BY DAN VALENTI

“Let me tell you how it will be, There’s one for you nineteen for me, “cause I’m the taxman, Yeah I’m the taxman” Beatles,,,,oops sorry that was for the last blog but I couldn’t resist because they were so right, especially the line “don’t ask me what I want it for, if you don’t want to pay some more”,,,because your in Bitchfield bitches!!Happy Friday everyone. Just finished reading the misinformation hate rag of Berkshire County as they write how wonderful it will be with the school department changing their education model which of course they will need a new school building for. So our mayor mr. bitch wants to spend money on a new school, new buses, new pump park as they rape nature and of course the baseball park in the swamp, which seems it should run afoul from environmental laws, but who are we?? Talking about pavement the road in the southeast that they paved, put 2 speed bumps for 50 yards and new sidewalks on, half the street has not shoveled their sidewalks and it looks like the speed bumps caused pile of salt to bounce out of the plow truck…go ricky rumpus maze creator!!

It’s not a fair comparison of Mark Belanger and Ricky “Roundabout” Rumpus. Belanger was head and shoulders above Rumpus. Belanger won 8 gold-gloves as a defensive SS. He even retired with the highest fielding percentage of any SS.

I think a better comparison of Ricky Rumpus’ job performance would by Mario Mendoza digging in at the plate on Tom Seaver or Nolan Ryan.

Rumpus’ job performance is definitely below the Mendoza line.

I think it is fantastic that Councilor Persip is calling out Ricky for his incompetence. I would be more impressed if someone would denounce the school officials who are proposing a new school. According to Dept. of ED. site PPS had an enrollment of 7,011 in 1997, it’s at 4,876 today. We still have 12 schools, and have not paid off Taconic bond yet. Forget building, start closing. With re-aligned grades could close 3 schools easy.

Here’s one for the People. Next Council Finance Meeting: support Councilor Warren’s request to have Pot revenue directly allocated to 100% offset tax levy. Reducing tax burden formed the Cannabis lobby’s argument for permitting in Pittsfield.

ARGUMENT AGAINST PETITION: 1)The monies are already allocated to fund accounts and are available for spending, thus there is no tax advantage to the taxpayer. 2) They should argue that the taxpayer benefits by establishing ‘reserve funds’ that would support emergency spending. Reserves are good, right? 3) The 50% to reserves was a compromise granted to fiscal hawks; they already had this argument and settled it then.

COUNTERARGUMENT:
The counterargument discusses how current pot funds are not reducing taxes, are unavailable for spending, and fail both accountability and transparency. Accounting for taxpayers’ money is the fundamental obligation of government.

1) 50% Cannabis revenue go into general funds. Indeed, those revenues offset taxes. But 50% go into reserves and those are unseen by the taxpayer or the general accounts. Releasing that money would additionally help lower the tax levy.

2) Money in reserve is practically unavailable. Therefore, eliminating those reserves would directly benefit the tax levy. Administrative behavior regarding reserves is extraordinarily conservative, and drawing from them is politically difficult. The City has very high reserves already in the Free Cash and the Water Enterprise Reserve Funds, thus the Cannabis reserves are unnecessary and duplicate existing reserves.

3) Let’s talk about providing full accountability to the taxpayer. Currently, beyond a general statement where the pot money goes, the taxpayer does not have a clear understanding how they are used. Do they fix a water main on Elberon? Can they be used to replace fire hydrants or repave Delaware Ave? Maybe, but the Directors cannot clarify. The 50% compromise was an attempt to provide accountability to address these questions. Unfortunately, it remains inconsistent with the voters’ objectives from permitting pot shops and manufacturing in their neighborhoods. They understood the detriment they would experience (stench, billboards, ‘red light’ appearance in malls, commercial strips) would be compensated by a lighter tax bill. This petition is the best bet to see that happen.

PETITION:
Requests that the City address the misunderstanding & misinformation of the residents
concerning the amount and use of the local cannabis fee revenues. Toward that end I recommend
the following:

1. That the City direct all the proceeds to be deducted from the amount needed to satisfy the
tax levy thereby providing a yearly amount to be directly used for property tax relief.
(Editorial Comment: which is what people expected and/or wanted)

2. That the City allocate all or a portion of the funds that have accrued since the
implementation of the local cannabis fee towards this year’s tax levy.

