KRONICK: ‘PITTSFIELD HAS HIGHEST DEBT OF ANY CITY IN STATE, YET IT’S SPEND, SPEND, SPEND’ … PART 2 OF A SERIES
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
Second of Three Parts — In this series, which will run this week, THE PLANET looks at Friday’s (6/30) special meeting of the city council. We examine what happened, the implications, and other aspects of the conditions arising from councilor Charles Kronick’s charter objections from the previous meeting.
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 5, 2023) — As the trash from yesterday’s parade is put in its boxes, THE PLANET notes an out-of-the-ordinary procedure at Friday’s special council meeting.
In an unusual move, Sir Chaz spoke at the Open Mic session that begins meetings.
“Taxpayers see free cash as their money,” he said. “The administration considers it their personal slush fund. They dump it into major departmental accounts without telling the taxpayers and even their representatives what they are actually doing and why.”
Kronick complained about the lack of documentation to justify the excess spending, noting that the $1.545 million in 11th-hour cash request came without paperwork.
“[The Administration] needs to say exactly what [such spending] covers. Winter maintenance? Show [us] the bills. We gave Director Kerwood $700,000 for snow removal. They spend $620,00 more. So show us the final tally of winter maintenance expense. Police overtime? Show the dollar for each line. How do you get to $850,000?”
———- ooo ———-
Sir Chaz’s questions hung in the Friday air like a black cloud. They were never addressed by his colleagues. That’s the amazing part of the meeting and the process through which these bill were thrust out of the blue onto the council. With the cozy arrangement between the corner office, the council, and its president, the Administration slept well, secure in the knowledge that these questionable requests would find pay dirt.
And that, precisely, is what encourages the type of reckless bookkeeping being kept by the finance director. In turn, knowing that “it’s in the bag,” always, gives the Administration all the more reason not to hesitate to make such suspicious requests involving millions with no supporting documentation.
Folks, this is unusual. Get a perspective. It doesn’t happen this way in other cities.
———- ooo ———-
Speaking of Matt Kerwood, people would learn more if Kufflinks wasn’t called to the podium and kept his financial obfuscations to himself. Let him keep his second set of books, the “false budget” Kronick referred to in the June 27 meeting. Let him cheat taxpayers out of THEIR money. When called to the podium, Kufflinks’ justifications for a sloppy process fell short of lame, leaving everyone more confused than before he “clarified.”
It does strike THE PLANET as odd that we should need more than a million-five to backfill gaping potholes in last year’s spending. Large sums are being asked for, without bills, receipts, or other paperwork to justify the need and show their legitimacy.
Another question concerns the transfers. With this kind of slovenly budgetary process, what assurance do taxpayers have that the extra money will go to the directed accounts? Who’s to say these monies won’t go elsewhere? Who’s to say the $620K for snow removal isn’t absconded for something else? Will the books for the transferrals be shared, openly? Will the invoices? Without filing a FOI request? Without declaring a CODE RED national emergency? Without threatening to blow up city hall? With raiding the treasurer’s office? Without bringing back tar-and-feathering?
———- ooo ———-
A full 36% of the council didn’t even think the $1.545 million requests were worth exhaling one syllable. Tony Maffuccio, Patrick Kavey, Jim Conant, and Dina Lampiasi didn’t speak. Literally. Not one word was uttered among the quartet about the rush-rush-rush spending. Why did they bother to attend? Why not just send their rubber-stamping by proxy to the council president?
At least the others shared comments and views, including forceful remarks from Kronick, Peter Marchetti (from the chair), and Peter White.
Kronick also brought up another inconvenient truth, a tomato can that Picklefield has been Gogolak-ing down the dead end for decades: Massive debt. He quoted from the state Division of Local Service, “which ought to shock everyone. No other city including Boston has higher debt than we do! Yet we continue to spend, spend, spend. The behavior which I demand is the fundamental obligation of government, and that is to be fully accountable for how money is spent.”
Yeah, he demanded, but his colleagues deferred.
This series concludes with Part Three on THE PLANET’s Weekend Edition.
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“I believe that all government is evil, and trying to improve it is largely a waste of time” — H. L. Mencken.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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Sarcasm: I discussed the points that Ward 2 City Councilor Charles Ivar Kronick made at the June 30th, 2023, City Council special meeting over lunch with Mayor Linda Tyer and her number one bureaucrat “Cooks the Books” Matt Kerwood. I asked the outgoing Gated Community Mayor and Kufflinks if Pittsfield politics is financially unsustainable over the long term. They answered by saying that they are looking forward to cashing in on their respective 6-figure city public pensions plus perks over the next three decades of their Golden Years lives that will cost taxpayers an estimated $6 million to $7 million through the 2050s. I asked them why the 25-year-old polluted PEDA debacle with its millions of dollars in always increasing unfunded liabilities still continues. They answered by saying that Pittsfield politics has perfected the fine art of always increasing its unfunded liabilities with Pittsfield’s 50-year shrinking middle-class tax base due to severe losses in population, business, and living wage jobs. They illustrated their point by telling me that the single largest employer in Pittsfield is its big spending City Government and the Level 5 Public School District. Lastly, I asked them if they believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Unicorns, and the lies spoken by all of the secretive and corrupt career politicians in government. They answered by saying that Pittsfield politics is financially stable and solvent thanks to their 7.5 years of their public [dis]service[s] to the City of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Then they made me pay for their lunches! I was not at all surprised, of course.
There are 2 principles pd 100k each at a elementary School. The 2nd job was created for the administrators wife.It is a pure bullshit job.All new positions created in the last 5 years if cut would save the city 3 million.Marchetti created this mess but also wants his retirement check of 80% from the 110k Mayor’s job.He is financially abusing the elderly SS of Pittsfield ma.We are about to fail.
Royal Hartigan’s letter in the Dirty Bird (Eagle) concerning the Springside Park’s mountain bike course most recent revised plan puts all of the financial burdens and financial risks on the city government. He wrote that the city’s rising property taxes, rising sewer and water fees, and the city’s homelessness crisis should be addressed before the City’s Park Commission signing off on the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA)’s revised plan that would threaten the park’s wetlands, hydrology and other environmental damages.
This is very similar to what happened when PEDA came into existence 25 years ago during the Summer of 1998. GE put all of the millions of dollars in always growing unfunded liabilities of managing the polluted postindustrial Pittsfield so-called “business park” on the fictional commoner family named Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski in Pittsfield.
Pittsfield has Level 5 public schools. Pittsfield is always in the top 10 cities in Massachusetts for violent crime year-in and year-out. Pittsfield’s economy is described as “distressed” and over reliant on Social Services Agencies. Pittsfield’s downtown has 15 empty storefronts in 2023. Pittsfield’s operating budget is over $205.6 million. Pittsfield’s municipal debts and OPED unfunded liabilities are somewhere around $500 million and growing larger. Pittsfield politics is corrupt and the state and local career politicians practice retribution to retain power. Beacon Hill’s SNOBS systemically mock Pittsfield with their (voluntary) regressive taxation schemes such as the state lottery SCAM. GE’s capped PCBs leaky landfills are short-term solutions because capped toxic waste industrial chemicals dumps eventually fail over time. Pittsfield allows its POT KING “Luciforo” to stink up nearby residential neighborhoods with his unpleasant pot growing odors. When I describe my native hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to people I know here in Southern New Hampshire, they respond by saying that Pittsfield is part of the postindustrial “Rust Belt”.
https://youtu.be/szwclmmKwLg
WHAT IS THE FOURTH ESTATE?
The First Amendment to the Constitution “frees” the press from government control or oversight. But that freedom carries with it a responsibility to be the people’s watchdog.
Are any local news outlets aware of this weird conception and if so do they agree or disagree with it? And if they agree, where the hell are they?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The ‘Press’ these days firmly believe the First Amendment is all about them, They also think it is about ensuring government power to restrict religious expression. It’s not though. It prevents government from one: restricting religious expression and 2: restricting the speech of men. The Press is mentioned after freedom of speech. It recognizes the Press as a vehicle of Free Speech.
