THE PLANET HAS NO TAKERS FROM THE FAKERS ON OUR BUDGET DEBATE CHALLENGE!
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2024) — THE PLANET ended Monday’s column with an invitation for any city official to meet with us in a public forum to debate the bloated FY25 budget. No conditions, no notes.
We’re sure you will be shocked to learn that not one of these Profiles in Courage had the balls to take us up on the generous offer, a golden chance to shut us down and show us up in a public setting. Mayor Maypo could have easily dispatched one of his flunkies to the call. Same with Porkchop Pete (between stuffing his bovine craw with steak fat and drowning his sorrows in John Barleycorn).
He could send councilor at large –we do mean at LARGE–Alisa Costa-Plenty into the ring. We could bill it as a battle of “heavyweights,” one literal, one figurative. Porkchop couldeven take us on himself. He is, we hear, a master (de)bator.
———- ooo ———-
Alas. No takers among the fakers.
Not one of the city’s “true believers” stepped forward to answer the call. You know the drill. When the phone doesn’t ring, we knew it’s scared city officials not getting back to us!
And do you know why? They know they would not have a chance. Notwithstanding our pedigree as a collegiate debate champion, someone who is as comfortable as he is formidable in a match of wits, they would be Custer at Little Big Horn because they don’t have a winnable approach. Can you imagine trying to convince an audience that a level spending plan would be catastrophic to city government? They would be laughed out of the auditorium.
Bitchfield, even if it keeps spending level, will be spending $182,000,000 or roughly $50,000 a day. This expense is accompanied by a rude ally, namely, a decrease in services. In effect, a frozen budget represents an INCREASE for the Kapanskis. No one can argue that as “prudent” (a favorite Kufflinks word) and leave the ring unbloodied.
———- ooo ———-
The budget cuts are there:
- Cleaning ranks of the Socohl Administrative staff. Associate principles, deputy superintendents, cultural competency of-color coaches, assistant this and deputy that: all gone. Poof!
- Changing the insurance split from 85-15% to 60-40. Millions saved.
- Require a 40-hour work week instead of the present 37 hours for city employees. Instant 8% gain in productivity.
- Eliminate the DIE office. Addition by subtraction.
- Get rid of Downtown Pittsfield Inc. (DPI). We’d rather see Murder Inc. At least then we could take care of some of the junkies and illegals who have polluted downtown.
These savings alone would trim (conservatively) $10 million or 6% from the budget with no loss of service.
E-Z.
YOUR DESERT ISLAND FANTASY: Here are the seven Bitchfield “Transformation Specialists.” Talk about your “essential personnel!” Rebecca Brien, Downtown Pittsfield Inc. managing director, tilts the scale at bottom right. Can’t tell if it’s six women and one “man” or a 7-0 run for the ladies. (Photo: Berkshire Eagle)
Speaking of DPI, you will note that Pittsfield has cancelled both Third Thursdays and First Friday Art Walks. Reason, crime. These events present too much of a risk to public safety. Instead, Maypo and the “Usual Gang of Idiots” have created a quasi-semi monstrosity called “First Fridays at Five.”
Here’s what the rotund DPI managing director Rebecca Brien said about FFF:
“We are welcoming all of our social service agencies to come and do interactive family fun with us whether it be face painting or crafts. We also will have every month some sort of kids’ entertainment and in May it’s going to be Balloon Ben with balloon art.”
Brien also serves as one of Bitchfield’s “Transformation Specialists.” No shit, that’s an actual title in the city. There are seven.
There you have it, FFF: Social services agencies plus Balloon Ben.
Don’t tell us. You feel like you died and went to heaven!
——————————————————————————–
Riddle: What did Balloon Ben and Porkchop Pete do in a closet with a flashlight? — Sir Donald Turpentine, Knight of the Bath.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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Pittsfield’s politicians dodge blogger Dan Valenti’s offer to discuss the Mayor’s upcoming municipal budget proposal because they will increase city spending by ten to twenty million dollars starting on July 1st, 2024. We all already know what is going to happen. It is sarcastically called Predictable Pittsfield politics annual spending increase of between 5 to 10 percent budget time.
