INDEPENDENT (NON-SCANLON) ARPA AUDIT, GENERAL AUDIT A MUST FOR MAYOR-ELECT MARCHETTI
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY NOV. 13, 2023) — Memo to mayor-elect Marchetti: incorporate Best Practices early into your administration.
Specifically, beg, borrow, or steal one of John Krol’s best ideas from the now-mercifully-ended campaign.
Take his plans for (a) general audit, (b) ARPA audit, (c) to be done by an outside, independent company with no ties to the city of Pittsfield, a firm that has never done work for the city. No Scanlon for this one, please.
You need to do this for one simple reason, one that THE PLANET learned from CEOs in all sorts of businesses: As an incoming newbie, a new CEO must have a clear, honest picture of the company’s finances. A verified financial grasp is a necessary condition for good management, for all that you do will be predicated upon either the health or sickness of the balance sheet.
The audit is required for two reasons:
- To acquire an accurate picture of debt and outlays
- To determine whether or not all expenditures were reasonable and necessary.
———- ooo ———-
Even more specifically, the highly suspicious ARPA handouts represent low-hanging fruit of these audit efforts.
PETER, GO AFTER THE ARPA WASTE. They are taxpayer dollars, and there’s reasonable suspicion of “funny business” in some of the transactions.
As you know from the campaign, people suspect fraud, waste, and abuse attached to the ARPA Star Chamber (the secret meetings). An honest and complete audit is the only way to either prove those suspicions false or true. Of the ARPA money awarded two grants in particular require a closer look.
- The Cultural Competency Coach took family and friends on extended vacation allegedly on the ARPA grift money she received. The Berkshire Eagle even ran a huge story with photos of the African trip. $500,000 ARPA money received.
- The Berkshire Black Economic Council (BBEC) received an even larger amount of money. They have hosted numerous functions for “young black business minded people,” except very few young, professionally dressed, business minded people show up to these events.
- The BBEC also pitched funding for a marijuana spa in South County, in an area not zoned for business.
- The BBEC also pitched awarding the ARPA money that they were awarded to help “Vibe Up” North Street. What ever happened to that idea? The Eagle even ran a story to hype it up. To date, no vibing going on. What does that even mean?
- And about BBEC president A.J. Enchill, a member of the mayor’s secret ARPA Star Chamber having his organization receive three quarters of a million dollars? What is the legality? Is it a conflict of interest?
$750,000 ARPA money received.
There is never a better time for wiping the slate clean when one administration succeeds another. Those first 100 days, in particular, the so-called honeymoon period, must be used by mayor Peter Marchetti to finance these two audits.
Otherwise, he begins with a dark cloud hovering of Allen Street.
———————————————————————-
“To oppose corruption in government is the highest obligation of patriotism” — G. Edward Griffin.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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Mayor Peter Marchetti is another provincial puppet in predictable Pittsfield politics. From my understanding, since Proposition 2.5 was passed and became state law in the early-1980’s, municipalities such as Pittsfield has increased municipal and public education district spending by 5 percent per fiscal year over the past 40 years now. Municipal financial management in cities such as Pittsfield is like playing a financial shell game on a Monopoly board game. Audit(s) are only a piece on the board game.
What a Mayor of Pittsfield wants is financial stability for his/her administration. It is NOT about the taxpayers. The most predictable piece of Pittsfield politics is its annual spending over the past 40 years. Mayor Peter Marchetti will be playing the same old game with our taxpayer dollars!
Jon,
How are they “our” tax dollars? You live in NH, correct? I don’t believe you pay any taxes or ever paid any taxes in Pittsfield. Go back to NH and stay there!
He is right though and taxpayers need to start questioning where their money is going and being spent on
Exactly
I have a feeling with the Cultural Competency Coach being pictured front and center with the gavel man during the mayoral election on the front page of the Eagle tells me an audit is a no go.
Funny how nothing was reported. that I could find, on the question of residency. I can only assume people voted stating that all the department heads have to live in the city limits
The question concerned only fire and police and public works heads and it overwhelming passed.
It was, if I remember correct, a non-binding question. That’s the most this Council will ever give you when it comes to referendums.
How about recall votes, are they binding, and how do they get on the ballot?
Might be needed when Misses Marchetti deals with the mess at the COOP.
I believe that someone has to be in office for at 6 months before a recall petition can be started
We had an opportunity for a reform mayor. There was a well publicized primary. There was no natural disaster to interfere with it. There was not even a thunderstorm. The majority voted Krol and Marchetti. And then everyone got to thinking that it was a Marchetti Krol race when the real decision had been resolved months prior. Both have a strong background on City Council and their records and policies are self-evident.
So, starting out with a recall without a complaint of non-compliance with Charter or MGL is poorly conceived.
They should have been recalled when councilers along with Flat Tyer as mayor.
Pittsfield’s future is swirling down the toilet……
My guess is that in order to have the financial backing and gosib support to run for mayor he had to write in blood that he would fight tooth and nail AGAINST anything resembling an independent audit of any city financial documents, in any department, on any city or city employee computer or any shredded receptacle.
But, that Waconah park rehab should seriously be dropped off the radar completely. Any fool knowing anything about this city’s realistic ability to pay for such a white elephant at this abysmal time of inflation and with so much city debt already would red ink this project first thing. Tyer should do it herself today if she had one brain cell left. This is a no brainer that no financial adviser on the planet earth would encourage.
Hopefully some of the citys smarter business folk will rise up and speak to this because it is unlikely to benefit anyone not involved in building it out or getting kickbacks.
