BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY AUG. 24, 2016) — As THE PLANET exclusively revealed last week, Hinds on the Roof, a.k.a. The Rooftop Concert, took place last Friday night (8/19) on

THROUGH THE ROOF — The “usual suspects” are among those who attended “Hinds on the Roof.” From left, city councilor “Sweet” Pete White; long-time Dem political spear carrier, Del Gallo Machine, Chris Farrell; Hinds; school committee chair Kathy “Lady Boots” Yon; Brendan Sheran, president, Pittsfield teachers’ union. Nuff ced. (PHOTO: Facebook)

top of the Greystone Building as illegally promoted on the city’s home page. In the name of transparency, THE PLANET shares our communication with the Adam Hinds campaign. He is running as the favorite to win the Democratic nomination for state senator against challengers Rinaldo Del Gallo III and Andrea Harrington. If he wins, he will face Republican Chris Canning in November.

We sent the following inquiry to Hinds on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 10:21 a.m., the day after the boozy festivities on the roof.

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ADAM

As you may know, I have written on THE PLANET about the posting of the HINDS ON THE ROOF found on the city of Pittsfield’s official calendar, the one on the website’s home page.

 I have a number of questions about it.

 — Who from the campaign authorized the posting?

— Who from the city posted it?

— Whose idea was it to post it there, yours or the city’s?

— When was the listing for on the calendar.

— I know it was taken down on Thursday Aug. 18 in the afternoon, shortly after a comment on THE PLANET mentioned it. Who took it down?

— On whose authority was it taken down?

— Do you agree with critics who say that such a posting was legal?

 Feel free to add any comments you’d like.

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We received the following reply an hour later. It wasn’t from “Adam Hinds.” It was from the “Committee to Elect Adam Hinds,” a distinction either with or without a difference. THE PLANET isn’t sure at this point . Here it is, unvarnished, so you can read it yourself.

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Dan,

Neither campaign staff nor the event organizers posted to the city calendar.  We did not know it was on the calendar until yesterday, and we agree that it should not have been on the calendar.  We have confirmed with those in attendance that they did not find out about the event through the City listing and are happy to share that information.  We continue to work to find out how this happened, in order to ensure it does not occur in the future.

Committee to Elect Adam Hinds

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The response said a little, but not enough. It seemed to be cautiously worded.Let’s examine this a tad closer.

— “Neither campaign staff nor the event organizers posted to the city calendar” = We guess it just kind of “miracled” is ass on the city’s official home page. Notice also the distinction between “campaign staff” and “event organizers.” That’s puzzling, since the city page listed the “producer” as the “Adam Hinds Campaign.”

— “We did not know it was on the calendar until yesterday, and we agree that it should not have been on the calendar.” — Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking the law, which the campaign acknowledges. What does this say about the campaign that it fails to monitor the official website of the city it wishes to represent in Boston?

— “We have confirmed with those in attendance that they did not find out about the event through the City listing and are happy to share that information.” — Taken at face value, this means the campaign checked with every single attendee at the $50-a-head function. Is this true? Can it be true?

— “We continue to work to find out how this happened, in order to ensure it does not occur in the future.” — The crux. This sentence promised an investigation. THE PLANET therefore waited a judicious length then followed up with these unanswered questions:

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ADAM (OR AUTHOR ON BEHALF OF ADAM)

Thanks for your response. I shall post it on THE PLANET.

As you continue to work on how this happened, do you plan to inquire with the city who was responsible? I’m glad the campaign sees that it was improper. Followup questions:

— In your investigation, if you find out how it got on the city’s site and who put it there, can you let me know?

— Do you have any idea of when it first got posted?

— Did you (the campaign) ask the city to have it taken down?

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As of press time today, THE PLANET still has yet to hear back. These were questions the campaign avoided the first time when it had a chance to respond. It didn’t — hence, the follow-up. Last night we asked a third time.

When key inquiries like this go ignored, it sends the message that the campaign is hiding something. Is that the case? If not, we invite Hinds himself, not “Committee to Elect Adam Hinds,” to respond. That latter manner of signature for a local campaign strikes us as simultaneously peculiar, pedantic, and self-inflated.

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