SCHOOL COMMITTEE CALLS THE PLANET ‘SYNTHETIC’, WHICH WE THINK IS PRECIOUS!
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY MAY 5, 2025) — Groucho, the Secret Word for today is “synthetic.” THE PLANET will explain why to conclude today’s column. Meanwhile …
Back at the turn of the millennium, native son Larry Bossidy, at the end of a long career hitting it big as one of America’s sharpest businessmen, wanted to make a grand gesture to his hometown. He offered a $1 million cash gift with the proviso that it be used to improve the city’s parks. Period. No frills, just: “Use it to improve the parks.” What could be more clear?
So what happened?
The city council not once or twice but three times sent letters to Bossidy questioning what he wanted them to do with the money. The exasperated Mr. B. finally washed his hands and realized he was dealing with idiots. Thus, under the flypaper regime of Gerry Doyle, the city squandered most of the Bossidy Bux on needless equipment and other “perks.” No questions were asked, and not much bookkeeping or accounting was done. Not long after, Doyle’s finance director left town in a hurry with a $45,000 going away present.
That was an early taste of what has now become a Feast of Idiots.
In the shadow of the PSD/PHS school department scandal featuring the Dancing Dean, Shepherd’s Pie, Westward Ho, Maggie Sergeant-Schultz and others named and unnamed, the Einsteins on the SC botched the teachers contract.
Ya can’t make us this kind of ineptness.
———- ooo ———-
The SC sent a version of the pact to the teachers, and the union approved (7% pay raise!!). Then it subsequently removed a clause in the deal, the sanity clause, apparently. The egg-on-face exercise in futility produced two different contracts, neither one being legal. The SC Duncans (yo-yos, get it?) put the “con” in “contract.”
All well and good … except you can’t do that. It’s illegal.
Apparently, known one on the SC knew that, including Mayor Lumpy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Think about that.
The contract embarrassment occurred when Young Mr. William Garrity, just out of diapers and doing daily with toilet training, proposed taking out a clause– AFTER union OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then Lez Miz herself, Sara “Miss Jane” Hathaway, seconded the motion, which, naturally, passed. Garrity, fresh out of HIGH SCHOOL, belongs on the slhcoo kahmitte the way a four-year-old belongs in a Bowery barroom.
They don’t know the rules. They don’t know procedure. They don’t know protocol (though some, including the mayor, know alcohol). That’s what happens when disgusted (read: apathetic) citizens forfeit the government THEY OWN to greedy, intolerant, self-important chuckleheads. Then, accountability goes out the window and the cooks (of books) and crooks just do what they want. Paying for it all at the end of the day? Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski.
As for the PHS scandal, with the “independent” report in hand (@ $365/hr., with no word on cost), the SC took a vote to …
(you waiting for the punch line to this joke?)
… to SEND IT BACK TO THE STATE!
We kid you not.
Of course, this is another delaying tactic in their Long Game, which is to stretch it out to after Memorial Day, when people get busy with their summer.
SC chair Bill Cameron promised “we will act in accordance with the law.”
Aren’t you relieved?
Cameron also criticized THE PLANET, saying the SC had had enough of our “synthetic discussions.”
THE PLANET to Bill: Our discussion of this important failure by the school committee is anything but “synthetic.” It’s real, pal.
You want “synthetic?”
- It was “synthetic” for you and the SC and the PSD to refuse Ciara Batory’s first request for the report.
- It was “synthetic” when you ignored Angel Breault and others when they came forward with their shocking information.
- It was “synthetic” when student Emma Goetz courageously informed you of what was going on at PHS and Hathaway laughed in her face.
- It was “synthetic” when you guys decided to send the report back to the state.
One final question for the pskoll committee: Is it “synthetic” for the public to want the truth?
“Be quick” — Ted Williams.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.
LOVE TO ALL.
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Proper address for William Garrity is “William Garrity”. Or, since he’s the only William, you may just call him William. “Mr.” Is attained at age 21.
William is neither a master nor a mister.
Product of PPS, he could be a masterbater. Sochol Committee approves of that sort of thing, in the sochols…….
