BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

First in a Series

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 20, 2022) — The two most significant local elections in the Berkshires this year will both take place on Sept. 6., the Democrat prelims.

In November, good time to book that trip to Tobago. Nothing of worth on the ballot for precious your time. Those races, as they pertain locally, have already been decided by the party bosses. Moreover, remember. You live in the Berkshires. Boston doesn’t know we exist except for the BSO and the freebies and junkets larded out to the Big Shots for them to enjoy the South County trinkets.

• Incumbent Andrea Harrington v. challenger Tim Shugrue for district attorney.
• Two-term incumbent Tom Bowler v. challenger Alf Barbalunga for sheriff.

Those two public safety position, possess countywide powers, which alone should address  critics who contend that the sheriff’s post involves “simply” running the local hoosegow. They make it sound like the job of sheriff Andy Taylor running his two-cell lockup in Mayberry, NC. THE PLANET will seek from both camps a response to that criticism, which we hope to present Wednesday.

Today, we again focus on sheriff, wanting to keep you informed and get you up to date on information from and about the two camps.

Today, THE PLANET presents “Duel of the Statements.” (CUE DRAMATIC MUSIC)

The duel actually began early this month, when Bowler announced for a third term. Barbalunga, in declaration last week, blasted Bowler’s tenure, saying he’s already been on the job too long to be looking to extend his reign to 18 years.

THE PLANET first gives you Bowler’s declaration statement from early this month. Through a cross-up in communication, we missed it first time around.

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STATEMENT FROM SHERIFF BOWLER

Sheriff Thomas N. Bowler, who was sworn in for his first term in 2011 and was re-elected in 2016, has announced that he will seek a third term in office.

“I’m surrounded by an incredible staff who share the same vision and passion that I have,” Bowler said. “Together, we’ve achieved many advancements at the Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction that are increasing the inmates’ chances of being successful when they’re released.”

Bowler pointed to a number of programs and initiatives launched by his administration that provide opportunities for inmates to address the issues that put them behind bars, and to leave the jail with more effective tools to lead better and more productive lives. They include many educational and work training programs, medical and mental health services, and programs that help them reconnect with their families and be better fathers for those who have children.

“A full 90 percent of the inmate population comes in with a substance use disorder, and 80 percent of them also have a mental health issue,” he continued. “We deal successfully with a whole host of challenges. If they come back, we start all over again because that’s our job. We give the inmates every opportunity to succeed, and we hope they choose to be successful.”

Since 2011, fiscal responsibility has been among the Sheriff’s top priorities. “Out of respect for our taxpayers, we have operated within the parameters of our budget since Day 1,” Bowler said. “This is the only jail in the state that can make this claim. Taxpayers should be proud.”

During his first two terms as Sheriff, Bowler has introduced many new initiatives. Among his proudest is the aquaponics greenhouse, launched in 2020, where inmates grow lettuce and other leafy vegetables to eat at the jail and donate to the public. The program, which has a STEM curriculum, grows 2,400 heads of lettuce at a time, of which 250 heads a week are consumed at the jail. More than 200,000 heads of lettuce have so far been donated to community programs in all Berkshire cities and towns.

Another initiative, Medically Tailored Meals, is a collaboration among Berkshire Health Systems, Fallon Health, Mass Health, CHP and the Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction. The medical and insurance components of the collaboration identify community residents with chronic disease who may not be able to eat the nutritious meals that keep them well. Under the supervision of a nutritionist, inmates at the jail prepare meals tailored for people with chronic illness, package and freeze them. Other jail employees deliver them weekly.

“The inmates have learned a great deal from this program, and it’s a way for them to give back to the community, which is important,” the sheriff said.

“2nd Street,” a new non-profit formed in collaboration with the Sheriff’s administration, will soon open at the site of the previous jail on Second Street and offer a full range of programs for released inmates and community residents. Service providers will be available for help finding housing or a job, how to establish sound finances, continued mental health counseling, educational opportunities and more. According to the Sheriff, this one-stop location for necessary services will help inmates and others in need to get re-established in the community. 2^nd Street will be funded with a grant from Pittsfield AARPA funds.

In addition to GED classes and other educational programs, Sheriff Bowler has established partnerships with Williams College, in which a college professor and nine students come to the jail one night a week for classes, as well as programs with Berkshire Community College, which previously offered a landscaping program for inmates, and more recently, a welding program that provides basic certification in welding.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a true test for the sheriff’s office. While many businesses and services necessarily shut down or moved to remote work, the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office answered the call every single day by reporting to work. Sheriff Bowler’s proactive approach toward cleaning, sanitizing, masking, social distancing and encouraging vaccinations resulted in a remarkable 18-month period of inmates remaining COVID free. “It’s a testament to the employees’ dedication that from the onset of the pandemic in March, 2020, through September, 2021, not a single inmate was diagnosed with COVID-19,” Bowler said.

