THE PLANET hereby resolves some of the mystery we created in yesterday’s post, where sleep’s tired eyes got the better of scoopery, and we had to retire to the boudoir for Golden Slumbers.

A Tribute to All Veterans

How does one do this, with all that’s been said and is being said. We share a small story. Last night, after my teaching was over at the college, I visited my parents. I asked Dad, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge in the 99th Infantry Division, 394th, the most decorated unit of WWII, where he was in VE-Day. He said he was in Hamburg, Germany, helping to rebuild rail lines for the Allied advance. When news came in, they dispatched a runner to one of the local taverns. He came back with beer, wine, and corn liquor. “Boy, did we ever tie one on,” Dad said, smiling. My mother shared a poignant story of meeting my father at the Pittsfield train station, welcoming him back, finally, from the war. She had not seen him in two years. She cried at the mix of feelings, happiness, relief, joy, and said, “After all those years, it’s still with me, what we went through.” With that, she planted about a million kisses on my dad.

Capt. Ted Williams, K-13 Air Base, Korea, 1953. TRUE HERO.

Here’s a photo to honor all vets. It’s of the great Ted Williams, baseball’s greatest hitter, who twice served in the Marines. His second stint, in Korea, involved flying F-9 Panther jets in combat. Ted asked for, and got, no special treatment. Imagine one of today’s spoiled, filthy-rich athletes doing something like that. This picture was taken in 1953, at K-13 air base.

Just the Facts, Ma’am

PITTSFIELD POLICE CHIEF MIKE WYNN and Ward 2 COUNCILOR PETER WHITE have one thing in common: they return media inquiries. They don’t run and hide, like the idiot savant Chris “No Show” Speranzo. Did we say “idiot savant.” Well, we got it half right.

This dog may have just spotted Chris Speranzo, and while he didn't sniff-out the Police Department locker room, he was involved in a drug-sniff in the public schools.

The Chief first addressed our report of the sniff-dog doing the rounds in the Police Department locker room. Wynn said he checked with the two K9 teams in operation (the third is out of commission because of an injured officer, which is not the pup side of the team).

“The K9 coordinator said we have not had the dogs in the building,” Wynn said. “Both teams fit for duty were asked if they had made any internal sweeps. They said no. There were drug sniffs in the school, and that may have been [what your source] was referring to.” The Chief said the K9 units drug-sniff the schools once or twice a year, usually as part of lockdown drills, in middle and high schools.

Chief Wynn also addressed his role involving allegations of theft (of overtime through billing fraud and of metal) involving departed water department manager Matt Inhelder, who incredibly, is now serving as the water department head in the town of Hadley despite the dumb-ass leaders of that town knowing of the reasons for Inhelder’s departure from Shire City.

“I was asked [by the mayor] to look at these allegations involving this employee,” Wynn said. “Since it seemed like a personnel matter, it didn’t feel right.” He explained the only time the police department would get involved in a personnel matter is if it involved a member of the department. “My initial take was that this is an interdepartmental personnel matter.”

Chief Wynn said he went to the city solicitor for advice, and that office told him “if it’s a crime,

Chief Wynn clarifies the water-boarding of city taxpayers

you look at it. If not, it would be a [water] department responsibility. [The solicitor said] it’s a personnel department matter until it’s clearly a crime.” The chief said based on the solicitor’s judgment, the police looked at the alleged theft of scrap metal but not the OT. He said the police  investigated the “larceny of scrap metal” and there was reason to believe “the employee” did take “about a couple hundred dollars” worth of goods.

The police decided not to pursue this in the courts for several reasons, including that the scrap yard had changed owners, no documents could be produced, and the relatively small amount involved ($200) compared to the cost in time, money, and manpower for the city to press charges.

“I never took anything to the DA,” Wynn said, regarding either the alleged OT abuse or the metal theft. This leads to the question: How is theft by virtue of fraudulent OT different than theft of metal? According to a city hall source, the OT costs to the city were well into six figures, with some estimates running to more than $400,000 over two years and involving two employees. People are angry that, if these charges are true and there’s good reason to believe they are, Inhelder just skipped out of town, enriched, and into a cushy job.

As Broderick Crawford used to say, “10-4.” That’s the final score on this one anyway: THEM 10, THE LITTLE GUY 4

Snowed White and the Seven Somethings

Ward 2 councilor Peter White at least communicates. That’s ALWAYS a pol’s best option.

White wasn’t long in getting to THE PLANET about our spilling the beans of his interest in a state rep seat in the 3rd Berkshire District if “No Show” Speranzo gets anointed by the mob for the faux job of clerk magistrate (lifetime appointment, $150K/year, and not a lick of real responsibility, in short, the perfect job for someone who’s lazy, unaccountable, and likes to disappear while collecting a hefty salary borne by taxpayers — not that this applies to Spurs, of course). White confirmed his interest. Once more, THE PLANET scooped everyone in the county.

He said he wasn’t anyone’s hand-picked bobo or crown prince. White said he, as Mohammad, went to the bosses, who are the mountain. The mountain wouldn’t approach the likes of him, White offered with refreshing candor. White also said another concern would be telling his employer, The Brien Center, about his interest in Boston should the seat open up.

Has White Man discussed this with No Show?

