VALENTINE’S DAY IS FOR LOVERS; FOR EVERYONE ELSE, THERE IS AN ENFEEBLED PRESIDENT AND THE ARPA GRIFT
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY Valentine’s Day, 2024) — Happy Valentine’s Day, all you lovers. Remember, you can’t spell “Valentine” without “Valenti.”
As the stark reality of an enfeebled president sinks in, it’s hard to see Joe Biden lasting long enough to remain on the ticket. This problem will become more urgent the longer Democrats wait and the closer we get to their convention Aug. 19-22 in Chicago. Could we see a wide-open convention? One can only hope.
THE PLANET says this for the fun. Nothing in politics produces more entertainment than a brokered convention. It’s been a while. Actually, the last time both parties failed to nominate a candidate on the first ballot came in 1952 (Dwight Eisenhower winning the GOP nod and Adlai Stevenson for the Democrats).
While we don’t expect a brokered convention, there’s a better chance, still slim, for a contested convention. That’s where the leading candidate lacks the support to guarantee a first-ballot win. This has happened several times: 1976 Reagan v. Gerald Ford, 1980 Kennedy v. Carter, and in 2016 the “Anyone but Trump” v. Trump. We know who won.
———- ooo ———-
How long can the Democrats afford to stick with Biden? From a recent Wall Street Journal editorial:
The leader of the free world is a fragile ornament, wrapped in cotton wool, protected by aides from falls and gaffes, sheltered by staff (and in Mr. Biden’s case by much of the media) from accountability, gently cocooned from the risk of doing or saying anything he can’t control.
This amounts to a fraud on the American public. But it’s an inescapable feature of reality denial that once you’ve started, you can’t stop. Mr. Biden may not be able to remember names of foreign leaders dead or alive or place important countries on the right continent, but, like everyone who has ever run for the office, he still thinks he’s the right man for the job. “The only known cure for presidential ambition is embalming fluid,” the late Sen. John McCain used to say. It is a disturbing truth that we are closer than we have ever been to actually testing that proposition.
Switch gears from national to local. Couldn’t we take the same words and apply then to Mayor Marky Maypo of Pittsfield, the man once known as Peter Marchetti?
The leader of Bitchfield is a fragile ornament, wrapped in cotton wool, protected by aides from falls and gaffes, sheltered by staff (and in Mr. Maypo’s case by all local media except for PLANET VALENTI) from accountability, gently cocooned from the risk of doing or saying anything he can’t control.
This amounts to a fraud on the Bitchfield public. But it’s an inescapable feature of reality denial that once you’ve started, you can’t stop. Mr. Maypo may not be able to remember any of his promises during the campaign, but, like everyone who has ever run for the office, he still thinks he’s the right man for the job. “The only known cure for presidential ambition is embalming fluid,” the late Sen. John McCain used to say. It is a disturbing truth that the in Bitchfield are closer than they have ever been to actually testing that proposition.
———- ooo ———-
From last night’s city council meeting, THE PLANET notes agenda item #7 : “A communication from Mayor Marchetti submitting a brief presentation of the quarterly ARPA update.”
That ought to be a doozy, a plethora of Pinocchio noses. The council packet includes seven Powerpoint slides that could have been done by a third grader. One is titled: “ARPA Fund Restrictions.” First among them, “Tax reductions or cuts.”
Of course.
A 2023 Associated Press study concluded that “at least” $123 billion in COVID Cash was “wasted or misspent.” Even worse, “fraudsters … stole more than $280 billion.” Those numbers are much higher one year later.
COVID Cash lured the grifters, cons, gimme groups, and “we check the right boxes” people.
———- ooo ———-
Bitchfield has spent only about 20% of the $40.6 million in COVID Cash is has coming. We shudder to think of which favored groups will be honored with the remaining $37 million. Will there be more for the likes of:
- 18 Degrees Early Education family Center, $600,000.
- Berkshire Dream Center, $245,000.
- Berkshire Black Economic Council (BBEC): $700,000.
- Berkshire Museum: $250,000.
- Rites of Passage & Empowerment Program: $550,000 – to expand programs for young women of color ages 12 to 18.
Not a penny for small businesses in the Dreaded Private Sector.
