‘SPACELY SPACE SPROCKETS’ PLAY FOR PUBLIC MONEY: JUST ANOTHER FLIM IN THE FLAM?
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY SEPT. 30, 2019) — “Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Star Ship Pittsfield, whose four-year mission is to explore new scams, seek out new hustlers, and boldly go where most mayors have gone before: Into the Kapanskis pockets.”
So might begin the latest PEDA soap opera threatening Pittsfield. Don’t look now, but mayor Linda Tyer and her director of business development, Michael Coakley, want to carve out yet another six figure chunk of GE settlement money, this to assist space research company Electro Magnetic Associates, a.k.a., a.k.a., Spacely Space Sprockets. It’s another sketchy private company looking for some of the city’s “free” public money. Let us calmly ask: If this is such a great deal, why isn’t private equity scrambling to get onboard?
Which brings to mind …
- EV Worldwide, $250,000 and tax breaks. 1,000 jobs promised, 0 delivered. Armitage sent up the river.
- The Colonial, $30 million in taxpayer money (first budgeted at $3 mm). Thank God for Kate McGuire.
- $1 million in Bossidy Bux, gift of native son Larry Bossidy, wasted on superfluity. Nothing to show for it.
- WorkshopLive! $700,000 and tax breaks. Zero jobs delivered. No guitars plunked. Only taxpayers.
- Spice Restaurant. $500,000 and 12 years of tax relief. Kaput. No payback required.
- The Beacon. Years of tax breaks and losses. $2.3 million owed the city. Forgiven. Stanley sells, keeps the dough.
- Nuclea. Uncounted public money. Fake jobs. Snake oil its only product. The stripey hole for CEO.
As they say, past is prologue.
Tyer and Company made the announcement just days after Melissa Mazzeo handed the mayor a distant second-place finish in the mayoral prelims. Coakley claimed the “funding” and “paperwork” dictated the timing of the announcement, not politics. Did Coakley use Star Trek’s cloaking device to hide the truth?
For the grand announcement, EMI didn’t send its principals (who are they, by the way? Mr. Spacely? Cogswell Cogs?). They sent “chief scientist” Justin McKennon, a.k.a. The Beard, who’s been with the company for all of five months. Who is he? From his Facebook profile: “I’m Justin. I love hanging out with my friends, playing golf, building things, and lifting weights.”
Read it slowly. Let the tone sink in. Seems short in the gravitas department, or is it just the Millennial Way? And this is the Spacely front man? We’d much prefer George Jetson, James Tiberius Kirk, or Space Ghost.
———- ooo ———-
The Beard’s resume on Linked In shows he moves around a lot. The young weight lifter worked at General Dynamics for under two years, Lightning Technologies on Hubbard Avenue not even four years, moved to a brief stint with Lightning’s parent company (that part gets confusing), then on to five months at EMI. To top this impressive curriculum vitae, it seems he was not an actual employee at these firms but a “consultant.” Yes?
Dum-de-dum-dum.
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before.
This is the man EMI chose to appear between Tyer and Coakley at the BIC.
Ah, the BIC.
The Berkshire Innovation Center first came with a $3 million estimate. By the time the grubs in Pittsfield and Boston finished with it, the cost ballooned to $13 million. What’s $10 million among friends? Rest assured, taxpayers. Every dime of YOUR MONEY was subject to the usual rigorous safeguards, accounting, and oversight that comes with public projects of this type in the Bay State (Big Dig: estimate $3 billion; actual $13 billion) and especially in Pittsfield. To the best of THE PLANET‘s knowledge, there were no cash-filled envelopes exchanges. Then again, we don’t get around as much as we used to.
Spacely Space Sprockets (rhymes with “the taxpayer’s pockets”) proposes to build a vacuum test chamber, the only one of its kind in the world, that it claims is vital to the U.S. space effort. Gosh, wonder why NASA, the U.S. Defense Department, or any of the more well established and well financed tech companies haven’t thought of it?
Sputnik, Soyuz, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, the space shuttle, the space station, the might of the superowers’ R&D, the Mars’ Rovers, Neil Armstrong, Space-X and other legit companies looking to get into space — not one of them thought to build such a chamber? Not one of the nation’s space projects of the past 50 years required such a chamber? Now McKennon enters doing a Pat Muraca on the mayor’s headstone, and we’re supposed to buy it?
———- ooo ———-
On Facebook, The Beard spilled his joy:
Still can’t believe this is real. A huge thank you to Jill McKennon for supporting my crazy ass all the time,Linda M. Tyer and Michael Coakley, Ben Sosne and the BIC, John R. Sinopoli and Synagex for helping to get this whole thing started, and every one else who has helped along the way. We’re all going to look back on this and laugh at how small this started out.
Oh, it’s real, all right. Or will be after the city council puts its rubber stamp on this waste of money. The Kapanskis only hope lies with the talents of councilors Kevin Morandi, Chris Connell, and Melissa Mazzeo to ask hard questions and send this space academy to its doom. You’re also right again, Justin. We are “all going to look back on this and laugh” — the kind of laughing to keep from crying.
———- 000 ———-
In his remarks at the public announcement, McKennon said, “We’re building an empire.” Delusions of grandeur? Tyer called Pittsfield the “hub of the emerging space industry.” Earth to Tyer: The space industry has been around since Werner Von Braun was launching V-2s over London. Longer. The only thing “emerging” here is the latest grab for the Kapanskis’ hard-earned coin. Wife Jill, if this thin request gets approved, you’re not the only one who will be supporting your hubby’s “crazy ass.”
The Kapanskis, of course, will have no say … and don’t give any crud about their council “representatives.” The only interests the council represents are the Special ones. While were at it, a few days ago, McKennon’s Linked-In page had a link to Earl Persip’s campaign fundraiser (held in The Dumpster Behind Paul Rich?). Mysteriously, by Saturday, it had disappeared. How do you think Dumpster will vote on the Spacely request? Don’t you see a conflict of interest? Maybe EMA promised The Pearl a ride in the space chamber, so he can feel weightless.
Finally, we have this from Police Report, one THE PLANET‘s most qualified and connected Z-Agents:
“The two people from EMA pushing this deal have worked for EMA for less than six months each
“McKennon has been a consultant for 6 years and prior to that didn’t even work in the “space field”. Beyond consulting at GD during his EMA “tenure” he was a software “salesman” repping EMA at trade show booths.
Neither of these individuals are principals of the company, they aren’t owners, co-owners, or on any board. They are new hire employees with a total of 6-7 years experience in the “space industry”.
“They’ve never run a company, never been responsible for any facilities they’ve owned, have extremely limited expertise in their field, and want to do something “no one has ever done before”.
“No test facility in the world has all these capabilities, let alone in a single test chamber,” EMA states in documents within the proposal.
“Maybe there’s a reason for that? If NASA and SpaceX aren’t doing this, maybe there is a reason this isn’t being done? Seems like a lot of risk for 4 jobs, two of which are entry level administration positions.
https://www.ema3d.com/ema-consultants/”
Of course, The Boring Broadsheet and iBerserkshires gushed over what could end up as another fleecing of the GE economic development fund. The BB touted the “potential,” saying Spacely “evidently” plans to grow and prosper.