The Eagle regards its responsibility the adamant protection of the Machine that has been abusing your taxdollars. Read their puff piece printed in the 6/30 edition. The First Amendment doesn’t forbid governments from operating their own presses.
Print journalism left town with the Miller family.
Rutburg’s “Parrot” is left of Chairman Mao when it comes to unbiased news.
How would you describe FOX entertainment
Faux has moved hard left. About similar now, to other MSM “fake news”.
Tucker kept his integrity, and jumped the sinking ship. Much like O’Keeefe did at Veritas.
Read that. Commentary A8. June 30.
Reading between the lines it seem to say that the whiny taxpayers need to be more appreciative of all they get. Did not discuss why Tyer absolutely had to do all these mega projects right away on her watch.
Just kind suggested that nobody should be questioning anything. They don’t so why should anyone else huh? Shut up and hand over your money for you oater fans.
Also, reading between the lines it does not look like Kalinowsky is going to get much help from embedded media sources. I am shocked.
“ whiny taxpayers need to be more appreciative of all they get.”
When we ‘debate’ water sewer hikes, budget hikes, property tax hauling ins, the answer of the company men on the Council to reducing the wear on the fixed income payers is “they need to be happy that they get clean water.” In other words, ‘stop that whining.’
On social media sites, people, (ward three mostly) holler at me, “I don’t care if the water rates go up. I’m just happy to have clean water.”
No kidding, Snark, they bought in.
SNARK
THE PLANET agrees. We have been operating under this principle our entire professional life. Social media, 24/7 news cycle of cable news and the internet, have largely destroyed this notion. One step closer to totalitarianism.
Seriously. The taxpayers of Pittsfield are the better part of their customer base. They could step it up a little for them huh? Jeez..
It is almost like, uh, uh, they are reluctant to ask questions or sumptin.
This will make TFB happy.
Illegal Immigrants Allegedly Fleeing Florida After New Driver’s License Law Goes Into Effect
Florida no longer accepts out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to illegal immigrants.
Friday, a commonsense law passed by the Florida legislature that ends recognition of driver’s licenses issued to illegal aliens by other states went into effect.
This law is part of a package of laws passed by the Florida legislature that was enacted as a reaction to Joe Biden’s refusal to react to the illegal immigration crisis at the US-Mexico border. The bill, known as SB1718, in addition to the driver’s license provisions, imposes penalties on businesses that knowingly hire illegals and requires hospitals that accept Medicaid (edited) to ask about citizenship status. The bill also allocates $12 million to transport illegals to other, more welcoming states despite the bizarre “kidnapping” allegations hurled at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by the left.
Currently, 18 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.
The laws granting illegals a driver’s license vary from state to state. Some states issue a special license that specifies it is not proof of identification. Others, like New Jersey, make no such arrangement.
Most states — I think it is accurate to say “all,” but I’ll stick with “most” — that issue driver’s licenses to illegals do not necessarily require a driving test. They just require some sort of proof that the person was allowed to drive in whatever country they are absconding from.
According to CBS News, this law that keeps unqualified drivers off the road is “controversial.”
They can all chip in and get on some buses to good old Mass. We just don’t give a shit who you are, where you came from or even if you were a career criminal in the country you came from. We need bodies and are willing to take a few losers as long as we get a few workers along with them. We do not know why but the 20 million who have already came to the US are not enough to fill all the vacant jobs. Surely they would rather work than except handouts….. right?
Logically, US citizens should migrate en masse to South America. Should be a lot of jobs and a lot of cheap real estate there.
POTUS Trump responded to AOC concerning why Americans don’t want socialism/comunisum, Venezuelan style.
“They love their pets, they don’t want to have to eat them”
U.S. citizens moving to Mexico in record numbers, govt. data shows
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/us-citizens-moving-to-mx-record-numbers/
Adios pendejo
What’s the point of a ‘license’ if it is not proof of identity? Not a license.
It allows the criminals to drive, and probably obtain jobs illegally, that require a drivers license.
Coincidence? Did SS dust the bag for prints? Would they tell who it was if they got prints?
