MAZZEO RESPONDS TO MONDAY’s COLUMN, PLANET’s QUESTION
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY AUG. 21, 2019) — Early this week, THE PLANET exchanged queries and responses with the Melissa Mazzeo for Mayor campaign concerning Monday’s post. After that, we heard from the candidate herself. We relayed a question that’s been brought up on this board and to THE PLANET a zillion times concerning the perceived lack of campaigning on her part. Here is the full, unedited text of what she said.
[ED NOTE: Campaign coverage does not imply endorsements, up or down. If THE PLANET wants to do that, we will say so, explicitly. We say this to, we hope, cut off at the pass those in rival campaigns who will be hot over perceived but non-existent bias or slights.]
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MELISSA MAZZEO:
“Dan, thanks for being in touch about [Monday’s article on THE PLANET]. It actually gives me a great platform to update everyone as to our very, very busy campaign.
“I would start, though, by touching on the ‘seeing red’ comments. [I’m] not sure I get that at all. Any volunteer on a campaign has emotions about why they’re part of the team, but we’re really focused on looking forward rather than wasting time thinking about past elections. There’s great energy on our campaign about wanting our lives in this city to be better and that is, certainly, a very strong sentiment for those involved in or supporting our campaign.
“I would also briefly comment on my skills and what I know. There is no doubt that I have lots to learn. We all do. But I would hope after 10 years on the Council, people see that I’ve brought value and skill to the work of the city. Every councilor, even those I’ve consistently disagreed with, have complimented me for being the most prepared and asking questions not only for my clarification but because so many residents call me asking me to ask questions. I think knowing the issues and wanting answers to improve the city has been what I’ve worked for, and it’s no different being the mayor, at least not in my view. The only change will be managing people. But after ten years on the Council, I have had to manage dozens of relationships within City Hall, not formally but informally, and I think that can be an even tougher, more challenging task. But it’s worked. I’ve gotten a lot done by engaging people. I think that’s what good management is.
“Lastly, you’ve asked ‘where’s the campaign?’ Glad you asked, Dan. We are EVERYWHERE and, in fact, just dropped 500 lawn signs yesterday and will be ordering 500 more this week. Hopefully, if you live in the city of Pittsfield, you’ve seen our campaign because, since April, we’ve been doing three really important things: 1) going door-to-door three to six times a week; 2) phone calls from our headquarters on Elm Street at least three nights per week; 3) attending every neighborhood event possible including meet and greets for our campaign.
“As you know, campaigns can appear sleepy before preliminaries because we’re not doing heavy advertising and right now, in particular, people are either on vacation or getting ready for the school year. But we’ve been anything but sleepy. We have an enthusiastic team that is doing tons of work to get to voters one-on-one. And what we’re learning is only helping to build a stronger, more inclusive and dynamic campaign. We also have a great website so people can learn about our campaign and positions on the issues, as well as a newly launched Facebook page (literally just launched within the last few weeks), and we’ve begun a daily YouTube video about our campaign, issues voters are talking about, voter and volunteer spotlights. It’s been a whirlwind but a highly organized whirlwind with an amazing team of volunteers.
“Thanks, again, Dan for the opportunity to respond.”
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THE PLANET thanks the candidate for presenting us this exclusive.
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“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting” — Milan Kundera.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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Mazzeo is the common sense choice.
Put Mel in and get a charter change to city manager.
On the subject of local politics, I watched the ward 6 forum last night. First of all Larry Krtka was confused. He asked Gueil the same question twice, and twice she answered with cliches. But no one was surprised. Her solution to everything was to collaborate and have planning meetings. She is a cliche queen just like low IQ Linda. Ed Carmel was passionate but frankly clueless. And no show Nichols wasn’t there. That leaves Gaetani who clearly had a good night and is the best choice for that ward.