Evidently.
May we all “Live long and prosper.”
——————————————————————————————
“What I attack is that the economic optimism which behaves as though, with the increasing expenditure of all, the welfare of all would also necessarily increase” — Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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The way to read this is as follows:
Job Title
Company
Dates
Location
The dates can be confusing because they are titled consulting jobs.
He’s worked for EMA Since April of 2019, that’s 5 months.
Prior to that he worked for Lightning Technologies which is an NTS Company. In that job he worked on a number of projects as a consultant.
So what’s strange about this?
Justin worked for NTS/LTI, a company that already exists in Pittsfield, doing some of the very same testing as EMA. LTI been here for decades and Justin went from working for them as a consultant to working for EMA (a competitor of NTS/LTI).
In consulting gigs, you don’t really care what company you work for as youR “hire out” company, you just care that you’re getting paid and on a project that fits. It’s also common to “jump” from consulting company to consulting company to stay on a project.
(Anticompetitive clauses are hard to enforce without specific compensation)
So effectively Mayor Linda Tyer is willing to give an out of state competitor of a long standing Pittsfield company money and a TIF.
She’s effectively penalizing a Pittsfield company by using PEDA money and TIFs. By doing this she’s potentially putting an existing Pittsfield business at risk. A company that’s been here for 25 plus years and has its own facility. I’m guessing they also pay taxes, have employees, and pay taxes on their equipment.
Granted they may not be doing “space testing but with a mayor like Linda Tyer, established Pittsfield companies don’t stand a chance.
If it were back in the day, Mayor Linda Tyer would have hastened the demise of KBToys by giving money and inviting Toys R Us to move to pPittsfield.
Funny though how Lightning Technologies could establish itself in Pittsfield, build a multi-million dollar company, then market itself and get sold to NTS (NASDEC NTSC) for $6 million plus $1 million in performance bonuses. All without GE money or a TIF.
https://www.nts.com/resources/NTS%20Pittsfield%20MA.pdf
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-technical-systems-acquires-lightning-technologies-inc-129032663.html
Justin McKennon
Principal Scientist I
Electro Magnetic Applications, Inc.
Apr 2019 – Present 6 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Chief Engineer
NTS – National Technical Systems
Apr 2014 – Apr 2019 5 yrs 1 mo
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Lightning Technologies, an NTS Company
3 yrs 8 mos
Manager, Engineering and Simulation
Apr 2016 – Nov 2017 1 yr 8 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Manager of Simulation and Modeling
Jan 2016 – Apr 2016 4 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Leading the development of electromagnetic (HIRF, EMC, EMF, Lightning, etc.) model development and research for Lightning Technologies, an NTS Company. Driving research, quality of work, branding, and business goals pertaining to this area.
Senior Electrical Engineer, Director of Simulation and Modeling
Apr 2014 – Jan 2016 1 yr 10 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Created the simulation and modeling group at LTI. Performed cutting edge, state of the art electromagnetic modeling in a number for certification of wings and other aircraft components/structures, wind turbine blades, and engines/cabling. Performed precipitation static, high voltage, high current, and full vehicle tests on a plethora of aircraft and components. Provided insight and design guidance in lightning protection and certification to LTI customers. Active participant in the SAE RTCA DO-160 working group. Drove complex test procedures to validate lightning protection schemes on fuel systems and aircraft system components. Expert in all aspects of lightning protection design, and test, with emphasis on aerospace, defense, and alternative energy sectors. Direct and indirect effects, fuels testing, FAA, Transport Canada, EASA, regulations, and DO-160 testing. Expertise in simulation and analysis of antennas (near and far field radiation patterns) and test setup simulation (anechoic, reverberation)
.
Senior Systems Engineer
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems
Jun 2012 – Apr 20141 yr 11 mos
Developed system and subsystem level concepts, requirements, and design for the SSBN Replacement Fire Control System and Auxiliary Systems. Helped manage project goals and milestones. Implemented an innovative automated testing design that provided a tremendous cost savings to the program and served as the technical decision maker for the project. Provided technical leadership and programmatic tasks for the SWS-Ashore project.
Lead Project Intern
Coastal Systems Technology
May 2010 – May 2012 2 yrs 1 mo
Fall River, MA
Directed and managed projects. Devised and executed autonomous undersea vehicle missions utilizing the IVER2 vehicle. Performed data analysis and sonar processing for performance evaluation and object location determination.
Systems/Software Engineer
Greatpoint Energy/ Greatpoint Ventures
2009 – 20101 yr 1 mo
Let us not forget this little gem about the health of PEDA
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/58139/Auditor-PEDA-s-Unrestricted-Funds-Continue-to-Dwindle.html
So I guess Mayor Linda Tyer is anti-Pittsfield businesses.
If your a shiny new toy, or building a space empire, step right up.
My god man please get out of your basement and take a walk it’s beautiful fall day. Just being so negative ALL the time must be so draining. The women hating obsession is really scary but hey the Echo chamber loves it.
No, Anderson. You have it wrong! Police Report please keep us posted. Youre our favorite on the comment board. Obvioulsy someone on the inside of the inside. We need all the info we can get on the Space request of the GE money.
Anderson take a hike!
Women hating ? I think not. PR doesn’t discriminate,PR has called out men also in posts. Don’t forget women want to be treated as equals, as they should be. PR thanks for the informative posts on many issues. Readers at least have the choice to absorb or not when you post.
Thank you two shoes.
My focus is on incompetence, regardless of gender.
It just so happens two of the most incompetent people in local politics and office are women.
DA Andrea Harrington, zero experience, dangerously incompetent, and rabidly ambitious. She doesn’t believe most of what she says, it’s all about opportunity.
Mayor Linda Tyer, extremely incompetent to the point that she doesn’t even know what she doesn’t know.
Chief Wynn, extremely bad at his job and now just coasting until he gets his PhD paid for by the city, then he plans to retire and be a professor. Pittsfield is, very much a crime capital because of his lack of focus on his main job.
There are plenty of other men and women that have put personal ambition, greed, and pride over what is right for Pittsfield.
Our newest focus, Justin McKennon is a prime example. His desire to build a space empire is not about a sound business plan, about creating jobs, about being “for Pittsfield” it’s about creating a job for himself and his friend so they don’t have to relocate.
Michael Coakley might be the worst of the lot. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s so out of touch he thinks he came up with Wayfair and it was “hard work”.
I think that is all well said, PR. I don’t sense ‘women hating’ from PC either and feel annoyed that that accusation got chucked into the conversation.
KERMIT
Agreed. There was no “women hating” in the comment. In fact, it’s the opposite. This site, and the comments by PR, take women as seriously (or not) as we do men. They deserve credit when credit is due, and by the same token, they should expect critiques when comments and opinions so judge. To play the gender card — now THAT’s “women hating.”
Great column Dan and great research & reporting PoliceReport. If only our city councilors would dig this deep into EMA.
Dan, the city of Pittsfield keeps giving you great writing material. Syracuse must be pretty tame in comparison to this nightmare of Pittsfield city government.
Pay attention, voters, to the EMA issue in the subcommittee Thursday night. Don’t vote for any incumbent councilors who support this proposal!