Good point. This kid’s the poster child of city politics. One of them, anyway.
Master Pete White gets my vote for poster child of city politics and in general as well. He may look a bit older but appears to be refusing to grow up. At all. Nothing about him says “adult” to me. But with Marchetti as a father figure role model I can see how he comes across that way.
That the vibe he exudes. Immature, afraid to become an Adult, thus into juvenilia and infantilia.
He’s young and learning on the job, with very little life experience.
Learning how to follow.
Probably a masterbator
Mr. Cameron’s got synthesis on the brain with what I imagine to be a stack of redactions, summaries, cross outs. and balled wads of paper strewn about his coffee table.
Does the city have a tax payer paid for city solicitor any more and if so whose interests is it for him or her to look out for? And a follow up question if I may, “Whose interests does he or she really look out for?”
And has this person voiced an opinion on the subject of the Tyer/Marchetti school debacle 2.0?
Infamous taglines in Pittsfield politics: It is Synthetic; Openly Gay….90 day grace period; Vibrant & Dynamic; Montello; Rolodex…Renaissance….Sacrifices; Aberration….Pittsfield is a Junkie for state aid; It’s Happening!
Excellent, JON. Synthetic, man!
There is 0 trust in this school committee.
May 05, 2025
How do you know when a politician is lying? Answer:When their lips are moving.
How do you know when a politician is NOT lying? Answer: When they are dead.
How do you know when a politician is not stealing our taxpayer dollars? Answer: When their hands are in their own pockets….I know….but I won’t write it.
How do you know when it is budgeting time? Answer: When they cook the books with their chef’s hat on their heads.
How do you know that the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield politics are still on a spending spree? Answer: When it is July 01, 2025, and the city’s fiscal year 2026 record-setting municipal and school district’s operating budget begins.
When do you know how the fictional Kapanski’s deal with Pittsfield politics? Answer: When you see them digging their own graves with Sara Hathaway chuckling at their children with their anxieties.
Jon Melle
I was active when the former Mayor, GD’s Finance director left. I told the mayor at the time, he needed to rid his administration of the previous administration, because of what i thought would happen. BOOM, the rain started to fall, the finance director, left, and the previous mayor, said “Books were clean when i left office”. and GD was left holding the bag when the state took over for a 8yr period and cut left and right, some good, some bad..it wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t because GD was a bad person. He just was not willing to see it coming his way. History repeats itself, if you do nothing to change it. I feel the same way today, we knew there was a problem, yet no one did anything to change it. The current SC is disfunctional, because of lack of leadership, they hire subjects, not free thinking leaders, so BOOM the rain is falling again, the ending won’t be pretty, the ones getting wet are going to be the students, parents and tax payers who have been funding the storm, and not stepping up with a vote against it, not even a shelter from the rain that will be coming down.
we can see the sunshine, but not before the rain…we must as a ppl ask for the rain, then we will see the sun..I asked ED Reilly, a mayor, to look into the health care payments, back in the day, i was told, don’t worry about it..I showed the mayor, the outline of what was happening, and what would happen, his responce was “Billy, i will appoint you to the youth commission”, and he did, and when i and Judge perachi, asked for money to support this effort, i was told “yes i support it, but i am not going to fund it. ” This is not a guess, its fact, i was there. my point is that this has been going on for years, years…it won’t change until we elect new people….those that will look out for the folks. i will help anyone who gets on the ballot toward the betterment of our city….
You said a lot of things. You were trounced in theelection.
which election? i forget, but i don’t remember YOUR name on a ballot…
you won’t even use your name, that say’s alot…of your intentions…
and your olearees cow was a name on the ballot. i guess i missed that. actually if your going to make statements, i lost the school committee race, some years ago by less then 1% of the vote, you do the math, if you can…we are in the future, not the past…
And you, Cow, got trounced by Dingbat Dina in Ward 6.
“That’s what happens when disgusted (read: apathetic) citizens forfeit the government THEY OWN to greedy, intolerant, self-important chuckleheads”
Yes, completely true.