Jon is right on this one. The real challenge to pick up a microphone would be to challenge the Mayor to a debate to defend his budget proposal. Don’t expect any of the council members to debate publicly. I’m pretty sure the 100 days is up now, so there are plenty of issues the Mayor could comment on for sure.
YGBFKM!!! You Gotta Be Effing Kidding Me!
And, I think there is a they in the back right of the pic, a bio male.
I couldn’t tell, but I get a feeling that personal pronouns are a big deal with the he/she/it/they/thems in the picture. Just a guess. If they wish to psychoanalyze me, I’m game.
Eliminate the shot spotter and save a boatload more.
Seriously. At best it’s a want, not a need.
It is time to scrape the leeches off of the Kapanski’s backs!! The problem with government is they have to create departments for things that could be handled with intellect and common sense. It is time to get rid of all departments except the ones for public safety!! And get rid of the fire starters in Springside park before something terrible happens
They already burnt a full acre. Probably deliberately to clear land. Give them a little more time and they’ll claim the park with adverse possession and DPW will charge you another $700,000 to extend water sewer to them.
Has the PFD issued burning permits?
If I remember those are Jan 1st-Apr 31st, 8AM-4PM.
When I read that FFF part, I felt ike I died just in time!
“We are welcoming all of our social service agencies to come and do interactive family fun with us whether it be face painting or crafts. We also will have every month some sort of kids’ entertainment and in May it’s going to be Balloon Ben with balloon art.”
Is that DIE code for Tranny/pedophile show’s for children?
Unprofessional, Dan.
Thanks, CHIEF!
Great Caesar’s Ghost, that was good!
Karen Kalinowsky, former City Councilor and candidate for Mayor, showed up at last night’s City Council meeting to argue against the city borrowing $650,000 to extend the sewer line to Arrowhead. Bravo Karen! Karen has continuously fought for the taxpayers yet you mocked her on this site by calling her names and refused to offer her any encouragement while she ran for mayor.
I’m not surprised the current crop of city officials has shunned this platform!
Good for her. $650,000 strictly for the benefit of Arrowhead and two residences (who probably don’t want it) to be paid in full by the ratepayers. That is called theft.
Is it theft if Marchetti is offering it to them free and then back charging the taxpayers? Arrowhead is looking around them at all the wealthy business folk grabbing the offered handouts and saying, “Why not Me?” Can’t blame them as Marchetti will just it give it to someone else. He is in charge of the taxpayer funded cash cow now and he is ready to spend like Kardashian Tyer did. Open the fucking vault Matt!!!
Lenny: I was regarded with great disdain by the trifecta – BE, iBerk, WAMC, not to mention Sturgeon. I took it as an opportunity to engage them. The pols here stick to their safe harbors. Daly never got much from them either.
Confession of a mainstream media journalist:
“I don’t report the news. I make it up, or I leave it out entirely, depending on my agenda. And, if a stray fact or two make their way into an article I write, it’s only because I’m lazy.”
Nothing changed since Evelyn Waugh represented the Press in “Scoop.” It’s perfectly true: a common journalist lives in a hotel and queue up at the announced hour to collect their media statements from whatever office they report from.
When Meg reports on a Council meeting, do you really think she is reviewing her notes on the event? More likely, she is reviewing the ‘takeaway’ handed off to her by City Hall and her editors.
https://www.thefp.com/p/npr-editor-how-npr-lost-americas-trust?r=youo2&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
Seems like it isn’t just a Pittsfield problem !!
Thank you for that article. It is a remarkable account by someone who I once resembled politically. I am guessing that the cynical behavior of the communists are likely redrawing political identifications throughout American society. It culminated with the Clinton calumny of “deplorables” and Obama’s calumny “clingers.”