The city does not have 40 million to toss around but if it did I would think there are much much more pressing issues than this silly adventure.
I agree, the city does not have 40 million to pay for this, however, it does not need to cost 40 million and yes it should be saved, there has to be a better way to keep this historical venue.
Why have no images of the rusted beams been published?
Why don’t we just fix the rusted grand stand?
Boring.
Read Infinite Jest by Foster Wallace. The first couple of hundred pages are fine. Choose any. All great things are things of great entertainment.
That would be David Foster Wallace. And all 1100 pages are remarkable.
Remarkably prescient.
It has nothing to do with prescience. Those are simply facts.
YAUG? Quebecois Liberation Front? The Northeast occupied landfill? Fun With Teeth? Electrostatic dermal sanitation?
Oh, ok. Right. Sorry.
Dan you forget Marchetti is part of the whole corrupt B!tchville’s government. His win made sure The Bitch Is Back!!. The taxpayer is the main losers in this election unfortunately the only recourse is to get out, sell to some of these city folk thinking they have a bargain and buying up all the real estate.
What you are saying is excellent advice and should be taken seriously. Let the vultures finish off the carcass and you can read about it from a place far away people. Cut your losses as so many others have done and continue to do. The smart money says abandon ship as the water is coming into the hold as we speak.
I’ll add get out of the mASSachusetts liberal hellhole.
WTF and Trap want everyone else to move to Saratoga and Clifton Park so they can snap up their properties at the fire sale.
Speaking of milltown, why do they not talk the mayor into selling them Waconah park cheap and they can fix it up and charge people whatever they want for whatever they use it for. They got Bousquets and the camp resort and gym and yada yada so this seems like a perfect fit for them and their bottomless funding sources. But the city needs to say no that they are not going to fix it up with all new utilities and such BEFORE they give it to them cheap.
This would be a win/win for both milltown and the taxpayers would it not?
Not a bad idea; but if you’re using it for pickleball and gym equipment etc., there’s hardly room for the baseball/football stadium.
Cause yeah we should put more into the hands of Milltown Capital so when it’s smoke and mirrors gets revealed like phony Allen Harris we can have some more black holes.
What exactly do you mean by “phony Allen Harris?”
Great idea
Believe me they wouldn’t have to talk the mayor into giving them the park if they wanted it. She and others have their heads so far up their behinds, it isn’t funny.
No rent.
Saratoga has alot of crime.
New York is a liberal hellhole too.
“NEW – NY Gov. Hochul is “collecting data” from “surveillance efforts” on social media to combat “hate speech” for your safety.”
-Forbes
You are going to die in Pittsfield and all your moronic and idiotic posts supporting a piece of garbage like Trump will not change that.
“You are going to die in Pittsfield…”
Only if I get shot while passing through the Berkshires version of “Dodge City”.
You keep voting for anti-American leftist/liberals. You deserve The Pitt’s corrupt handlers, crooks on Beacon Hill scamming mASSachusetts, and the criminals infesting 1600 Pa Ave DC.
Dodge is safer
Yes,many here need Mississippi for their mental health and live in that hell hole of bribery ang crime.
Beacon Hill liberals are the criminal elite, and You vote for them.
mASSachusetts, closed down Your alma mata, Belchertown State. So now you just have a bottle in front of You, to go with Your frontal lobotomy.
For record, Liberals are fine. They are the challenge to conservatism which combined with orthodoxy (think OId Democrat Party prior to WWII), is trouble. Your beef is with progressives. They have always been a problem. They pursue power and have historically sought to abuse the power of the State, either in Constitutional acts to general law, to realize private agenda that reflect ideologically driven social models.
We are a very conservative country.Trump the conservative was not leaving the White House under any conditions.Who you voting for in this conservative American?It going to be Trump for you fascist Americans
TSC: I believe that anyone who calls his brother a fascist is the fascist.
^^^ product of PPS!!!
“For record, Liberals are fine.”
If you are gleefully and mindlessly, riding the bus down to the Highway to Hell.
Even RFK Jr. has bailed out on their corrupt elections.
Probably we are talking apples and oranges. Phil Ochs “Love me love me, I’m a Liberal!”
The definition got merged into progressivism which is the zealot asteroid broken off the Liberal planet..
RFK Jr. never had a clue.
Why is Traitor Joe and the leftist/liberals/socialist/progressive coalition afraid to have an open primary , and allow their Demented One to debate RFK Jr.?
Joe might get lost in space?
2023-2024 DNC primary Selection, is more crooked/corrupted, than when the DNC pushed the H-Beast upon America (2015-2016) and screwed over opposing candidates (e.g. Sanders). Bernie a socialist, might have been left enough, but was not corrupt enough for them!
P.S. They found evidence the bus loads of THE FIB agents and Antifa arriving in DC morning of 1/6/2021. Chris Wray has been squirming and lying to Congress all week!
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/11/chris-wray-gets-caught-rep-higgins-releases-photo/
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/11/your-day-is-coming-director-wray-huge-gop/
Current Mayor Barry will never allow Peter the Bitch to do that. We all know that Mayor Barry was coaching Bowtie Kerwood the financial guru of Bitchfield for eight years. If an outside firm even attempted to ask Bowtie a question his answers would be uhm, or ahh or I left on my desk, just don’t remember which desk.
Read my post in the weekend column in reply to Mellie posting the Eagles’ editorial on state of city if you want to know how I feel
Mayor Barry, I did read it. Did you and Mayor Linda have a domestic dispute before you posted? All you did it cut up your wife’s mayorship through the whole post. Why didn’t you advise her along the way if this is how you really feel?