“On Sunday evening, Anthony Scott at The Gateway Pundit reported Hazmat crews were dispatched inside the entrance gate near the West Wing of the White House to investigate a suspicious white substance that tested positive for cocaine hydrochloride.”
“Hunter, I can tell you, was at the White House on Friday, leaving with his father for Camp David. Sadly, he may have forgotten his party favors, which is unfortunate. Imagine having to hang out with Joe Biden for or four days sober. Now THAT’S a long weekend.”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/must-see-video-hunter-biden-was-white-house/
Donny Jr.Fatboys son is a complete mess.He is an addict and has never been in the military or worked a job.FOX news is hoping the Senior white male viewer will think a sober Hunter Biden is more evil than a cocaine using drunk like the unemployable Jr Dump.The wife and children of Dumb are in hiding because of the criminal involvement with the President for profit….
Hunter, and whole Biden crime family, are truly deplorable.
They won’t even acknowledge Hunter’s child.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/missing-biden-corruption-whistleblower-dr-gal-luft-goes/
“Missing Biden corruption whistleblower Dr. Gal Luft released a 14 minute video to The New York Post on Thursday detailing damning allegations against the President Joe Biden and his family in a massive international bribery scheme filmed in an undisclosed location while on the run from the Biden regime and Department of Justice.
Gal said he was arrested in Cyprus to stop him from testifying to the House Oversight Committee. Luft has evidence that the Biden family received payments from individuals with ties to Chinese military intelligence and that they had an FBI mole who shared classified information with their benefactors from the China-controlled energy company CEFC.
Dr. Luft also released incriminating evidence against the lawless FBI and DOJ and their illegal acts to defend Joe Biden…….”
“…Perhaps the most alarming information I revealed was of a mall within the DOJ who shared classified information with Hunter Biden and his Chinese partners. The information I provided the FBI in March of 2019 was fully corroborated nine months later when the famous laptop belonging to Hunter Biden, which contained all the emails and receipts, was handed to the FBI. And guess who seized the laptop from the computer repair shop? It was Special Agent Joshua Wilson, who was with me in Brussels earlier. In other words, the FBI knew about from me about the Biden CFC deals before they got hold of the laptop, way before they had enough time to investigate the issue, but they didn’t. After Brussels, I never heard back from the DOJ.
Here is the Video via The New York Post.”
Riddle Me this: The other night part of the talk was about the Police overtime, vacation, retro pay etc… Why is it you drive all over the city and we have officers guarding holes, directing traffic for tree cutting, guarding more holes in the ground, working for the electric company. Why oh why are there not officers to you know doing police work?
Doing investigations, walking North street, Checking on local business, Walking and patrolling the Parks.
Anybody? * Please let’s not hear they are doing this as a side gig (Not True)
It’s like picking candy cotton off a sugar cane
And Pete White picks bus nose
Questions that SHOULD have been asked by our useless lazy Clownsil members the other night. Chas & Karen, I don’t mean you, you two can’t and shouldn’t have to do everything. How much of this money is being used to pay active and retired Pittsfield Fire Fighters to do road details? Pittsfield Fire Fighters work only two days a week (2 24 hr shifts). The other days they can count on road details. Nice income. Who paid for all the new clothing the fire fighters are wearing at road details (bright yellow shirts that say FIRE). Who pays for the clothing for all the retired police officers that also spend their retirement days doing road details? Is there a supervisor of these detail workers, a supervisor that rides around and tells them to do their job and stop staring at their cell phone and shooting the breeze with the workers? How many police officers does the City currently employ? Flat Tyer had a campaign promise to increase the police force, another promise she broke. How many officers are out on leave for some reason or another? Are there any potential candidates in training? How many more officers have left the Pittsfield force to go elsewhere? Why have the reason of this constant leaving the force after taxpayers paid to train them has not been investigated?
Chief Wynn was quoted in the Beagle saying he was still working the parade so that the younger officers would not have to. Wow! In the private sector employees would have been told “all hands on deck” for a large event. Also, what about seniority, “newbies” work, no questions asked. Why are these officers being coddled? Will Acting Chief Dawley continue with this coddling?
