BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, AUG. 11, 2018) — It’s been clear since the race began that the contest for the Democratic nomination for Berkshire County District Attorney would not be about issues. For those just tuning in, this election will be decided in September, since there is no Republican challenger … or challenger from any other party, to be technical. The race features the interim incumbent, Paul Caccaviello, appointed by the governor following the premature resignation of D.A. David Capeless; Andrea Harrington, attorney; and Judith Knight, attorney.

Cacc has the backing of what we loosely term The Machine, which needs no definition. Interestingly, though, Harrington has garnered high-profile support from other politicos and players that in the past had been linked to The Machine, personages such as Linda Tyer, John Krol, Barry Clairmont, Peter Marchetti, and others. An interesting weather vane is councilor-at-large Peter White, a good one for taking readings of wind direction and pointing that way. Who, if anyone, has he publicly backed? This subplot indicated a split in The Machine, a division that could have implications for the city elections in 2019.

Typically, the D.A.’s race garners as much attention as the school committee farce (six candidates, six seats in the free and open elections). This one is different. Some think it’s not about the D.A.’s seat at all but the old Machine trying to hold power versus a new Machine trying to get off the ground and unseat the Old Guard. THE PLANET does not subscribe to this theory, but we have an open mind.

Does the New Guard think a Harrington win would pave the way for a municipal sweep in 2019? One must consider Cacciavello to prohibitive favorite at this point, for a number of reasons. It’s his election to lose. Thus far, he’s run a smart campaign — laying low, avoiding controversy, and largely “staying above” the fray. He has the hands-down edge on experience in one of the offices where experiences matters. With turnout expected to be low and with Knight splitting the “anti-” vote, it will take the miraculous for Harrington to win.

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Local elections, with their dismal turnouts, never get decided on issues. This is especially true for September primaries. What portion of the electorate finally gets to the poll won’t pay attention until after Labor Day, when summer is up and green, golds, and reds of autumn hint at their hostile takeover. The only ones truly paying heed before then, including the ever-elusive “now,” are the “bases.” Each candidate has a base, and the first duty has to be “energize the base,” as the dismal political cliche puts it. Caccaviello has done the better job of that, although Harrington has picked up steam of late, particularly with her “Did she or didn’t she” attend or “crash” Sheriff Tom Bowler annual picnic. As THE PLANET said, this race isn’t about issues.

The other matter that has thrust Harrington into the whispered headlines and street buzz concerns Knight and State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier. The rumor mill has it that TFB approached Knight with a job offer if Knight would withdraw and back Harrington. THE PLANET, reluctantly but not surprisingly, has been drawn into this palace intrigue. We had published an earlier column outlining the odds against and the winning strategies for each candidate. We said for Harrington to have a shot, she should do exactly what TFB is supposed to have done: Approach Knight with an offer. This became the dick-flimsy basis for the weird tale that we were the cause of the alleged TFB overture, to which we reply “Bullspit.” No evidence has come forward of any such offer, and we predict it never will. Those who make the allegation have the burden of proof. Their silence in the court of hard evidence and facts speaks shall have to speak for itself.

With that, let THE PLANET now turn this over to the various “interested parties.” First, we hear from Harrington on “Picnicgate:”

ANDREA HARRINGTON: “I am not sure that it’s possible to “crash” public events. It’s expected and normal that candidates attend events hosted by elected officials. I would not think anything of an opponent attending public events hosted by elected officials that are supporting my campaign. I very much value the hard and difficult work of the Sheriff and his staff and I hope that my attendance at Sheriff Bowler’s picnic communicated that. I have attended the Sheriff’s events in the past and my presence at those has always been in a spirit of support. Of course the Sheriff was, as always, gracious and welcoming. That being said, Congressman Neal’s staff requested that I meet with the Congressman at the event. Which I did.

“As to your other question [‘Did you say that people under 25 don’t have fully formed brains and therefore can’t be fully responsible for their actions?’] — The suggestion that people are not responsible for their actions due to their age is absurd. I would never say or infer anything so ridiculous. I have a 7 and 12 year old. I teach them that they are responsible for their actions. Everyone is responsible for their actions all of the time. To clarify why I was discussing scientific research around brain development: We have a serious drug problem here in Berkshire County and we have the resulting crime. We also have high recidivism rates. People from across the political spectrum have recognized that we need a new approach to these problems if we want to achieve better, cost effective results for our community. The recently passed criminal justice reform bill is the first piece of criminal justice legislation that actually looked at data and evidence in creating criminal justice policy. What I was referring to in my comments about the science around brain development- is that the human brain is still developing during the late teens and early twenties, which is something that should be taken into consideration when addressing criminal behavior because the science shows that developing brains can benefit from rehabilitation. Young people that are making poor decisions and committing non-violent crimes, may be good candidates for interventions like substance abuse treatment, job training, mental health treatment, etc. Because their brains are developing, they can be put on a better path which is preferable to the cycle of arrest, incarceration, and re-arrest. Conversely- the community always needs to be protected from violent offenders and I am committed to standing up for victims of crime irrespective of the age of the perpetrator.”

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THIS FROM A WELL-CONNECTED HARRINGTON BACKER: “I see your headline [of a previous column] is [about] moral corruption. I don’t know if you ever wrote about these cases, but check them out.

You’ll see what having a good last name can do for you in this community, with this[current] D.A [Caccaviello]. While these cases were under D.A. Dave [Capeless], Paul was first assistant and should have tried for a more equitable outcome. These are just a small example of why I can’t support the guy.” [NOTE: THE PLANET was unable to publish these as “hot” links because of technical translation issues. We invite readers to enter in the sites to check our the information]:

• https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/11/pittsfield_marijuana_guns_in_h.html
• https://www.mass.gov/news/mazzeo-pleads-guilty-placed-on-probation
• http://www.november.org/stayinfo/breaking06/Capeless.html

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THIS FROM “BARNEY FIFE” — “I read your post advising Andrea Harrington to “take the gloves off. [NOTE: We did not ‘advise’. What ‘Barney” refers to is our column in which we outlined a strategy for her to win. THE PLANET did that for all three candidates]. I see your interest is more global – addressing the corruption in Pittsfield – a sentiment with which I completely agree.

“The biggest issue in the race is the awfulness of David Capeless, and the awfulness of allowing such a man to anoint his successor.

“I believe that one glaring example of Capeless’s corruption and moral vacancy deserves more attention. Thanks to a compliant Berkshire Eagle, this story has gone almost entirely under the radar. I started looking into it as I reviewed the case of Mitchell Lawrence, the high school kid who was sent off to jail for 2 years by David Capeless for selling one joint. When Lawrence’s sentencing appeal was rejected, Capeless crowed about how justice had been done, the kid deserved what he was getting, and on and on.

“That mindset did not seem to apply to a man named Roberto V. Mazzeo. Mazzeo, a 36-year-old former corrections officer, was arrested in late 2014 with 63 lbs. of pot, some quantity of psychedelic mushrooms, over a dozen weapons including a stolen handgun and assault rifle, a bulletproof vest, a lot of cash, and scales and dealing paraphernalia. See the link below.

https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/11/pittsfield_marijuana_guns_in_h.html

“For about three years, the case appears to have been kept idle and quiet. Then, last October 2017, it was announced that Mazzeo had pled guilty to a handful of reduced drug charges — the weapons charges were all thrown out at the ‘request of the Commonwealth’. His sentence, at the recommendation of the Berkshire DA’s office, was ONE YEAR OF PROBATION. See link below.

https://www.mass.gov/news/mazzeo-pleads-guilty-placed-on-probation

Mazzeo is the cousin of John Mazzeo, a Pittsfield PD investigator who is the treasurer of the police union that just endorsed Caccaviello.

one joint = two years in jail
63 lbs. of weed, shrooms, automatic weapons, etc. thrown out by D.A., then guilt on remaining charges = one year probation

Something is terribly wrong with this.”

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THE PLANET ALSO RECEIVED THIS NOTE — “I would very much like to give you my identity, but for the time being I need to remain anonymous. I am not a direct party, but I know some people who have suffered terribly at the corrupt hands of David Capeless. Their case is very likely the reason Capeless resigned – under pressure from the MA Attorney General’s Office. Maybe you have heard whispers about this situation, maybe not. But I can’t be the one to break the whole story to you, because I am not a direct party and it is not my place. I am one of many who knows the loose sketch of what happened and it is awful. Sometime in the near future, big news is going to break and the floodgates will open up. Until then, I will send you independently-verifiable information as I discover it.

“I hope you understand my caution. I care about the parties involved and they have suffered mightily.

Thought you might be interested.”

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FINALLY, ONE INSIDER’S REPORT ON ‘PICNICGATE’ — “Now, OFF THE RECORD, from what I understand whatever happened at the sheriff’s picnic was due to the rude behavior of Robin McGraw. To begin, Robin McGraw is an aging trust fund baby whose fragile ego was recently wounded deeply when his planned big dollar fundraiser for Paul Caccaviello in Great Barrington turned out to be a total flop. In fact, the event was such a disaster that Sheriff Bowler was seen giving McGraw a tongue-lashing outside Crissey Farm, where the sparsely-attended event took place. McGraw was wounded. Such a sad thing for this flamboyant drama queen who prefers to enjoy the adoration of cocktail party types with his over-acting as the master of ceremonies at the Berkshire Museum Gala and other such events. He overpromised and underdelivered. Perhaps to prove to his GOB friends he was still valuable in this race, McGraw took to the opportunity to take his frustration out on Andrea Harrington. As all the aging, sexist old school men began to whisper outrage that this woman (Harrington) dare set foot at their annual male ego massaging sausage fest, McGraw couldn’t help but lash out at Harrington. To her credit, Harrington kept her cool and batted away the ridiculous attack.”

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Given the lack of serious coverage of this race by local media, particularly the local daily, THE PLANET sees it as a journalistic duty to air the issues and the allegations of, on, and around this race. We shall continue to do so and will be open to all information from all these candidacies. Passing along missives from other parties should not be construed as any kind of endorsement, either explicit or implied. We do so because of our belief in getting as much information into the hands of the electorate as we can. It is and shall be our dual function to make judgments on the known facts, offer assessments on the rumors when we feel it is relevant, and serve as a forum for the views of others. As always, our editorial judgment is final on this site.

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“Don’t let the past rob you of your future” — Sir Tiberius Fruitjuice.

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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