Also, I wanted minimum age for School Committee. The child got on because none of the seats were contested. That situation demands to be addressed by a minimum age of 35 for elected office, maybe 45 for schools. Letting children determine the spending of their parents’ money and the teaching of their children is a declaration of war against the history of Western Civilization.
I agree with minimum age requirements (35 ) for School Committee members. Right now we’re letting the patients run the insane asylum. No need for student reps to participate either.
How many lawsuits have been leveled against the PPS over the past 30 years, and how much have the lawsuits cost taxpayers? Most swept under the rug. I’m sure Dan knows the highlights!
Pittsfield needs to replace the same old in every position including committees. The problem is the trash that people here won’t vote for. Throw the trash out abandoned hire a City Manager accountable only to him – herself.
Olearees cow, show your name, you coward, and put that name on a ballot. aside from those things, shut up….
The problem may not be totally the committees. It may be more the special interests behind the committees that control their every thought and move.
These committees seem to be programmed to work for special interests and not the population as a whole as intended. And sadly, the special interests back, fund and promote the selection of the individuals who get on each committee directly or indirectly.
The game is fixed from the get go and has been for a long time. The results are a roadmap of that exact failed policy and it has everything to do with power and money.
Good luck fixing any of that. Not going to happen. Set up to fail with no real fix as almost all candidates running for any position are backed by these same special interests and are basically their indentured servants from day one. Joe Normal guy usually does not have the money for a decent campaign, nor the name clout to gather any momentum. And although once in a while one of these good citizens gets through the virtual political blockade, they are neutered in that they are often the lone vote in favor of sanity. They may be shunned, ignored and put onto puffery committees where they cannot effect any monetary expenditures.
Get out if you can
A ward race with 100 signs is doable at $1000.
Not huge, and you spend it over a two month period. The challenge is shoe leather and time walking the streets. You must plan the entire walk all streets and measure the time.
And how many union votes will you get running against your run of the mill gosib? And in the end, will it have all been worth your time, money and the anxiety brought onto your family life?
There are folk who hope regular peeps will not try and will make the experience as miserable as possible. Ask the guy who ran against Marchetti about that?
The Machine and their union bosses really cannot stop an independent candidate, driven by strength that is not his own, who hits the trail. Not just in Bitchfield, but this describes a rule in general.
Is it worth it? You will not change a beat, but you will make public what the Machine wants kept secret. And you will reveal lies, hypocrisy, obfuscation, and chaotic thoughts. This is the purpose of public service: “to provide 100% accountability for the spending of the taxpayers money“* and more so when all around you will try to hide it. (Hence demolishing the Charter Objection which is the final call for Time that opens a small window for accountability.)
The call for office is a religious calling. There is no other reason to run than to bring G-d’s idea of the Good to light. This is why a moment of silence is traditional in beginning a public meeting. All present must request the favor of guidance to serve not himself but G-d. If you do not seek that, or desire despite lack of faith (agnostic?), then I would suggest not running because there would be no purpose to the exercise. You would likely tire from the perversion you shall face, and you shall give out. Maybe even just give in like a friend I had who also served at the time.
Failing to take the ballot is itself a major failure and crisis to the one who hears the beckon but refuses to act. You will hear every reason not to respond. EG: “It’s too hard. There is no point, I’m a tiny minority. I lack the funds. I like the time. I don’t know what to say or what to do – I know nothing about governance.” All excuses and language of self-defeat.
I would not think twice about doing it over, but nor would I think much about doing it again. It’s a hard place to sit wedged between the poles, and the ice is coming anyway. Soon all of Bitchfield will be encased in a polar cap of glacial ice and maybe then I will return to ski on its beautiful contours.
*This is the fundamental purpose of governance. It transcends all language, thoughts, intentions, and acts. All evil starts where that accountability diminishes.
It’s never been more eloquently said.