Just another mismanagement of the Flat Tyer Administration.
I would love to know who approved Pfd to work traffic details. When flaggers where approved a few years back the police unions lost there Fn minds. How did the city sneak this one by us?
“Hunter Biden was present just hours before the cocaine was found.
The Secret Service is now combing through security footage to find out when the cocaine was stashed.
Under any other administration, finding cocaine in The White House would be the scandal of the century.”
Um, nope Karrine…..off limits portion of West Wing. What’s on the videos?
“White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked a surprising number of questions from reporters at Wednesday’s briefing on the subject of the discovery Sunday of cocaine in the West Wing. First and foremost, Jean-Pierre wanted everyone to know that Joe, Jill, Hunter and the entire Biden family were away from the White House starting Friday and did not return until Tuesday.White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked a surprising number of questions from reporters at Wednesday’s briefing on the subject of the discovery Sunday of cocaine in the West Wing. First and foremost, Jean-Pierre wanted everyone to know that Joe, Jill, Hunter and the entire Biden family were away from the White House starting Friday and did not return until Tuesday.”
So which Biden left the coke in the WH?
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/dan-bongino-blows-up-every-white-house-theory/
“……Of course, this does not rule out the possibility that a family member left the coke behind before departing.
Dan Bongino says that this is exactly what happened. Bongino was in the U.S. secret service from 1999 until 2011. He was assigned to the Presidential Protection Division beginning in 2006 where he remained until his final year.
Bongino has firsthand knowledge of the extensive security checkpoints to enter the White House and only family can bypass them. For this reason, the only possibility is that a family member brought the cocaine into the West Wing.
>
With the White House lies falling apart, the last card they have is to make an innocent Secret Service Agent the fall guy.
Tom Fittion, aka “Judicial Watch”
Let me fill you in on just some of the things Judicial Watch is working on now:
Judicial Watch and our friends at the Allied Educational Foundation filed multiple “friends of the court” briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of challenges to race-based admission policies at Harvard College and the University of NorthCarolina. Last week, the High Court majority agreed with the arguments we made in our briefs and struck down these policies in a major victory against racial discrimination and for a color-blind society.
This year we have successfully settled our “clean voter rolls” lawsuits against Colorado and Pennsylvania, after those states removed hundreds of thousands of ineligible voters from the rolls…and clean voter rolls are the best insurance against voter fraud! We are also fighting to preserve traditional election safeguards through our lawsuit against Illinois, where state election officials want to extend Election Day for 14 days beyond the date established by federal law, which would be an open invitation to confusion and voter fraud.
We recently made headlines when we forced the release of public records showing that American tax dollars went to the Wuhan Institute in China…and the work the US helped fund may have led to the emergence of Covid-19!”
-Tom Fitton
“Daddy called me a Democrat…waahhh!!!!….”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-KOxSWwQ3AI
JFK assasination.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/202…ng-classified/
“Stone stated Trump responded to him by saying “why hasn’t anyone brought this to my attention?”
Trump later looked into it and told Stone “They don’t want me to release it.”
Stone believes Trump was referencing that the intelligence agencies did not want him to release the files.
Despite pushback, Trump did released over 80% of JFK documents which revealed Lee Henry Oswald received a 1099 from the FBI and attended a foreign language school funded by the Pentagon.
Stone later asked Trump why he didn’t release the remaining 20% of the JFK assassination files to which Trump replied “I can’t tell you. It’s so horrible you wouldn’t believe it. Someday, you’ll find out all about it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeN4PG4tVFk
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/202…ng-classified/
“Stone stated Trump responded to him by saying “why hasn’t anyone brought this to my attention?”
Trump later looked into it and told Stone “They don’t want me to release it.”
Stone believes Trump was referencing that the intelligence agencies did not want him to release the files.
Despite pushback, Trump did released over 80% of JFK documents which revealed Lee Henry Oswald received a 1099 from the FBI and attended a foreign language school funded by the Pentagon.
Stone later asked Trump why he didn’t release the remaining 20% of the JFK assassination files to which Trump replied “I can’t tell you. It’s so horrible you wouldn’t believe it. Someday, you’ll find out all about it.”