Hey Mr. Fritz, I think a deep dig into EMA would be a contradiction in terms. There doesnt appear to be any there there to dig into!
Good point Mr. G.
Unfortunately some of our city councilors think EMA will help them win re-election.
Sketchy people, sketchy politicians and sketchy projects. Or, How To Shit Viscerally on Helpless Taxpayers.
Dan, very well done column, very well done.
How much of the 10 mil is left and how much interest had it made
over the years and how was it invested and where else has the money gone besides stated above and museum and Hancock shakedown village and what do we have to show for the grand pissaway and how much would we have earned in taxes if we didn’t accept the grand screwing’ between then and now, and why can’t basic info such as this be in writing somewhere like on city website so we can see at a glance how it was “invested”?
Thanks, J-99. Excellent suggestion. We started out with $10 million. How much is left? Where did the expenditures go? What was the return? You’ll recall that the $10 million was meant for two purposes: (a) business development and (b) tax relief.
Does anyone recall Governor Patrick’s boondoggle with the solar panel company which located in Devens? New plant, promise of hundreds of jobs, millions given by the state. Business went to China, company gone, company bankrupt. How many of these failed businesses has Pittsfield hosted over the past decade?
Why is this going to be any different?
I know why! Because the same nutcase politicians that gave us Andrea Harrington, the Squeaky Queen of criminal justice reform have promised us that this will be another success. Pardon me while I go clean my shoes. I appear to have stepped in another of Tyer’s promises.
How about when this thing starts to grow hugamongous the taxpayers of Pittsfield get first options on the stock at a discount rate? Put it in the agreement along with the option to sue for personal damages and insult if the thing follows the normal path of local black hole pie in the sky asshat projects.
If this was the shark tank, any normal investor would be demanding a 75% equity to bankroll a “startup”
If they are that undercapitalized, the city of Pittsfield should not be giving them any money.
Workshop Live comes to minds as Mayor Ruberto threw 600k at that.Then the was Mayor Doyle who gave the Springfield guy about 750 k and Councilor President Lee oversaw and approved. Councilor Sherman OKd big givsaways.Everyone backing Tyer in this City of poverty wants Tyer to RAISE YOUR TAXES…Vote NO on Taxing the poor.
Tyer=TAXES…she is not in charge.The people backing Tyer are in charge.
Doyle gave the parade committee 50 grand one year. Also 50 grand golden handshake to his treasurer. Also 50 grand to the newspaper to promote the city logo.
And that is just the ones we heard about.
Then there is Yon and Amuso who never said no to any amount of money anyone named Jake Mccandless or Jake Eberwien wasted on failure. Pittsfield needs more services under one roof PHS is empty so its time to combine the 1500 kids in High School.Lets offer incentives to High School students who leave.
Another “not enough information” failure by DA Andrea Harrington’s office. Is the “public safe”? Description of attacker? Do they suspect the person hurt “wasn’t the intended victim”?
GREAT BARRINGTON — Police are investigating an alleged assault that sent a Bard College at Simon’s Rock student to the hospital Friday afternoon, according to a statement issued by the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office on Saturday.
Campus Safety at the college received a call just after 2 p.m. Friday, reporting that the student had been assaulted in a wooded area on campus. The student was treated for minor injuries at Berkshire Medical Center and released, according to the statement.
The District Attorney’s Office didn’t identify the gender, age or name of the victim, or provide any details about the alleged assault.
“The incident is being investigated by Great Barrington Police, Simon’s Rock Campus Safety, the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, the Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and forensic scientists assigned to the State Police Crime Lab,” the statement said.
College officials did not provide any information about the alleged assault by Saturday night.
Probably safe unless you’re in the Great Barrington Woods.
Or you know, on a college campus. It happened on campus, and it’s not like there aren’t thousands of acres of wooded trails that people hike on.
Again not enough information to tell if there’s a threat to students, the public, not even a “public need not worry”.
I have “acres that people hike on…”
I posted all Mine.
Because of new neighbor a$$wipes. Old friends are still welcome. New ciity slickers left garbage, stole wood, poached game, ride SUVs … all illegal.
I had a POS woman on cross country skis coming up MY wood road, dog in tow. She went by by, dog found me, I petted dog.
She came back, looking for dog ; “What are YOU doing here this land is posted!!!!”
“Yes it’s posted, I posted it, You are a trespasser, what’s YOUR name???” Look like a deer in head lights……
“Well, I thought it was JUST posted for hunting!”
“Can you read? Trespassing”, “YOU are trespassing!!!”
My neighbors, are all welcome if they know me and ask.
I have quite a bit of land, enough to shoot guns if I want at targets or game.
This couldn’t happen here could it?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-news/millions-of-dollars-are-missing-the-sheriff-is-dead-a-small-virginia-town-wants-answers/2019/09/24/1a0be2fe-c061-11e9-b873-63ace636af08_story.html
PHS had some pretty excellent teachers who must be close to retiring. I think that building is too small, maybe they can consolidate the middle schools there. I have heard a lot more parents say positive things about PHS than Taconic.
But consolidation is key – bigger classroom size is meant to help poorly performing kids, believe it or not, as there is more diversity. I read this recently and was surprised as it’s different than anything I had been told before. So many of our schools are almost empty.
Buffalo Billions puts MA to shame but spending money on your friends is part of the political process. The BIC seems like a turd floating on Silver Lake – I wouldn’t want to touch it with a barge pole. They probably have to print money and hand it out to get anyone in there.
The tipoff that “Justin” from Spacey McSpace Face is a hoax is his title, “Chief Scientist.” No one gets that role without serious engineering chops. The city is not capable of evaluating businesses, and as you point out, Dan, if Spacey cannot get venture funding, why not? Even the pot companies are getting funded and they’re an investor nightmare.
Maybe they meant “Chief Scientologist”?
Something about Drane’s news summary just doesn’t sound right. (Aside from the part that we’re going to “meet” the defendant – what is this “The Price is Right?”) An “integral role?” Police Report, any thoughts?
From Eagle 9/30/19
Come Monday, we’ll meet a man who investigators believe played an integral role in the shooting that killed 32-year-old Stephanie Olivieri last month. Tyler Sumner, 25, of Adams, is scheduled to be arraigned on a murder charge in Berkshire District Court.
I have no idea, it just seems like very bad writing not concerned with the gravitas of the situation.
I guess the editors are not working today.
I looked up “economic development” in Pittsfield politics’ dictionary. I saw a picture of the Good Old Boys eating a feast, while the Kapanski family begged for their table scraps.
ecolonoscopy development maybe?
I saw a picture of the sscam artists in Tyers infamous photo op in front of St. Marys on Tyler Street.
That was a sub group. Some of them could not make it.
Johnathan, did you notice The Lovely Linda standing at the head of the table with her arms spread?
And Linda eats Black cavier and drinks “scrumptious wine” at the feet on her Roman Lords Ruberto and Doyle. Follow the money.