Junk
Obviously Mayor Linda has outlived her usefulness to Mayor Barry, so that marriage of convenience will be ending in the near future. Also, Mayor Linda seems to have developed a nice relationship with the Governor and other folks out Boston way, and, hence, Mayor Barry’s usefulness to her has also diminished significantly. I’d give the marriage an over/under of 6 months. Cheers!
The mayor just started a new diet. The poor woman can’t even take an aspirin unless it has mayonnaise on it!
Because I am not Mayor Barry.
That’s what I thought too
So, you transferred to Williams College because you had no chance of getting admitted out of high school, and you pissed away years of your life accomplishing jack shit on the City Council? Great work, Charlie.
?
Would you risk your reputation on that?
“Would you risk your reputation on that?”
Referring to your weird idea of transferring. You are the second very weird obsessive person to collide with me in as many days.
Where did you even get that idea?
It’s a common strategy.
Never needed it. But I had rather gone to U Wisconsin Madison. Forget why, but best degrees and value are State Schools. Most business leaders, and leaders in general, are State U grads.
Yes, my son double-majored there.
Did his P&M proud, pop!
The best corporate crooks are ivy League
That’s a fact.
Interesting thought, though pissing away time. Some people piss away time envying other people’s pursuits. It’s called vicarious living. Such as what some do here under somewhat pretentious nomikers.
Some people piss away their time on masters that provide only the germ of ability. Those who don’t piss away their time are the ones who think, observe, and strive to do.
I don’t see it in you, sorry.
Ouch! You guys…
She likes her hamburger raw too.
Easy now…
Oh, you gotta be Mt Holyoke. Bryn Mawr?
Whatever happened with the vote on the ballot about the police chief and other personnel having to live in Pittsfield? I don’t remember seeing the results of that vote?
Read JoeKarpanski’s note, above.
You expect Pat to read?
Yea but use can’t touch dis cuz they be black
The people in leadership position’s are more afraid of being called a racist than they are afraid of the taxpayers who elected them to do their jobs and do what is in the taxpayers best interest.
Optimus needs to attend apostrophe school.
Your right, but I just got home yesterday after a 5 day stay in the critical care unit at BMC. So bear with me. Lately it is hard to just even post, never mind worry about punctuation.
Oh, ok, you get a pass.
There’s apostrophe school, comma school, semicolon school, fragment school, fused sentence school, comma spice school, possessive case school, and homonym school.
Thank goodness there’s no colon school. But Marchetti’s working on it.
Anal Fissure school……….Pete is an lab instructor
Comma spice – is that like Ginger spice?
Comma spice is sprinkled like salt and pepper to make the prose look fancy.
I will accept that. What Dan meant, however, was ‘comma splice.’
Thank you, but I like comma spice, and Dan doesn’t say otherwise.
Careful, talking about semicolons will get Trapper all excited.
You’re just an irritable colon.
Call Misses Marchetti for help.
He’s a liberal semicolon.
I just listened to the Republican leader so many of you admire for his racist ideology.He needs your mental health advice.This 78 year old racist leader wants you to keep him out of prison.This idiot tells this group he stands between you and your prison cell.I know this because I watch FOX to see how desperate things are….LOL
POTUS Trump is not a Republican/RINO.
That’s why they and the leftist/liberals fear him so much.
You need to wash your hands! TSC has TruDS-varK (Trump Derangement Syndrome variant Krol virus.) New variants are spontaneous.
It is a highly progressive disease left untreated gets progressively worse and ultimately treatable. You are at risk. It is highly communicable and spreads orally.
Unfortunately he is a Republican.
He’s a Constitutionalist. Not a RINO/Uniparty swamp creature, in league with the leftists.
Trump is a bona fide GOP Republican, running on the Republican ticket, and he is the solitary reason for the current mess in the Republican party.
The mess is due to RINOs/ i.e. Jackasses/Uniparty in disguise, infesting the GOP.
Liberals will just screw Americans over with a grin on their face. RINOs will stab you in the back when you least expect it, then play dumb.
RINOs all need to be “primaried”/purged before the general elections.
“We’re on the road to Ripon — or at least we need to be.
In 1854, appalled by the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Whig Party’s endless appetite for compromise with slavery and the Democratic Party, a group of activists met at a schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin, to form a new political party that would actually stand for something. The new Republican Party ran its first presidential candidate, the explorer and army officer John C. Fremont, in 1856 under the slogan, “Free speech, free press, free men, free labor, free territory, and Fremont.”
We’re there again. The Republican Party is useless to the point of insult, a capitulationist entity that exists to overspend borrowed money and agree with Democrats, or at least not disagree with them too much.
We keep chasing out the elected officials who make it too obvious. But every effort to replace an Adam Kinzinger or a Liz Cheney just leads to the emergence of a new zombie who steps forward to take their places.”
why don’t you speak for yourself.
I just listened to Joe and couldn’t understand a single word he mumbled.
“and couldn’t understand a single word he mumbled.”
Neither did Joe.
Joe defeated Trump. And spare us your bull about the election being rigged. Only morons believe that.
Maybe, but how do you know?
Only morons believe the gibberish Traitor Joe manages to mumble forth.
IM-POTUS Biden was Selecected, 80 million votes my ass!
The only “insurrection” occurred Nov 3-4th 2020.
I want reparations from every Moron who voted for Biden.
Me too. Put me down for 15%.
The markets understand.
I seriously hope not.
“We’re now abolishing fossil fuels starting with every NG stove”
PTSRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUHHHHHHHH
wash wash wash
It’ll never have hemorhoids, it’s the perfect colon.
