“ATTORNEY WARS” CAME ABOUT ONLY BECAUSE THERE WAS “NO-CONFIDENCE-GATE” … IN SPECTRUM CASE, DID KATHY DEGNAN REALIZE THE STRENGTH OF THE CITY’S POSITION? … DID CITY’S SETTLEMENT NEEDLESSLY PUT AT RISK $176,500 IN TAXPAYER MONEY?

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“ATTORNEY WARS” CAME ABOUT ONLY BECAUSE THERE WAS “NO-CONFIDENCE-GATE” … IN SPECTRUM CASE, DID KATHY DEGNAN REALIZE THE STRENGTH OF THE CITY’S POSITION? … DID CITY’S SETTLEMENT NEEDLESSLY PUT AT RISK $176,500 IN TAXPAYER MONEY?

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JAN. 28, 2013) — “Attorney Wars,” as one commentator to THE PLANET dubbed it, continues to percolate. The Reader’s Digest twit account goes like this: Spectrum-gate begets Demolition-gate begets No Confidence-gate begets Attorney Wars. It has a suitably Old Testament ring to it. […]

January 28, 2013 8 Comments

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CITY’s (BIANCHI’s) LAWSUIT AGAINST EX-SOLICITOR DOHONEY SHOULD BE DROPPED AS FRIVOLOUS… LOCAL ATTORNEY, ‘OWEN MARSHALL,’ OUTLINES CITY’S BEST STRATEGY IN BUILDING DEMOLITION CASE … CITY SHOULD FIGHT LIKE A BULLDOG AGAINST THE AWARDING OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGES

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary ADD #1 LATER IN THE DAY 1/25/13 — THE PLANET spoke to assistant city solicitor Darren Lee in the afternoon, after we “went to press,” about the case against attorney Rich Dohoney and also about the demolition of the Melville Street apartment building. Our conversation added clarification […]

January 25, 2013 69 Comments

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OBAMA, BEYONCE: THE LIP-SYNCH TWINS … FAA ‘EXPLANATION’ OF MYSTERIOUS, SILENT UFO IS HOGWASH … plus … PITTSFIELD PILOT PAYMENTS PALTRY

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JAN. 24, 2013) — As speeches go, Barack Obama gave a good one as he took the helm for another four years. Good, not great: Certainly not as bad as critics painted and not as great as supporters pined. Beyonce, a one-trick diva, […]

January 24, 2013 31 Comments

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CITY’S ( i.e. BIANCHI’S) LAWSUIT AGAINST FORMER SOLICITOR DOHONEY ‘PAY BACK’ FOR DEGNAN ‘NO-CONFIDENCE’ ACTION

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE. TUESDAY, JAN. 22, 2013) — In case you missed it, you will want to feast your eyes on this story by the Boring Broadsheet‘s best scribe, Andrew Amelinckx. In it, we learn that the Bianchi Administration is suing former city solicitor Rich Dohoney for […]

January 23, 2013 20 Comments

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BLAZE AT DPW GARAGE: ‘CONVENIENT’ or ‘COINCIDENTAL”? …NO ONE IS SAYING THE “A” WORD … OUT LOUD, ANYWHO … plus … DEBT CEILING FOLLIES: OBAMA, GOB TANGLE WHILE MIDDLE CLASS AND TAXPAYERS DANGLE

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JAN. 22, 2013) — The blaze that gutted the DPW garage on West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield came as gentle dewdrops from the heavens above. The city has been aching to get out of the West Housatonic rat hole for for some time. […]

January 22, 2013 29 Comments

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HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY … “LETTER FROM A BIRMINGHAM JAIL” and “I HAVE A DREAM” REMAIN TWO RHETORICAL CLASSICS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY, MONDAY, JAN. 21, 2013) — Happy Martin Luther King Day, any excuse for a holiday. This is not to question King’s greatness, but there is a point when the myth surrounding a man graduates from honor to sanctification. Such is […]

January 21, 2013 12 Comments

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DECISION ON TAILGATE-GATE: THS, PSD DECIDE ‘NO HARM, NO FOUL’ … DESPITE ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’ POLICY, PERPETRATORS OF CHILD-DRINKING BASH WILL FACE NO CONSEQUENCES … LETTERS TO THE EDITOR … plus … TAXHAPPY STATE LEGISLATORS LOVE GUV’S PROPOSALS TO TAX YOU BACK TO THE STONE AGE

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, JAN. 18, 2013) — Here’s the “latest,” if we can call it that, on Tailgate-gate, pieced together from several sources, all speaking on condition of anonymity. “Overall, this regrettable and embarrassing incident has been swept under the rug,” says one source. “Looks like […]

January 18, 2013 69 Comments

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$222,000 CRAPPER EXEMPLIFIES HOW GOVERNMENT, AT ALL LEVELS, IS OUT TO STEAL YOU BLIND … FEDERAL CASE IS JUST A LARGER VERSION OF CONTRACTGATE AND TAILGATE-GATE … SPEAKING OF WHICH, IN TAILGATE-GATE, NO HARM, NO FOUL, & NO CONSEQUENCES