The likeable Mayor Tyer is cover for the power of the established men who stood behind her in the photo.Pittsfield needs change and financial accountability.Her supporters live TAXES and SPENDING.she is DC oing what she was told.Pittsfield needs Mazzeos inquisitive thinking that requires questions of why….Tyer is done….Workshop live is why she is done,Hancock Shaker Village The Berkshire Museum Spice Doyle Lee Ruberto Amuso Yon Bouvier…Mayor Mazzeo wont be them
Tyer is done. Her energy is gone along with her creepy base of Durwin, Guyer, Ward, Sosa, and the ultimate creep good old Barry C ! If Marquis is a big fan, what does that tell ya ?
”Each day just goes so fast
I turn around, it’s past
You don’t get time to hang a sign on me
…
There’s people standing round
Who’ll screw you in the ground
They’ll fill you in with all their sins, you’ll see“
Mazzeo, I believe made statements, that she wanted to reopen the GE consent decree? I think she said “a priority….”
What is the chance of that happening? About the same as GE coming back to the PEDA site!!!!
I wish she would open up the TIF decree and tell us who is getting the tax breaks. It would probably give us a collective heart attack if we knew the total amount of tax breaks given out since they started. It would have probably paid for the new school.And nobody at city hall wants us to have heart attacks and that is why this info is locked up like Trumps tax returns.
Why can’t the city post on its website where all the GE money went, when, how much is left, how much interest was earned across time, how many jobs it created that still exist, and how much in lost tax income all these years by signing onto The Great Screwing? In other words a basic accounting and whether or not it was better than giving up all that propert tax FOREVA.
How do you spell S U C K E R S? Doyle and any councilor who signed off should be ass shamed. Maybe for 100 mil but a measley 1 mil per year for 10 years. How do you spell S T U P I D?
Gerry said at 5he time that was the best we could do,Hickey to.
I agree and think that is a great idea. In the search for open and honest government I would think any open and honest mayor would put all that info on the city website. If not, why not?
Just this past Saturday the Berkshire Eagle had an opinion piece chastising our state government, calling them out for their scandals and lack of openness. Ironically this same newspaper does not find it necessary to answer the glaring question about what business s in Pittsfield are getting tax breaks. The silence on this subject is deafening and begs for a whistle blower. (Hey MATT)
Come on mayor, turn this info in its totality over to the Eagle and allow them to print it for all your subjects. Or come out at one of your press briefings and explain why the people do not deserve to hear it. Every day you keep it hidden makes you look more suspicious. Even Barry knows you owe it to the public to be open about such things.
JA
Today, THE PLANET contacted PEDA requesting this information. You and others can start the clock ticking on their reply … or ignorance. If the phone doesn’t ring, I’ll know its PEDA not getting back to me.
Thank you so much. It has become obvious to a blind man that this mayor does not want the public to know who she is giving tax breaks to. Incentives as she may be calling them.
so someone with some clout showing interest should provoke some sort of response even if it is the usual obfuscation
Dear Dan,
Back in the 1990s, the city of Pissfield should have let the GE mess/foul spoor , become a Superfund site.
But we got screwed by Doyle, Divillars and Welch.
Then screwed again by Dolyes/city counciors, then and since, abuse of the paltry Judas money GE gave Pissfield
MT
TRAPPER
The problem with Superfund is that Pittsfield would be put in the system. The waiting list is dreadfully slow. Chances are, with Superfund, NOTHING would have happened. The settlement, was, in principle, a good thing. It’s just that the city got snookered big time. GE walked away having left most of the toxins unremediated in land, water, and air. The most egregious snookering came with the $10 million economic development fund. It should have been much more. Hundreds of millions. However, they came with their tooth-sharpened corporate lawyers. We came with Gerry Doyle and his minder, Tom Hickey. It was like the Mexicans vs. the Texicans at the Alamo. We gave away the store.
I hate to inform you all of the fact that both lovely ladies answer to the same Democrat Party bosses! The only difference is that the lovely Linda Tyer is part of the Ruberto regime and Doyle debacle, while the lovely Melissa Mazzeo is part of the Bianchi bust and Bowler brigade.
Mel is her own boss. Stop being a dufus. it L L that needs to be lead around by a chain
Johnny, those same democRATS are the ones trying to over throw our Government, and President
Here’s the truth. And when did these scientist get approached? How did they research the Tyer giveaways? Or were ther approached? If successful they hold the taxpayer at bay keep funneling cash or we leave or, just leave to a new site, sell it or disband. Lately takeovers have been common like the Bea Con.
Mazzeo doesn’t answer to bosses you buffoon.
I’ll go with the Mazzeo, Bianchi and Bowler group as you put iyou put it. They aren’t crooks like the well known Tyer, Clairmont, Roberto, Doyle and Lee bunch. The Mazzeo, Bianchi and Bowler group work for the good of the city while the other group work to enrich their cronies and line each other’s pockets at the taxpayers expense. Glad I left Pittsfield. It has really gone down the tubes because of dirty politics and lousy leadership
Ditto, Nana.
Bianchi .,Bowler anyday.Tyer Wants Your Cash…
I dislike the Good Old Boys, too! Down with Gerry Doyle, Jimmy Ruberto, et al. The G.O.B.’s ran Pittsfield into the proverbial ditch.
Tyer wants moneeee.
So basically zenners now Lachs east.
PLOT TWIST: The GE money has been sitting in a non-interest bearing checking account since the 90s. Ahahahaha!
Really though, $10 million invested 20 years ago should really have a nice return. Of course we know there have been multiple payouts and it would have taken a huge hit in 2008, but what ARE the numbers?
Isn’t this public information? It may not be published anywhere, but certainly the information could be extrapolated via an FOI request, no? Who is the keeper of this information, this accounting?
Barry C – could you pop in a minute and let the readers know? We would be much obliged!
File a Freedom of Information Request.
They will be forced to comply.
Why has not anyone done this yet, for corrupted Pissfield?
Wow Dan, you seem to have developed a real dislike for Justin McKennon. All because he wants to do business in our pitiful city and is angling for PEDA assistance, just like any other company would do. Unforgivable!
It’s a sad sign of the times that anyone can pluck bits and pieces of information from the Internets and piece together a supposedly accurate “profile” of someone like Mckennon. Before you know it, the caricature is accepted as fact – to the point where esteemed blog hosts join in the mockery.
A lot of the BS on this board is fueled by ignorance. For starters every business on the planet (outside of this Planet, anyway) tries to avail itself of any and all available gov’t-related incentives. That is completely unconnected and tells you NOTHING about it’s attractiveness as a private equity or VC investment, so the comment about “private equity scrambling to get onboard” is just plain foolish. The claim that EMA approaching PEDA is a de facto sign of weakness is baseless.
Back to Mckennon. I don’t know him and I am not an expert in his field. His claim about building an empire definitely seems grandiose, but at the very least it shows enthusiasm. I see that as a very good thing; you and others here see it as a sure-fire sign McKennon is some kind of conman.