If you watch ward 4 councilor you’ll see he graduated from coma school.
One does not add an apostrophe to make a word plural. And the Pittsfield Public school failure is made plain. Learn how to write.
DIE/CRT is much more important than learning reading, writing, and math. Liberals say so, so it must be true to the sheeple.
Thank you.
You mean “Cain’t tuch dis?”
Use can spell it how’s u want and we dont need no stinking’ commas or dose apostrophes either cuz it be Ebonics and weze be gettin’ diplomas in some der states soon weather weze can pass da test or not. It’s all in the name of equity. Use white folk is dam fools.
I didn’t want to believe that Pitt Everyman citizen JoeKapanski seethed such affect, but I guess on this blogsite ya gets what ya pays for.
On this blog site, ya gets free speech, as in NO WHERE ELSE IN THE AREA.
Leftists/Liberals champion “free speech”, as long it supports their agendas, anything otherwise is racist and hate speech.
And you, Trapper, support free speech as long as you agree with it.
I even support Your right, to drivel on, and on, and on,………
‘Privileged’ free speech, as I notice with the number of my posts that end up on the cutting room floor.
How was that “free speech” thing working on social media fall of 2020? Twitter, Facebook,……..all censored by the Swamp Creatures You support and idolize.
Sorry, JoeKapanski, not that you care, but you have just lost all my credibility and respect as Everyman spokesman with your AAVE tirade.
Have can Joe lose that, as You have neither credibility nor respect?
they be black > dey be black
get your pronouns right
I have that audit on the table. It will stay there unless people demand it go live.
Please explain how Mayor Peter Marchetti will earn a city salary of $115,725 per fiscal year 2024, collect city perks, someday retire with a city public pension plus perks in the 6-figures for life, collect a large Social Security check for life, and collect his 35-year bank pension for life, while the bedraggled taxpayers pound sand. Thank you, Charles Ivar Kronick, for watching out for us commoners.
You don’t live in Pittsfield, hell you’d be in Belchertown locked up if the nuthouse never closed. Don’t worry about the commoners
A lot of people on this board do not live in Pittsfield. But I can say this for them, this place sure does leave an impression.
Not an impression, It’s more like stepping on a steaming turd when you have to travel through it.
Marchetti deserves every penny.
He doesn’t deserve anything but what the previous administration and city council he led and directed. He is not for the taxpayer other than the decades of regular tax and spend services which include crime, water,trash pick up and roads. From what Ive seen from him as President of the City Council was a complete and abject failure on the basic principles for what most of our tax monies major proportions goes to. All of these items are failing, including Schools.
How can you say that? He hasn’t even taken up residence in the corner office yet. Let’s see how it is going after his first term to see if he’s earned every penny.
He just had eight years as council VP. I think we can surmise from that total lack of effort that the city is in for another four year plummet in livability. His words are meaningless today as he stood by totally impotent when he had the chance to prove himself. He will be the useful idiot to the special interests but other than that and his puppet awards he is just a warm body.
I agree 100 % with your post. I was referring to somebody who said, gavel man earned every penny without working for it yet.
Well, what I mean is that complaining about what people feel is his excess compensation flies in the face of the fact that he has earned all those salaries, pensions etc.
Earned it by just showing up? Earned it by following Mama duck mayor around in a duckling line with the other councilors for eight (8) years? Earned it by being terrified to speak up when the mayor was spending taxpayer money like a drunken hotel heiress?
I don’t think so sir. This may be a game to him and his council friends but it is not funny to the taxpayers they have so little regard for.
I like your logic. It is the ‘anti-shouldinating” logic. It’s wrong and shouldn’t happen! Well, my friends, it happened. Therefore, it should have.
Shouldinators are compulsive mustibators. (Courtesy Dr. Ellis.)
Very nice.
(e_e)
Marchetti is an obese hack who hates women. And, learn how to spell “Kindergarten,” moron.
I imagine, when pushed to do so, that you are obese. Hack – that goes without saying. Why compare yourself to a minor syndicated name when there are the great ones which solid minds aspire?
I am with Chaz here.
He thinks he’s a “Woman”!
You ass. I chose that name and its spelling intentionally.
You went to all the best Scohols!
Tell us about your VA benefits you get if that’s even true. You’re nuttier than grandma’s fruitcake.
Just a guess, but it probably is none of your business.
Let’s hope his spokesperson won’t have a mop head like Biden’s Binder Lady. It’s awful watching her utter another lie.
MSNBC hired his last spox, “Little Red Lying Hood” aka Jen Psaki. Her time telling only fibs and lies while at the White House, made her quite qualified.
State law. Explain how Melle, who’s been malingering about PTSD for years while he can b.s. his way into a psycho pension and milk the taxpayers out of money. All the while embarking on some pathetic Captain Ahab quest about Nuciforo ruining his life. Jom lies about his disability, posts pathetic word salads about Pittsfield politics, and does nothing except embarrass himself in the process. My father served in the Army in the 1960s and you are an abject disgrace to the uniform.
“My father served in the Army in the 1960s and you are an abject disgrace to the uniform.”
Vicarious service?
How does Your father have anything to do with Melle?
My Father was 8th Air Corps in Britain. Does that qualify me to denigrate John too?
My father in law, who served in Vosges mountains of France which was 100% impassable, spoke of US deserters. They were common and everyone knew that at some point on the front, people simply could break down. Some lost their minds and were walking back home to Wisconsin. Others just had too much. All catastrophes and crises are unique.
“We just let them go. The MP would eventually pick them up.”
Only someone who never served, and certainly never served in action with draftees, speaks like that about soldiers.