Opeb. Other post employee benefits paid for by federal state and local govts.other than pensions including medical dental life ins. Is estimated to be short by just shy of a half a billion dollars. How can this figure be so high? It is this high because this administration and past administration’s have failed to make necessary payments to keep this program solvent. Who ever becomes the next mayor will be handcuffed by this unsurmountable behemoth that threatens every municipality in the commonwealth. This could be the straw that breaks the camels back for many municipalities. When this fund goes bankruptcy it is possible that the fund will be insolvent and many retirees will loose these benefits. Every municipality must gain some control over this massive debt or it will ruin many municipalities including pittsfield. We must rethink this monstrosity before it swallow our city. This will be one of the most pressing problems pittsfield will face in the coming years
The idea of funding the OPEB debt came to fruition under Bianchi. He found $100,000. Then he put another $100,000 next year. Then there was $75,000. Tyer first year she added a small sum as well. (These numbers are very general.) Then, the Mayor rested and did no more until recently when she had the notion to dump 1 million of taxpayer reserves into it, with Kerwood claiming that all the prior dumps began with the Tyer administration.
Point is, it was never seriously funded by Bianchi or Tyer. Funding it requires two decisions. 1) What percentage of the debt needs to be in reserve. I’m assuming DLS has information. 2) A line item in the budget needs to be added to reflect both a trust fund reserve and the debt as a contra-asset. And a tax to fund the reserve. That’s the’truth in budgeting’ councilors talk about.
When the single largest employer in Pittsfield is the City of Pittsfield and the Level 5 Public School District….
When Pittsfield has lost tens of thousands of people to population loss over the past 50 years….
When postindustrial Pittsfield has lost thousands upon thousands of living wage jobs in the dreaded private sector over the past 50 years….
When the past and current Mayors are on a spending spree, along with a borrowing binge….
When the city’s OPEB unfunded liabilities plus municipal debts are somewhere around $500 million….
Sarcasm: Hire Matt Kerwood as the city’s Financial Director!
If you are a home owner in Pittsfield this massive debt is YOUR debt. It is akin to you having maxed out your own credit cards and you are severely limited in what you can do outside of paying your bills. If you can.
Better put off that vacation or keep it local. Need to replace that clunker that keeps needing repairs? Can’t afford it. And you should be putting money away for the kids college but probably not this week. (or next) Driveway falling apart? Chimney needing some pointing? Need some dental work?
Well you need to pay your taxes first so you need to back burner all that stuff and hope you win the lottery. Because that is life in Pittsfield if you are elderly or middle income with children.
There is no sign (zero) that the cities fiances are ever going to get better. In fact there is EVERY sign that they will get worse. Much worse. If you do not want their debt to be your debt and your children’s debt until you die you need to scout out cities and towns with more responsible leadership. I am not just bitching. I am one hundred percent serious.
Probably the best thing that could happen here in pittsfield is to have the state put the city into receivership or declare bankruptcy out right. Let’s face it the city can not afford its share to the opeb act. In reality this could be the best option for pittsfield as the site could figure out what the city could pay and if we meet the obligation we will limp thru. At the same time pittsfield city admin will need to tighten its belt dramatically
The days of hand outs must come to an end. If not sharks predictions could become the talk of the city. We are going to have to have strong leader ship in the mayor’s office and I don’t see that coming from Marchetti or krol and to some extent even Karen as she has no management experience to speak of . Our city must be run like a private sector business where the bottom line means everything. Let’s all do our share to strengthen city government by electing the strongest candidates to lead our city council and mayor’s office. The time is now to ACT.
“Probably the best thing that could happen here in pittsfield is to have the state put the city into receivership or declare bankruptcy out right. “
It’s coming, but as Snark Sharks says, the Taxpayer will pay the price.
Loose thought, when the real estate market crashes, and it shall because it always crashes every decade, Pittsfield’s will crash too. Ours lacks the insulation of curb appeal and wealth that protects markets in Williamstown and Lenox. What will happen to the presumed 2025 $230,000,000 operating budget?