The truth is, I doubt anybody on this board is in a position to speak to Mckinnon’s skill set and expertise. Here’s a video of Mckinnon giving a speech at a technical convention last year. Below it is a white paper he did for EMA. He’s young but seems like a pretty thoughtful guy to me. Maybe he doesn’t deserve your scorn just yet. Just saying’.
https://www.comsol.com/video/evaluating-lightning-protection-designs-with-simulation
https://www.ema3d.com/blog/space-weather-strikes-again/
BLARE
I have no dislike at all for the lad, and I will add that this column is not at all what you call it, that is, a “profile” of him. The point is that the early signs bear eerie similarity to past expenditures of the public GE settlement money into what are private start-ups. One of them is a rush to get this signed in a right big hurry. To your point about private equity, is there such capital wanting in on EMA as an investment? If this is all on the level, the proof will be in its success. Should that occur, we shall be more than glad to be the keynote speaker at the celebration banquet. Finally, thanks for the alternate view. Always welcome when its well presented and written, as this one is.
My “profile” comment was directed more at PR, who has and continues to post a pile of misleading info about McKennon’s background.
He seems bright, ambitious and enthusiastic. The type of relatively young adult who will be an asset to his community, wherever that may be. I understand skepticism about PEDA in general, but why this need to disparage McKennon like we’re trying to chase him away?
Fair.
I agree, these are the kind of people Pittsfield needs to actually become something other than a “former GE” community.
I think some of the “push back” comes from the grandiose “space empire” comment and his “you don’t understand” approach towards anyone that questions him.
Yes many of us do understand starting a business, opening businesses in new markets, financing expensive equipment
Many are also skeptical of large promises as well as Mayor Linda Tyer having a clue how to run the city and allocate funds. This is just a thinly veiled campaign photo op
PR
Good point. The comment about “empire building” was extremely ill-advised. If the lad wanted to establish his credibility, he would have presented himself in a much more understated way. The “it’s too technical and you wouldn’t understand” response also has become tiring. This is a start up, subject to the same + and (-) in the rules as all such enterprises, which are governed by principles most people of certain intelligence can be expected to grasp.
Where you again miss the Mark is that the problem isn’t with Justin McKennon and what his education is, it’s his absolute lack of experience in running a company, being a new hire, having been a consultant for almost the entirety of his career, and not being an owner or actual principal of the company EMA, the company doing this “expansion”.
Critical questions;
Why is EMA letting two new hires act as the front of this space empire? Both who’ve only worked for the company for only 6 months each. Why is one of them not only a new hire but new to the industry with less than a year of work experience, outside of academia?
If they are creating 5 or 6 jobs (depends on who’s saying it) and two of them are already filled, and two are entry level administration positions (Justin’s words) that leaves only one or two jobs left. They’ve already filled 40% of their workforce if it’s 5 employees and Justin and Wilson
Yes companies seek government handouts all the time, most of the critique is about getting first round funding for a capital purchase from a government entity.
EMA, having been in business for 40 years, should easily be able to finance a $600k purchase. From a government perspective investing hard dollars in “something that’s never been done before” is never an acceptable risk. That’s what VC do.
At most Pittsfield should be doing a TIF with very specific performance goals 5 jobs, 5 years, min/max salary.
If BIC wants to include rent con sessions, again that should be tied to job creation.
So you would consider being Chief Engineer of a multi million dollar company, and (conveniently omitted) multiple NASA research grants having no background? I would find it hard to believe that someone with that pedigree can be considered a “new hire”. You don’t know the story there, so why speculate???
The one with “less than a year of experience” has been studying, doing research, and performing testing in a comparable area for almost a decade, certainly seems qualified, per his resume and the several dozen papers that pop up if you simple google his name. I don’t even know what any of that stuff is but it seems highly relevant. It’s people like you guys, posting stuff about his house and family (is that a joke? You should be ashamed) that keep us in this vicious cycle here.
Why would EMA NOT seek financial help from the city? The money is only for capital. Seems like EMa has a hefty labor bill and I’m sure there are many other things to pay for too…
If you read the city council minutes, it seems that the Air Force and NASA have provided support too. Why not ask questions to the guy if you’re so in the know about him and his goings on rather than blasting the guy for stuff you’re wildly incapable of discussing. My goodness
Dan and police report, great job getting absolutely nothing correct on this story. Exemplary work. Justin started at Lightning Technologies as an engineer, and worked his way up to be Chief Engineer of an internationally recognized company. I think that alone should speak to his engineering acumen. If you spent more than two seconds researching him, his colleague Greg (a Ph.D in SPACE EFFECTS) or EMA, you’d have learned a bit. Do dozens of published industry reviewed scientific papers, multiple degrees, etc. mean anything? Man. I looked this up in 5 minutes!!!
I never said he wasn’t an engineer. I said he’s only worked for EMA for 5 months, 6 months as of tomorrow. He’s not a principal of the company (EMA) and a majority of his entire career has been spent working as a hired out consultant for other companies.
His prior experience, before being a space expert, was not in space and actually guidance software.
Part of his job at EMA, was consultant sales engineer repoing their software at trade shows.
None of that or anything else I’ve said is incorrect.
On the contrary. I looked at LinkedIn, took on EMA’s page. He was in a picture at a booth at the “2019 ICOLSE Conference”. He presented there and his paper was in the proceedings. I know some folks who know him. He has never been a salesman, and as far as I’m aware, the city needs energy like this. Why stifle something for no reason? His name is all over the internet in positive lighting and your piece seems to tear at his credentials.
Also, the other guy – Greg. He is a PH.D in space effects. Seems relevant, no?
McKennon has a Linked-In page. His background reads nothing like your description above. One of you is lying. Really blatantly.
Your “repping at trade shows” comment is amusing, though. You make it sound like he worked the Ginsu booth at a state fair. Something tells me you’ve never been to a technical trade show.
My post above was copied directly from his LinkedIn profile I’ve reposted it below.
As you seem to be not familiar with technical terms and may not understand most of what you read I’ll breakdown one example.
Lightning Technologies, an NTS Company
3 yrs 8 mos
Manager, Engineering and Simulation (GENERALLY PHYSICAL WORK WITH SOME COMPUTER SIMULATION AND MODELING)
Apr 2016 – Nov 2017 1 yr 8 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Manager of Simulation and Modeling
(WHEN IT SAYS SIMULATION SND MODELING, this is more often computer based CAD software modeling)
Jan 2016 – Apr 2016 4 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Leading the development of electromagnetic (HIRF, EMC, EMF, Lightning, etc.) model development and research for Lightning Technologies, an NTS Company. Driving research, quality of work, branding, and business goals pertaining to this area.
The terms BRANDING and BUSINESS GOALS are not scientific or hard science terms, they are MARKETING and SALES terms.
Here’s a picture of Jason in the EMA 3D sales booth at a conference. You don’t stand there and have a laptop and swag to hand out because you aren’t selling something.
Publishing papers, beyond self-promotion, is also a sales tool and marketing/networking function. It gets your name, your companies name out into the world and is a form of technical expertise sales.
https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E22AQG2_okwttWr3w/feedshare-shrink_480/0?e=1573084800&v=beta&t=pWkZrg0rR8LcnF8eDE_M_HC57wgp13QJ-iB4xW6ANjs
One of the largest revenue streams for EMA 3D is simulation and modeling software. When they send out a “consultant” for onsite work, that’s a sales function as revenue generation.
Senior Electrical Engineer, Director of Simulation and Modeling
Apr 2014 – Jan 2016 1 yr 10 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Created the simulation and modeling group at LTI.
He’s worked for EMA Since April of 2019, that’s 5 months.