With another $32 million or so for Maypo to dole out to besties, look out below.
—————————————————–
“The code of the con is to know just enough so that you can lie about anything” — Dan Garfat-Pratt.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
Copyright (c) 2023 By Dan Valenti, PLANET VALENTI and EUROPOLIS MANAGEMENT. All rights reserved. The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. Those who leave comments own all the responsibilities that are or can be attached to those comments, be they rhetorical, semantic, or legal. Such commentators remain solely responsible for what they post and shall be and remain solely accountable for their words. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in, but not limited to, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. We serve as a marketplace of ideas, without prejudice and available to all. All users of this site — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else — hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice and their use of/participation in this site. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Joe Biden is 81 years old. Donald Trump will turn 78 years old on Flag Day, 2024. Both of them are OLD MEN!
Mayor Peter Marchetti will serve one or two 4-year terms, and then he will retire with a 6-figure city public pension plus perks for life, which will be on top of his 35-year pension from the Pittsfield Co-op Bank, which will be on top of his monthly Social Security checks. He doesn’t give a (you know what) about raising municipal spending by 5 percent to 10 percent per fiscal year so long as he is taken care of by the taxpayers of Pittsfield.
Does anyone else notice that the career politicians are all making 6-figure public salaries, that Joe Biden and his family are worth tens of millions of dollars, and that Donald Trump is super wealthy?
Jon Melle
The Berkshire Museum has a gigantic endowment from the inexplicable sale of Norman Rockwell artwork. The investment interest on this should take care of all the museums expenses. I assume it has been invested in the stock market which has done very well since the sale? This is one of the special interest venues that grift largely every chance they get from the beleaguered taxpayers.
Why would our new (vote for change) mayor be crawling up their asses after making promises not to walk in tyers dirty footsteps? Is he showing us that now that he is mayor, he is no different than the useless putz he was as city council president? That he did lie to us all during his campaign as many of us thought he was doing?
But perhaps a museum board member, maybe Jimmy Ruberto?, could explain why the museum is not tapping their own, more than healthy financial resources. I would love to hear why from both the board and Marchetti. And any city councilor who may be voting for this handout.
Does anyone audit the museum? Well, not for public consumption anyway.
Trump continues to let the terrorist, rapers,gangsters cross our border.We now have more people than ever coming accross the border.Trump is letting Russians and gun toting Chiner terrorist come in.Trump has ordered Republicans to keep the border open.A party of fools.Republicans are Putins army.
Most common sense people know that Biden has been pouring in the illegals for the last 3 years. The far left tricksters are at it again. One of his first acts as President was to open the borders. The left is counting on stupid people to believe otherwise so they can blame the mess on Republicans and Trump.
Can you explain how Biden’s phony “border bill” works smart guy?
Tell Slow Joe we don’t need any new laws to stop the border problem and to start enforcing the laws already on the books to correct the border problem. Oh wait, it’s election season so he desperately needs to try and bs the voters and shed another one of his many failed policies and put blame else where. Joe Biden: The buck stop’s with me, period on my policies that I will implement if elected. 2020.
Within 1 year the Republicans will no longer have Rush Limbaugh or Donald Trump so save you tapes and recordings.FOX will no longer be selling pillows and ED drugs to the shutins over 50.They will do a revamp to attract the new audience they must have to survive.FOX has a 1.5 billion lawsuit out there to negotiate for lying to their shutin audience.Propaganda works for Putin on FOX.Trump is trying to divert attention away from his criminal problems and the drugged up seniors watching FOX are diverted.I am not diverted,I watch Trump the raper traitor all day manipulate people who should know better.Trump has all of you thinking Putin is a great man who is treated unfairly.Your American story is already over as you follow Trump and Putin over the cliff.Pat does not realize she is under the influence of Vladimir Putins FOX media.
Your lack of knowledge, is truly remarkable. Put down the glass pipe.
You can lead a donkey like TSC to truth but you can’t make him think.
I’m pretty sure he washes it down with a case of Bud Light!