That’s a good role for Karen. Mayor was a stretch.
Ya think she could have done worse than the current clown or the previous clown? I don’t think so.
I don’t agree with you much but this time I do big time.
I add that nod to Pam Malumphy who gave in a few minutes a comprehensive comparison of budgeting decisions of Pittsfield, Springfield, Bedford and other towns and explained the fallacy driving the budget decisions here.
Strong message; I’d have been proud to make those points myself.
Good to see Pummelin’ Pam back in the saddle again.
Highly intelligent woman, and she came fully prepared to deliver critique with class.
Agree totally
Glad to see she is still there and as smart as I remember her from the TFB race. Mayoral material.
THE PLANET is glad to see a resurfacing of Pummelin’ Pam. Over the years, she has been a friend and a foe of THE PLANET, never shying away of telling us where we go it wrong and “pummeling'” us to our knees! We have always respected the heck out of that.
I add regarding shunning, when campaigning for local office, it is a blunder to let emotion dictate where you speak and to reject opportunity to reach voters.
It amazes me that the city can’t use ARPA funds to pay for this project that benefits only a few but gave $750,000 to a non-existent company (Berkshire Black Economic Council) and another $500,000 to Shirley Edgerton, for her ROPES course.
To date, that $750,000 has produced ZERO jobs and ZERO new thriving black businesses in Bitchfield.
We all know the $500,000 that went to the cultural competency coach, provided her, her family, and close friends, an all-expense paid vacation to Africa, so she could “explore her roots.”
Then I read this article in the Eagle today. It doesn’t shock me that there is no ARPA money to help with the cities infrastructure or to help ease the burden on the taxpayer.
I copied a sentence from the last paragraph. I think it speaks volumes of the professionalism of Mayor Maypo. Particularly, when he is discussing future projects and ARPA money, at a city clowncil meeting. I mean, it’s only our tax money he’s talking about.
“There’s a whole mess of other infrastructure projects coming, so do you want to borrow now or do you want to borrow later?” Marchetti said
“A whole mess of other…projects…” Marchetti said.
I think Maypo said the quiet part out loud.
Bitchfield and the current city government “leaders” are a “whole mess” right now.
Here’s what a proposed sewer project at Arrowhead revealed about Pittsfield’s ARPA money | Central Berkshires | berkshireeagle.com
Get out if you can. Start packing today or watch your life savings get sucked into the hands of private hucksters with the help of the your local politicians who never intended to look out for you in the first place. Marchetti and White must be howling with laughter at the stupid voters who fell for their goofy glad handing and phony promises.
“so do you want to borrow now or do you want to borrow later?”
That is the standard fare presentation. The Mayor presents a false choice to the Council. Half fall for it, the other half are in on it. Arguments to the fact that delaying work, or make better contracts (give union a choice btw lower insurance and retained jobs or high health compensation and layoffs). The broken record returns to borrow now or later.
The current council is half slow but mostly half fast.
Ahh!
It doesn’t surprise me that not one “leader” of Bitchfield took you up on this offer Dan. I’m sure Mayor Maypo had a “whole mess” of other things going on and couldn’t be bothered.
I was also curious what a “transformation specialist” was and what they did exactly, so I looked into it.
This is the primary responsibility of the TS position from the link below: “…….you have the power to help your clients create lasting positive changes in their physical, mental, and emotional health.”
I’m not in the healthcare industry, but this position seems more appropriate for a healthcare setting like a hospital, or a clinic, than it does under the guidance of non-medical professionals like Rebecca Brien.
According to Rebecca Brien’s Linkedin page, she specializes in the “hospitality industry.”
Not sure how someone who specialty focuses on the hotel-type industry, is now in charge of helping to provide people with “changes in their physical, mental, and emotional states.”