Prior to that he worked for Lightning Technologies which is an NTS Company. In that job he worked on a number of projects as a consultant.
So what’s strange about this?
Justin worked for NTS/LTI, a company that already exists in Pittsfield, doing some of the very same testing as EMA. LTI been here for decades and Justin went from working for them as a consultant to working for EMA (a competitor of NTS/LTI).
In consulting gigs, you don’t really care what company you work for as youR “hire out” company, you just care that you’re getting paid and on a project that fits. It’s also common to “jump” from consulting company to consulting company to stay on a project.
(Anticompetitive clauses are hard to enforce without specific compensation)
So effectively Mayor Linda Tyer is willing to give an out of state competitor of a long standing Pittsfield company money and a TIF.
She’s effectively penalizing a Pittsfield company by using PEDA money and TIFs. By doing this she’s potentially putting an existing Pittsfield business at risk. A company that’s been here for 25 plus years and has its own facility. I’m guessing they also pay taxes, have employees, and pay taxes on their equipment.
Granted they may not be doing “space testing but with a mayor like Linda Tyer, established Pittsfield companies don’t stand a chance.
If it were back in the day, Mayor Linda Tyer would have hastened the demise of KBToys by giving money and inviting Toys R Us to move to pPittsfield.
Funny though how Lightning Technologies could establish itself in Pittsfield, build a multi-million dollar company, then market itself and get sold to NTS (NASDEC NTSC) for $6 million plus $1 million in performance bonuses. All without GE money or a TIF.
https://www.nts.com/resources/NTS%20Pittsfield%20MA.pdf
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-technical-systems-acquires-lightning-technologies-inc-129032663.html
Justin McKennon
Principal Scientist I
Electro Magnetic Applications, Inc.
Apr 2019 – Present 6 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Chief Engineer
NTS – National Technical Systems
Apr 2014 – Apr 2019 5 yrs 1 mo
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Lightning Technologies, an NTS Company
3 yrs 8 mos
Manager, Engineering and Simulation
Apr 2016 – Nov 2017 1 yr 8 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Manager of Simulation and Modeling
Jan 2016 – Apr 2016 4 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Leading the development of electromagnetic (HIRF, EMC, EMF, Lightning, etc.) model development and research for Lightning Technologies, an NTS Company. Driving research, quality of work, branding, and business goals pertaining to this area.
Senior Electrical Engineer, Director of Simulation and Modeling
Apr 2014 – Jan 2016 1 yr 10 mos
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Area
Created the simulation and modeling group at LTI. Performed cutting edge, state of the art electromagnetic modeling in a number for certification of wings and other aircraft components/structures, wind turbine blades, and engines/cabling. Performed precipitation static, high voltage, high current, and full vehicle tests on a plethora of aircraft and components. Provided insight and design guidance in lightning protection and certification to LTI customers. Active participant in the SAE RTCA DO-160 working group. Drove complex test procedures to validate lightning protection schemes on fuel systems and aircraft system components. Expert in all aspects of lightning protection design, and test, with emphasis on aerospace, defense, and alternative energy sectors. Direct and indirect effects, fuels testing, FAA, Transport Canada, EASA, regulations, and DO-160 testing. Expertise in simulation and analysis of antennas (near and far field radiation patterns) and test setup simulation (anechoic, reverberation)
.
Senior Systems Engineer
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems
Jun 2012 – Apr 20141 yr 11 mos
Developed system and subsystem level concepts, requirements, and design for the SSBN Replacement Fire Control System and Auxiliary Systems. Helped manage project goals and milestones. Implemented an innovative automated testing design that provided a tremendous cost savings to the program and served as the technical decision maker for the project. Provided technical leadership and programmatic tasks for the SWS-Ashore project.
Lead Project Intern
Coastal Systems Technology
May 2010 – May 2012 2 yrs 1 mo
Fall River, MA
Directed and managed projects. Devised and executed autonomous undersea vehicle missions utilizing the IVER2 vehicle. Performed data analysis and sonar processing for performance evaluation and object location determination.
Systems/Software Engineer
Greatpoint Energy/ Greatpoint Ventures
2009 – 20101 yr 1 mo
Ridiculous.
2 points.
1. NOTHING in that Linked-In description points toward Mckinnon being a “hired-out” contractor.” I’m sure his work at LTS included projects for specific clients, but that is very different from being a “hired-out” contractor. Stop making things up.
2. Your parenthetical clarifications of what Mckinnon “actually” did in his various roles are ridiculous. Just stop. My favorite is “GENERALLY PHYSICAL WORK WITH SOME COMPUTER SIMULATION AND MODELING.”
3. CAD software can play a role in “simulation and modeling” functions, but without further information you have no idea how much CAD is involved. You seem to be saying that CAD software = simulation and modeling, and simulation and modeling = CAD software. That is positively idiotic.
PR – seriously, do you just make stuff up as you go? EMA is a private company that has been around for something like 40 years according to its website. Companies hire EMA to work on stuff. Pretty common. Everyone there works just for that company. I read the website. What did that guy ever do to you to just make up and smear his name! My goodness. He hasn’t worked at GD for years according to literally everything online and you’re just spreading it around like you are in the know. Makes me doubt anything you have ever done before.
Why don’t you take a second and see that someone is trying to do something out here, and unlike you, it may make a difference. Not like we are using that money for anything else anyways.
Lots of people have tried to do something it doesn’t mean it’s viable. It doesn’t mean that Pittsfield should just hand out money to anyone with a promise and a dream of a space empire.
What company do you think EVA is consulting for, in Pittsfield? Are there any defense contractors around?
We should be using that money for something, to assist viable companies to bring real jobs, new jobs to Pittsfield. The EVA deal brings 4 jobs and just shifts to of their local associates to the BIC.
EV Worldwide, $250,000 and tax breaks. 1,000 jobs promised, 0 delivered. Armitage sent up the river.
The Colonial, $30 million in taxpayer money (first budgeted at $3 mm). Thank God for Kate McGuire.
$1 million in Bossidy Bux, gift of native son Larry Bossidy, wasted on superfluity. Nothing to show for it.
WorkshopLive! $700,000 and tax breaks. Zero jobs delivered. No guitars plunked. Only taxpayers.
Spice Restaurant. $500,000 and 12 years of tax relief. Kaput. No payback required.
The Beacon. Years of tax breaks and losses. $2.3 million owed the city. Forgiven. Stanley sells, keeps the dough.
Nuclea. Uncounted public money. Fake jobs. Snake oil its only product. The stripey hole for CEO.
I don’t think anyone is saying McKennon is not a qualified engineer. I’m sure he’s a really smart guy.
But packaging this project as an economic catalyst is questionable.
Ironically, this “industry” actually does not involve a lot of human activity. There are the scientist(s) and the spacecraft and the laboratory.
There is actually no need for humans to come to Pittsfield, who would be coming and why?
Joe; After searching the web. Can’t find a school offering or at least advertising a Ph.D. in “Space Effects.” Please elaborate. Thanks.
Joe likes to throw out disparaging comments but only goes do far. I actually can not find his published PhD thesis, or anywhere on LinkedIn or on the EMA website or on the university website noting where he’s received his PhD.
I see he’s pursuing, he’s a PhD student or candidate.