Prior to the pandemic, the Sheriff’s Office sponsored work release programs at such local businesses as LTI Smartglass, Unistress, SAMCO Industries, construction companies, and more. “Many inmates were offered jobs after their release and are still working there,” the sheriff said. “In fact, several former inmates are now in a supervisory capacity in those businesses.”

“The inmates participating in all of these opportunities are far better positioned with the skills needed to get a job when they are released,” he continued. “The whole point is to build a safer, stronger and healthier community. We are not done yet.”

Under Sheriff Bowler’s leadership, the facility has become a licensed treatment facility with the state Department of Public Health. As such, they provide all major medical treatments for inmates with addiction, including vivitrol, suboxone, and methadone, as well as counseling and therapy treatment.

In terms of fiscal programs, the jail’s enrollment in the Green Energy Program seven years ago has so far reduced energy bills by around 50 percent. The ultimate savings for such programs is 60 percent. “We’ll get there,” Bowler said.

The Sheriff’s Office continues to be a resource to all of Berkshire County and its public safety needs. Sheriff deputies are assigned to the Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force, the FBI Western Mass. Division, the Underwater Search and Rescue Team, the Berkshire Special Response Team and more. The Sheriff Office’s Command Center is available and responds to all major crimes in the county, and Bowler said he remains fully committed to supporting all law enforcement needs in the Berkshires. “Our motto is: we never say no, we just go,” he said.

Under Sheriff Bowler’s leadership, the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office has obtained accreditations from the American Correctional Association, (ACA) the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, (NCCHC), and the PREA Commission for prison rape elimination. These elite organizations confirm that the Sheriff’s Office operates at a very high level, having earned the triple crown of accreditations.

“I love going to work every day, and I know there is more that we can accomplish,” he said. “I thank every employee at the Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction who always dedicate themselves to do the best job possible.”

Due to the high COVID-19 transmission rate in Berkshire County, Sheriff Bowler has postponed any public gathering for supporters until it is safer to do so.

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Next, we share Bowler’s response to the criticisms leveled at him by Barbalunga during the latter’s June 15 kick off: (ED. NOTE: The paragraph glitches are THE PLANET’s issue, not the campaign. We were not able to iron it out as of press time):\

Statement from Sheriff Bowler in Response to Alf Barbalunga’s Campaign Announcement.

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Barbalunga wasted no time returning serve:

Campaign Statement from Alf Barbalunga

I read Tom Bowler and his leadership team’s Facebook response to my initial press conference, when I announced my official candidacy for Berkshire County Sheriff. I have five takeaways, and I will always try to keep content as short as possible:

1] Every time Tom Bowler and his leadership team are talking about our candidacy, I will thank them. Additionally, at least 10% of the audience at the press conference supporting our campaign kick-off announcement, were active sheriff employees. I would like to acknowledge their bravery and thank them as well.

2] The Berkshire County taxpayers and voters just had a win today. We compelled Tom and his leadership team to furnish a link for interested individuals to peruse his budget. I am not aware of any other time in the 12 years he has been in office, he has done this, are you? Oddly, you will not find this link “of transparency” on his own official Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office website.

Additionally, this link provides a line item of expenses but doesn’t provide an easy framework for taxpayers to view the budget and how their money is being spent, including an additional $5 million in the budget since 2011, with a dramatically reduced incarcerated population, including absolutely no women to now provide care and custody for.

It illustrates to us how dissociated he appears to be with the Berkshire County community at-large (AKA, us normal people) by producing a response with a government link, only when pressured to do so, rather than hosting annual budget meetings, tours, etc., for public involvement. We’re looking forward to our first debate so we can start to dig in about how he is spending our money and discuss these expenditures before a live audience.

3] In case you missed this: https://www.berkshireeagle.com/…/article_3b2e23be-bb56… . Two months ago, this article detailed that a recent American and Civil Liberties Union poll found that only 10% of people in Berkshire County had ever heard of Tom Bowler’s and/or what his office provides to Berkshire County citizens, even after 12 years of service. That does not seem to point to the transparency that Tom Bowler and his leadership team are now touting.

4] Perhaps most importantly, regarding the inequity with Berkshire County incarcerated women being ripped out of their community and their support networks, Tom Bowler and his leadership team were completely silent. We will have a lot more to say as this campaign proceeds, about when that decision was made, why that decision was made, and who ultimately influenced that decision, and why that decision was absolutely not in the best interest of Berkshire County citizens at any level.

5] Tom Bowler informed us his other 13 Sheriff colleagues across the Commonwealth cannot manage their budgets effectively. For the record, I do not personally know that to be an accurate statement.

It’s time for a change Berkshire County!

Respectfully,

Alf Barbalunga and his team

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There. You are now caught up on this important campaign.

Only THE PLANET gives you such coverage. Other media present statements boiled down to the nub and hide commentary through editing tricks and selectivity. We give you commentary, as you well know, but in covering campaigns, especially races this significant, we feel it’s important to hear candidates in their own words. That’s why we sometimes present statements, unedited, as received.

THE PLANET welcome your comments.

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“Freedom for the wolves has often meant death to the sheep” — Isaiah Berlin.

LOVE TO ALL.

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