A few years ago I had a young fella running in my ward. He lost but he knocked on my door at least 3 times. We chatted a few minutes each time. He worked his butt off and the people saw that. He should’ve won. I forget his name now since my memory isn’t that sharp at my old age. I don’t think the “union” votes matter like they used to
Turns out the new toters are loved very much by wasps to build their nests in. And they can toss an active one together in just a few short days. Open the lid slowly and check the bottom side. Serious post.
Believe it or not I’ve got spiders.
Yes. Those little bastards can get into tight spots. Had a nest inside my outside cable box. Aside. Ninety percent of Vermont Ma. Connecticut. New Hampshire N Y ers are half crazy.
Buffoon Council is on now pctv. Someone should take buffoons to task this budget.
Watch listen look . Buffoons. Dizzy can’t absorb thought.
The exchange tonight between the ward two and six city councilors was the dumbest I’ve ever heard. This council has to be voted OUT.
If you took the last 100 council members over the last twenty years you would find that 90 of them worked for special interests and not the people who elected them. Seriously. Get the names of the last 100 and put a check mark next to the ones you think helped control taxes and kept expenditures to a level of sanity.
Then post it here please.
(here are a couple you can start with…..Tyer, Marchetti)
Talk about stupid decisions made by Pittsfield city councilors this one is at the top of the list. Yes, a generation ago Larry Bossidy did give the city of Pittsfield $1 million dollars to be spent on Pittsfield parks. You know, that’s where kids play. Our elected officials did not know what he meant when he said improve parks. Really, they did not know. Larry answered their question by saying again, Pittsfield parks. After buying trucks and squandering money on other items they finally got around to building a soccer field at Clapp Park that was never used and has been eliminated. All this may be hard to believe but it did happen. A $1 million dollar gift was wasted by city officials who did not know what Larry meant when he said improve Pittsfield parks for children. Believe it, it happened.
Both unforgettable and unbelievable. A Pittsfield “Believe It Or Not”
5/5/25
Hello Blogger Dan Valenti,
Please list all of the failed businesses, including restaurants such as Spice, the downtown revitalization, arts and culture venues, and the like, that Pittsfield spent GE’s settlement funds on.
Please list all of the Biden Buck$ grants that Pittsfield spent on anything but helping the fictional Kapanski’s personal finances, which are the career politicians’ ATM, doormat, and toilet to shit on.
Please note that the only economic growth in Pittsfield is in its huge underclass population that the city government and Level 5 school district uses to cash in on state administered, federal aid funds. I call it Perverse Incentives.
Please list all of the municipal debts plus unfunded liabilities that the city government has that is estimated to be a little less than $1 billion that will be paid off by Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
Please let us not forget The Berkshire Museum’s selling off of 2 Norman Rockwell donated historic paintings, among other valuable pieces of artwork, for $55 million that was led by former Mayors (the late) Gerry Doyle and the Rolodex spinner Jimmy Ruberto.
Best wishes,
Jon Melle
Jon. Where were you born in a cabin in Tennessee? We all know about Pittsfield politics especially from you. Like the numbskull in ward three who can’t take a compliment you seem to enjoy repetition after repetitive comments. It’s quite sickening frankly. Do you know you can now call in at the three minute open Mike session. All you need is an enabler at the podium with a cell phone. Tell them what you think don’t tell us day after day repetitive hyper Bolic nonsense.
The poor folk of Appalachia as usual the fodder for burnt out Yanks.
and now they are going to spend a minimum of 28 million for a “ballpark” renovation at Waconah Park no one can afford and the word “ballpark” is being used only to sell the concept. It is really planned to be a multi-use venue for all kinds of miscellaneous activities which will financially benefit special interest venues while the taxpayer will be paying for all the upkeep and general maintenance.
If anyone finds a baseball there it will probably be a collectors item right out of the gate.
It’s Wahconah buffoon.
What’s the difference?
They should rename Wahconah Park Phil Massery Stadium. Because Phil is the greatest baseball fan in the history of Bitchfield,formerly known as Pittsfield.
He also led the charge to have it torn down a couple decades ago. He hated the place. Remember those days Dan? Many of the same people wanted to demolish it now want it to be restored. Follow the 28 million dollar investment for it all to make sense to ya.