My Dad was one of those. Shot a few Nazis, got lost, and luckily ended up PTSD back home.
Leave Jon alone. He can’t help it.
Careful she has a virus too. Different one, the symptoms are very close and transmission the same.
It will be status quo from the get go. Special Interest always takes front and center, after he’s done taking care of them there won’t be any money left to do anything maybe a couple subtle changes. Your taxes will go up.
Sarcasm: I heard a rumor that Mayor Peter Marchetti’s first order of business in early-2024 in Pittsfield politics is to call for all politicians who make over their municipalities median income to donate the rest of their public pay plus perks back to the government’s General Fund to show the taxpayers that they understand their financial struggles. Mayor Peter Marchetti will be the first politician to do this, and then he will say to all of the other politicians to follow his lead by example. Mayor Peter Marchetti said that he will donate his entire future 6-figure city public pension plus perks to the General Fund because he will also collect his Social Security monthly checks and his 35-year bank pension. Mayor Peter Marchetti said he wants to show the taxpayers that he is out for their best interest. Mayor Peter Marchetti also said that he is going to paste wings on Pigs so that they will fly all around Pittsfield!
He’s on a beach actively not reading this right now.
Marketty say bird in bush is worth two in hand.
When the phone doesn’t ring it’ll be the Status Quo.
Sorry Dan, Marchetti switching it up on auditors or having any kind of meaningful oversight of the city’s finances is as likely as Marchetti conducting an independent audit of the city’s voting processes and procedures. Not going to happen. Marchetti has benefited from the corruption, he sure as hell ain’t going to try to bring any of it to light. Plus, Barry won’t let him, even if he wanted to.
Ole’ Shirley had about 550 thousand reasons to throw her weight behind Peter. Afterall Peter is the head of the super secret, sacred body that decided where to send along the $40 million in ARPA blood money. Since the money wasn’t used to help taxpayers at all, it sure had to be used for something. $40 million can buy a lot of people who otherwise would have no use for the fat gavelmeister. Peter won’t touch a real audit of the ARPA fund with a ten million foot pole. He especially won’t do it on vacation in Florida. Get used to it Pittsfield, the mayor will be sure maximizing unchecked vacation time.
Is his other brother Pete sunning with him? Are they going over the details of how they can raise the taxes on the elderly? So much fun.
Is Pete W. going around to local restaurants with his mouth open and pointing to his tongue?
As the great Led Zepplin song goes “The song Remains the same”
that will be it for this City nothing, nada will change things will only deteriorate. Krol it would have been worse and that’s saying something. The problem with politics is that nobody wants to run for office especially in this city. It’s all about revenge politics not what i can do for the good of the city but how can i stick it to the other side. This creates this pool of malcontents.
The city departments including the sheriffs office all the way down to the DPW are full of family members, cousins , old high school buds, friends. This is one part of this puzzle that is the Pittsfield. This isn’t going to change anytime soon so until it does this will be the result just look around.
Bingo. The real entrenched dirtiness is in the departments. Politicians are interchangeable.
Sound just like Washington DC, but there it is the various departments and the politicians who are dirty.
And every year a hundred more Pittsfield residents and their families see that unchangeable handwriting on the wall and venture to other places. It is a big move and not for everyone but with the super low bar in Pittsfield it is an option all should look at. Especially if you love your family and want the best for them.
House rich and credit poor. Those are the ones left to fight.
So basically. You take issue with those funds going to BIPOC businesses and individuals. Got it. Should have expected as much from this blog.
This whole ARPA audit business is just TIRED now. You’re trying to make something into a big deal that’s just not. No story. Move on. And I very much doubt the Mayor elect is going to be taking advice from the Planet.
Listen Tony,t he whole ARPA thing was totally uncalled for from the get go, from the feds, and then to piss it away on these discriminatory programs is total bullshit.
No cred.
Marchetti reminds me of my son Clarence. Fine boy. People call him Lumpy. Perfect nickname for the mayor elect.
What about your daughter, Violet?
Her married name is Amuso. Mama Cass Costa is her good friend.
All of this hot water is making me thirsty. They’re being racist again tonight.
My 240 dollar Pittsfield water bill for 2 people went to 1,100 under Tyer and Marchetti.Retired and poor in Pittsfield is is a financial death sentence for elderly homeowners.Mayor Pete Marchetti can make a difference right away.Freeze hiring and let attrition work over time.Cut taxes for the retired poor people.Do not waste another dollar at the King Street dump wetland of wahconah park.If you build a new Stadium put it at the GE tumbleweed ugly area of the Biotechnology desert wasteland.It looks like a bombed out Berlin down there.Please put more benches all the way down North Street with angle free parking and a 20mph speed limit.Consolidate schools as the Catholic church consolidated.Sweep streets and paint lines.Fix things and light up the down town.Freeze wages for 5 years on people making over 70 k.Pete has 4 years but we will know in 4 weeks where this is going
Excellent ideas, TSC.
Keep on voting for Liberals TSC. They’ve run the city, state and country to ruin.
The Republican give tax breaks to corporations and wealthy people.Tax cuts are not ideas.Fascism is the only idea that conservatives have .You guys like bribery of the Supreme Court and Republicans
The corrupt USA legislators, are sending BILLIONS of American tax dollars, to a corrupt politician friend of the Bidens (Zelensky), in Ukraine.
This is to persecute a war to hide the Biden crime families illegal business practices in Ukraine. The soldiers include Azov SS/Nazi detachment in Mariupol.
Biden has also recently donated 80 BILLION to Iran, to support terrorists/Hamas, and a war in Israel.
