By DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, DEC. 23, 2013) — First, happy birthday to one special lady, to whom we sent our love.

Second, it’s time to dip into the mail bag with a couple of letters sent to THE PLANET. The first is from outgoing school committee member Terry Kinnas, who sent us his version of “The 12 Days of Christmas.” The second deals with Mayor Dan Bianchi‘s outside employment situation, which THE PLANET mentioned on Friday (See Friday post for details on that and on our exclusive coverage of thefts in and about city hall).

Kinnas put in the most memorable two-year term of any school committee member in recent and distant memory. Not since Peter Arlos, The Aging Greek God himself was tearing it up as a member of the city council have We The People had such an outspoken, dedicated, and fearless advocate of their interests vs. The Special Interests.

THE PLANET takes this occasion to salute the job Kinnas has done for the city of Pittsfield. If he had received even a modicum of support from his colleagues on the board, the Pittsfield Public Schools might be heading in a positive direction today. Instead, for the most part, his committee colleagues sided with the Special Interests, the Suits, and the GOB, and the descent into the maelstrom continues. As we have seen, the answer to the problems plaguing public schools is not money, which has been supplied in huge quantities by politicians picking the pockets of taxpayers. The problem is policy, and Kinnas consistently advanced initiatives that would have led to true positive uptick.

No one did more preparation prior to meetings than Kinnas. No one did more research or worked harder to educate himself on applicable state and local law than Kinnas. He came to each meeting so far ahead of everyone else that often he had to spoon-feed people like the superintendent, assistant superintendent, associate superintendent, assistant-associate superintendent, deputy superintendent, assistant deputy superintendent, assistant deputy associate superintendent, alternate assistant deputy associate superintendent, and the rest of the gang of idiots so they would have a chance of staying with him. Even with that, Kinnas operated five steps ahead of everyone else.

On his Open Meeting Law filings, Kinnas batted a perfect five-for-five. THE PLANET calls upon the members of the incoming school committee to take this example. Kinnas knew the law. Pittsfield didn’t and often doesn’t. Who among the school committee will serve as this watchdog? (Josh Cutler, the city turns its lonely eyes to you).

Job well done, TK!

Here is Kinnas’ version of “The 12 Days,” sent to us as a Letter:

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Pittsfield gave to me
   12   principals dancing
   11   councilors fudging
   10   half-days’ buncombe
    9   thousand stolen
    8   v.p.s & deans a-milking
    7   crew shells sinking
    6   School Committee members nodding
    5   instructional days lost
    4   shops a-rescued
    3   (assistant) superintendents a-swimming
    2   high schools rebuilding
    and 1 superintendent up a tree.

Our favorite? Number nine, the $9,000 stolen. Funny how that just disappeared, just about as fast as the former PHS Administration and the former superintendent. The investigation went nowhere, and neither the schools, the police, nor the city gave citizens any accounting of the crime.

Hope you enjoyed “The 12 Days” as much as we did.

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Here’s a letter we received over the weekend dealing with the mayor’s employment status. We have edited only for mechanics and not content.

MAYOR’S MOONLIGHTING IS ‘A SLAP IN THE FACE’ TO ORDINARY CITIZENS

To THE PLANET:

I work [in] downtown Pittsfield at 100 North St., the same building where Dan Bianchi has his office for Global [EDITOR’S NOTE: Global Partners LP, a publicly traded limited partnership, distributes gasoline, distillates, oils, and other fuels to customers in New England and New York state. It is No. 151 on the Fortune 500 list. Bianchi is still listed on the company’s website as an employee, indicating he still works there]. You question if the mayor still works out of the Global office. The answer is yes. A lot. I work full time at a salarly less than half of what the mayor makes [$87,780 plus benefits]. My wife also must work a part time job because we need the extra income. 

I voted for the mayor to my great regret. He promised to work for us as a full-time mayor not moonlight at another high-paying job.  This makes me so angry that the mayor pretends to be a full-time mayor. I hope Mr. Bianchi has honesty to admit what he’s doing and then stop it. Close the Global office and work for the people, as a full time mayor. Thank you. 

— Hard Working Dad

PLANET RESPONDS: Thank you, HWD. We agree. The mayor needs to come forward on this ever-growing concern. This is why we want to mayor to sit down with us, on live TV, and take our questions.

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!EXCLUSIVE! J-LO SAYS HE’S IN ON RACE FOR COUNCIL PREZ

Finally, THE PLANET brings you this exclusive. We were first to report Melissa Mazzeo‘s intention to runs for the council presidency when the new government gets sworn in on Inauguration Day early next month. For a time, it looked like her reputed rival, Jonathan Lothrop, might not mount a challenge. In fact, J-LO all-but told us as much. He looked at the political makeup of the new council and questioned if he could find the six votes needed to win.

Now, after what he said was much thought and great deliberation, Lothrop tells THE PLANET he’s in the hunt. Has he found the votes?

We will have much more on this fascinating story of backstage politics later this week or early next.

Don’t look for such coverage in The Boring Broadsheet. They don’t dare. Fortunately, WE DO!

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“I get high when I see you walk by, my oh my. When you sigh my insides just fly, butterfly. Why am I so shy, when I’m beside you? It’s only love, and that is all. Why should I feel the way I do? It’s only love, and that is all, but it’s so hard loving you.” — John Lennon, The Beatles, “It’s Only Love” (1965).

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE”