TYER VICTORY: WE SAW IT LONG IN COMING (OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT)
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY NOV. 6, 2019) — The day after the election, we all become smarter. That includes THE PLANET.
We endorsed Melissa Mazzeo, but Linda Tyer prevailed. An endorsement is not a prediction, a distinction with an enormous difference most people do not make or understand. It represents one view of many. In true form of an iconoclast, we have more often recommended candidates who failed, an honor owing the supremacy we place on the Individual over the herd. Avante garde must find comfort not the safety of numbers but in the misconceptions from those numbers.
Throughout the campaign, both candidates sought us out for our thoughts. We gave freely to each. The e-mail trails can support that. THE PLANET gave lengthy notes on stratagems to Tyer and Mazzeo. In fact, a word count shows we actually advised Tyer at greater length, and earlier. These were personal chats, Dan to Linda, Linda to Dan. Dan to Melissa. Melissa to Dan. Each respective camp ultimately played as they saw fit, and part of the fun we get from a campaign stems from watching the curiosity of the joust, the chess match.
Since the mid-70s, THE PLANET has spent every election night in a newsroom of sorts. Our first was the large one of a metro daily, The Syracuse Post-Standard, full of staff, smoke, whiskey in top-right drawers, clicking typewriters, and clacking wire machines. Today we sit alone, pressing the silent, Chiclet keys of a Mac keyboard. The excitement remains the same, though, and there’s no other place we’d rather be. As a journalist, THE PLANET grew up neutral of outcomes. Election results are the merely product of numbers, data that informs but, for us at least, never becomes emotional. The vantage point affords a loftier view, one that sees broadly and uses ground radar for the details.
Mazzeo ran a smart campaign, but the timing may have been off, especially in the month following the September preliminary election. She tried to prove the Tullian adage: “The race is run by running slowly.” A slow start may have been a factor but also the strength of her opponent. As we noted earlier, the power of the incumbency should not be underestimated. It affords a bully pulpit, more opportunity for press and photo-ops, and a greater currency (sometimes cult) of personality. Team Tyer counted on this as the pass line, put their chips there, and rolled the dice by playing it safe and defensively. The strategy worked. Congratulation to Linda and the Team for pulling it off.
For Mazzeo, THE PLANET salutes a full-court press. She went all out, gave it her best, and came up short. That’s the way of it in a zero-sum game. She sent us the following statement: “I want to thank my amazing supporters. My volunteers worked tirelessly, and there is absolutely no way I could have gotten this far without them. My family gave so much of themselves. My girls are my number one priority in my and Tony’s lives. Mia and Téa have been amazing, and I am so proud of them. Tony has provided me with endless support and I am grateful to him for that. At the end of the night I have told my supporters we all need to come together no matter the result. We need to move Pittsfield forward and the only way we can do that is by working together. We are at a turning point, and we need to work together to rebuild the spirit that has been missing from this community for so long. ”
We will reach out to the mayor tomorrow.
Take these comments at face value, because Campaign ’19 is yesterday. History. In the dust. Over.
What matters now are the days ahead. That said, we will spend one more day with you “living in the past.” THE PLANET would like your thoughts on what happened yesterday and why. There are reasons for everything, so connect the dots and give us your thoughts. Did voters get it right? How about the selections for council and school committee? Tell us, for unlike The Boring Broadsheet, iBeserkshires, and the other local media, THE PLANET cares about you.
That’s why we’re No. 1 and growing. We listen.
The Comment Lines are now open.
———————————————————————————————————————-
“Don’t find fault. Find a remedy” — Henry Ford.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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Congratulations to Camp Tyer.
Pittsfield politics is always predictable. The Good Old Boys run the show! They backed the lovely Linda Tyer. Now, she owes them and they will expect her to deliver. Hopefully, the lovely Linda Tyer will show herself to be independent of her corrupt backers.
Mr. Melle, enjoy four more years not the lovely Linda, but don’t get your hopes up. She had four years to be a people’s mayor, and she became a special interest one instead.
Dan your analysis was fine but let me give you mine. Too many voters in Pittsfield are just plain stupid. They have no idea of the issues at stake and were probably swayed by Tyer’s cardboard lies. As a citizen we all know would say, “they are buffoons”. Sorry but it’s that simple.