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JAN. 17, 2013) — Do you want another great example of why so many politicians, bureaucrats, and public employees are lying sacks of guano? read this little item, from Yahoo! News: What, exactly, does a $222,000 bathroom renovation look like? Gold fixtures? Marble […]

January 17, 2013 12 Comments

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WHAT’S SO HARD FOR THE PITTSFIELD SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO SEE? or THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE … MEANWHILE, SCHOOL DEPT. VULTURES IN LENOX, LEE FOLLOW SUIT, SWOOPING DOWN TO STEAL MORE TAXPAYER $$

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16, 2013) — How far out of tough is the Pittsfield School Depeartment? Before THE PLANET answers that question, let us clarify that by “School Department” we include administration, School Committee (the Frozen Chozen), and the United Educators of Pittsfield. How far […]

January 16, 2013 40 Comments

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CHARTER COMMISSION OFF ON A QUIXOTIC ODYSSEY; PAY FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE IS A STUPID NOTION … NATURALLY, THE GOB IS ALL IN FAVOR … BUT THE LITTLE GUY THINKS IT STINKS

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JAN. 15, 2013) — Where did the bad idea surface of paying the Pittsfield School Committee members, also known as the Frozen Chozen, $8,000 to $10,000 a year, this board that presently serves on a volunteer basis? Who thinks the city’s finances are […]

January 15, 2013 62 Comments

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EQUAL PAY FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE, COUNCIL SHOULD ADD UP TO NOTHING, BUT THE GOB IS OUT TO CHANGE THAT … FOR EXAMPLE, THE PLANET LOOKS AT THE LATEST PROFILE IN COURAGE, KATHY YON OF THE SCHOOL BOARD

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JAN. 13, 2013) — Quote: The Pittsfield School Committee “should be paid equal to the city council.” — Kathy Amuso, school committee member. Kathy baby, we agree. The school committee is manned — oh, excuse us — “peopled” — on a volunteer basis. […]

January 14, 2013 24 Comments

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WELCOME TO THE FISCAL CLIFF: UNCLE SAM DIPS INTO YOUR PAYCHECK FOR MORE … EXCEPT IF YOU’RE A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE … BIANCHI & ‘WHAT’S A POLITICIAN?’ … bobbyd’s SON GETS IT … plus … BOEHNER SALTS UP FISCAL CRISIS FIASCO; ‘WINNERS’ & LOSERS IN THE LAST-MINUTE DEAL TO AVOID PLUNGING OVER THE FISCAL CLIFF

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, JAN. 11, 2013) — Did the eagle shit for you since the beginning of the New Year? N0, we don’t mean the Boring Broadsheet excreting its usual combination of local celebrity worship, “I, Pretentious,” non-news, and puff pieces on how everything is great […]

January 11, 2013 40 Comments

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PAY RAISE OF 26%? + ANOTHER OF 16%? AVERAGE COMPENSATION $86,200? WORK A HALF A YEAR? YOU MUST BE A PITTSFIELD TEACHER … GRANNY WARREN AND THE BUM KISSERS … plus … COUNCIL TRIES AGAIN WITH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT (SNUB IS IN THE WORKS)

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY, JAN. 10, 2013) — Did you receive a 26% boost in wages in the fives years from 2005 to 2011? Is your average salary, including compensation for benefits, $74,298.75? Does your work year consist of six months? Do you have six months off? […]

January 10, 2013 39 Comments

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AIG SHAREHOLDERS VOTE TODAY: SHOULD THEY SUE TAXPAYERS FOR SAVING THEM COMPANY? FILE IT UNDER “C” FOR “CHUTZPAH” … plus … LEE NEGOTIATIONS ON PUBLIC EMPLOYEE HEALTH CARE DEMONSTRATES HOW MARY JANE AND JOE KAPANSKI GET SCREWED or ‘ONE CONSOLATI TOO MANY’

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 9, 2013) — You’ve heard the one about the kid who killed his parents and then appealed to the court for leniency because he’s now an orphan. It has long been used as a standard definition of chutzpah. Here’s one that equals […]

January 9, 2013 45 Comments

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PITTSFIELD CHARTER COMMISSION: EARLY RETURNS MAKE US WONDER, ‘IS THAT ALL THERE IS?’ … COMMITTEE RULES OUT CITY MANAGER OPTION BY USING SCARE TACTIC UNSUPPORTED BY DATA … CAN YOU TELL THIS GROUP IS GOB-APPROVED?

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, JAN. 8, 2013) — The city of Pittsfield got another bright idea: If it’s not broke, then break it, and thus was the notion hatched from the philanthropic chicken of forming a review of the current city charter. Why now? And why these […]

January 8, 2013 22 Comments

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PEOPLE WANT COMPETITION FOR BROKEN & MORIBUND PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM … JULIA BOWEN, BArT HEAD, COMMENTS ON COVERAGE … STOCKWELL GREAT CHOICE FOR LICENSING BOARD … plus … CHARTER COMMISSION OFF TO SHAKY START

By DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY, JAN. 7, 2013) — The discussion we have stimulated about public education highlights one simple fact: citizens want competition when it comes to public education. Competition forces the players to strive for continuous improvement and offers the “consumer” (a word we cannot use […]

January 7, 2013 43 Comments

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