3. That the City communicate all the information about the local cannabis fee revenue in
one location on the city’s website home screen in order that it be readily available and no
unnecessary searching is required. This should include the yearly amounts and where it is
allocated along with source reference information citation to the city’s budget in case
someone wants to research this more closely. It should also have a balance of any of the
accounts which these funds have been collected. As always communication and
transparency are the guiding principles.

This proposal could provide at least $1 million or more towards property tax relief a.k.a.
“close to level funding” for FY 2024.

This petition should be referred to the Finance Committee to explore the implementation
of some or all of the provisions.

January 20, 2024

Hello blogger Dan Valenti,

The Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) rag (newspaper) published an editorial criticizing the 7 out of 11 Pittsfield City Councilors for voting in favor of a petition to level fund or close to level fund the yet to be proposed fiscal year 2025 municipal budget that will take effect on July 1st, 2024 and end on June 30th, 2025. The editorial did make some valid points, including that it was too soon for the petition and that it would have been better if the petition requested that the new Mayor, Peter Marchetti, find ways to reduce city spending in Pittsfield politics.

The issues I have with the Dirty Bird’s editorial are that:

1. The Dirty Bird published a news story about the four no voting City Councilors tax arrears when they voted on then Mayor Linda Tyer’s a little less than 9 percent tax rate increase. The Dirty Bird has a pattern of publishing unfavorable news stories and editorials against dissenting voices, such as their coverage of former Ward 2 Pittsfield City Councilor Charles Ivar Kronick. Also, The Dirty Bird took the nuclear option to sink John Krol’s mayoral campaign the day after the preliminary election. In fact, The Dirty Bird has not published any of my many letters to them in a little less than 20 years because someone – (Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior) – doesn’t like me: Jon Melle.

2. The bigger story would be for The Dirty Bird to follow up on Mayor Peter Marchetti’s online WAMC radio interview whereby he publicly asked for a 90 day grace period from criticisms, as well as him saying that he is not a fan of social media and blogs. What message did Mayor Peter Marchetti send to the people he works for in Pittsfield, Massachusetts? I would think that The Dirty Bird would want to clarify the new mayor’s public remarks!

3. There are so many other career politicians for The Dirty Bird to write about and comment on.

A. Joe Biden. U.S. Congress will likely impeach him in the coming months of 2024. His scoundrel son Hunter Biden is a very suspicious person in the Swamp for his overseas business dealings in Ukraine, Russia and China, among his other activities. Joe Biden raised and raises more big campaign dollars from Wall Street and K Street corporate lobbyist firms than any other person in U.S. history.

B. Elizabeth Warren. She claims to fight for Main Street, but she fully supports Joe Biden and all of his fortunes from big government and big business.

C. Ed Markey. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which is a wealthy suburb near the Swamp. He campaigned on the Green New Deal, but he openly supports GE’s plan to put a capped leaky landfill full of PCBs in Lee (Mass.) over the objections of his constituents there.

D. Governor Maura Healey. She is the poster woman for being UNPRODUCTIVE. In the past year, she signed a record high state budget into law, tax relief for the elites into law, and she recently cut state funding for social services. It looks to me like she could not pass Financial Management 101. I cannot understand why she wanted to be Governor when she fails at public management.

E. Paul Mark. He is a big RUBBER STAMP for Karen Spilka in the State Senate.

F. Smitty Pignatelli. He has voted against Sunshine laws and rules reform measures in Boston for a little over 21 years now.

H. Tricia Farley-Bouvier. Another do nothing career politician who has not helped Pittsfield’s distressed and extremely unequal economy.

I. John Barrett III. He has been a career politician for almost as long as Joe Biden’s a little over 51 years in the Swamp.

J. Mayor Peter Marchetti. Victoria May alleges in a sex discrimination federal lawsuit that he called her a BITCH at the bank prior to her termination there.

K. City Council President Pete White. Like his City Council colleague and V.P. Earl Persip, he refuses to be interviewed by blogger Dan Valenti. Why?

L. School Committee member Sara Hathaway. Doesn’t she work as a middle-school teacher? If so, should she even be on the Pittsfield School Committee? Also, she sued the City of Pittsfield over age and sex discrimination around one decade ago and walked away with an undisclosed settlement under the Dan Bianchi administration.

M. Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior. There is so much for me to write about him. He is a disgraced politician for double-dipping as a Pittsfield State Senator who chaired the State Senate Finance Committee in the mid-2000, but had to step down from his elected position in 2006 due to him also serving as a corporate Attorney for Boston’s financial district – big banks and insurance companies – where he still has a law office today in 2024. In 2006, he proceeded to strong-arm two woman candidates – Sara Hathaway and Sharon Henault – out of the 2006 “election” for Middle Berkshire Registrar of Deeds to anoint himself to the 6-year term (sinecure). For nearly 6 years, Nuciforo plotted to oust the now late John W. Olver from his seat in U.S. Congress. In 2012, Nuciforo lost to Congressman Richie Neal by 40 points. In early-2017, Nuciforo used his political and financial business connections to start his marijuana business. In mid-2023, Nuciforo filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Pittsfield over the $440,000 in HCA’s fees “Berkshire Roots” paid plus unspecified damages.

N. Richard Neal. Instead of Congressman, the fitting title should be PAC Man! Richie Neal has been in office since the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Richie Neal only represents K Street corporate lobbyist firms in the Swamp, especially big Insurance Companies. If a common citizen wishes to contact Richie Neal, they would have better luck with talking to Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

O. Violent Crime in Pittsfield. Going back decades, Pittsfield always ranks in the top 10 cities by population for VIOLENT CRIME. The first thing that businesses look at in a community is the crime rate. How can any mayor honestly say they are for economic development when Pittsfield is a gang-land?

P. Level 5 public schools. Why are Pittsfield’s public schools always rated Level 5, which is the worst rating by the state. The first thing than a middle-class family looks at in a community are the quality of the public schools. How can any mayor honestly say they are for middle-class families living in Pittsfield when the public schools are a disaster?

Q. PCBs. Allendale Elementary School abuts Hill 78, which is a capped leaky landfill full of GE’s industrial chemicals called PCBs that cause cancer and learning disabilities in children and adults alike. Most of Pittsfield’s PCBs sites are in capped leaky landfills, which do not last forever.

R. PEDA. How many millions of dollars in debts and unfunded liabilities does PEDA hold? Who will pay off these arrears? PEDA will turn 26 years old this upcoming Summer 2024, but it is still very polluted with GE’s PCBs. PEDA is a DEBACLE!

S. North Street. Downtown Pittsfield has 15 empty storefronts, a glut of social services agencies, and a down and out vibe to it.

T. The state lottery. The multi-billion-dollar Massachusetts State Lottery boasts record profits, but it is really a regressive taxation scheme that systemically mocks “Gateway” cities such as Pittsfield. Why? ….

U. Dan Bosley. He is a greedy lobbyist in Boston and beyond. Dan Bosley is a big supporter of the lottery SCAM because it allows him to give his big business clients in Boston huge state tax breaks, while the low- to moderate-income residents of Pittsfield (and North Adams) are being played for fools by playing the lottery.

V. RETRIBUTION. Pittsfield politics’ other name is RETRIBUTION. It seems like it is The Dirty Bird’s other name, too.

W. Homelessness. The state sends homeless people and families – both domestically and around the world – to Pittsfield, and then the Governor cuts state funding for the social services the city and homeless people and families rely on. She should resign over this fiasco! If not, she should apologize to everyone and the cities involved, and then she should not only restore the state funding, but increase it.

X. Beacon Hill. Why is the Boston Statehouse so corrupt, inaccessible, inequitable, secretive and top-down? Answer: The ruling elites enrich themselves by enriching the financial and corporate elites with billions of dollars per fiscal year in state tax breaks. Some super-greedy lobbyists in Boston earn 7-figure per year salaries legally bribing the fictional Massachusetts State Representative Sellout Shakedown. I hear he is Dan Bosley’s cousin!

Y. The Swamp. Joe Biden not only broke all of the records in raising big dollars in campaign cash, he also spent more money than any U.S. President in U.S. history. Oh, by the way, our U.S. national debt surpassed $34 trillion earlier this month of January 2024. Over 40 years of deficit spending, while the working class’ median pay increased a whole $5 over the past 50 years. The system of government is broken! It must be why postindustrial Pittsfield is part of our nation’s rust belt.

Z. The Kapanski’s. The fictional Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski works hard for a living, plays by the rules, and lives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The Kapanski’s never get ahead. They live their lives in Pittsfield by paying the bills, while City Hall, the Boston Statehouse, and the Swamp are all living the high life.

Jon Melle