Melissa Mazzeo’s campaign seems to have a lot of passion, its early yet though and incumbency brings a strong element to the table too.
only example of “Fiscal Responsibility” on her website is “closing the gap” to spark the bonfire of taxpayer money at the Berkshire Innovation Center…should just stop having elections, it’s embarrassing for everyone, just transfer 100% of the tax money to the Cayman Islands and save us from the stupid projects and bragging about how Pittsfield produces the most special needs children in the state if not the world
You have summed up the situation very nicely. Even Donald Trump would be proud of the way Pittsfield city government is run. It is all in Trumps new book, “Dismantling Government Brick by Brick.”
Sturgeon makes Larry Kratka look like Walter Cronkite.
At least Melissa Mazzeo was NOT negative like her supporter in Dan Valenti’s last blog post!
Pittsfield politics = Negativity, negativity, and more negativity!
What middle class family or small business wants to invest in a community where everyone in politics is so negative all of the time?
I would like to know about Melissa Mazzeo’s AGENDA for the next 4 years as Mayor of Pittsfield?
I want 21-year-old vacant and polluted PEDA shut down! It is a total failure!!!!
– Jonathan Melle
Look who’s complaining about negativity. Mr deadly streets report himself.
Jonathan
I think the questions you posed a few postings ago would be a great template for the host of any mayoral campaign!
Meant forum not campaign. Sorry.
Would Melissa Mazzeo commit to revealing to taxpayers who are the business s that are getting tax breaks? All of them? BEFORE the election?
And if not why not? What would be a valid reason for keeping this information hidden for the past several years?
Hope to hear from her soon and if I don’t will sure sonder why.
For MelMaz to reveal the people who are getting tax breaks would make a few here happy and anger those receiving them. There is one requisite for getting a TIF. You don’t need the money. Your already rich beyond belief, ala Richard Stanley, St. Mary’s and the others. However, their greed for taxpayer $ is irresistible and they would come down hard with their political contributions to her opponent. Nothing would be gained.
Nothing would be gained except that taxpayers, who are making up the difference for what these people slide on, would know who and why.
As a senior on a fixed income it pisses me off to have to subsidize wealthy business owners who have connections to city hall and could care less about paying their fair share.
And yes I do understand that the mayor must cover this info up lest she lose financial assistance in getting reelected so that she can keep giving tax breaks to friends.
But it is still immoral and she knows it and is obviously too ashamed to be public about it.
Pittsfield’s commercial tax rates are substantially higher than homeowners’. They should be pissed about having to subsidize residents’ government services.
Why is your income fixed? Are you unable to work or just too lazy?
Aha! You must be one of the business owners taking tax breaks but too embarrassed about it to pop your head up. If the mayor is so proud of this program and it is vital to our economy why is she hiding under the bed about it?
Huh?
You don’t even pay taxes in Pittsfield
If you live in or spend money in Pittsfield you pay taxes there. So yes, when I lived in Pittsfield I paid plenty of taxes there.When I visit Pittsfield, I pay taxes there.
There on Bert’s Rolodex,the no jobs one.
Melissa, has been busy, I’ve been following her on social media for some time now.
Maybe she is compiling that list as we speak. It will go a long way towards people believing that she wants open and honest government. Good for her.
Is that not public information? File a FOIA request.
Maybe the Berkshire Eagle, who is always looking for new customers, will do that to show that they are on the side of their customers and not in bed with city hall.
hee hee
ROFL!!!!! ROFL!!!! ROFL!!!!!
The Left Winged Parrot??????
Journalism left town with the Millers.
It’s clear the present administration took care of the special interests before taking care of everything else. Harrington and Tyer in the audience for debates the other night at B C C Guiel did a Pete White eyeballing, for approval.Does anyone know what that job Donna received and is that a City Job?
Pittsfield and North Adams both need city managers. Charters need to be changed, and the office of mayor eliminated. City finances are far too complex these days to have an elected mayor, owing heaven knows what to big backers, taking politically motivated actions, learning on the job, all to the detriment of residents.