So maybe Joe has more insight.
Again no one is saying these people are not smart, just questioning why two new employees are the face of this project and why they are being called company “leaders”.
https://www.ema3d.com/ema-consultants/
Gregory Wilson, Senior Scientist
Gregory Wilson is a senior scientist at Electro Magnetic Applications specializing in space environment interactions with materials and spacecraft as well as electromagnetic effects of lightning and other high voltage phenomenon. Gregory received his Masters in Physics at Montana State University and is currently pursuing his PhD in Physics at Utah State University with a focus on energetic electron interactions with multilayer materials.
https://physics.usu.edu/people/graduate-students/greg-wilson
Greg Wilson
Physics
Ph.D. Student
Major Professor: J.R. Dennison
Contact Information
Office Location: SER 001
IconPhone: 435-363-4704
IconEmail: gregdwilson@gmail.com
Educational Background
B.S. Utah State University
M.S Montana State University at Bozeman
Started at Utah State University 2013
Emphasis
Material Physics
Utah State University Material Physics Group
Can you find anywhere where he or anyone else says he’s received his PhD yet? His university lists him as a student or candidate, not as successfully completing his PhD.
Does he list PhD on his LinkedIn? I can’t find his published and defended thesis.
As he seems to publish a number of papers, do you have a link to his PhD thesis? I can’t find it anywhere.
Maybe he is still finishing his PH.D. Merely semantics for the point I was making. Advanced degrees in the exact area we are discussing. Also, holy cow. You’re inferring someone’s day to day routine by 10 words on a LinkedIn page. Maybe, just maybe, having these two guys speaks volumes to the companies confidence in them. Maybe they were hired just to do this project? Have you interviewed, asked anyone with any relevance to this project? Manybe you should go to the city council meeting and ask yourself!! Not saying this is a slam dunk, but i hope it works out. Seems like you don’t.
Trivia question for the Planet….which one of these these people has died? Richard Chamberlain…Joanne Woodward…. or Barbsra Eden.
Pittsfield is one of the most economical UNEQUAL communities in the state and nation! You are either financially well-off or at or near poverty. There are no living wage jobs in Pittsfield, unless you are politically connected to the Good Old Boys. The G.O.B. rules by fear! If you speak out against them, you lose your job. If you oppose them, they blacklist you.
It is my life story. I agreed not to mention a certain name on this blog. The Good Old Boys are as horrible as people say they are. That is why many thousands of people have moved out of Pittsfield over the past couple of decades. No one wants to kiss the G.O.B.’s dirty behinds. Your only chance is to move far away from Pittsfield!!!!
Mr. Melle, I got knocked down a long time ago real hard but I got up and kept fighting and made a success of my life despite the GOBSIGs. You’re either a victim or a victor – your choice. You have an excuse for everything. I bet you’d find a job doing something if the government weren’t buying your groceries. Stop feeling sorry and making excuse and go make a life for yourself before it’s over. You could probably even get a good government job with your disabled vet status.
Do a simple search. Jonathan Melle Workmen’s comp New Hampshire. Public record. Jonathan did work, but was treated unfairly.
Donald Trump will be impeached fo abuse of his power given to him by us. Not learning a lesson in the Russian investigation he was emboldened to demand that the Ukraine goverment investigate Trumps rival in our next election.Trump abused his power.That is simple.
Circular.
My guess is that the only people who do know what they don’t know know what questions to ask.
I don’t have a problem with EMA’s history, the principles appear highly credentialed, and the industry is both established and expanding. But, the Mayor’s office is asking very little in terms of logistics and root accounting data. If I were the bank, I’d be seeking more info before sending this proposal for funding.
To the others here, doubts inspired by the fraud Nuclea are valid as lost money is serious, but the comparison is largely emotional.
EMA is an established company. It’s revenues and contracts for being 40 year old company are fairly small. It’s the quintessential small company story, from a company located in Colorado.
No problems there.
The problem is, when two new hires are tasked with fronting a “space empire” and an entirely new division of the company, in a entirely new market. EMA has only been in Pittsfield for 6 months as well, contracting for another defense contractor.
The two people fronting this operation have been employees for 6 months each.
They have 7 years total experience working in the field of “space technology”.
They are promising 6 jobs over 5 years, two of which have already been filed.
They are suggesting that they are doing something that’s never been done before. They plan on doing that with four scientists and two admin staff making an average of $60k a person.
The comparisons to Nuclea aren’t about the viability of EMA as a company, for me it’s more about the lack of due diligence by the City. We have a laundry list companies with good ideas, that haven’t come through.
Meanwhile a direct competitor of EMA that’s been in Pittsfield for decades, actually did very well with no help from the City and built a world famous test facility of its own.
It comes down to risk, CD money shouldn’t be about risky ventures, and if this is the first of its kind test chamber, run by two new hires, creating a new division of a fairly small company with only one location, that’s sort of risky.
Give them free rent, give them a TIF, give them free parking spaces, just don’t give them cash. If you do want to give them cash, cash on the backend, not the front end.
Let them setup their own financing, maybe assist in securing low interest loans or tech grants, but tie cash to performance.
Loan repayment assistance after three years.
You do know that the city has significant security in this, right? If they don’t meet the requirements set forth in the incentive, they have to pay it back. Seems like little risk for Pittsfield, but that doesn’t support your pot-stirring, does it?
Also, it’s extremely ignorant to make statements about who they work for. I don’t claim to know, but it would seem that these guys get hired by massive companies to work on solving problems for them. Hell – their website says “3D simulation. Consulting. Measurement” – seems pretty relevant here. All of their information material says that they support companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Bombardier, Embraer, and have been involved in the space industry from a consulting standpoint for a long time.
Given that you had “trouble” finding any “space effects” program – would it make sense to look at it from the angle that there aren’t a lot of experts out there, meaning that, PERHAPS, just perhaps… Pittsfield may have something good coming for once? Don’t fault the kid for being excited. You’re incredibly inappropriate for posting information on his house situation, wife, and having a kid. Incredibly uncalled for. Really makes it seem like you have something against him aka biased journalism.
Dan, also – seriously man? You’re dragging his wife into this? What on earth does that have to do with anything?
EMA also made $3.5 million last year according to the city council paperwork, and was profitable. Seems… like a non-issue. Not sure if you’ve read anything on that, because it doesn’t support your narrative.
Pittsfield has been horribly burned by poor investments in the past. I’d rather “TRY” and do something with the money, with a good process for vetting a company, than sit on it and sulk.
JOE
Thank you for this (and your other) passionate defenses of Justin McKennon and, indirectly, the EMA request. This might, as you say, very well be that something good has finally happened for Pittsfield. Until it’s better vetted, however, and given the track history, we reserve the right to hold off judgment. As to “dragging his wife into this.” I didn’t. My comment was a reaction to Justin’s on his Facebook page, thanking his wife for supporting his “crazy ass” in this venture. My point was that, if the PEDA money is granted, so will taxpayers. The intent was satiric on two counts: First, sharpening what’s at stake for taxpayers. Second, illustrating what many young people don’t seem to grasp: Your public social media presence is fair game. Finally, I should at some point be more than happy to sit down with Justin over a coffee or beer. I’m sure he’s a good lad.
JOE
One other point to make in your response to POLICE REPORT. I would remind you that all of the previous deals, the ones that went bad (have their been any other variety) were done with similar securities. In each case, those safeguards were either watered down or totally ignored. How could the owner of the Beacon Cinema walk away with profits and be forgiven $2.3 million he owed taxpayers? Those were supposedly secure liabilities. I think you would have to grant the point based on Pittsfield’s poor history of follow-up, accounting, and oversight of these giveaways. Or could it be they serve primarily a political rather than an economic purpose?
Great point, Dan.
We all know the answer to your last question – POLITICAL!
Maybe if they gave more information from the beginning this kind of thing wouldn’t happen.
Police: Alleged attack on Simon’s Rock campus not racially motivated
Posted Monday, September 30, 2019 7:54 pm
By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle
GREAT BARRINGTON — As questions swirl around an alleged attack on a female student Friday on the campus of Bard College at Simon’s Rock, the town’s police chief is tamping down the notion that it was hate crime.
“Investigators have not discovered anything that would lead them to conclude that this was a racially motivated incident,” Great Barrington Police Chief William Walsh told The Eagle on Monday, adding that he still does not believe the public is in any danger.
“We’re talking to people, chasing down leads,” he said of the joint investigation with the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office. He described it “at this point in time, [as] a full-blown investigation.”
Just after 2 p.m. Friday, college security received a call with a report that an 18-year-old student had been assaulted on a wooded trail on the sprawling campus off Alford Road.
The victim was transported to Berkshire Medical Center with minor injuries and released, according to a statement from Walsh.
Details of the incident remain unclear. Police and the DA’s office have not released any information about the victim.
The lack of details have set off the rumor mill across the community and on social media.
Sue Lyon, vice provost at Simon’s Rock, said that school officials learned last week of racial slurs written on a chalkboard in the Student Union and an anti-Semitic slur carved into a bathroom stall in another building.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER THESE ADS
And in a letter sent to the school community on Saturday, a school official said the person who reported the attack was a person of color, and alluded to the racially charged vandalism, according to excerpts published by The Berkshire Edge.
“Addressing the harm caused by this assault and the hate speech that preceded it will be an ongoing focus,” wrote acting Provost Dimitri Papadimitiou.
Papadimitiou also said that, as a result, classes were canceled this week.
Lyon declined to answer specific questions Monday about the incident. In an email, Lyon said that college staffers are focused on helping the school community “process and engage in a conversation about the events of the past week.”
Walsh said that over the weekend, campus security had beefed up patrols, and that police are in contact with school officials.
Also investigating the incident are Simon’s Rock Campus Safety, Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and forensic scientists assigned to the State Police Crime Lab.
The DA’s office asks that anyone with information about the incident contact Great Barrington police at 413-528-0306.
Another shooting last night. No help from shotspotter.
Its always about the lack of information.The Berkshire Eagle puts out only PR in their reporting.Mayor Mazzeo will break that mold.If Im the Eagle I must report every piece of local news not just bits and pieces because you need to act like a paper.Its no wonder Trump so easily manipulates his PR to his worshippers. Tyer wants more cash from your property.Tyer =TAXES
Uh oh.
Another shooting before election. In dynamic Morningside, just a few blocks from the steps of the lovely Church of Tyer press conference and around the corner from Starship Enterprise!
And Spotshotter failed to activate.
https://live959.com/monday-night-morningside-shooting-under-investigation/
at least they are not totally covering this one up….so there is that…was anyone able to get ahold of the DA?
It’s one thing to solve murders days months later,or never, but the make streets safer theme isn’t or hasn’t happened. How are we making streets safer? As stated in the recent campaign for D A.Lets get real here. Tyer and Lothrop have to go,Vote Mazzeo and Patrick Kavey in Ward six for starters.
So the mayor is again on the dumb Stooge show,is that even legal, she is on the pct board isn’t she? He was showing a campaign flyer of her? Come on Stooge.Nothing about the shooting yesterday,but a lot about her accomplishments.Vote Melissa. Tyer wants your cash.
Have neighborhoods become safe since the victory? Schools are like prisons factions nowadays,bused in,feedem twice a day and lockdown eight hours.
GUY
This morning (Oct. 1) another shooting victim, found shot multiple times in a vehicle at Parker Street and Springside Avenue. David Moody III. He is in hospital with serious injuries that are not, at this point, considered life threatening. Police gathered video evidence and talked to some people but the shooter(s) remains at large. Investigation is ongoing.
Wonder if the same person that shut off the fire hydrant in that area also deactivated the Shot Spotter? If I was a resident in the area I would be demanding that the City verify that all is working around this project at St. Mary’s.
Is this DA Harrington’s first arraignment ever?
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/adams-man-charged-with-murder-in-pittsfield-shooting-that-killed-ny-woman,586179
May I ask those with an LE background, what does impound the probable cause reports mean? Keep them from the press?
Yes. And yes.
Must be sure fire conviction if the D.A. is working it.
Is this her FIRST ONE?
Since being DA?
Tyer ran on crime…Tyer ran on fiscal responsibility…..I would say use up all G E funds.How many jobs were created at Spice,The Museum went bust after Ruberto gave them 650k and had to sell a Rockwell to pay the bills. Hancock Shaker got 450 k from Ruberto and hired nobody,Doyle gave 750k to the battery place that hired nobody.Ruberto gave 1 million to workshop live and they hired nobody.Spice created zero jobs…….they are backing Tyer….Ruberto and Lee gave 1 million to the colonial Theater and they have created zero jobs.
Mazzeo is our new Mayor in a landslide as Pete Marchetti pretends to care about budgets.Pete is a banker who cant add.Banks turndown people of poverty who want to buy homes.Pete wont give them a loan but he will spend that poor persons money.Pete is even giving banks a bad name.The bank scrooge but hes Robin Hood giving poor peoples money to the rich as President CC
Yes Marchetti has had a power position in the city for many years and has almost nothing to show for it. I put him right on the pile of stagnant politicians that has not really done anything to move the city forward. He sits there like a big bullfrog waiting for a fly to buzz by.
Keep in mind all these has beens are sitting quite pretty themselves while the city deteriorates around them. It is truly a curious thing is it not?
True that on Marchetti, JA. In office forever, no stand on anything of substance, no accomplishments, no “there” there. He just took up an ever increasing space on the dias, got his $10K a year, and fattened his pension. “Stagnant” is a perfect word for Peter.
Wasn’t the Hood supposed to steal from the rich and give the poor? Not to the rich? Tyer campaigned heavily on blight also Mazzeo should go around the city and check out the blight,it’s not good.
It won’t be long before Pittsfield is in the Guinness world records for a shooting on every block in the city.
Probably not the outer West street block though
Waaaaaaait a minute. To Dan……Are you telling me and others who told me this, that Sturgeon can hold up a post card of achievements that the mayor handed him and tout that on this show? Isn’t this a taxpayer funded show under the auspices of the School Department? Are their federal laws prohibiting commercializing of candidates during an election of any sorts?
I think this mayor has the power (or audacity) to wave the rules meant for everyone else.
I think Mazzeo will be a fantastic Mayor SC.