Will payroll be cut?
Principals reduced?
Winter Maintenance slashed?
Police salaries slashed?
Road repair slashed? Potholes left unfixable.
Parks left to crumble away?
Commercial property tax split maxed out to drive out remaining businesses?
I don’t know, but I do know that the councilors sitting there today will then be saying, “Well there was NO WAY we could have predicted this recession! It is OUR JOB to make the hard decisions….”
It would be a shame if all those millionaire business owners getting Pittsfield tax breaks could not get their road plowed. Anybody know how much those tax breaks amount to each year? Which set of books would they be listed in?
Fancy that, someone remembers the question: “Do taxpayers living on private roads pay their share of taxes to get snow clearing of their private roads?”
I argued “No. Their taxes do not account for their streets being plowed. Therefore, their taxes only cover their ability to drive safely on public roads.”
Others, Councilors Warren, Kave, Lampiasi argued, “Yes. They pay taxes. They deserve to have their roads shoveled.”
Now the final bill for 2023 winter plowing is established, and we have the verdict.
Commissioner Morales: “The FY23 winter season introduced significant increases in the amount of snow and added coverage (with the added private ways)” Council Agenda, 6.30.2023. Page 4.
It’s parenthetical, but it’s the salient point to take from the final report. You, who live on public roads saw a portion of $620,000 taxpayer funds diverted to provide public service to private property.
Good work, CHAZ. It’s flat-out wrong for public funds to be used for private roads. Period. This might deserve a comment or three.
It does. So far, the Council majority is dug in and won’t consider reconsidering the diversion of tax payer funds to private estates.
How many city employees live outside of Pittsfield. They have ho skin in the game. Why should they give a crap about Pittsfield?
Seven hundred pittsfield kids going to schools in other towns. With the employees paying property tax not to Pittsfield and pittsfield giving money to other school districts isn’t an encouraging picture
The FBI was probably in the early stages of woke training and couldn’t be bothered to check out communists like Oswald.
Marchetti must not be rewarded for stealing money from senior citizens losing the SS checks to Marchetti spending and now the Marchetti payoff will be 80% of 110 k retirement in 4 years
Joe Biden sent all my SS money, to his friend Zelensky in Ukraine.
With no accounting. D-RATS approved of both funding and no accounting. Think about that
FJB!!!
Chronic is out of his mind. Pittsfield does NOT have the highest debt of any city in the state. Saying it doesn’t make it true.
Debt ratio.
I said, our debt ratio (DEBT RATIO!) is amongst the highest in the Commonwealth and beats Boston. You can get that from the transcript. I spoke it pretty clearly at the Mic. Just to point out how remarkably stupid your comment is (not that you are stupid), obviously Pittsfield would love to trade its massive debt in dollars for the tiny debt that Mary Kapanski holds in taxes, water fees, mortgages, car loans, credit card, medical debt, utility, etc…. Her debt is so much lower than Pittsfield’s. Won’t help Pittsfield’s debt ratio though.
Such a piddling point that you make, though. I didn’t see it worth the time to correct.
By the way, ‘Hi! You’re late to the party but we can make space.’
Mazzeo has her home for sale in Dalto.Can she run for mayor please.She is the hands down favorite right now if she rents in Pittsfield. Pete Marchetti does not care about retired people trying to pay for all the debt he accumulated. Kick Marchetti to the curb and hope Kroll has a heart for the sick and elderly home owner stuck with Marchetti mistakes.PCB GE is going nowhere.Shut that BS down.GE got 450 million to be in BOSTON…Pittsfield should get 450 million from Ma…..where is smitty?Where is TFB….somebody needs to tell Curtis the scam is over.Eberwien now oversees the shit Lenox school of bullying. I heard Lenox is ranked number 1 in MA. bullying under Eberwien who was Pittsfields number 1 bully until he was fired
Where is Smitty & TFB? Answer: On an over 2 month taxpayer-funded vacation. The state legislature has not met in formal session in May & June 2023.
Tsc all the events and names you just mentioned had a major role in destroying our beloved pittsfield. Hopefully we will not see these names again as we will not miss them at all