A manager is typically educated in municipal finances, usually has experience, does what needs to be done and if there’s too much heat has the ability to move on to greener pastures. It takes time to fix what inexperienced politicians have screwed up, but you do eventually turn a corner.
Pittsfielders can see the results of decades of politicians running the show. We see the floundering DA’s office where an inexperienced politician beat out an experienced non-politician prosecutor.
The reign of politicians has to end and it’s best if it happens sooner than later.
A city manager sounds like a good idea – what other cities have a city manager? Is there still a council to propose or approve idiotic ideas?
I agree with the comments above about the sad amount of vitriol – but only powerless people complain. If we felt like we could change anything for the better many of us wouldn’t be so discouraged.
During the Ward 6 debate, Gaetani stated he owns multiple properties in Ward 6 and that he grew up in Ward 6, as well as having family that still owns property in and also resides in Ward 6.
Mr. Carmel stated he lives in senior housing on Columbus Avenue.
Ms. Guiel (understandably) only stated that she comes from three generation of small business owners and that she works for Andrea Harrington. Is she a Ward 6 property owner ? Not that it impacts her qualifications however in a recent election a candidate rented a room to run in a given ward. It’s seemingly good to be invested along with potential constituents.
Mr. Carmel is married. Gaetani is single. Is Ms. Guiel married ? Does she have children that attend or will be attending Pittsfield public schools ? Again this doesn’t diminish her ability to serve, but may impact some voters’ decision.
Who is the person that rented a room just so he/she could run for election in a specific Ward?
Gueil and her wife just bought a house across from where Kroll lives.
Glad to get this from Melissa’s mouth in her own words.Good words and I think she’s got the head and heart to make some of it happen. She’s picking up steam. After primary is over I expect her to go all out.
The phone wrang off the hook,so that prompted Jonathan Lothrop to run again. Jonathan ,a Councilor is probably the least thing on people’s minds,really. Is it that important that you take quality family time away from your beautiful wife and family to run because people want you to run? That doesn’t jive. I’m with spagirl on the Mayor election, voting for neither of those two,not after getting my water bill today.
Jonathans phone rang off the hook when Ruberto kept calling. Can’t afford to let an outsider take a seat on that council. Gotta have a rubber stamper if you want to advance special interest issues.
I can’t vote for him but hope he gets in. I miss the “quite frankly” drinking game.
Lothrop is an arrogant nitwit.
Very true but the man can conversate.
Forgot to change to your other posting persona to conversate with yourself GKW?
Must be true. I saw smoke in his neighborhood. Must have been from the phone overheating.
lothrop was busy pushing the mayors agenda and asking residents on barker rd to take signs for her. He’s a joke
Bakers 1billion dollar surplus will go to school safety,mental health,Council ink. How about small businesses Governor? How about roads? How about anything but schools, they have enough? Votes votes votes. We are getting a needless 80 million dollar water plant,that doesn’t cover some affluents.
How about reducing the sales tax?
I’m pretty sure the voters of MA said yes to this a while back. Proves what voting in MA really accomplishes!
I’d would like to see the forensic tally on that cpa tax?
Don’t look now but P C T has been taken over by propaganda and infomercial. Is this an WAMC clone? Who gets the car?
Just noticed a Classified Ad in the BB looking for Qualified General Contractors for a large range of work for Residential Rehab. It was put out by Deanna Ruffer’s Dept. and emails needs to be sent to City Of Pitts. Did I miss something? Wasn’t this program voted down by the City Council? It also states that the City will assist with the cost of acquiring deleading licenses. Excuse me!? Does anyone know what this is about? Or, is this just another Lovely Linda defiant maneuver. Maybe one of the other candidates can find out what is going on. Its seems that this current Administration gets their jollies out of saying up yours to the taxpayers and the City Council. It has to stop, both Lovely Linda, Barry and Deana need to go!