I agree with this. The majority of Pittsfield voters are quite stupid, as shown by the election of DA Andrea Harrington and Mayor Linda Tyer.
I talked to a few co-workers and friends who were going to vote for Tyer, people who’s sewer and water bills jumped, people who’s streets are a disaster, people who were directly impacted by crime. They are all afraid of change and somehow think it’s going to get worse with someone else. They can’t even see that their condition is worse because of who is in place.
It’s like the Allegory of the Cave, some people make it out and some don’t….“he would bless himself for the change, and pity [the other prisoners]”. Pittsfield is bound by the chains of ignorance, those that escape are the lucky ones.
Looking to the future, Tyer will retire after this go around. She will be old enough and the next four years will be devastating for taxpayers. Chief Wynn will spend the next four years getting his PhD, he’s already checked out of doing any real work, giving him his civil service bump just gave him the right to not do any work.
DA Andrea Harrington will continue to do nothing but campaign with the eyes on the AG’s office or some other political career as she tires of the DA job. She fully believes she deserves more and is doing a “fantastic job”.
Mayor Linda Tyer will spend down the GE money, she will find that the “investments” in things like the Beacon and EMA will fail. The Beacon will close before the end of this new term, EMA will fail, General Dynamics will actually begin to pull out of Pittsfield. Crime will increase dramatically in the next two years, plateau, then increase again. The full weight of the mistakes Pittsfield and Berkshire County voters have made will take a couple years to be fully felt. We are all worse for what happened today.
PR
Your contributions have built you a following. Participation: Well done.
Wow! so much to say to you. Let’s just keep it brief how does that mouth full of crow feathers taste?
Your entire narrative is built like a thin house of cards; one huff and puff and the entire structure comes tumbling down (as it should). We’re dumber for having read it. PoliceReport; I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.
FYI:
You do realize the new wastewater treatment planet is EPA mandated? You do realize Mazzeo never met a tax increase she didn’t like? And you do realize Mazzeo nixed the Walmart Supercenter and opposed Wayfair coming to Pittsfield? And you do realize when City Council president she and her mentor then-Mayor Dan Bianchi refused to hire more cops? Here’s my favorite: she and Bianchi were working toward downgrading your permanent fire department to an all-volunteer one.
Remember when word leaked out that they planned to close the West Housatonic station? There was such outrage at the time they both abandoned the idea. In case you and others are curious, that was the first salvo is dismantling your fire department. Those stupid people in Pittsfield you so eloquently refer to as – spoke out to save the Pittsfield Fire Department from becoming extinct. A degree of gratitude is well overdue!!
Also, keep in mind, the mayor is a de facto member of the Pittsfield School Committee. She offers her wisdom and foresight, but that’s it. The school department and school committee are separate political creatures from the Mayor’s Office and City Council. Both entities have little or no control over the school department’s administrative prerogatives. If that’s a source of a problem for each of you, consider reaching out to your nearest legislator. They’re the go-to arm to twist!
My sense is: there’s safety in numbers. Perhaps as reported in to-day’s The Berkshire Eagle, there’s something deeper to our political undercurrent when voters choose not to turn back the clock to the Mazzeo-Bianchi years.
If you’re so damn clairvoyant when it comes to future events & outcomes, why not reach out to the Mayor’s Office and offer her staff a few useful suggestions on how it should be done – PoliceReport’s way. You’d be surprised just how openminded Mayor Tyer’s administration can be.
The Mayor is an ex-officio member of the school committee (de facto means nothing in this context) with the full voting and participation responsibilities just the same as any elected school committee member. The City Charter makes this very clear. It does not say the Mayor is obligated to follow what the other School Committee members do.
She has no interest in the schools.She likes money. She had 49% who think she was absent from her duties.
There is a story in being 2.1 million over in a 16 week ad now season.
Your words express my gut instinct. Thanks.
Stupid is as stupid does sir.
And you can’t fix stupid. Voters won the election not the taxpayers.
The sad part was it’s now a double whammy, we lost Melissa on the council as well, a major blow to taxpayers and the average Joe. We have replaced that seat with a guaranteed rubber stamp and yet another employee from the DA’s office.
I wish I could find a bright spot in this, but Pittsfield has voted for an increased sewer bill, restorative justice leading to school chaos, and an incoming raid on the GE fund. Not to mention our little crime problem.
I think many people were waiting to see if things would change before they packed their bags. Look for a booming real estate market.
Agreed. I have a few friends in the market for a house at the moment that live in Pittsfield, but the rising rate of crime and state of the schools will probably prevent them. Not saying Mazzeo would have necessarily changed their mind either way. Ask yourself would you rather send your kids to any of the surrounding school districts or Pittsfield? Your more likely to purchase a home in a district with schools that are safe and hold students accountable.
and another round of huge salary increases, if the city wasn’t bankrupt it will be now
Oh, Dan… come now – after Linda declined your debate format, you were quite explicit in your conclusion that she had lost the race then and there. You predicted nothing correctly.
TIMMY
Our Nostra got in the way of our Damus. Thanks for your thoughts and prodding. They are what make this all worthwhile!
I hear duck was on the menu at the Tyer affair. Then she started handing out pork.
HT
Before the outcome, they were mighty nervous. Then, after the narrow win, they give you the “had it all the way.”
Also,Barry knew it all the time. Very confident,yeah right. Unless he knew something we didn’t?
Narrow win? Bianchi’s 2011 was a narrow win. Ruberto’s 2009 re-election was a narrow win. This wasn’t the landslide of 2015, but this was a mandate-worthy shut down of the kind of politics the Mazzeo-Bianchi-Malumpy-Bowler team cannot avoid engaging in–not only for a lack of imagination, but also for a lack of intellectual depth and a lack of good faith governance.
Not to mention so many former and soon to be former politicos–once allies–turned “enemies” over not being shown favoritism and undue deference.
Yes, narrow, as in slim, as in thin. Get out your thesaurus for synonyms. The margin of victory was less than 5/10s of 1% of those who voted … 1/10 of 1% of the electorate! A mandate would be 50%+1 of the total electorate, or 13,779. Look, your side won, but my good friend, it was not a mandate. Your use of “intellectual depth” and “lack of imagination” suggests you can’t let go. TIMMY: Your side won. Repeat: Your side won. Your side won. Your side won. Poor winner doesn’t suit you, lad. BTW, THE PLANET commends you for posting under your real name!
Tyler’s margin of victory was 530 out of 11,900 votes. Not a landslide, but no idea how that computes to “5/10 of 1%.” Guess we don’t have to worry about math becoming the focus of this blog 😉
Not a poor winner by any means but I’m not accepting a down-playing of the victory. Don’t break out the calculator, Dan – use relevant comparisons as I did.
Nicely stated, Tim!!
Tommy Bowler’s next on everyone’s drain-the-swamp schedule. The guy’s what’s referred to as a pathocracy. For those who aware of this term, it means that Bowler is a narcissist and a person who likes to dominate the will of others.
Bowler’s another Biden; he can’t keep his hands and lips to himself. He’s never met a female he hasn’t wanted to hug or smooch (or both)!
As much as I’d like to see Bowler gone (after bragging about not allowing prisoners to receive medical detoxes under his leadership), I am not seeing this happening through an electoral challenge anytime soon. But I have heard hopeful rumors he’s just going to be retiring soon.
TIMMY
What is all the animus toward Tom? I mean, really? It’s not about medical detoxes, right?
Why wouldn’t that be enough? It’s inhumane and a very serious inhibitor to actual rehabilitation. Proper medical treatment as they’d be able to receive outside prison, being treated as humans, etc, etc… In the WAMC profile he gave last year he proved himself to be the same as his political friends–arrogant and resistant to learning new things.
I’ll tell you what is inhumane. It’s inhumane to have so little regard for yourself that you would foul your body up with heroin, cocaine, or whatever your poison might be. At some point, choice reduces down to the Individual, as does responsibility.