Hamas is also currently using the BILLIONS of dollars of weapons Biden gifted the Taliban in Afghanistan, when he ran away stranding Americans there, to commit atrocities on non-Muslim civilians (Jihad).
Your exaggerations are towing the FOX line.
Refute the TRUTH posted above. The installed Biden regime has been an unmitigated disaster for Americans and America.
A single thing Biden has done for, rather than to Americans, name it?
I won’t repeat myself.
You do that involuntarily , like a cuckoo clock.
Faster than a speeding sloth
Dumber than a box of rocks
Able to trip going up stairs three times, in a single flight.
It’s a bird brain!
It’s insane!
It’s Joe Biden!
The liberals ain’t the problem.
It’s the rigged Selections now.
Yeah, ‘we lost, so it must have been rigged.’
They have the videos of the busloads, of THE FIB and Antifa showing up J6 in DC on their way to instigate things.
Chris Wray has been squirming, and lying to Congress all week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvlMw3BeYtQ
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/11/your-day-is-coming-director-wray-huge-gop/
Dumpster diver as said the people want the new stadium. I’d like to see it voted on and I have have a feeling the majority of taxpayers don’t want it. They are looking to use Covid cash which means they will use it if they get their way.
That ridiculous statement, based on polling a bunch of people they knew were all for it, says all you need to know about Mr Dumpster. He might as well as wear a Tee shirt that says, “I am in their pocket all the way. I say the things they tell me to say. I am the obedient one.”
In a way I feel sorry for some of these councilors. They allow themselves to become useful idiot bobbleheads in servitude to other people. And they do this knowing how much it would bother them if their own children allowed themselves to be used like this. Sad to see people sell themselves so cheaply and embarrassingly.
Maybe Dumpster can throw out the first pitch.
Do you have a meter?
TSC has been on Severe eee for decades now.
I have witnessed the High EEE in public comments actually. I think I head on a few meetings ago during a floor debate too.
*heard one a few…
I just heard what appears to be a high pitched, purple-haired woman screeching.
Never mind, it was just Kindergarden getting elevated to “High” on the Liberal Meter.
A position I occupy with great pride.
It reads of a major conflict of interest for Pete White, Marchettis best friend and confident as well as campaign cheerleader, to become City council president isn’t it? I mean isn’t Council president job to counter balance the mayor for the people rather than being his hand maiden?
Can someone please get the job description of the council president and illustrate how it works with the mayoral position? (supposed to work) I am pretty sure they are two separate branches of government and not supposed to be holding hands while dancing down the yellow brick road on the way to the land of OZ.
Help me out here Charles please. Help the Petes understand how government is supposed to work in the real world.
Someone tell WTF, the Pete’s already know that supposed to, is like, just a recommendation, definitely not protocol. Their game will not work if they do what they’re supposed to.
Do as you ought, not as you please.
No help, no hope. The rules have the Council electing the President. And there is no restriction on elected officials changing hats. Friends are not legal relationships and impossible to define. (Who’s your best friend, and how can you be so sure?)
I had petitioned for term limits. Draft 1 was 1 term to set the philosophy of good governance. Formal request is for term limits 2 terms no more than 8 years consecutive and cooling off period of 1 year for elected office at the limit.
Keep your eye on it for 2024 Charter Review. Better yet, organize a citizen charter review.
There is NOTHING in the charter that says they need to be at odds. Gerry Lee and Jim Ruberto got along just fine and were on the same side of the fence.
MR. W
It’s not the charter that does this but the nature of the two offices, as you know. Council is legislative and passes. Mayor is executive and proposes. The whole idea of checks and balances predicates on just that. Another word for it is accountability. Moreover, the city’s own enabling legislation tells us that these two offices as CO-GOVERNORS. It’s both presumptuous and preposterous to think that they will get along identically all the time. Those type of la-la relationships only happen in fantasy and sit-coms.
I don’t think you would feel that way if the Council and the Mayor were both conservative branches at the same time. In fact I think almost everyone on this board would be ecstatic at the thought of it. Your issues is when the Mayor is liberal and the council is liberal, you pain them as rubber stamps and non-functioning. You all would LOVE a rubber stamp conservative Council with a conservative Mayor. Then you would think government was functioning as intended. Can you guys please just admit that?
I’ll let others speak to your question for themselves. As for me, it’s a question of one brach making the other sharper and better functioning and little to do with “conservative” or “liberal.” Does government work FOR the people or not? This one doesn’t. Does the fact that it is liberal indicate the cause of that failure, or is it simply co-incidental. Does it relate more to the character of the people in office or to a “liberal” ideology?
When Trump – conservative – got his GOP congress -conservative – he found that they were completely useless and had to walk away from them and shelve his proposals for reform. They were interested in battling their opponents across the aisle and politicking. Thank Heavens for balanced power but too bad for lack of shared Common Sense (hard to find in a group >5)
It’s not about ideology or platform. It’s about Common Sense. Conservatives are sometimes wrong. Liberals are sometimes correct.
Liberals are symbolism over substance. Conservatives might occasionally be wrong and liberals are very rarely correct
Don’t confuse idealism with symbolism. Liberals and conservatives are wrong equally often.
The Congress elected 2016 was largely RINOs, like: Paul Ryan (SOTH), Graham, McConnell, Romney et al, who did little for Americans/America.
Instead they let the H-Beast/DNC/DOJ/and THE FIB continue the “Russian collusion illusion”, when in fact those accusers were guilty and should have been investigated/prosecuted.
You believe everything Trump tells you?
I believe my eyes and ears.
You believe Karine Jean-Pierre and Jen Psaki
The problem is, your eyes have blinders and your ears have earplugs.
Are You deaf/dumb (literally)/blind, or head in the sand?
As pablum as that is, it’s probably right.
Good pablum.
The ideology is the problem
The ideology is not the problem. You are making a logical error. Cities are Democratic because they are big, and they have huge problems because they are big. They don’t have huge problems because they are Democratic.
You would have us believe that a Republican administration would solve Pittsfield’s problems. Do you believe that is true?
Yes, but it would take time to fix decades of democrat mess
The thousand-mile journey begins with a single step. I have no problem with a GOP administration, but I can’t help you there. You guys have got to do the work.
Good arg
I tend to believe it is not the ideology.
If you can name a city run by liberals that isn’t a shithole please do so
There really is no cause-effect there. Name a city run by conservatives that isn’t a shithole.
Casper WO, Boise ID…….
San Diego, Santa Clara, San Jose…
Chicago, Baltimore, NYC, SF, Seattle, Portland OR, St Louis MO, Atlanta, Newark, Hartford, Boston, LA,…….
All big cities, genius.
All run by liberal socialists.
Last I checked my IQ, it was 142.
Wow. Impressive.
San Diego?
13,000 migrants released onto streets of San Diego as shelter space runs out (nypost.com)
Oh well, they do have a proximity problem.
Unions?
Maybe weigh total mass of social workers. Make a social worker metric for municipal comparisons.
Social workers by the pound! Pure genius.
no can do without statistics and graphs
Austin. Atlanta. Raleigh. Silver Spring.
“There is NOTHING in the charter that says they need to be at odds”
Balance in power is by definition ‘at odds’. You are correct that the Charter is inadequate for the needs of this City (or any city for that matter.) The Executive and legislative branches are not balanced.
Never mind who’s what? Dump the Wahconah Park idea unless the portion for the city is less than a quarter.Stabilize the taxes. Dump two schools Mimimum. Increases the insurance co pays. Dumpi stranded for Council members. A forensic audit first and foremost.
Ah, ‘who’s what” – very good. My thoughts too.
The World is a big place, but if you are incurably provincial, even Berkshire County seems to be the center of the Universe.
SIR CHAZ
Picklefield is one of the most provincial places I’ve ever been or seen. So many have never seen what other places look like, taste like, sound like. This littleness applies especially to so many, too many, involved in city government. Never left the pharm. Never seen Gay Par-ee.
Be that as it may the percentage of @55 holes is roughly the same in most places.
This is true.
OMG the Pitt is no more provincial than any city of its size except maybe in California.
They do not need to be at odds. But the council is there to challenge and question dubious mayoral adventures.
Your example of Lee and Ruberto only makes my point. Taxes really started to take off when Ruberto came on the scene and Lee played the puppet and went along with the pillaging. Thank you for bringing that up.
So it looks like the consultants for the water sold the city of Pittsfield or Billy goods and part of the treatment process isn’t working down at the plant and I agree with the water wizard tonight they have been negligent with the results of what’s going on down there and they should give the money back tens of millions of dollars.I believe the water whiz asked Mrs. Guille to take this on personally and contact the person that’s in charge
Looks like the E P A out of some sort of miracle has rectified the phosphorous problems at the failing sewer plant. Did they lower the limits? Who knows.Looks like it had change orders and the compliance was miraculously lowered after million spent on new construction for phosphorus limits. Can you SAY Musical Chairs? With your tax dollars?
Yes, that is a miracle of government. Same one that will eliminate PCB’s from the Housy and make them disappear from the dumping grounds in Lee.
Pillaging Pete ah yes
Pete White is – Sarcasm – humble to say that he will be the next President of the City Council, but he likes the sound of “Pete and Re-Pete” just as much as the way this sounds: “Pittsfield politics”! (Pete & Pete: Pittsfield politics = PPPp.)
It will be a historically compliant city council for Mayor Pete. Expect some type of solid waste reform to pass with flying colors early in 2024.
Keep voting for democrats
Do the work.
You’re convincing me.
You people are disgusting
Why? It’s just a conversation.
Sarcasm: I am announcing my campaign for Mayor of Pittsfield politics in far Western Massachusetts in 2027 from my residence in Amherst, NH, which is a lot closer than Naples, Florida. My promises to Pittsfield voters are to always raise your taxes and fees, to steal your taxpayer dollars via creative accounting schemes, and to vote myself huge city public pay raises and perks so that in the 2030’s and beyond, I will retire with as much of your money – my loot – as possible. Please vote for “Jon Melle” for Mayor in 2027!
I hope this isn’t true. I heard the mayor is going to hire rubber neck for something.
He was interviewing some cutie pie this morning. I don’t think she liked it to much when his spit came up.
Cutie Pie in your eyes.
Money doesn’t buy happiness, Johnathan. What would you wish for if you had one wish to improve your life, big time?
Better to be rich and unhappy than poor and unhappy
My one big wish may sound silly. It is to live in a world whereby everyone has a chance to live a happy and healthy life.
I watched Elizabeth Mitchell (Banks)’s Press Your Life on ABC prime-time tonight (Tuesday, 11/14/2023). Erin from Pittsfield, Massachusetts was a contestant on the TV show. Elizabeth and Erin talked about Pittsfield during a segment of the game-show. I thought it was cool.
My older brother graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1992 with Elizabeth Mitchell (Banks), along with Dr. Kim Cobb who is a climate scientist who is interviewed on BBC News, and along with Alec MacGIllis who is a journalist at the Washington Post and other area newspapers and he is an author of political books. I always tell my brother that the PHS Class of 1992 is the most impressive one.