Trump Putin FOX shutin has the knowledge, that’s a good one
It is remarkable. Sounds like a con. What do you do when you get a spam phone call? Hang up.
https://planetvalenti.com/2024/02/under-the-new-administration-things-getting-worse-at-a-record-pace/#comment-285622
Buy Trumps sneakers…your all nuts
https://youtu.be/9a3eCHij4Vo?si=nv_BkIDgVEnxkAxm
They’re playing his song
Don’t underestimate the early voting machine that Democrats have put in place to win elections and even voting after elections as counting was still going on in the 2020 presidential election for days. They want to win the 2024 presidential election to save their globalist agenda so they will really be using early voting as one of their main strategies.
Trump voted early twice by mail in both presidential bids..are you guys going to believe his bullshit forever
Trump votes by mail
God forbid that they would help the local businesses. The ones that have been around for years.
Tennesey De Sauer Mashe
2.75 island Path (Blue one with cinder block)
Pontoosack Lake
Pittsfield, MA 01201
February 14, 2024 (?)
Honorable Council Crappies
City Hall
7 Allen Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Dear Honorobal Counsil Crappies,
You have ugly families. I wish you snaggletooth miscreant and your miserable degenerate loved ones a wonder Valentines Day.
Kindly submitted,
Love,
Tennesey De Sauer Mashe
PS: Pardonnez my french. I mean to write, “a wonderful Saint Valentine’s Day.”
https://www.gazettenet.com/Governor-s-local-tax-plan-54038466
Our lovely Governor and her liquor cabinet feel we need high taxes. The liberals in our tax happy city are going to have an F-ing field day with this one. Because the millionaires tax, fair share this, increases yearly just aren’t enough!
Blue states need money to support the Republican red welfare states.
Shaddup.
“For her part, Healey wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas following her emergency declaration, saying migrants had been drawn to the state because of its position as a “beacon to those in need,” and urged reforms to “punitive immigration laws” and work authorization policies as well as a call for more financial assistance for states.”
ROPES and BBEC should invest in hemp and Maple trees
For the taxpayers, ROPES should be called DOPES to acknowledge the role paid by taxpayers.
Back door to city hall is open.
Appropriate
So over a million bucks for the black businesses and girls and women of color. White folks need not apply.
I wish all the heads of these groups who received ARPA $$ were forced to declassify to where, whom and why in a public report where every dollar went. How much $ is unspent and yet available ? Before the Mayor even thinks about giving these groups anymore $.
Yes. A line-by-line accounting is called for to see if any of the recipients were, you know, uh, “stretching the truth.” Not that we think it, of course.
So the President testified and acted like a good intentioned elderly man with a poor memory. Than the president got mad that the special council fell for his act. So the sitting president can’t be charged because he’s mentally incompetence, like that wasn’t the plan all along. All the horrible things he has forced on this country and he can’t be held responsible cause he’s senile. The people who propped up Bernie (Biden) planned this all along.
Where are our representatives to Congress? They should be calling for Biden to step down!
He has 40,000 projects underway…turn the channel…..Spectrum should offer 1 channel to this board for like 2 bucks a month….FOX runs 24/7.You never turn off your blonds…..they should just put them in nurses outfits for the male shutins
Trump is brainwashing all of you that his crimes are your crimes….send money to America’s crybaby billionaire..lol…how did all of you fall for the
Do you remember growing up in Bitchfield, when it wasn’t as “diverse and inclusive,” as it is now?
Me too. It was horrible growing up and heading over to Clapp Park, or any city park for that matter, and play baseball, basketball, tag, or whatever you and your friends decided to do.
Bitchfield “leaders” like Flat Tyer and Tricia Farley-Country Buffet (D-illegal aliens), didn’t like that and decided to do something about it. They thought adding bums, drug addicts, and illegal Haitians, to the mix, would make Bitchfield appear to be a “welcoming and diverse community,” to those looking in.
Did you see what being “diverse and inclusive” got Bitchfield?
The entire water system at Clapp Park was destroyed, so the drug addicts could steal the copper wire and sell it for money, in order to buy drugs.
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/74428/Pittsfield-Asks-for-Info-on-Vandalism-Ransacking-in-Parks.html
All that ARPA money and Bitchfield doesn’t have an up-to-date security system protecting city (taxpayers) property.
At least the BBEC got $750,000 to put on a talent show and a black business show, hosted by two guest speakers, who have never opened, nor run a successful business from the ground up.
