IN KEEPING PHS REPORT HIDDEN, LUMPY, SCHOOL COMMITTEE, QUEEN LATIFAH, & COUNCIL MAKE IT CLEAR WHAT THEY THINK OF CITIZEN TAXPAYERS
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
Second of a Two-Part Series
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 10. 2026) — Return with THE PLANET now to those thrilling days of yesterday, when good fellow well met Gerry Doyle succeeded Ed Reilly as mayor. Doyle, who knew how to work a room with the best of them, had it set up nicely. His mentor Tom Hickey presided over the tame council, and accountability took a drug-induced sleep. He coulda been a contender. Instead, he took a dive for the short end money.
What followed in the next eight years were four mayoral terms of corruption brought to the near-level of Art.
- EV Worldwide: Gerry and then U.S. Rep John “Ichabod Crane” Olver couldn’t wait to announce to building of an electric car/battery facility. It turned into an assault/battery pile driver for taxpayers. The lapdog local daily, with a hundred grand in advertising money shoveled to it from city hall, pronounced the “1,000 new jobs.” In a hurry, the council approved an 11th hour grant of $250,000 as start up money. No facility. Money disappeared. This began a series of countless start ups that came into town, got large money (e.g., WorkShop Live, $750,000), then ran.
- The Colonial Theater: At least here Bitchfield ended up with a fabulous restoration of the fabled theater. Miracle of miracles, the original $3 million budget ended up at $30 million. If you want to know where the accounting went, send for Judge Crater. He doesn’t know either.
- The Civic Authority: THE PLANET covered this yesterday. Doyle and conspirators (John Bissell, Mick Callahan, Jerry Colvin, and the rest of Barroom Repertory Company) led a Trojan Horse (a baseball stadium) into town. For once, We The People revolted and forced the effort down the mayor’s throat. It was the last time citizens showed their spine.
- Health Insurance: To fund money to pay Paul, the mayor robbed Peter, diverting the funds meant to pay health insurance premiums for city workers into “elsewhere.” Supercitizens Ken Ramsdell and Terry Kinnas probed fearlessly to expose the rotten core. It was enough the drive Doyle from office and send city treasurer David Kiley on a one-way cruise to Gilligan’s Island. Of course, on his way out, Kiley got a $45,000 payment from Doyle. Wonder where that money came from and how much was left in the mayor’s pockets?
- A botched election: A typo in the ballot led to the invalidation of every vote cast in a citywide election in the late 1990s. WBRK Election Night anchor Dan Valenti broke the story of the botch. An infuriated mayor threatened “trouble” if we did not retract. We doubled down. Doyle threatened a lawsuit. “Bring it on,” we replied. The next morning, Secretary of State Bill Galvin confirmed our reporting of the boondoggle. The election would have to be conducted a second time.
- State Takeover of the City’s Finances: Things go from bad to worse. The state appoints a finance review board.
———- ooo ———-
When citizens and taxpayers sent the Civic Authority down in flames, they enjoyed a rare win, but it became a classic Pyrrhic victory. The Suits, stung to their core, began building what we find todayin the city, this quarter century later: a totalitarian system that completely ignores the rights of citizens, remains unaccountable to outside interests, controls elections, and wallows in the mediocrity that inevitably follows when corruption establishes a footing to become pandemic.
In failing to uphold the promised released of the PHS scandal report, the Marchetti Administration continues to uphold the Doyle Precedent for underhandedness and secrecy, although compared to his mentor, Lumpy is an amateur. Remember, Doyle installed Marchetti on the council as a stooge, and we haven’t been able to get rid of him … yet. Folks, you can spit on any phony politician who talks of “transparency” but acts to keep the dirt hidden.
Every branch of city government has elected to betray taxpayers, who coughed up $155,000 for the report. Rather than let The Kapanskis see what their money bought, the corner office, council, school committee, school super. Queen Latifah, and everyone except for Ciara Batory and Carol Barry on the SC played D&D.