Transformation Specialist | ISSA (issaonline.com)
Rebecca Brien – Managing Director – Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. | LinkedIn
MARK
Excellent work, brother. The TS positions are strictly BS. Brien is to psychiatric nursing what Don Rickles was to Emily Post.
Rickles is my role model.
What is the benefit for any elected official to respond here? Its not election season and they would just be opening themselves up to the wolves if they have an opinion that isn’t in line with the posters here or you Dan. Proving their point over you point of view also will not help them in any way that I can see except maybe their own personal ego if they happen too win you over to their train of thoughts? Give them a chance at a benefit and maybe the phone will ring
Thanks for sharing your views, POT!
Dan, another item would be the elimination of the managers (two) of the ARPA funds. That would save an additional $100,000 per year. The functions they have performed and will continue to do so for another two years can easily be performed by the community development office. Also, eliminate the business manager position in the DPW and DPU office. That work was always accomplished by the commissioner as well as the finance and purchasing department. Thanks
Great idea. They are a useless couple pulling down $100 Grand.
As for the DPW bizman, the failure to record the $50,000 transaction and document it necessitates eliminating the office and turning the purchasing and AR to Finance.
Chris, I’m stuck on how DPW can use reserve funds to provide an exclusive, virtually, service to a private party. Those are funds that are generated by ratepayers. Arrowhead is not a ratepayer, and they did not ‘pay in’ for the benefit of connecting to a line that is to be built for them alone. I ask, does MGL have a remedy?
Charles, the city can utilize the betterment program. It involves the residents to pay a fee once the sewer line is extended regardless if they connect (at their expense) or not. I used this program 12 years ago with the assistance of the DPW commissioner for a sewer line extension on Dalton divisional road.
That makes sense. Sounds very reasonable. But can the city just gift reserved to non-payers? Ethically it’s wrong, so I’m wondering if there is a legal aspect.
If you have a perfectly working, up to code private septic system, the city/town should not be able to force you to connect, nor extort fees from you for services not rendered nor requested.
I’d rather have my own septic than trust a municipality, that is full of BS!
I would ask if it requires 100% opt in by residents. Otherwise, it’s like your neighbors made an
improvement’ that hikes your real estate bill. (It helps to be a good neighbor!)
“It helps to be a good neighbor!”
Is that like when city sewer backs up, and neighbors want use your toilet?
Heaven knows what it means to be a good neighbor. We all agree on the bad ones.
Ricky Ostellino would be better than the two clowns in charge
When Third Thursdays was new it was all about music, dance, and food. Then it slowly turned into a trade show atmosphere with social services replacing the fun. Blood pressure screenings. Pamphlets about available resources. Fun.
The final straw was the free prostate exams.
Got my colonoscopy done there, right under a tent on North. Went down for a hotdog or a taco, but felt partial to the examination by the cutie going by Mindy.
I think they had the ass cam hooked up to a big screen that day. If I recall correctly they found several sets of keys, three remote controls and Gerry Doyle’s class ring.
I can attest only to the fact I did not eat Mr. Doyles keys.
Or the DIE insurrection on Melville
A budget debate would be a one-sided affair. Eliminating spending on DIE (its DEI out here but I prefer DIE) and “transformation specialists” might save some of the 100 positions from the school district. FY2024 grew by 8.9% over FY2023 which in turn grew by 4.8% over FY2022. Holding the line in FY2025 makes sense.
CHUCK
Sooooooooo Goooooood to hear from you! Your expertise is most welcome at this address.
Sarcasm: It is well past time to eliminate that notorious Rolodex already!
We will if you eliminate your posts attacking Andy Nuciforo. Move back to Pittsfield and help your cousin Mayor Pete run the city.
Holding the line means 11 million.
Not spending 40 million on a “ball park” might save a lot of teacher positions in the years to come. But consider who and what we are dealing with. Not even a consideration I am sure.
We don’t always agree, but we are on the same page. DPI is a non profit and should be able to function without 10’s of thousands every year from the city budget. Hey, is that nick russo in the photo? That kid knows how to weasel his way into all sorts of grifts like the community design center hahaha.
Why yes, I believe it is. “Build a rotary, and they will come.”
Democrats waste gas at rotaries. They go round and round and become mesmerized. Maybe it’s the pot.
That must be after visiting the wild wood weed factory on Dalton Ave………
https://youtu.be/vwENmgFGcRs?si=5oB_EkTDwzfc0W3r
Pittsfield Public Schools need to close 3 elementary schools. Realign the grades so PK- 4 are Elementary, 5-7 Middle School and 8-12 High School. This is really not that complicated. Millions would be saved.
JT I agree. But Curtis (and McCandless before him) needed high-paid consultants to figure it out and deflect blame.
Sheila Jackson Lee confuses the Moon with Uranus:
https://youtu.be/hVyHdZQPCxU?si=onYgDk4XqJNK4WNn
Hilarious
And just think, “the moon is made of cheese” is a joke.
How ’bout that “Biden-flation” report and the tanking stock market today? At least gold is at a record high.
But if it’s Trump vs. Xiden in 2024, you’ll vote for Xiden.
Why do you post stuff like this JM? You support Xiden and ALL of his policies. You’ve said it numerous times on here.
I believe you even write that he (and democRATS) support “the little guy.”
Yet, you never define what “the little guy” is? Or is the same “little guy,” as Trump’s (still undefined) “threat to democracy?”
Who, in your opinion JM, is “the little guy?” Please define for us.
The only “little guy” I see, are illegal aliens that Xiden and the democRATS are taking care of.
Free iphones, prepaid debt cards, free housing/hotels, free travel within the US-I have to go through airport security screening, but not illegal aliens, and on and on.
Plus, they’ve kicked out Veterans from their housing, in favor of illegal aliens.
**Don’t you supposedly advocate for Vets too JM?
I know you support my service to my country. I appreciate your support, but if you really supported my service to my country, please answer who “the little guy” is.
Answer: Mary Jane & Joe Kapanski working-class family who lives, works hard for their money, & pays their taxes in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The Kapanskis support Veterans, too. Thank you!
Joseph Biden is “the Big Guy”.
Even the Catholic church consolidated to 4 buildings as catholics shrunk in attendance.Marchetti said he would have a plan in 90 days and he said he was up to the job.No police should be laid off.Remove new programs in the last 5 years. Consolidate schools in a 5 year plan.No more subsidizing arrowhead because we can’t afford it Pete.The buck stops with Pete Marchetti….if you can’t get control of your own budgets step down.
TSC
Your comments highlight the fact that the mayor campaigned on a bunch of hot air, lies, and BS. That’s what wins in Bitchfield, since all you have to do is win the special interest vote. Get elected with a TINY number of votes. What a concept!
What’s the chances of Matchetti or White going on video with you? They go on softball WTBR and with those clowns on 95.9 all the time.
You’re lucky he has control of his bowels at council meetings
You make sense, once in blue moon, er eclipse……
Been on the wagon?
They increased his Thorazine.
FRIDAY’S CHUCKLE:
From iBerkshires. In a small village far away, well, not really, idiocy is also well valued.
“The Select Board has agreed to remove the town flag a year after town meeting established a bylaw restricting the use of flags on public property.
The town flag has been prominently displayed behind the table in the Select Board meeting room for some time. Its three mountains, the Mount Greylock tower and fall foliage haven’t caused any issues — it’s the image of the 1753 House sitting in the middle. ”
Why! How dare they display that offensive evil cabin. 50 lashes for the child who painted that thing.
Repaint the cabin LGBT..XYZ………colors….and it would fly.
I wonder what happened in 1765 and in that house that triggers them.
According to the “woke” jokes, all America’s founding fathers were white racist bigoted slave owners.