The Eagle listed the 4 candidates who hope to become the new Superintendent of the Bitchfield Scohol Department.
I know it was too much to hope for that the Eagle give us a little background info on these 4 people looking to steer the USS BSD away from that fast-approaching glacier, so I took the time for them.
Here are your four candidates and a little BG info on them:
*Roland Joyal Jr, currently: Supt. of Monson Public Schools. Formerly, was Chicopee Principal, took job as Monson Public Schools Asst. Supt. and worked his way up.
*Latifah Phillips, currently: Chief Equity and Engagement Officer, Lowell Public Schools.
I did not waste my time researching another DEI hire. If the Dancin’ Dean isn’t enough of a DEI egg-on-the-face for PSD, President Trump CUTTING ALL FEDERAL FUNDING for non-complaint DEI school districts, should be enough. This is the last person the taxpayers of Pittsfield need.
*Robert Putnam-has been/or is a Supt. or Asst Supt. in Central Berkshire, Adams-Cheshire, Mt. Greylock and Berkshire Hills, to name a few.
*Mary Jane Rickson-currently: Supt. of Granby Public Schools. She has been a Supt. or Asst. Superintendent in the Pioneer Valley area of MA. I did also see that she was the Director at a Technical School and is an advocate for trade school as an option to college.
In my opinion, given the current state of Bitchfield schools, I believe an outsider is needed to come in and clean up this mess.
Do I think that will happen? No, I don’t.
If I were a betting man, I’d lay all my money on Latifah Phillips, being our new Supt.
The GOBSIG’s are desperate and need a lifeline. Race-baiting is always that lifeline, too.
They will hire another DEI candidate, and it will roll out the Cultural Competency Coach and Dennis “he hunted a POC” Powell, to laud the great decision by Bitchfield officials for hiring a person of color, “who looks like the students.”
The Eagle will write a few heartwarming stories about how Latifah overcame racist taunts and harassment by white supremacists and arrest and incarceration by white male police officers on a daily basis, in order to receive her BA Degree in Afro-American Studies.
Followed up by another story or two, about Latifah becoming the “first woman POC” to become Bitchfield’s Superintendent.
Lost in translation, the child molesters and those who turned a blind eye to it, get away with their criminal behavior and are not held accountable.
****Exactly what the GOBSIG’s want*****
Four candidates have been named for Pittsfield’s interim superintendent of schools | Central Berkshires | berkshireeagle.com
Chicopee athletic director hired as principal, replacing Chicopee High head promoted to assistant superintendent – masslive.com
Robert Putnam – Assistant Superintendent – Central Berkshire Regional School District | LinkedIn
Mary Jane Rickson – Interim Superintendent of Schools – Granby MA Public Schools | LinkedIn
Well done, MARK. The city needs a superintendent who will insist on driving change back to the basics: classroom focus on reading, writing, and math; no cell phone policy; enforcement of the dress code; stop ignoring the high achievers by pretending that all students are “equal”; insist on trimming down a bloated administration, putting the saved dollars back into the classroom. The LAST thing the city needs is another extreme, far-left “progressive” whose major focus is DEI, “feel-good,” and rah-rah. Like you, THE PLANET is not hopeful that the Scohlo Komitee will make the right choice.
Will all new candidates get a copy of Camerons report so they know what a huge pile they are stepping into? And if they do and come anyway does that make them desperate as hell for a job? Would they want to become part of any future or continuing investigations should this matter not get buried as planned?
Not knowing the news is the fault of the applicant.
The Bitchscohol Committee has already chosen their candidate. the other two are just for compliance with bidding laws.
Queen Latura. Marcus your a dumbbell.
Tell me you’re a progressive democRAT, without telling me you’re a progressive democRAT.
Everyone wishes they had the bawls of Deb.
My sentiments exactly, Marcus.
Latifah would be the wrong choice. They are good at making bad choices – think Benson former PHS principal, and the former DEI principal at Herberg who also failed miserably.
Hoping for Putnam. Why he would want the job is beyond me.