Both Tyer and Mazzeo have been in the local political arena throughout the worst of the current events. The taxpaying citizens have voiced their concerns to the deaf ears of the two previous mayors, the current mayor, and the full seated City Council including Melissa Mazzeo.
Pittsfield needs change and a complete overhaul. The School Budget has smothered this City. Funds keep pouring in, with no consideration whatsoever of consolidating and showing fiscal responsibility. We the people are not stupid. You won’t close PHS or any other mergers because of State funding.
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Conservative Edition News
Conservative Edition News
NEWSSchool superintendent says white people need to “rewire their brains”
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Pittsfield Public Schools Superintendent Jason McCanless, who is white, said Tuesday that white people in our “systematically corrupt system that oppresses black individuals” need to “rewire their brains” in order to eliminate their alleged intrinsic biases, the College Fix reported.
The story: While speaking before community audience, McCandless also slammed President Donald Trump, arguing that the president’s language is “are being used to divide,” and that he “preaches hate on a daily basis … which is utterly unacceptable.”
“From the very highest hallways of power in this country, words are being used to divide,” he said. “Hate is being preached from the pulpit of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on a daily basis, which is utterly unacceptable.”
McCandless’s comments were in relation to black history pilot courses his district is set to start teaching this fall.
“This was perhaps a life-changing course for some people,” McCandless said.
The story was first covered by the Berkshire Eagle, which reported:
For the pilot of the history courses, the district reached out for advice from people in the community that it felt were experts in the field. McCandless hopes that students will contribute to the curriculum, too.
Heather McNiece, a teacher who works on curricula design and embedding at the schools, said that [Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Professor Frances] Jones-Sneed’s institute was eye-opening.
“I learned that I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” she said.
Up until that point, when talking about implicit bias, she had only been told to “check your white privilege,” which prompted a defensive response.
But after working with Jones-Sneed, and reading the book “Waking Up White,” she has a better understanding of what white privilege means
McCandless should be fired.
McCandless is way off base.
To call the President of the United States a “preacher of hate” is not only a lie but inflammatory and hateful speech on his part.
He has obviously bought into the 1619 Project which is a false narrative.
In addition to the above, the Supt.’s failed discipline policies and out-of-control spending should warrant his firing.
https://thefederalist.com/2019/08/21/no-america-wasnt-built-slavery-faith-men-created-equal/
Well said, GIGI.
Good heavens. JIV, removing any doubt of his incompetence, just gave us Exhibit A. He has just proven he’s not interested in education. He has bought into the brainwashing. This is a frank admission on his part that he and the system have lost control of the classroom, having ceded it to the unruly and the punk-element. His solution is to buy into a “feel-good” propagandistic product such as 1619, which places no intellectual challenges upon students in the only subjects relevant to a rounded education — reading, writing, math, science, biology, language arts, and so on. 1619 is proof that we as a society that once valued a public education no longer know how to educate this new brand of child, brought up as he has been on video games, smart technology, broken homes, and racial salad. If the money-eating Pittsfield Public School system has reached this point, and if it is headed by someone like JIV, we can confidently pronounce: It. Is. Over. for the once great and good city of Pittsfield.
Oh heavens no us white people could never be racists or biased. The oppressors don’t get to decide when they’ve stopped oppressing.
Whether it’s a progressive or a conservative, the messages are delivered from a biased perspective regardless of the source, and delivered poorly.
Education has to evolve to deliver accurate, unbiased information with proven techniques for measuring success. It’s not about feeling good. It’s about retaining information and learning how to use what you’ve learned in every day scenarios.
Discipline begins at home. Period! It’s not up to the teachers to TEACH discipline but to ENFORCE discipline already learned in the home.
Racism is a learned behavior. No human being was ever born with a choice of what color their skin is or how rich or poor they start out as. For one child/person to condemn another person because of their skin color or their financial circumstance is a behavior learned from another idiot.
My grandson is four. Like me, he is white. When I picked him up at preschool a couple of weeks ago, he was playing with a girl who came from India, a boy from Africa who was black, and another little girl who was white. They were laughing, playing a game, hugging each other, high fives. This is the way it should always be. Recently, another 4-year-old boy joined the school. He made fun of this same boy from Africa because of his skin and hair color, the Indian girl because of her skin color, the little girl because of her clothes, another little boy because of his clothing (his family is poor), and slapped and punched my grandson for hanging out with the original group. Whose fault is that? The teachers? No. His parents are doing a pathetic job because these are behaviors learned at home.
Fixing the Pittsfield schools is easy. 1) Parents need to get off their fannies and start being parents. Your kids are NOT your friends. They need discipline and they need to learn respect for others, especially adults. 2) In school, strict discipline and zero tolerance for miscreants with detention and suspension. Parents need to back off. 3) An appropriate curriculum that provides not only the basics but music and art and shop with strict performance standards. You don’t get the grades, you don’t move ahead. 4) Elimination of waste.
One thing that also needs to change is this attitude in Massachusetts that if you don’t spend all of the money in your budget in a fiscal year, you lose it. Effective management with a resultant surplus should be allowed to be retained by the department that originally received the funds. It’s wasteful to force departments to spend everything needlessly at the end of a fiscal year when money has been saved. By allowing a surplus to develop, money carried forward reduces future expenses.
TRUTH
Great, great message here. Many thanks for this vital contribution.
First a question, can anyone explain to me why Jimmy Ruberto is The Godfather of Pittsfield? Why do people constantly refer to him as being the Puppet Master? Why does he care so much and why should we be concerned about his interests…?
Second, a tidbit of news: Another seemingly popular (successful?) North Street eatery has bit the dust. Big Daddy’s Philly Steak house closed its doors for good on Saturday…
“Godfather of Pittsfield” Jimmy Ruberto really lives in Naples, Florida. In 2003, WHEN elected him, the lovely Linda Tyer, and Tricia Farley Bouvier. Jimmy Ruberto spent over $100,000 of campaign money to be Mayor of Pittsfield. He said he had a “rolodex” of business connections to bring new jobs to Pittsfield. In fact, the opposite happened! During Jimmy Ruberto’s 8 years as Mayor of Pittsfield, the community lost thousands of residents to population loss because hundreds of living wage jobs were lost due to Pittsfield politics distressed local economy, high taxes, huge debts, and Good Old Boys political corruption. Jimmy Ruberto spent over $2 million from GE’s settlement account on downtown Pittsfield’s so-called “renaissance”. PEDA continued to be an empty, vacant, and polluted wasteland with zero dollars in private investments. On the “Consent Decree” issue of industrial chemicals called PCBs, Jimmy Ruberto did lift a finger, despite citizens’ protests. I believe Jimmy Ruberto was another failed Mayor in the sad history of Pittsfield politics!
Then, after Jimmy Ruberto retired as Mayor, he led a coalition of Good Old Boys to back the Berkshire Museum’s shakedown where they sold priceless works of art given to the community be famous artists such as Norman Rockwell. The irony was that Jimmy Ruberto sold Pittsfield as a cultural mecca, then he supported the Berkshire Museum selling off its most precious pieces of artwork. I viewed it all as being more about money than the arts the whole time.
Jimmy Ruberto backed WHEN’s lovely Linda Tyer for Mayor of Pittsfield, and he also backed WHEN’s Tricia Farley Bouvier for Pittsfield State Representative. While WHEN officially disbanded a while ago, Jimmy Ruberto still leads a coalition of politically-connected women who supports his Good Old Boys club who have ran Pittsfield politics for decades.
Please note that the Good Old Boys are a group of inbred, interrelated, multi-generational politically-connected Pittsfield families who have benefited themselves and the vested and special interests, while Pittsfield’s depressed economy has been run into the proverbial ditch. In fact, Pittsfield is one of the most economically unequal communities in the state and nation!