Looks like the Highway to Hell, rather than the slow road, for Pittsfield
Buck and Roy’s song sums things up for Pittsfield residents/taxpayers. I feel sorry for you all:
Buck Owens & Roy Clark
Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me………………
Pittsfield just voted for the status quo. Now when you hear about verbal assaults of teachers and bullying of students your leaders and councilors will do nothing. When gunfire is heard in the streets and those children go to school you can expect lower grades as the Mayor and CC dont believe it it traumatizes those kids.And the mis management of department funds just got a wink and a nod to piss away residents hard earned cash. Nobody is watching. The bold just got bolder,the hood just got more dangerous and im pretty sure we just voted to take Pittsfield from number 5 to number 1.In our upside down reality of Trump and Tyer where everything we see is called FAKE.
I cannot understand how the majority of bitchers would go to the polls and vote for Yon!! This was the biggest eyesore in this election.
All the city unions backed Tyer and encouraged them to vote for her. It’s tough to overcome a voting block like that. Pittsfield will now get what it voted for. The same old piss poor management.
One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests – Thomas Paine.
Congratulations to Pittsfield Mayor Linda M. Tyer on winning a second 4-year term!!
We have it in [your] power to begin the world over again – Thomas Paine.
I wonder how scabbed your knees got this election cycle, Brian. Think enough to score yourself another gov’ment job?
He’s looking for new knee pads and a case of Chapstick.
They healed nicely after the final tally. Thank-you for your interest, though.
BRIAN
Love the Paine!
When Marquis is involved take Carly Simon’s advice. She didn’t have time for Paine
“Elections are won not by people who voted,
but by people who counted the votes.”–Joseph Stalin.
I saw it coming to Dan, way, way back. As I posted previously, Tyer was a great campaigner, had a great organization, and wanted it way more and tried really hard to turn city around, although I disagreed with her methods, and results were disappointing, particularly on crime. I predicted her win though I started to think near the end that Mazzeo could possibly win. I poked and prodded Mazzeo via my posts, to get her moving much sooner and to get up to speed on crime and to be a people’s candidate, not just an anti-Tyer candidate. Mazzeo never got it on crime either. A simple google search would have told her hotspot policing, which is already done and has been for years, isn’t the answer. She could have called for a management study instead of just hiring more cops, she could have advocated using the drug money for a new station, she could have advocated school consolidation. In the end she didn’t advocate for much besides a better way of doing the same things, rather than doing different things. All is not lost, as she can get back on council in two years and be mayor in four, similar to Bianchi rising from his near victory over ruberto, then winning next time, She will have to become a people’s candidate though, want it way more, campaign way harder and smarter, get educated on crime, or hope like hell Tyer doesn’t run a third time. As to other races, most of the at large newbies hardly campaigned, and same with ward seats, Kaveri and Dina being exceptions, and it doesn’t much matter. With two DA GOBSIGS on the council now, perhaps they will knock some sense into Harrington, who you can expect to come out of hiding any day now. Stand by for your new tax and water and sewer bill and get the lube ready.
These are all excellent observations.
If Tyer continues the city’s decline, Mazzeo can win in 4 years even if Tyer goes for 3
Good post, J-99. Keep at it!
Thanks Danno, but I’m gettin’ tired. Can’t take 4 more years of this. Hopefully, I can get out of The Pitts sooner rather than later. When I do, I will no longer be a taxpayer getting bent over more ways than a throuple and at that point, I will be signing off. In the meanwhile, I will scale down my getting at it, but will continue to add to the discussion, albeit a tad less frequently.
Alabama?
What’s cleat from people like Melissa, despite her “endless research”, it that she doesn’t learn. I’m thinking she’s in the bin with her bestie, Pam.
I guess the city wasn’t ready for a Mayor Malibu Barbie.
You still working for the DPW?
Four more years of mayor canckel s
Pittsfield gets what Pittsfield deserves. The votes of 6176 people said they are happy the way things are. And that has always been Pittsfield’s problem – stagnant, stuck, unwilling and unable to move forward.
Beyond the mayorship, the council losing Mazzeo is unfortunate. The one bright side may be Cohen, if she has some kind of nerve to be her own person but I won’t get my hopes up.
The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. People continue to self-medicate, crime continues to flourish, and justice is not restored. It is, more of the same…
The true story is how so few people vote in this city. Watch next year when the presidential race is on and you will see huge numbers of voters come forward in Pittsfield to vote. Same with state elections since so many in this area are crazy for Liz Warren. It’s the local elections though that make the MOST difference in our day to day lives and these are ignored by our residents. Instead the friends of local politicians decide the elections every time. So while our sidewalks and roads crumble, crime worsens, schools go downhill, and jobs are scarce, Pittsfield residents can’t figure out that they need to vote in local elections to improve the situation?!?