I guess Shirley was too busy to present her taxpayer funded African trip to the BBEC.
That taxpayer funded African trip that you paid for, is also known as the ROPES course.
Let’s see if we have any returning customers for ARPA grifts. I’m betting the BBEC will be back. A business that spends money and makes no money in return, is a business that doesn’t last long.
The BBEC is exactly that type of “business.”
Excellent observations, MARK.
Maybe use the money for cameras and alarm systems at City parks.
“Pittsfield Suns are ‘pausing’ their season and are not playing any games at Wahconah Park this summer”
This an absolute disgrace!! all the city leaders, Mayor, State rep, Senator barre responsibility for this debacle. What a cluster F this city is.
Once again, Bitchfield citizens get screwed.
Fix the grandstand and open up.This is all about replacing Wahconah park with a new Stadium
From only what i have gathered through articles, like the one below, is the only condemned part of the grandstand is the roof and siding which are also backed by asbestos and the footings are in good enough shape they want to build off of them with BRICK. If we had real leadership and strong department heads the park would be shored up already and ready for baseball for a lot less than 28 million. Also will the demolition of the Bel Aire Dam just upstream from the park add to the flooding?
lets keep giving people labels when describing them… Black, white, hispanic, gay, queer, trans,etc. this shouldn’t cause more divide and hate. how about they are just people who don’t need labels. and I don’t give a shit who or what you have sex with as long as it isn’t a minor or forced, why does anyone other than you and your significant other need to know? well maybe your dating site friends too
Ok Karen. Give ‘em’ hell.
Why is the city giving 245 k to a church ?
KING
Haven’t you received the memo? Asking such questions in Bitchfield is dangerous. It could put you “up on the wall.”
Sarcasm:
I asked Matt Kerwood for some inside information on how I could get a cut of the city’s many millions of dollars in loot. He told me to donate money to all of the career politician’s campaigns, present a business plan to the city, and promise to hire 25 or more employees over a 5 year period. When I did all of that, I didn’t get any money from the city because State Rep. Country Buffet has not legalized sex workers in Massachusetts like she promised. I was thinking about complementing “Luciforo’s” Pittsfield Pot Kingdom on Dalton Avenue with a casino, a strip club, and a “Happy Endings” massage brothel. It would be Pittsfield’s sinful “Red Light District”.
When legal they have set aside ARPA funds for Pete White’s pocket pool hall and self service massage parlor. It’s projected to save North Street. Downtown Pittsfield Inc. backs the project.
Why not, they gave 140,000 to Hot plate brewery, then Mass. Development loaned them 1.4 million. on top of that. WTF
Appreciated Councilor Warren grilling Gina Armstrong last night on the ARPA report. Talk about bumbling answers, she could not answer any simple questions. How much is she being paid? How much is Deana getting paid? Are they both still collecting city insurance? Where is Deana Ruffer living now, and why are we still paying for her to have a cell phone? How many cellphones are taxpayers paying for in the Administration. I worked for a major corporation, used my own cellphone and had to have justification for reimbursement for business calls. How can Mayor Maypo sit in the chambers and not realize that the ARPA funding is a complete disgrace. Did he learn anything about accountibility during his years at Pittsfield Co-op? It has been and still is a free for all, free for certain pals of the administration.
Suggest if anyone is suffering from insomnia, they can watch Mayor Maypo’s second One Pittsfield show. His monotone voice puts you to sleep within the first 5 minutes. He looks totally unkept, can’t even put his glasses on straight. What a waste of time.
The highlight of the CC meetings is watching, I believe his name is Ricky picking his nose and eating it with a Pittsfield Police hat on. Welcome to Bitchfield.
Ricky is TSC
Pittsfields Mayor Marchetti simply can’t add.
This Berkshire Eagle article tries to blame veterinarian costs and the lack of veterinarians for the reasons why so many pets are being dropped off at the Humane Society in Pittsfield. I don’t deny that veterinarian bills are very high for pets, but many people can barely feed their families and have little money left for pet food. These local articles have to be politically correct in everything they report and admitting that people are having trouble affording pet food would be a putdown of Biden so they are ever so careful of what they say. Vet bills have always been high as far as I can remember and when I was just starting out in life I had many pets and taking them to a vet was not done often because it was very expensive even many years ago, but that didn’t stop people from having pets. No, the real reason why the Humane Society is having a 95% increase in drop offs is because people can’t even afford pet food.