I lost faith in Jimmy Ruberto over one decade ago. He is a con-man who was accused of or cited for multiple state ethics violations. He is also very difficult with citizens who disagree with his regime of Good Old Boys and WHEN women.
– Jonathan Melle
I meant to write: On the “Consent Decree” issue of industrial chemicals called PCBs, Jimmy Ruberto did not lift a finger, despite citizens’ protests.
– Jonathan Melle
Mr. Melle, I could not agree with you more. I believe restoration of Colonial to be a good thing but that would never have happened without the Miller family. The shakedown of the Berkshire Museum touted by Mayor Tyer and TFB as “bold new vision” is possibly criminal. All the bankers rubbing their hands in anticipation of receiving that $. Meanwhile, the Museum is an empty shell. Good for sand boxes only. Pittsfield is the county capitol of bamboozlement. A damn disgrace.
His brother Anthony was the DA. His political allegiance was with Evan Dobelle for mayor in the 70’s. James Ruberto created the “Pittsfield Renaissance” the renaissance of empty storefronts on North Street. Not only has Biggins Diggins gone out of business so has The British Store, right next to the Tyer campaign headquarters, as well as Red Apple Butchers .Biggins Diggins and Red Apple Butchers both failed in Geroge Whalen’s building! Did he also get major tax breaks from the city like Richard Stanly and the Beacon? I am hoping that the city ambassadors while helping with the failed parking kiosks are giving a tour of the garbage cans in front of the Onota Building and the former historic Berkshire Bank at Park Square the law office of Cohen, Kinne, Valicenti and Cook.
The James Ruberto Renaissance.
I think you mean Big Daddy’s. Biggins Diggins is in Lanesborough.
Didn’t know The British Store closed…
North Street of 2020 is about to look a lot like North Street of 1999…
I like that Mayor Mazzeo pays real estate taxes and water and sewer fees.I mostly like her experience in finances on CC.Mazzeo has a intellectual interest in how departments spend money.My guess is there are many questions she needs to ask about how how the Department of Schools run.Department head Mccandless will be busy getting her up to date.
After 10 years on the Council shouldn’t she know all of this? If she doesn’t why would anyone vote for her?
Jim Ruberto is the new Remo Del Gallo…or so he thinks.
Jimmy never bought property in Pittsfield. When he and Ellen came back they brought property in Lenox. He at some point moved into the family home on Spadina Pkwy. At least Remo owned property and a business and paid taxes?
I always liked Remo Del Gallo. Also, I enjoy reading Rinaldo’s op-ed’s. Sometimes, I let Rinaldo know how I view some of his political opinions. I think Rinaldo is very intelligent!
The City of Pittsfield is great and good and benefits from it’s consumption of racial salad. The pain of moving into the modern era should’nt be confused with stumbling about like a horse with blinders.
Is there a civil suit in the works for the teenage girl that died under state supervision? How about the man that was killed by police,where’s that stand.
So McCanass wants to re-wire my brain! This really pissed me off. Never mind that I have been working hard paying taxes for some 50 years, at times working two or three jobs to make ends meet. Let me ask this of McCanass, what are you teaching? In my current job I accept applications for employment. Many of the applications that I receive are from local “graduates” of the Pittsfield School System. These graduates do not know how to spell the street they live on, the school they graduated from, and basically can’t fill out a job application without my help. These students are black and white. I am not discriminating against these individuals. I actually feel bad for them that the Pittsfield School system has sent them out into the world this way. They have been totally short changed in education. Maybe McCanass should worry more about teaching the basics of reading, writing and math instead of pushing Black History. I also feel a person in this position should not be public speaking against the President of the United States in this manner he did. He should be fired, he is not a positive role model for the students of Pittsfield.
With JIV and low IQ Linda how can we go wrong?
Trump is trash.
Hope that helps you.
JIV could hire these fine people as “teachers’.
https://www.wnd.com/2019/08/another-library-drag-queen-exposed-as-sex-offender/