To make matters worse, there’s strong reason to believe that the city approved six-figure settlements and NDAs for the ex-PHS creeps named in the report. Is this true?
Lumpy and the Queen need to come forward and tell the truth.
Phat chance.
——————————————————
“When the knowers don’t know, the guessers guess” — Sir Donald Turpentine, Knight of the Bath.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
Copyright (c) 2026 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.
June 09, 2026
Pittsfield politics has been and is still a case study in institutional corruption.
Mayor Peter Marchetti, along with the other weird Pete who likes to wear his Voltron mask and write online about eating pork chops, and now the would-be next in line Earl, are the latest iterations of Pittsfield’s career political hacks serving the special interests (the political insiders and their BIG campaign donors).
Everything in predictable Pittsfield politics is a done deal.
The fiscal year 2027 municipal budget will predictably and continue to spend tens of millions of dollars per fiscal year more than Pittsfield’s peer small cities. The city taxpayers are seen as ATM’s, a doormat, and worse (a toilet).
Many Pittsfield public schools are rated Level 5 with a record 679 students choosing to choice out to neighboring public school districts, along with high faculty turnover. The Mayor/Chair and the School Committee really serve the corrupt unions.
North Street is called “Social Services Alley” with 15 to 25 empty storefronts. Economic growth in Pittsfield is only in its large underclass population.
Violent crime in Pittsfield has more than doubled the statewide average in Massachusetts since at least 1980, which is over 45 years of personal tragedies and community pain.
My point here is NOT to beat up on my native hometown, but rather, to point out that Pittsfield’s political insiders are doing very well for themselves, while the proverbial ship is sinking in Pittsfield’s downward spiral. Some of Pittsfield’s political insiders even live in $1 million mansions in Pittsfield’s elitist Gated Community neighborhood that very close to the Hancock border.
Pittsfield’s career politicians like to make lofty promises of transparency, only to predictably betray the people and taxpayers. The Berkshire Eagle is a rag that favors the very same political insiders who are causing distress to the common people and struggling taxpayers in Pittsfield. To illustrate, the Eagle has blacklisted “Jon Melle” from publishing my letters for over the past 22 years because I write unfavorable letters about Pittsfield’s political insiders, especially about my Enemy #1.
The late Gerry Doyle (former Pittsfield Mayor), Tom Hickey, Peter Larkin, and so on, sold out Pittsfield to GE for “30 pieces of silver”. GE’s PCB’s pollute Pittsfield and the Housatonic River, which is a public health crisis in Berkshire County.
Pittsfield’s capped leaky landfills are not going to last forever. The planned third capped leaky landfill in Lee (Mass.) would be an even worse threat to public health than the two in Pittsfield. Capped landfills not only leak pollution, but also and even worse, they only last for a limited amount of time before they fail completely – they are like ticking time bombs!
Blogger Dan Valenti is right about what has happened and is still happening in Pittsfield. I would like to know what he sees as solutions to all of it, please.
My solution was for me to live in southern New Hampshire, which is around 100 miles away from living in “the Pitts”. Moreover, I feel unsafe in the beautiful Berkshires due to millionaire Luciforo’s over the past 30 years of his persecution of me, but I also feel relieved that so many good people there know all about it. I am very grateful for all of you; thank you.
Jon Melle
Good old pickled Doyle. Hard to forget how he marched Michael Armitage into town thinking of all the ways he could fatten his own wallet. One of the funniest days was when Doyle looked out his window and saw the Armitage provided Ford Explorer being repossessed out of his driveway when the gig was up for mafia connected Armitage.
Gerry didn’t do anything unless something was going in his pockets. But everybody loved him because he was everybody’s barroom buddy. He had a bar tab in every gin mill in town and never paid it. Went to his grave owing everyone. Mike Wendling who owns O’Laughlins was the only one in town that had balls enough to throw him out because he was a deadbeat and wouldn’t let him have another free drink.