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/berkshire-humane-society-adopt-a-pet-animal-shelter/article_b32eaf7e-ca6c-11ee-b31f-c7f662be9a3b.html
The are 5 food companies that sell everything in the grocery store.Monopolies are legal under Republicans…keep voting Putins Oligarchy of the rich
Maybe people aren’t aware that Berkshire Humane Society also has a pet food pantry to help people feed their pets. They helped me out a couple of years ago when I hit a rough patch and needed help feeding the pets I had at the time. Sometimes the food pantries (Christian Center, Berkshire Dream Center, etc) also have pet food available.
Good info. Thanks for sharing it, DD.
Good morning all! I hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s Day/Ash Wednesday! To help our leaders of B’s I will suggest some ideas for them to help the Kapanski’s. Abolish the ARPA committee and spend the rest of the money on the water/sewer project. This is allowed under the guidelines and will help keep our sewer/water tax stay steady. I say if they want to keep Wahconah Park use the CPA money to fix the grandstand. It may take 5 years but again it will help the taxpayer and keep the grifters out of the city coffers for a little bit. I would also say combine some schools and close the Scarafoni office bringing the city employees back into city office space, saving more money!
Just 1 request for Marchetti…..what does our budget look like in 2025 2026 2027 2028 and 2029……This will tell you that a single family home on Madison Ave or Lincold street will be over 5 grand in residential tax and 2k in water tax ….State predicts Pittsfield going to drop by 33% in population with a school building supply built for 10,000 students and now at 5,000…..Marchetti needs to tell the truth about our overtaxed urban payer or he will lie for 4 years..Why won’t any councilor ask Pete what we look like in 5 short years
Mayor Maypo is doing the same thing as Joe Dementia is doing nationally, but on the local level. Not telling the truth about his policies that are causing higher mortgage rate’s, etc.. along with rising costs for the taxpayers in every facet of daily living.
Maybe because he has already told them that their job is to do as instructed and not muddy the waters by asking questions. People who ask unnecessary question get their names put on a list. Charlie got his name on that list and look where he is now.
🙂
I get courtesy calls from Eagle’s finest when my bill’s come past due.
Trump is telling Republicans that he wants Putin to win the war.Biden is telling America that Ukraine can win the war with Russia with the help of democracies all over the world.American families fought in WW2 to stop men like Donald J Trump
Dan, I’m all for free speech, but how about putting a limit on the number of TSC’s opinion posts?
The endless “Trump…,” “MAGA…,” and “Fox University….”screeds are getting tiring to read.
Never backed up with facts either.
My grandfathers did not fight, one even got severely wounded in WWII, “to stop men like Donald Trump.”
I second this request. Sounds and behaves like a plant. He’s not here to comment – just prevaricate and distort the framework for arguing legitimate topics such as budgeting, Wahconah Park issues, schools.
Trump repeats repeats repeats repeats repeats and his message is that hes a victim….Trumpers believe hes a victim.Stop using FOX as your go to statements.What would any of you think if FOX didnt tell you what to think. You all remember Rush Limbaughs famous line that he will do the thinking for you.You all now support Trumps backing of Vladimir Putin….you have to ask yourself how that happened.
“Get behind me. You are a stumbling block.”
Of coarse Biden is telling Americans that Ukraine can win the war against Russia. How else could he siphon taxpayers money back to himself and the politicians from both sides involved in the money laundering to fill their pockets, if he doesn’t say that?
“Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi is not sure that this is money well spent, as her searches for the city don’t come up with favorable results.
“When I search Pittsfield on social media or the most popular apps now, it’s either our local agencies that come up the most or Pittsfielders with not very positive things to post where they are hashtagging,” she said.
“And if I am being completely frank I have to dig really hard to find any of these positive influencer posts and when I get there, there are some from this year that have 300 likes and they go back to I think (2022,) a majority of them though are more like 30 likes and there is no unifying hashtag.”