It is incredulous to me that citizens in this City gave Yon the most votes for re-election to the School Committee. Move that forward!! Unbelievable. The citizens must be very pleased with the schools and the school budget.
They love the school budget. They don’t care much about the condition of the schools.
Perhaps they think differently than you. Sixty-five percent of the citizens who voted went for Ms. Yon.
The cryptkeeper yon is the most noticeable name. Old people vote for old people
That is an interesting comment, because on a daily basis there are discussions about the unruly behaviors in the schools, and no one stands behind the teachers. The Administration is weak at best, is my belief, and Yon is useless.
I doubt most people here have any clue what the school committee does.
Take comfort in the fact that you folks are now 0-3, and Barry Clairmont is 8-0.
People should know when they’re conquered!!
I believe that is 3-0 for the unions/special interests/community collaboraters over the senior citizens/private sector workers.
Let’s be honest, not much of the latter is sticking around.
The senior citizens constitute a huge block of voters in the city and most of them do vote. If they are unhappy with the way things are being done I would think they would express it at the polls.
Many did.
BRIAN
“Conquered” captures it perfectly.
I still can’t understand what he means by that. Is it a reference to yogi Berra?
Opening scene of Gladiator.
No Empire lasts forever! We will be Free sooner or later!
There needs to be an investigation into $18,000 thousand a day in Overtime that never got the Mayor Clairmonts attention. What went on ?
If there were no answers before there sure as hell will be none know. She has four years to walk all over the taxpayers and if you stay you better hold off on that vacation or college for junior.
I’m no mathemagigician but thats 6.5 million dollars. What exactly ware you referring to?
You can’t spell either.
4 months of snow removal.
Why don’t Pittsfield people vote? They come out in droves for Presidential elections as you have seen in previous years and you will see next year. Local elections make the most difference in our day to day lives. Both Mazzeo and Tyer are Progressives so not huge differences between them although Mazzeo was promising to make some important issues better, but who knows if that would have happened given their political agenda. I did see many Mazzeo supporters holding Vote Warren signs at the same time so that did not make me feel good about voting for her.
Kenny Warren
Big laugh on Mazzeo being a “progressive”. On your spectrum George Bush must have been a moderate.
‘The most widely read blog in western Massachusetts’ holds no sway. Political insiders don’t endorse losers.
Not a good day for half the citizens of Pittsfield, the intelligent folks lost. After seeing the new City Council I feel in the long run it is a good day for Melissa, although I am sure she is not feeling it today. With the clowns in the new Council , they would have fought her on everything for four years. Melissa worked tirelessly for the citizens of Pittsfield for ten years. She was the most well studied and knowledgeable Councilor on every item and petition. She ran a very good campaign, maybe started a bit late but all in all she is still a winner in my mind. If Melissa is reading this, you have a great husband and two beautiful daughters, move on and enjoy them, you deserve peace and fun, you have done your job. The other half of Pittsfield is evidently content with an over-budgeted school department with barely functioning schools, a DPW that is in a cluster mess, a Finance director that doesn’t know how to finance, a Economic Development Manager that acts vile toward any questions, a crooked barely functioning Police Department with a absent Chief. Many of the people that told me they were voting for Tyer leave their homes once a week to do errands, they are not out in Pittsfield seeing the crime, prostitutes, drug addicts, filthy streets and constant broken laws and rules. They are complacent with their little Pittsfield lives. Lovely Linda came alive for a few months this year but now she can go to sleep again for four more years. Although I did hear at the polls yesterday that her game plan is to serve two years and then step down to move to Colorado, therefore handing the Mayorship to Pee Pee Petie?! Congratulation Mayor Barry Clairmont. Thank you Melissa for your hard work and devotion to this City.
M&B
We appreciate the thoughts.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Well said sister.
Point is that the mayor holds all the power in this town–the council doesn’t and can’t do much. So not a good day for MelMazz and not a good day for the city.
ERM
You are correct, especially with the council that will be seated in January. But with a group of good one (fiscal conservatives, interested in the actual good of citizens and not themselves) the council could have the mayor dancing. One example: It has subpoena power. Another example: It could order and finance a forensic audit of any department.
“avant-garde”
Good morning, Pittsfield, the results are in: YOU LOSE. Again.
Congrats to Mrs. Clairmont. I wish my wife was just guaranteed $500,000. Smart move Barry.
According to the news reports only 42% of eligible voters in Pittsfield bothered to vote. We will now continue to see increasing property taxes, water rates and who knows what other fees. Maybe Mazzeo could not have done better, but we’ll never know. The real estate market is low on inventory, might be a good time to sell and bail out, for those who are able. I was disappointed in the results, not only of the mayoral race, but also the council and school committee. Fasten your seat belts!
Poor kids were just too young to know any better.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ana-kriegel-murder-ireland-sentencing-122243396.html
The youngest convicted murderers in the history of the Irish state have been jailed over the killing of a 14-year-old girl.
The pair of 15-year-old boys, identified only as Boy A and Boy B, were found guilty in June of murdering Ana Kriegel.
Boy A was also convicted of aggravated sexual assault.
Do you have a point in posting this kind of nonsense?
You should run for office just FYI just never ever ask the Tully’s, Bitter Betsey,Dan B and the rest of that extinct crew to help on the campaign the negativity will be the downfall.
The negativity of Clairmont supporters and their control of facebook 411 to their benefit was shocking.She will never acknowledge violence in the streets or the schools.The 2million has disappeared forever and lies in budgeting will continue.Pittsfield is a very tax expensive city. Mazzeo changes 261 votes and we are talking Mayor Mazzeo. Tyer won by denial.Today we can dismantle shotspotter and tell teachers to stop feeling abused as its all in their head.
WOW- look at all the sour grapes this morning. Maybe 4 more years will bring maturity. The sweet taste of victory. So much negativity. Tyer won fair and square. There are many good reasons she won. Each candidate made a decision on how to run their respective campaigns ie how to sell their message. To the victor goes the spoils. Of course, you will bomb my post with more negativity and disagreements but this is your new reality. Same as the old reality. Which in my opinion(sic) is that you people throwing shade just can’t help it! Its who you are. You’re stuck on “gloom and doom” and GE and GOB bullshit! Don’t you get it yet, if you always do, what you have always done, you always get what you got! Maybe try row in the same direction for once. If the city gets better as a result, in any small way, we ALL win. Go ahead let the turds fly! LOL Love to the haters:)
Tyer won fair and square, out campaigned Mazzeo, worked harder, wanted it more, had the power of incumbency, all the photo ops, all the GOBSIGS and the connected class behind her, the big unions, and the biased mainstream media, and still barely won – there’s 42,000 people in city, not counting the illegals. A few hundred votes for Mazzeo and The first 4 year mayor was toast. Like I predicted, Tyer by a cats’ whisker. Had Mazzeo campaigned harder and smarter she could’ve won. Congrats to Camp Clairmont.
True story Johnny99- however population doesn’t matter- only 27k or so registered and less than 15k actually give a shit!
Touché!
WES
Nope. No dirt bombs from THE PLANET. As you say, “there are a good many reasons why she won.”
Not aimed at the Planet- the readership is what I was referring to ie the comments. I personally think you knew in your heart Linda would win. I think that is why you were disappointed when she decided not to participate in the forum or with the op-ed.
Thanks, WES. You could have a point about that view.
Tyer wanted that Walmart.She should call them as now there is no opposition.
There will always be opposition to Wally World! Staring with me! LOL
A voter said to the Eagle that they were going to vote for Mazzeo but changed to Tyer at the last second. Her comment (and I paraphrase but am darn close to verbatim): “You don’t vote for someone just because it’s gonna make your life better.”
Am I missing something? I thought we voted in order to improve things through change.
Saw that too- WTF LOL
she probably thought losing would hurt Tyer’s feelings more than Mazzeo’s, which seems correct. Shows why women are such a valued voting block, job performance just doesn’t matter
Trenchant, WILSON.
Like an above comment said. Too many stupid voters. Or as some call them, “slow boiling frogs.”
How about those who DIDN’T vote? The only reason I can accept for that action is when it’s done on principle. All other excuses don’t cut it.
Yes, that was a Pittsfield classic!
Your “darn close to verbatim” quote leaves out the surrounding sentences which provide all-important context. The woman was a paraprofessional, she said Mazzeo might a have been a better ally in increasing paraprofessional pay, work conditions, etc. – “making her life better” – but she voted for Tyer based upon broader considerations, beyond who would benefit her personally the most.
A straightforward and honorable thought process. Fitting that it’s being mocked on this board.
Ha, I thought that was why we did vote for people. Get out while you can folks. Save yourselves.
Tyer squeaked by 529 votes. That is 1.26 percent of the population of this city. For a 4 year incumbent with all the GOBSIGs behind her, and all the giveaways to the connected class, just 265 votes going the other way would have carried Mazzeo to victory. She barely won, which tells you she doesn’t have tons of support. Nonetheless she won, and let’s hope, like I previously wrote, she becomes a people’s mayor rather than circling the wagons.
Let us hope. But like the last time she had a ton of special interest money behind her. And she paid them all back handsomely last time and they will be wanting their money this time as well. She will not disappoint as it is not coming out of her own pocket but rather fools like us. Power corrupts.
True. Tyer does NOT have a mandate.
Tyer has 4 years and majority support on Council. It doesn’t really matter what her opponents think
two confirmed cases of voter identification fraud and maybe more. Beware Pittsfield
Confirmed where? By whom? ( And which candidate got the illicit votes?)
Dan. You should get the makers of Prozac to advertise on your blog. Your faithful are so depressed over the election results that most should be on suicide watch! Wait till next year when Trump loses! HA!
Nah, kY Jelly Ads. The taxpayers will need it.
Will everyone in ward-five stop calling j Lo the elections over, he’s icing his ears from the heat
His name on the ballot was actually “Jonathan JLo Lothrop.”
I’m not kidding.
I don’t know if I’d call winning by about 500 votes out of about 11,000 cast something everyone expected or that was inevitable.
THE PLANET tagged him with “JLo.” What was the quote from FRANKENSTEIN? “[I] have created a monster.
Has his phone stopped smoking yet?
The Berkshire Eagle never printed the truth about crime for 4 years as facebook was reporting it and The Berkshire Eagle was ignoring it then reporting it 48 to 72 hours later. Tyer is Ruberto .Has anyone called Caacamo?
Caccamo? Is he out of his coma?
Could someone make a case as to why I should stay in Pittsfield? I’m relatively young and work in an in-demand field. The election results have sealed the decline of the city for at least another 4 years. Looks like more free hand outs to space cadets and movie theaters!
If you are young and have work on your mind, get outta Dodge. Go South or West. Stay away from Metro DC, Northeast or the Pacific coast.
There are few economic opportunities in the Blackhole of Western MA.
Jonathan Melle, Thank you for believing. Linda is the best Mayor this City has ever had, that I can remember at least.
As I said during the preliminary, certain posters on the blog were working for the other camp. One day after I called Proxydate out as being one of those, they disappeared. Over the next week you will see many other “posters” disappear as well. It was an all out smear campaign, as I suspected.
To the regulars, you can continue to complain. If and its a big if, I follow this blog, I will relay your message to the Mayor, in a civil tone. She has all your best interests at heart, whether you believe it or not.
Now you can attack me, but rest assured, I won’t see it.
Barry
Congratulations. Please tell the mayor I think she should be using all the dope money to fund a new police station. Marijuana Money for a New Station (MMNS). A side effect of a new station will be better officer retention, and morale.
I don’t believe it and I don’t believe you.
Distasteful, bullying, thuggery. Sounds about right., You came on the blog to intimidate people and your true colors show. I hope when Warren runs against Trump some reporter brings up the Beacon. Enjoy the champagne, you can win but you have no class.
Lower property taxes. Lower crime. Improve city services. Find some good private-sector jobs for the city.
That should get you started.
Observations are not complaints.
Just heard on the Stooge Scanner a postal cattier was assualted? You don’t mess with a federal worker.
Linda and her supporters are going to focus on a pickleball court in every ward.
A chicken in every pot and a pickle ball court in every backyard!
Forty % of School employees dont live in Pittsfield.