And what about the time Gerry drove over the banking at The Forge in Lanesboro. That report disappeared quicker than the Shepstein files.
Doyle was such a despicable perso
n that he made his wife mortgage the house her late mother willed to her so he could keep drinking.
I could go on and on with Doyle stories.
Wow you know a lot about him. Sad to bad mouth someone who can’t reply.
He’s in a place so remote, absolutely, he could not possibly hear any mention of his name here.
Note should be taken that Doyle had a lot of help from his city council. Their names should be also honored here as they carried a large part of the load by spinning ridiculous yarns about how the city needed to do all that. All bullshit and an insult to those who voted for them to take care of their best interests in the city.
There may have been a Kerwood, Grunin, Massery (talked it all up real big he did…a main cheerleader) and others whose names escape me at this moment. They are doing very well for themselves these days.
Most of the current council is really no less welded to the mayor and anything on his agenda which is dictated to him from the shadows. The whole thing is a laughable joke on democracy and they all know it. They are simply actors on a stage playing a role and trying to act believable.
Well they talk about the transparency less Mayors those three and Kufflinks though not a mayor still involved.
Looks stupid in print.Pittsfield approves 232 million dollar budget.
Earl and the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield politics pounds, pummels, pulverizes, punishes people’s purses.
Pittsfield has the 2nd highest Commercial Tax Rate in Massachusetts; Holyoke is 1st.
Pittsfield’ Residential Tax Rate and Fees are a lot higher than other small cities similar in size.
Pittsfield always spends tens of millions of dollars per fiscal year MORE than its peer small cities.
Economic development in Pittsfield is seeing Earl and the 2-Pete’s spend taxpayer dollars like drunken Sailors on leave.
The budget should be less than 100 million.
and a forensic audit would spell out why? and so will never occur even if mandated by the state
If you cut the deans and admins from the PHS (and the corresponding admins in City Hall) tou shave it close to 50 mil. Those positions are a real sponge.
Yep, a stupider thing would be hard to find. Except, whereas climate change is producing somewhat milder weather throughout as we leave the latest ice age (which geologically has been long), Bitchfield is now 40 feet, by estimate in some places, ensconced in polar type ice. Last time, a few months back, I drove to Philly and was warned by Garmin that passage on 7 was unpredictable between Poontusac and Guidos.
Garmin? Last time I used Garmin was when we had all dirt roads.
Don’t forget Dowd.
and Hickey
Let’s not forget about that cutie pie Rob Tuttle
Out of Irish courtesy I omitted Mickey, and his payment via Kaybee subsided office building, for a floundering company.
All Shity clownslurs received similar payouts. Not hard to track the distributions.
Still wondering why the Commiewealth is resisting the Audit?
Same reason Shity isn’t releasing the report.
Seeing the pattern yet?
Sunlight is coming, it’s going to get hot for a lot of elitists, very soon:)
Blanch isn’t Bill (hide it )Barr, he’s a dogged litigator, and is hot on the scent. Bondi puts on a good front, but federal stage was intimidating.
He has no friends, and I pity the senator,dumb enough to cross him
He makes Antonin Scalia ,look downright forgiving, Scalia made a fool of anyone questioning him at confirmation.
His mockery of Autopen was epic !
A modern Robert Jackson IMO
6/10)26@9:30 am
Tom
Why wasn’t there ever an. Uproar of the former Theatre owner selling his own equipment to himself. ??????
Because the GOBSIGs were in bed with him, led by Ruberto.
Not simply a thief, but an exceptional thief.
Just remember, none of this happens without approval from the corner office
I can’t help stealing some of Scalia’s sharpest lines (he can’t use them anymore and sure has forgotten more than he knows).
A great Constitutional judge. The New Yorker wrote a review of his tenure. Back in the day when the New Yorker was capable of publishing anything fine.
A few more names in Bitchfield’s infamy:
Patrick Muraca-Indicted for wire fraud and making false statements. The former head of Nuclea Biotechnologies was arrested for allegedly misusing investor funds intended to expand his business to pay for personal expenses.
Michael J. Armitage-The former president of Berkshire Power and EV Worldwide was indicted in a 40-count criminal indictment for tax evasion, wire fraud, and money laundering. Armitage was convicted and sentenced to 66 months in federal prison for various financial crimes, including defrauding a federal transit program out of $4.2 million.
Da Dancin’ Dean, Lavonte Wiggins-The former Dean of Students at Bitchfield Hegh Scohol, was an uneducated black man, who landed a $100,000 a year administrators’ job simply for being a black male. No more, no less. He received this job over much better qualified and college educated white males, but ultimately pi$$ed it all away dealing drugs (cocaine) before, during, and after school. Da Dancin Dean recently had his $130,000 Maserati repossessed.
Alison “Sheppard’s Pie” Sheppard-The former Assistant Principal at Bitchfield Hegh Scohol, was an adult white woman who enjoyed sharing her pu$$y pictures with her juvenile, black students. Sheppard allegedly received a six-figure settlement for baring her crotch fruit to her students. Why did she get paid? Nobody knows…..or at least will tell, yet.
Wha a Memory Lane Bitchfield has.
Silence can be pricey
Maserati on a school salary…there’s a certain phrase for this…
RAY
Yeah. Reminds me of the story of the mobster who’s in court to explain how he accumulated $100 million by running a strong of laundromats. His lawyer explains that this fact simply explains what an excellent head for business his client has.
That gets filed under Yesbut.
Black Excellence
… is she white? I mean…
Where’s all the police legal issues? That’s even funnier.
They had to buy out the contracts legally since there was “zero” proof of wrongdoing. It’s sad Molly West didn’t get the parachute; she’s absolute trash, and I feel sorry for the town of Hancock. She prefers blackcock either way.
I believe this is one of the reasons why they don’t want to release the report. They fear it will be read over with a fine-tooth comb and wonder what “investigation” actually took place.
I don’t care about what the Bitchfield Pubic Scohol employes had to say.
I want to see the extent these two retired, 60+ year-old, female judges, went to try and track down and contact the juvenile victims and witnesses and get their stories. Both male and females.
I’m pretty sure there were a few female students not happy their male crushes were getting pu$$y pics from the white, assistant principal, Alison “Sheppard’s Pie” Sheppard.
Sorry, but not victims and witnesses not returning phone calls doesn’t justify a $155,000 price-tag. A criminal justice student at BCC could perform that type of “investigation.”
I want to see the judges “boots on the ground” $155,000 investigation.
I will end by stating what I’ve said from the jump. I believe the main reason for not releasing the report is the liability it will expose to the city and the school district that this pedophiliac behavior was known and ignored by Linda “Flat” Tyer-Clairmont, for years.
Ponder the years of these promotions and hires and who think about who was in-charge (Flat) and ask yourself, do you honestly think she knew NOTHING about any of the Bitchfield Pubic Scohol skandel?
2019: Alison “Sheppard’s Pie” Sheppard, PHS Asst Principal
2021: Lavonte “Da Dancin’ Dean” Wiggins, PHS Dean of Students
2022: Molly West, PHS Dean of Students
When you hire a connected GOBSIG law firm to investigate, instead on an actual investiative firm with retired cops, who actually know how to investigate, you know the fix is in. I laughed way back when the school chair claimed, after annoucing the hiring of the firm, that the report would be released to the public.
It was all “SYNTHETIC”.
Tyer was in charge during much of this.
To be kind, Tyer was a disappointment, like most every mayor. They all lack balls. The council can cut the budget but they can’t add to it. One mayor with steel balls could set a new course for the city. There is no way a shitty city like Pittsfield should have a budget over 200 million.
Molly West went into prom, riding on a Kyle. Left Drury and went down south, now she’s black and feral.