I graduated from PHS the following year in the Class of 1993. My 30-year PHS Class Reunion is next week on Friday, 11/24/2023, at the GEAA, but I won’t be attending because of Nuciforo’s 27.5-years-long persecution of me and my dad in Pittsfield politics. I send my love all of my PHS classmates. I am sad that around 10 of my PHS classmates have passed away over the past 30 years. I heard that a table is set up in their honor at everyone of my PHS class reunions. The PHS Class of 1993 is the sweetest one.
I played Trivia tonight at Uno with my dad, Bob, and a friend. We had fun. Life is short. Please take some time to enjoy it.
Your wish isn’t silly at all, JON.
He should wish for a color TV. Oh lord, won’t you buy me a color TV…
Good wishing bring good things.
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz. My friends all drive Porsches. I must make amends.
Work hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends.
“live in a world whereby everyone has a chance to live a happy and healthy life.”
The U S of A.
cant live a happy andhealthy life just choose one
Money sure as shit buys happiness.
Like 30 pieces of silver does
Ok, you have my vote.
My best friend from PHS emailed me: “Sorry to hear about you choosing not to sttend the hs reunion. You will be missed!“. My reply is that I will miss attending my PHS 1993 classmates, too. What Nuciforo’s persecution of me in Pittsfield politics over the past 27.5 years did to me and my dad, Bob, was very painful. The things – whisper campaigns – that they said about me in Pittsfield are one-sided, half-truths vicious rumors. The way some people look at me in Pittsfield is very abusive and hurtful. When I was a then young man living in Pittsfield 2 decades ago, Nuciforo blacklisted me from employment. When I had a Facebook account years ago, people unfriended me when I wrote about what I heard what was said about me by the Nuciforo network in Pittsfield. Some people wrote that I am a messed up person. Others wrote that I am a horrible person. I canceled my Facebook account years ago. What I think of Nuciforo is akin to when I have acid reflux or when I have to vomit. If you were in my – Jon Melle’s – shoes, would you go back to Pittsfield to be persecuted by the Nuciforo network? I send my 1993 PHS classmates my love from Amherst, NH, when they meet for the 30-year PHS class reunion next week on Friday, 11/24/2023, at the GEAA. I wish they understood what happened to me in Pittsfield politics in the decades since we graduated from PHS together in 1993. It is a lot to take in – even for yours truly!
What did they say about you?
Take a deep breath, start on Cymbalta, rid yourself of the past and go to the reunion.
Nuciforo is not totally evil. He was very good to my parents.
Looking into the new year I do not foresee one of the main culprits in the excessive budget and giveaways to be a person asking for an independent audit. I do see the GOBSIGS increase their power by changing the charter to lessen the taxpayers ability to be part of the government they fund. I also see the Old Civic Authority crowd drooling over the rebuild of Wahconah Park. Of course it won’t match the required sizes and spaces to host anything but baseball 20 days a year, anything to spend money and pay their union sponsors. I also envision more destruction and city money going towards Springside for the “childrens bike park”. I foresee more ARPA money being spent in secret without anyone aware of where the money goes as the city raises our sewer and water tax due to the increasing cost of the new plant that arpa could have paid for. I see another vault of taxpayer money being thrown at the level 5 schools with no accountability. Of course Rumpass’s maze will continue to grow with roundabouts and bumps in the road while ignoring the potholes and decaying streets. Boy it just seems like De Je Vue for another year….groundhog day over and over again.
Good observations, SHIRL. $$$$ for ballpark = payoffs to union sponsors … electoral support = payoffs to teachers union. Picklefield Politics for Dummies.
It’s actually quite a bit worse than that. You’ll never know what to see.
Anyone who believed Marchetti was going to care about your concerns more than the last mayor got a rude awakening last night. Peter’s first act as mayor elect was to skip the city council meeting.
The current one hasn’t showed up in almost 8 years.
Yes it’s clear to me. The Gob will solidify their treacherous power by changing prerogatives into the charter for one. Any and all tax revenue will be spent on the Sigs.But most importantly this council will have zero pushback. You know it and we know it.
The meetings will end early. That’s good news for the reporters and Councilor Amuso.
it’s presque vu all over again.
I agree about Wahconah Park, would have to spend 150 million to keep up MLB outrageous standards. Has to be built as a Concert and Entertainment venue. Grandstand area needs to be enlarged. Pittsfield should also get 1$ per ticket under 10$ , 2$ anything over to help with the maintenance budget.
First, want to thank Councilor Kronick for ONCE AGAIN going to bat for the residents of California Avenue pertaining to the narrowing and basically ruining lawns and driveways. One comment was made last night by Councilor Persip which made my blood boil. He stated that residents were complaining about slowing vehicles down. NOT ONE of the approximately 20 residents that attended the neighborhood meeting set up by Councilor Kronick stated that! We all stated that the speeding had increased. Did not appreciate him stating that misinformation especially while laughing. Not funny Earl, maybe if you had stopped wandering away from the crowd and stuck around you would have heard the correct information.
At large councilors are useless.
Been an honor and a what a long strange trip.
Grateful Dead?
Dats Wacist!
Not at all.
Persip gives buffoons a bad name
What matters though – Councilor Persip did agree to request Free Cash to redo Cali, he did say it was a disaster, and he is separately trying to put a stopper on the ‘road diet’ designing.
Give me a call MB – we have work to do.
Persip seemed to understand what Ricky Rollers was explainimg about the w- s plant. 99.99999999999 did not.
Yes, Charles he did say it as a disaster, now all the residents