She asked if more influencers were coming and if there were guardrails that could be put on for the project.” -iBerkshires
This is where maybe Krol could have offered some insight to the marketing newbies. If there is nothing to advertise – don’t. Timing is everything.
When you are advertising an established brand, such as Lenox, your objective to promote continuously your product lines, new attractions, repeats & expansion of popular products (restaurants, events, galleries, etc…)
When your city has no visible attractions and finds its reputation in the gutter, do not market it. You only get one opportunity in a generation when trying to make the jump from perilous ghost town to newly exciting and vibrant. North Adams tried that at season 0 of Mass MoCA and nearly blew it when people came expecting a feast and found nothing. They paid the NYT to write puffery for North Adams – the hidden gem of the Berkshires, and risked failed future seasons for the museum. In the case of North Adams, the councilors did not sit on their hands and ask for ‘guardrails’, they took action and instituted a review of signage and business layout.
Guardrails in marketing do not work when they block negative reviews which is both obvious to the public and destructive. Guardrails are the steps you take to make sure your product will actually resonate with the consumer.
Most of Pittsfield real influence rs, the ones front and center, are holding cardboard signs begging for a handout.
But ironically, the ones who ARE getting the handouts are not doing a Gottdamn thing for them. It just mysteriously falls in their laps. (and their is no expectation of kickbacks or back scrubbing)
Lenoxology…
Plus Lenoxologists. The guys and gals on the Lenox Select board learnt a thing or two about NYC ad agencies.
My new guilty pleasure is Marchetti’s TV show. It’s just him sitting there giving a scripted lecture with all the enthusiasm of a hostage video.
https://pittsfieldtv.org/gallery/one-pittsfield-with-mayor-marchetti/
wow. kudos for the communication but maybe he needs to spice its up just a touch? What’s the over under on how long someone can stay awake listening to this?
What’s the over under on how long it lasts?
February 15, 2024
My response to reading Clarence Fanto’s column praising one of the worst state representatives in the over 400 year history of Massachusetts who is called Smitty Pignatelli is that Smitty Pignatelli is a two-faced phony.
When he first ran for State Representative in 2002, he came up to me (with my dad, Bob, at my side) upset that I supported Tom Stokes for the elected position. Smitty Pignatelli’s now late father, John Pignatelli, had to smooth things over between us back then.
Over the past almost 22 years, Smitty Pignatelli has blocked my political emails to him, as well as State Rep. Tricia Farley Bouvier, State Senator Paul Mark, and U.S. Senator Ed Markey (who lives in Maryland).
In early-2004, I went up to Smitty Pignatelli and asked him to please sign my nomination papers for State Senator. Of course, Smitty Pignatelli declined my request, as well as Peter Larkin and Dan Bosley. I am a common man, so I receive the shitty side of Smitty and other elected officials similar to him. But if you are part of his elitist group, then Smitty Pignatelli is super sweet to you.
Lenox State Rep. Smitty Pignatelli voted for two Speakers of the State House – Finneran (his first ever vote in Boston) and DiMasi – who later became Convicted Felons as a result of their official duties in Boston.
Smitty Pignatelli always voted against Sunshine laws that would have brought needed transparency to Beacon Hill. Moreover, Smitty Pignatelli publicly stated in the newspaper that he supports closed door governance in Boston because it is efficient and gets things done.
Smitty Pignatelli voted for his own 40 percent public pay raise in early-2017 that cost state taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. Smitty Pignatelli happily accepted countless public pay raises plus perks. Smitty Pignatelli will retire in early-2025 with a 6-figure state public pension plus perks for life.
Over the objections of the local residents of Lee and Lenoxdale, Massachusetts, Smitty Pignatelli supports GE’s poisonous plan to put a capped leaky landfill full of industrial chemicals called PCBs in Lee (Mass.), along with PAC Man Richie Neal and Maryland Ed Markey.
Smitty Pignatelli has continued to blame Governor Maura Healey’s a little over one year in her current elected office, while he has been in Boston for a little over 21 years now, for all of the problems in Massachusetts.
Smitty Pignatelli wrote and published op-eds in the Berkshire Eagle newspaper decrying the distressed economy in the Berkshire region on Western Massachusetts without ever once looking at himself in the proverbial mirror as a career politician who is part of the problem.