Could we see a breakdown of the costs for Marchettis new/renovated/ Goldkang ballpark with just a hint of baseball but mostly all kinds of other stuff?
How much for steel? How much for wood? How much for glass etc.? How much for labor? They must have this in order to have come up with an estimate. Is it true that they had a blueprint of this thing drawn up four years ago and were just waiting for the right time to spring it? And just who was the architect and how was he or she selected?
The right time being when tariffs are killing steel and lumber prices? Aluminum? Supply chains in knots? Interest rates high and getting higher? And enough useful idiots to push for it against all common sense and taxpayer pleading?
Could Kerwood post all line items in the estimate on Dans site along with contractors whom I am sure have already been given contracts? Was there a bidding process and can we see who the contenders were? Will the cities local flower and shrub provider be getting another chunk of change?
And of course the unknown find they call contigiencies another mil or so it always happens. 230 plus million budge?….???a.?a.???
Whole gosig clientele thumbs downing this one
Pay attention. They released the first one about a year ago. 30 million. Realizing that it was too much for the taxpayers to swallow. Released a second rendering for a 15 million dollar pavilion a few months ago.
GOBSIGS are playing a war of attrition, and hav stated they have money to deplete individuals in court (lawsuits). Even if frivolous, it cost $200/hrs to answer and counter.
Need to expand your bandwidth to win. National news.
Just tell ’em Angelo sent you….and say that your surname is Nuciforo….and hope that Lumpy will cut you a city settlement check in the amount of $341,000 like he did for his millionaire buddy who co-founded Berkshire Roots when he wanted to his pot permits payments back.
The only real jobs in Bitchfield are con-jobs!
Seems like there is now another screwed up department in Mayor Lumpy’s Administration. On the City website it still lists Attorney Stephen Pagnotta as City Solicitor. I thought he had quit. He never showed that he was too swift or educated when trying to answer questions at the City Council. Then there was an article in the Berkshire Beagle with a picture showing Lumpy shaking hands with the City’s “new City Solicitor Devon Grierson”, which was back in December of 2024. Where did Attorney Grierson go? Now it seems to be Jeffrey Grandchamp, who once again doesn’t seem to be too swift at answering questions. Why is Mayor Lumpy having so much trouble keeping a City Solicitor, are they not playing into Mayor Lumpy’s secret game? Since tax payers are paying these lawyers salaries, it seems we should at least be told why they are leaving. Or is it just another crooked secret of Pittsfield’s City Hall?
M&B
You raise a most interesting question. The turnover in that office indicates a problem, for sure. Lawyers are officers of the court. If they see, witness, or know of lawbreaking, it is their sworn duty to report it. Just a guess, but it could be that these barristers have seen such deeds being done and/or have been asked to break the law. In that case, they would probably leave/resign, quietly. It’s been known to happen. So my guess to your final question: Yes. It’s “just another crooked secret of … City Hall.”
Not sure. Where criminals are concerned, half the lawyers are working for them
If a lawyer advises you on how to violate MGL, say how pass a budget after you missed its deadline, has the lawyer breached professional ethics, or merely instructed councilors and State Congress bodies how to break laws? It’s whose choice that matter here, and what are or aren’t acceptable uses of lawyers?
Attorney Abraham Lincoln determined his client was going to hang, so he instructed her to exit by the window and catch the 2:00 train out of town. He became president, she remained on the lam.
Dan, here is a link to the Mass Lawyers Oath Required by law, MGL Chapter 221, Section 38.
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleI/Chapter221/Section38
Thanks JOE
DING DING!!!
230 mil plus budget led by the likes of a dufus school committee excluding ….Ciara and the Clowncil – mayor and Kufflinks and write big way Ricky the magnificent..Not. I think they tried to cut out a city council trip but failed. 1200 dollars.
Dan.My Friend. What is 1200 into 230 million? Is Amused-So some kind of idiot?
It’s .000005217%
In layman’s terms, it’s five million two hundred seventeen billionths of a percent.
Quite a savings purposed.