They know better just like the cops
Fun facts:
Sometimes people who get “elected” to a political position are merely figureheads and not really in charge of anything more important than letting the cat out to take a shit. But what they do do (not to be confused with doo doo) is provide legal coverage for iffy “shenanigans” like tax breaks for special interests or awarding lucrative government contracts for make work projects for connected folk. They might also facilitate cutting through red tape for some or adding red tape for others. And these people do not need to know anything about management or finances or infrastructure because it is all worked out for them behind the scenes. (not in America of course but rather other third world shithole countries)
JA
Is this an autopsy, because it would be awfully (and we mean “awfully”) close to what’s been going on in Pittsfield since … well, since the demise of GE and the abandonment of county government. This has been in the works awhile. Not sure it mattered who won yesterday for mayor.
The host agreements are going to come under review not just because how they are unevenly applied but also because the federal government is looking at RICO charges for all Towns that have entered into agreements.
They are planning to prosecute town administrators and cut it leaders
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/grand-jury-probing-deals-with-cannabis-shops-in-great-barrington-other-towns,589420
BOSTON — A federal grand jury is looking into the mandatory agreements and payments between host communities and marijuana businesses, according to a report in The Boston Globe, delving into an issue that state regulators and legislators have also been wrestling with.
The Globe reported Monday night that at least six communities — Great Barrington, Eastham, Leicester, Newton, Northampton and Uxbridge — have received subpoenas from U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office seeking details on the communities’ host community agreements with marijuana businesses.
At the advice of legal counsel, Great Barrington Town Administrator Mark Pruhenski directed media inquires to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Now that the election results are in…
when does the impeachment inquiry begin.
I hear there is a dirty dossier, a quid pro quo with EMA, a Beacon Burisma payoff, and on and on. Maybe one of these fake charges will stick, and we can impeach Mayor Tyer. Just keep the ridiculously insane charges coming, contact congressman shifty Schiff for additional immoral support.
Congratulations Mayor Tyer, and welcome to Colorado.
Professor Ben Dover
Colorado School of Mines
Author of “The Shaft, a beginners Guide to digging deeper “
Hey ROCKS. Funny stuff. I’m working on a new comedy act. Wanna be one of my writers?
I’d have been all over the water sewer,the toter scam,the Beacon nonsense, artscape, many many questionable dealings, especially re there are construction costs. The contingency fund is the biggest scam in the history of construction. The unknown should be known, before any major construction begins. Remember the Big Dig ? Didn’t need contingency,just send it ($) in.
Thanks Dan, have your people call my people.
Who actually certifies the local election vote count? When did Pittsfield get the psi newer machines to register the votes and who set these machines up,who did originally,just curious?
Congratulations to the Mayor most everyone I talked to said it would be close. The dreaded private sector is a nice place too. Think I took the Huston Astros losing harder but as Pete Arlos use to say there are elections every year, so if public service is what you pine for go for it. Not like we shaved anybodies head and handed them a weapon to make the sacrifice or anything.
Thanks RK, but the Astros WON the Series!
l think people are going to feel voters remorse as they watch her lack of energy and think they made a huge mistake .Our mayor had no clue about school violence crime and 2.1 million in snow plowing over budget.No answers on 3 problems
Mayor says she works hard for everybody. Ok, what does hard work,For example,have anything to do with giving Stanley a free bunch of millions,hows that hard work helping anyone? Please explain?Mazzeo is going to thank her lucky stars she didn’t win. When the next four years is over? Bad enough the people that voted against this mayor will be pissed, and they will be when they find out several increases. My neighbor didn’t even know there was an election,lady across the street says she doesn’t vote,another sleeps most of the time due to illness,another is so far behind in taxes had to sell her home at half the assessed cost.
Wait until the rest of the non-voters who have no clue start reeling about how much they’ll be paying. And crime,it will be worse,most daily criminals will have nothing to lose. Is this plain enough? Can’t marine the suckers that have apartment housing,five toilets will cost them, do the math? Spa girl said it all……were screwed.
Good call on Kavey Dan,nod to the endorsement
This is so funny watching Joe DATA Curtis who knows zero about teaching children.The school administration will not talk about school disruptions.More Data more money.Yes the nonsense continues.