In closing, Clarence Fanto is off base to write and publish his column in the Berkshire Eagle praising Smitty Pignatelli.
Jon Melle
—–
“FOR SMITTY PIGNATELLI, STEPPING ASIDE WAS A TOUGH DECISION. HERE’S WHY HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME”
By Clarence Fanto, The Berkshire Eagle, op-ed, The Berkshire Eagle, February 15, 2024
When William “Smitty” Pignatelli thought that after 22 years, it might be time to step away from Beacon Hill, the final decision on Feb. 5 was a very close call….
Would love to know how much taxpayer’s money was dumped on the streets this afternoon. Had trucks dumping salt everywhere. Evidently some of the dumping mechanisms were faulty on some of the trucks. Streets and intersections had piles and piles of salt. We wonder why we have potholes. Once again, no oversight from the Public Works department.
Hey! Dan, dis you catch my remark about how blending communism (state theft) and capitalism (private industry)? Salt!
ARPA FUNDS:
The most important part of the story is the very few degrees of separation between awardees and those who awarded –
Mayor Linda Tyer’s assistant was “Director” Roberta Dews.
Roberta Dews is a Facilitator/Mentor of the ROPES program. ROPES is founded and headed by Shirley Edgerton.
ROPES was awarded $550,000.
Roberta Dews is married to Warren Dews.
Warren Dews is a board member of the BBEC. BBEC is headed by AJ Enchill.
AJ Enchill was on the committee formed to dole out ARPA funds.
BBEC was awarded $700,000. Shirley Edgerton is the Vice President of the Board at BBEC.
The ARPA committee also included Brett Westbrook, Executive Director of Head Start.
Head Start was awarded $400,000.
Brett Westbrook is married to Jeremy Random. Jeremy Random is the Communications Coordinator at the BBEC.
Three of the highest awardees are intricately linked to one another and directly connected to the former mayor.
It should be also noted that not one damn black person in Pittsfield feels like it’s a great place to live or work. I’d venture that collectively, they all think Pittsfield sucks just like everyone else.
Excellent work, BLAST. Those links say it all. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Disgraceful. The council should demand a FULL ACCOUNTING of those ARPA funds.
The primary guidelines for ARPA, as authored by the US Treasure is “transparency” and ‘accountability.” My petition for independent audit by a firm unconnected to Pittsfield and thus unburdened by past relationships both professional and personal was rejected by a supermajority of the Council. Those who voted no are still present.
Until the last dollar is spent and the clock runs out, the battle is not over. I suggest another soul resubmit the petition.
Submitted 10/2023:
Accounting for the spending of taxpayer money forms the fundamental obligation of government. It is therefore necessary to assure the public that the City complies with US and State Treasury guidelines for the ARPA monies. The City Council further bears responsibility to provide legal protection by ensuring compliance.
I request that the City Council order an Independent audit of the ARPA fund by an outside firm that holds no contract, past or present, with the City of Pittsfield. The purpose of the audit is to ensure that all aspects of the ARPA grant are legal and compliant.
Respectfully submitted,
Charles Kronick, Councilor Ward
This was the best petition put forth in the previous council’s full term. It must (and I think it will) be presented again. At minimum, if again rejected, it will placed councilors on record for the question. If the ARPA grants, several in particular that need extra close scrutiny, are on the up-and-up, what’s the harm? There’s only one reason that’s plausible, giving what we know and suspect at the moment, as to why officials don’t want a close look at that spending. Fear of uncovering FRAUD.
Given the large amount of unspent funds, there is time to claw back and redirect the administration of the Grant to fresh and wiser hands.
If it carries on as ‘allocated,’ I guarantee you that in 5 years not a single soul will have anything to look upon as a remnant of the money.
Probably, it is my finest. There is a great deal of rhetoric and content in the fewest words.
Absolutely no need to defend or argue that petition. It came fully presented in succinct language. I got quite good at framing, slimming down verbiage, and focusing on the bones of the situation.
Here then is the problem. A kindergartener can see the fraud, but to get a complaint is very difficult. The first source would be the Scanlon audit which this year looks at the public/private ventures. But, they will be looking for clean paper trails of accounting for expenses. What everyone sees happening is not what the auditor is reviewing.