murder is a crime no different than calling in a bomb threat, and if “hate crime” makes any sense then they did that too. Maybe being expelled would be punishment enough, but if the college is going to encourage criminal behavior then the police should put these punks in a cell until they are reformed
By smearing red paint? Are you police? Are you a criminal lawyer?
Didn’t think so.
are you hurt? offended? do you really think there is no racism in today’s US?
Torch, if it was that much of a problem you moonbats wouldn’t have to make it up so you can pretend to have something to give your miserable life meaning.
Here comes the big bad bully. I’m all frightened with your insults and personal attacks. Ohh big brave man.
Get back to your impotence support group.
When did you first notice your obsession with other men’s penises Torch?
At least you aren’t playing with everyone’s rectum today.
You are the A hole that’s being dealt with
Deal with it then, and if you want to spit game, at least bring some cohesive thoughts and positions to the discussion
These constant insults are weak and feeble.
you just get off on fighting with everyone
Shakes, what’s your point? Offended? I don’t think so. I’m not a millenial. I never expected a trophy for things I didn’t accomplish. I am tired of people feeling sorry for themselves when they make no effort to improve themselves. I am also tired of everything being a race issue. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
So some kids did a punk thing as a form of protest. I find it difficult to believe that you never broke a law.
Us white folk don’t get to decide when racism is over. That is for the oppressed to decide.
It would be nice if a definition of ‘racism’ were offered that we could all agree upob.
Again, your day in the matter, doesn’t matter, if you are the oppressor
Why the millennial bashing? I’m a baby boomer, but grateful to all the millennials that have moved into the city and support local economy. They are at least as accomplished as any boomer.
To what end is the Mayor raising taxes except to underfunded Police Fire building and highways….we have not acknowledge Sabic leaving…Best Buy leaving….Tyer White Amuso Caccamo why wont you cut our budgets.
Who says the white race isn’t the oppressed class? It seems everything is blamed on the white race. I guess in Pittsfield with the 90%+ population of whites you can blame most things on them but elsewhere I’m not so sure
Here come the goose stepping white supremacists.
Why does this moonbat dominate this blog?
Are you only able to call names or do you actually have a point to make?
You don’t.
SHH, you called ShirleyKnutz a name then criticize someone else for calling you one? Very hypocritical of you.
My description that she is an apologist for racism and white supremacy has a foundation in her comment.
The point is that you do your best to pollute this blog
It wouldn’t be much of a blog if everyone on here just agreed. It is tough for your anger and isolation to articulate a position.
I’m not angry, just really tired of your crap and trolling.
People will drive even crazier under a Trump Presidemcy. democratic states like Massachusetts and Colorado will pay stiffly for not voting for King Trump If you want to watch something really dumb, watch the License Board Oct 24 meeting. Poor Doyle and Pero .They have a man speaking that isn’t at the podium. The Polish Club is the subject. Thier trying to figure out in increments (years now) trying to save the dump.
O A K L A N D R A I D E R S.
Brendon Sheran will be negotiating with the teachers very shortly.Brendon is well on his way to pushing salaries for art teachers music teachers and high school social studies teacher towards his 100 k goal by the time he retires.
Private business has consolidated over the last 25 years.The Pittsfield school must consolidate over the next three.Does Tyer go to world anymore.
Perhaps we should just mail in the deeds to our property to this guy. Isn’t that what he is after?
Planet, heard on the news that one of your former sponsors, on Wahconah St. Had a little kitchen altercation,maybe you can intervene, we can’t have a fine establishment with good food preceived as being anything less that a great restaurant.
You can get data on this from Zillow. Pittsfield housing prices have risen over the past year. See
http://www.zillow.com/pittsfield-ma/home-values/
Trump reneged again, no Clinton prosecution.
This was about him making money. Y’all suckas for thinking it was anything else. Lolz
Isn’t it wonderful watching Pete white doing push-ups on Facebook
He’s an idiot, represents all that’s wrong with politics in Pittsfield. A walking ad against in-breeding.