“I have not spoken to Chris about this,” White said. “He has not said anything to me about not serving his full term” (on that score, Pete, welcome to the club).”

Q: “Did he say to you or anyone if he intended not to serve the full term”?

A: “He hasn’t told me that, either. He knows that I’m looking at the seat if it opens up, but I know nothing and he has told me nothing.”

“I’ve reached out to [local Democrats],” White added. “I said, ‘If this happens, I’d like to have your support.’ I’m not making a secret that I’m looking at this [seat]. As of this moment, there is no race. I would still hope there is no special election, but if there is one, I hope I’m ready.” THE PLANET appreciates the honesty of the confirmation that he’s eyeballing the opportunity.

White went out of his way to distance himself from Speranzo, who’s toxic at the moment in

He's toxic, but he'll never get into Angelo Stracula's league of poisonousness.

local Dem politics, although he will never get into the level of poisonous lethality of the disgraced Angelo “Can Touch That” Stracuzzi. Revelations about Spangelo’s sleezy past have, for the moment, at least, put him out of political commission. You’ll recall the huge role this creep played in Jimmy Ruberto’s narrow win over Dan Bianchi in 2009. Stracula’s involvement in ANY campaign now of in 2011 will be that campaign’s kiss of death.

The news about White’s intentions drew this response from former county commissioner Ron Kitterman: 

 Dan
 You must be right, with his vote of last Tuesday backing the petition of SEIU Service Employee International Union, Local 509 in support of Sullivan and Associates unionization efforts. Looks to me like he wants to get into the big leagues, where the real play dough comes into play. The union donations would certainly help out his efforts for sure. If you do ever get him in your cross hairs though, you should ask him why he had a conflict of interest with the blight ordinance with his vote and not a conflict with this petition. To my knowledge he is employed at the Brien Center and is a union employee  working at the Hamlin House.  It didn’t take him too long to figure out where the playdough and monopoly money is stored though did it ?  With accusations of ballot tampering, intimidation and heavy handed tactics used to encourage joining SEIU on a National level. You don’t suppose this sort of thing could happen here in the Berkshire too, do you ?

 Respectfully, Ron Kitterman

 Other names being bantered about should the 3rd District seat open up include Ben Downing’s brother in Washington, D.C., who would run solely on his last name, and former city councilor and corner office staffer Tricia Farley-Bouvier.

According to one city hall source, TF-B openly covets the seat, adding that she would provide the city and Mayor Jimmy Ruberto much better service by concentrating on doing her current job. In the building, F-B has the reputation of “hungry, a go-getter, ambitious.”

Those qualities, which often make excellent tools for attaining office, are usually the very core traits that prevent one from doing the job once they get in. F-B’s record as a city councilor would illustrate that bromide.

We can also count on a much-more-ready Marl Miller to make a bid. Miller almost pulled the political upset of all local time when he came close to unseating No Show. Miller would be a much stronger candidate the second time around.

WARD 4 NUMEROLOGY

In 2009, mayoral candidate Dan Bianchi took all of Pittsfield except for Ward 4. In 4a and 4b, the numbers were overwhelmingly in Mayor Jimmy Ruberto’s favor. They produced a 200+-vote victory for the incumbent.

This year, in the race for 3rd Berkshire Rep between challenger Mark Miller and “No Show” Speranzo, incredibly, Spurs — who served Ruberto as city solicitor and has been part of the Dem inner circle [a situation that has dramatically changed for his embarrassing non-performance in “winning” re-election] — lost to Miller. That’s incredible, and casts suspicion once again on the crazy, inexplicable avalanche in favor of Ruberto that snatched Bianchi’s victory from the mouth of Ruberto’s defeat. For 4a and b, Miller pulled 1,271 votes to Spurs’ 1,201.

Logically, all things being equal, and events being on the up and up, these two results from Ward 4 in a span of one year should be impossible. Alas, in Pittsfield politics, there is little logic, things aren’t equal, and with the slimy blobs who are part of the —–PICK YOUR OWN NAME HERE, FOR EXAMPLE, “THE PITTSFIELD 100” OR “THE GAY MAFIA”——-, things are rarely on the up and up. Even more incredibly, the electorate puts up with it by staying away from the stink hole that they see symbolized by status quo campaigns, candidates, and, sadly, the ballot box itself.

WE HAVE MUCH MORE TO COME LATER. TOMORROW TO BE EXACT. WE REALIZE WE’VE GIVEN YOU ENOUGH TO CHOMP ON ALL NIGHT. BE SURE TO CHECK IN TOMORROW FOR (A) WHAT THE HORSES ARE SAYING, RIGHT FROM THEIR MOUTHS, ABOUT RUBERTO-BIANCHI II IN 2011. BOTH CONTACTED THE PLANET TO SHARE THE “OFFICIAL” VIEW. THAT AND MORE.

ALSO, COMING SOON. A NEW, INTERACTIVE GAME SHOW: “CANE YOUR COUNCILOR.” USING THE MOST ADVANCED, SCIENTIFIC METHODS, PLANET VALENTI WILL DETERMINE, ONCE AND FOR ALL, WHAT THE RANKINGS ARE, 1-11, OF THE GUYS AND GALS THAT FORM THE PITTSFIELD CITY COUNCIL.

ARIVEDERCI