BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JAN. 18, 2023) — At the most recent city council meeting  (Jan. 10) several interesting developments slithered from the agenda. The problem for THE PLANET: Which one to feature?

We had:

• (A) An inadvertent admission by PPD chief Mike Wynn of how bad the gang, gun-running and public-school problems are in the city, behind all of which is the drug trade.
• (B) The mayor asking another quarter of a million smackeroos for Electro Magnetic Applications, aka Spacely Space Sprockets at the Berkshire Immolation Center, that giant RV parked on the hill on PEDA East Street.
• (C) The mayor proposing a “free” cash bonanza to everyone — except taxpayers.

THE PLANET climbed to the top of the Hilton, threw a dart, and it landed on (A). We’re extremely scientific here at the Fortress.

It’s funny. Another business just closed downtown, a hamburger joint on McKay Street, and someone tried to burn down St. Joseph’s Church; nonetheless Flat and Company regurgitate the “vibrant and dynamic” fiction. But when Pittsfield wants another handout from the crooks on Beacon Hill, they get closer to the troof.

Case in point, the council accepting a state grant for the PPD a grant of $394,318.78.

Ya gotta love the 78 cents!

———- ooo ———-

When the writers of the PPD grant application submitted the paperwork, they approached spilled the troof. Of course, knowing that no one will read these documents and keeping them in the equivalent of Joe Biden’s garage next to his Corvette, the city feel safe in acknowledging reality. They count on you commoners to NOT pay attention.

Here are some words taken from the appeal to the state for more money fighting the gang problem. All words guaranteed verbatim:

“An example of the challenges facing school aged youth in Pittsfield is demonstrated by a review of recent Pittsfield Public School attendance data. Pittsfield schools showed a dramatic increase in “chronic absenteeism” during the 2021-2022 school year, as compared to previous years … schools reported a rise in classroom disruptions because of student misconduct in 2021-2022. Nearly half of schools pointed to increases in out-of-classroom rowdiness, with 46 percent of schools reporting more fighting and threats of physical attacks between students … 

”The city of Pittsfield is a destination for trafficking criminal guns; that’s not a myth. Guns are being purchased and stolen in other states and sold in other states, and they’re ending up on the streets of Pittsfield,” acknowledged Chief Michael Wynn of the Pittsfield Police Department (The Berkshire Eagle, July 13, 2021). In June, Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer noted that the “challenge of gun violence in our city has been something that we’ve struggled with and it goes back to the city of Pittsfield being a destination and a pipeline for the illegal gun trade” (Spectrum l News, June 9, 2021). Pittsfield’s location – within an easy drive of New York City and Boston, and close to the gun trafficking hub of Springfield – makes it a convenient staging ground for illegal gun storage and distribution. Gang members from these bigger cities recruit local youth in Pittsfield as carriers and distributors, and while the youth may not be official gang members, affiliation becomes appealing due to their young age and lack ofresources [sic]. Our outreach workers report that many youth identify with gangs, although they shift their gang allegiance depending on which cri112inal [sic]organization they are aiding at ny [sic] point in time.

———- ooo ———-

The grant application is signed by chief Wynn (“The Amok Stops Here”).

The point is that when Pittsfield presents its public face, it like a rug. When it goes begging for tax dollars, it admits the ship is sinking (nod to the Allendale Shopping Center).

$394,318.78 (don’t forget the three quarters and three pennies at the end).

Here’s how the cash breaks down:

• 20 grand for the cops.
• 35 Gs for the YMCA
• The remainder, including the 78 cents, to the Pittsfield Community Connection, the local affiliate of the Family Services of Western Mass.’ 18 Degrees program.

Added to the public payroll:

• a consultant
• a team leader
• 3 case managers
• an outreach worker
• a mentor coordinator
• a clinician
• a director of grants and outcomes
• a VP of youth development
• a community outreach and engagement specialist
• Jerry Mathers as The Beaver
• plus $$$ for client assistance, client and mentor activities, administrative costs, travel expenses, supplies, “occupancy costs” (office space), and “other costs.”

And have you noticed that the more programs society creates to deal with out of control youth, the worse the problem gets? Phunny, that.

———- ooo ———-

News of the grant reminds us of the old joke: “Who’s buried in grant’s tomb?” Answer: The City of Pittsfield. Grants are paid in pyrrhic dollars, coin of the realm that eventually leaves the recipient worse off than before. Grants create more administrative bloat and pretend jobs, funded until the money runs out, at which point the extra expenses are picked up by the Kapanskis in perpetuity, ad infinitum.

End result: Higher city spending and an increase in taxes.

When Pittsfield goes begging to Boston for crumbs, it tells the truth. When the city “communicates” with its own citizens, nothing but lies, lies, and more lies.

——————————————————————————–

“We accept the love we think we deserve” — Stephen Chbosky.

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

Copyright (c) 2022 By Dan Valenti, PLANET VALENTI and EUROPOLIS MANAGEMENT. All rights reserved. The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. Those who leave comments own all the responsibilities that are or can be attached to those comments, be they rhetorical, semantic, or legal. Such commentators remain solely responsible for what they post and shall be and remain solely accountable for their words. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in, but not limited to, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. We serve as a marketplace of ideas, without prejudice and available to all. All users of this site — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else — hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice and their use of/participation in this site. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer.