September 2, 2022
Hello Dan Bosley,
You, Dan Bosley, are terrible to write a biased and judgmental letter calling the first woman to hold the elected office of Berkshire County District Attorney, Andrea Harrington, a flawed prosecutor who uses her position for her own political ends. Please look in a big, wide mirror, Dan Bosley! You are a greedy registered lobbyist on Beacon Hill and beyond who is said to collect up to two state pensions plus perks. Your public record includes voting for two Speakers of the Massachusetts State House of Representatives named Tom Finneran and Sal DiMasi who later became convicted Felons. What lousy judgement you showed in voting for corrupt career political leaders during your time as a North Adams State Representatives. Speaking of which, Beacon Hill lawmakers in the State House had to throw out "The Bosley Amendment", which was a secretive rider to legislation with no public notice, to giveaway billions of dollars in state tax breaks to wealthy corporations which would have created a multi-billion-dollar state budget deficit many years ago. Your inequitable legislative policies were even too much for the corrupt career politicians in Boston back then.
Of course, you never really left Beacon Hill, did you? How much money do you make on Beacon Hill as a greedy registered lobbyist? You write letters that say you live in North Adams, but you also have a place in Boston, too. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars do you make from Beacon Hill, anyways? Two taxpayer-funded state pensions, public perks, a 6-figure per year salary as a greedy lobbyist, a home in North Adams, and your place in Boston. You are not hurting for money, are you, Dan Bosley? It must pay well to screw over the hard-working taxpayers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The state taxpayers should pay you directly instead of paying the Commonwealth of Massachusetts so that you could get your greedy hands on even more state taxpayer loot than you do now.
The multibillion-dollar Massachusetts State Lottery, whose inequitable bureaucrats boasts about its predatory and voluntary regressive taxation huge profits, should make a Dan Bosley scratch ticket to honor you for raising state revenues by taking financial advantage of low to moderate income people who don't understand that they are getting pennies back on the dollar over the long-term by placing their sucker's bets. I have a Master of Public Administration degree from UMass Amherst from 1999, which means I have studied all of these public tax schemes, yet sometimes I still place sucker's bets by playing the lottery or going to a casino so that the wealthy people and big businesses get huge tax breaks from the State House(s). When I do gamble, I must make someone such as yourself happy because the Financial, Corporate and Ruling Elites have enriched themselves at the public trough with my limited financial resources. Even I am greedy sometimes, Dan Bosley, but I am never as greedy as you, Dan Bosley.
Why do you, Dan Bosley, care about the county office that Andrea Harrington sits in anyways? I would have assumed that you, Dan Bosley, would be busy kissing the dirty behind of PAC Man Richie Neal, who is the ultimate corporate Democrat in the Swamp at K Street's lobbyist firms, who boasted record earnings last year during Joe Biden's record deficit spending bills - the largest federal spending bill(s) in U.S. history. Andrea Harrington isn't in the pocket of the greedy lobbyists like PAC Man Richie Neal is. Do you, Dan Bosley, receive lobbyist bucks from the insurance company lobbyists? If so, I read that PAC Man Richie Neal is so deep in their pockets that universal healthcare insurance will never happen so long as he goes back and forth from Springfield to the Swamp since 1989 through the future years to come.
You, Dan Bosley, were on Beacon Hill a few years before PAC Man Richie Neal was in the Swamp. No wonder why you, Dan Bosley, write endless letters to the editors of Western Massachusetts newspapers saying how wonderful PAC Man Richie Neal is. He is a corrupt career politician like yourself. Perhaps that is why you wrote your letter saying that Andrea Harrington is so awful in your greed-ball eyes. She is not a corrupt career politician like yourself, PAC Man Richie Neal, and so on. In fact, Andrea Harrington is the smallest hill among mountains of politically corrupt career politicians from Berkshire County and beyond, Beacon Hill and beyond, and the Swamp and beyond. Oh, the horror, that someone as well-meaning as Andrea Harrington would draw your ire.
You, Dan Bosley, are the one who should be called out for being political and flawed going back to the mid-1980s when MVP Larry Bird was winning NBA championship titles for the legendary Boston Celtics. In closing, Dan Bosley, I hope that Andrea Harrington has a good laugh at your letter, as well as my open letter to you tonight.
Jonathan Alan Melle
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Letter: "Shugrue has the experience that the current DA lacks"
The Berkshire Eagle, September 2, 2022
To the editor: Six year ago, I endorsed and worked for Judith Knight in the Berkshire district attorney race.
After looking at the 2018 candidates, I thought that Andrea Harrington did not have the experience needed for this job. I also was concerned that someone who had run for a different office previously was more political than judicial. I think the six years since have borne out my apprehensions. Harrington has been too political, and her office has been criticized by many in the judicial community.
I won’t go through the litany of criticism that has already been written in other letters. However, I am very familiar with a couple of the cases she has prosecuted and find her judgement on these cases to be flawed and overly political. People who run for office need more than merely calling themselves progressive. They have to demonstrate, through their actions, that they are enacting policies that walk the fine line between maintaining the safety of the general public and ensuring that everyone who enters the system is treated fairly.
That takes experience, and Tim Shugrue has that experience. He has been on both sides as a defense attorney and as a prosecutor. Years of experience prove his competence. His work as a founder of Berkshire County Kids' Place as well as his work with the Berkshire County ARC show his compassion.
I believe he will make an excellent district attorney, and I urge everyone to give Tim a vote.
Dan Bosley, North Adams
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Letter: "Reelect Berkshire DA Andrea Harrington"
The Berkshire Eagle, September 2, 2022
To the editor: Four years ago, Andrea Harrington made several campaign promises when she ran for Berkshire district attorney, and she has delivered on every one of them.
She deserves a second term to carry on this work. Most important to me is her promise to divert addicts who commit nonviolent crimes away from criminal prosecution. Diversion means an addict who commits a nonviolent crime is not automatically prosecuted for their crime. Instead, they’re put on probation before trial on the condition that they enter treatment and pay restitution to the person they’ve harmed.
Past DAs prosecuted the crime and sent the addict to jail, where they often did not get enough help to recover from addiction. They got released with a criminal record, making it harder to find a job. Addicts with criminal records often relapse and break the law again, continuing the tragic cycle of addiction.
Workers in the recovery community say diversion never happened before DA Harrington took office. In 2019, her first year in office, she diverted 109 cases. In 2021, she diverted 136 cases. This year, she’s diverted 89 cases so far, putting her on track to beat her 2021 record. Every diversion saves lives, reduces crime and saves the taxpayer money.
In an Aug. 15 debate, DA Harrington’s opponent suggested that nonviolent offenses should be prosecuted and that addicts can get help after conviction. This indicates that he would either cut back on diversion or end it altogether. This would be a serious step backward for our whole community.
While diverting these cases, DA Harrington has also been tough on violent crime. Here’s a small sample of convictions for violent offenses on her watch in this year alone as reported by The Eagle: Aug. 24, conviction in domestic violence case; July 26, guilty verdicts on Pittsfield shooting; July 19, guilty verdict on sexual assault; June 30, conviction of individual who threatened police with crossbow; March 15, guilty verdict in drug distribution case. Her record is impressive and reassuring; she has struck the right balance between compassion and tough on crime.
DA Andrea Harrington has transformed the office of the Berkshire district attorney in many important and positive ways in the last three and a half years. She is making our community safer and less divisive. We would do well to return her to office to continue this work.
Connell McGrath, Lenox
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Letter: "Vote Andrea Harrington to continue needed change in DA's Office"
The Berkshire Eagle, September 2, 2022
To the editor: District Attorney Andrea Harrington has brought significant advances and progressive reforms to the DA’s Office in her first term.
For example, she has made it a priority to combat high rates of domestic violence in our county — launching a task force on domestic and sexual violence and working in collaboration with social-service agencies addressing gender-based violence. Significantly, she ended cash bail, which unfairly penalizes low-income people, and adopted a public-health and diversionary — rather than punitive — response to low-level offenses.
By expanding participation in the drug court and other community-based approaches, she has sought to break cycles of addiction and increase access to harm reduction, treatment, recovery and mental health services for those suffering from substance use disorders. And, notably, she has worked to confront racial disparities that impact policing, civil rights and hate crimes in our area. She added anti-bias training for her staff and embraces evidence-based approaches to combating bias. Her work is smart, trauma-informed, caring, accountable and deeply rooted in a desire to do her best for Berkshire County.
Given the above record, I am writing to push back against The Eagle editorial board’s characterization of her performance as “poor” in their recent endorsement of Timothy Shugrue. I support Andrea Harrington for DA because I believe Berkshire County still needs her leadership on the important issues she has addressed while in office.
I urge Berkshire County voters to explore andreaharringtonforda.com and get a better understanding of all she has achieved for us — and then head to the polls Sept. 6 to vote for her in the Democratic primary.
Anne O’Connor, Williamstown
The writer is a former Williamstown Select Board member.
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Letter: "Andrea Harrington's progressive work in DA's Office should continue"
The Berkshire Eagle, September 1, 2022
To the editor: I am writing to show my support for the reelection of Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington.
As someone who has not only worked extensively with people with substance use disorder but has also lost many friends and family members to the cruel disease that is addiction, I find DA Harrington's stance on substance use to be extremely progressive and honest. Prioritizing treatment over incarceration for those suffering with addiction saves lives. If this progressive way of thinking ends, I believe the number of drug-related deaths right here in Berkshire County will increase tremendously.
The methods DA Harrington follows are evidence-based and supported by science. Berkshire County can continue to stay in the dark ages by voting for Timothy Shugrue, who will without a doubt reverse the progress DA Harrington has made, or we can continue to be progressive and work on fixing the very real problems that exist here in Berkshire County.
Bridgid Reed, Hinsdale
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September 4, 2022
* Tim Shugrue was an entry level prosecutor many years ago, then a divorce attorney and an ambulance chaser, who ran for D.A. in 2004 and lost to David Capeless, and Tim Shugrue is running once again for D.A. in 2022 against sitting Berkshire County D.A. Andrea Harrington.
* Andrea Harrington is a progressive political activist who has been in the D.A.'s seat for less than 4 years. Despite Pittsfield and the greater Berkshire County region's decades of violent crime, Level 5 public schools, excessively high state and local taxes, one party political corruption, and so on, the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle), blogger Dan Valenti, and her critics have all used her as a scapegoat.
* Tom Bowler is a former Pittsfield Police Detective and a two-term Sheriff who successfully took on the Good Old Boys network after Carmen Massimiano, Jr. was outed in early-2010 as an alleged child sex abuser from his young adult days working at the Boys Club and Camp Russell under his father-like supervisor Jimmy Mooney.
* Alf Barbalunga is related to the late-Carmen Massimiano and a few other notorious Pittsfield politics' Good Old Boys network families. His father of the same name was a Pittsfield District Court Judge who networked to get his son into a career in the Probation Department. Alf's campaign against Bowler is seen by some as retribution for Carmen Massimiano's tainted legacy.
* John Barrett III has been a career politician in North Adams since the beginning of time. He is said to be a good man who cares about people in the beautiful Berkshires. He is also said to be a dictatorial leader who retaliates against grassroots democracy activists. His vote(s) against Sunshine laws rules reform measures vindicated his critics.
* Paula Kingsbury-Evans is a young woman who hopes to oust John Barrett on Tuesday, but her odds of winning are long in the Northern Berkshire-based state legislative district.
She is campaigning on lofty goals that we all would like to happen, but Boston's love of power and their control over the Almighty Dollar always stands in the way of democratic rules reform measures and lofty policies and programs.
I, Jonathan A. Melle, endorse the A-Team: Alf & Andrea. I also endorse Paula Kingsbury-Evans. My reason for doing so is that the old ways have failed the common people for too long to keep up the public "Business as usual" tagline that Tim Shugrue, Tom Bowler, and also John Barrett III all represent as two established politicians and Tim Shugrue's status as a Wanna Be over the past 18 years. It is time for change!
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September 4, 2022
I wish I could make my own ballot and vote for the candidates who would represent the common people over the elites who run the show, but that would be like me wishing that I could win a huge state lottery jackpot or win thousands of dollars at the casino every month or have been born into a wealthy family that gave me a huge trust fund or have the athletic talents of someone such as Larry Bird or Michael Jordan in their prime playing days or attract the affection of the woman of my dreams, and so on.
I don't accept Tim Shugrue because his 36 yearslong career as an Attorney has been about the Almighty Dollar, while Andrea Harrington's much shorter career as an Attorney has been about progressive political activism. My native hometown of Pittsfield Massachusetts has systemic socioeconomic problems with spades upon even more spades. Tim Shugrue has never tried to reform Pittsfield politics. To believe Tim Shugrue's campaign that he stands for reform is to believe that the Green New Deal isn't all about even more hot air in the Swamp. Give me a break!
I don't accept Tom Bowler because the Sheriff's position is about power and money instead of working to reduce crime in Berkshire County. Tom Bowler has not used his high public pay plus perks that rivals a commoner winning the state lottery jackpot year after year to reduce crime. In fact, Pittsfield is a fertile ground for corrupt career politicians and career criminals alike. If Alf wins, but he doesn't change things over the next 6 years, then he should be ousted as well.
When is the first day of a corrupt career politician's retirement? The day that they are elected to public office! The government is supposed to serve the people, but instead, it is a corrupt system that serves the Financial, Corporate and Ruling Elites, while throwing the common people a few crumbs from the table that always misses our country's always growing larger underclass.
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 5, 2022
Hello Patrick Fennell,
I agree. The first day of a corrupt career politician's retirement is the first day they are elected to public office. What purpose does the plum position of Berkshire County Sheriff serve? The only answer I am able to come up with is that they receive huge public pay plus perks that is akin to a commoner winning the state lottery jackpot year after year. It is ridiculous how the political establishment all receive so much state and local taxpayer loot.
State and local taxes in Massachusetts and beyond are excessively high. Beacon Hill lawmakers giveaway a little less than $18 billion per fiscal year in state tax breaks to wealthy big businesses in the Boston area. What is wrong with the picture for Berkshire County and other regions of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts? The answer is everything. I still receive endless political emails about how state aid to public school districts and local governments is systemically underfunded by billions of dollars per fiscal year. Then to top it all off, Massachusetts runs (voluntary) regressive taxation schemes such as the multibillion-dollar state lottery. Boston politicians say how they are helping Gateway Cities such as my native hometown of Pittsfield with additional state aid from the lottery, but they are really mocking these distressed low to moderate income economically unequal cities on so many levels. Pittsfield and beyond face social costs for the lottery and other (voluntary) regressive tax schemes. Pittsfield and beyond would receive a lot more state aid from Boston if the Financial, Corporate and Ruling Elites were NOT all enriching themselves at the public trough by giving away over one-third of the state budget to themselves. Pittsfield and beyond do NOT have the big businesses that the Boston area has, which means that Beacon Hill is screwing these areas out of a lot of state aid - billions of dollars in the aggregate.
When I read public interviews featuring Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer, I am impressed that she understands what is really going on in state and local government. Unlike so many past Mayors of Pittsfield, Linda Tyer is nobody's fool when to comes public finance. That being said, Mayor Linda Tyer has continued Pittsfield politics' financial shell games of always raising yearly city spending and municipal budgets by 5 percent, as well as increasing the city's huge debt load.
The state and local government is only doing DISSERVICES to Berkshire County and beyond. The government is supposed to work to serve the people and taxpayers, but instead, the concentration of power and money in Boston has proven the government to be only serving themselves and their wealthy campaign donors. My dad, Bob, spoke about all of these issues when he was a Berkshire County Commissioner from 1997 - mid-2000, and he (and me too) only received retribution from Pittsfield to Boston for raising these issues. Moreover, some of the people in Berkshire County called our speech "Propaganda", but they also said that state and local politicians back then also used "Propaganda" when they argued in favor of the inequitable public financial system back then. My dad told me that everything in state and local government was already a done deal, and the politicians always did whatever they wanted to do regardless of what the people and taxpayers wanted. Future blogger Dan Valenti wrote columns in the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) about my dad being like Don Quixote fighting windmills back then.
The vested interests in state and local government always get the benefits of public finance. The special interests pay the politicians via big campaign contributions to always get the benefits of public finance. The politicians enrich themselves at the public trough by serving the vested and special interests. If a commoner such as you or I speak about how corrupt our state and local government is, then we face retribution. I wish it wasn't the way it was and is, which is why I support grassroots democracy and reform-minded politicians who take on the corrupt career politicians. I get upset when the corrupt career politicians run for office every couple of years acting like they give a damn about us and then they go back to Boston and beyond and continue to screw us all over for another couple of years.
I couldn't believe that Dan Bosley of all people wrote a critical letter to the editor of the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) against Berkshire County D.A. Andrea Harrington in favor of Tim Shugrue when Dan Bosley is at least 100 times more corrupt than she is. I hope that my new blog post about Dan Bosley's public record of voting for two State House Speakers who later became convicted Felons sets the record straight!
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 5, 2022
Hello Patrick Fennell,
In the over 400-year history of Massachusetts, Dan Bosley is by far the most inequitable politician turned greedy registered Beacon Hill lobbyist to date. I would go so far as to say that Dan Bosley is even worse than Charles Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge character in "A Christmas Carol" because Scrooge only neglected the underclass, while Dan Bosley financially exploits them to enrich himself and his Scrooge-like wealthy clients at the public trough.
The Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) never once explained Dan Bosley's public record in Boston. Many years ago, then North Adam State Representative Dan Bosley sponsored a secretive rider called "The Bosley Amendment" to state legislation that would have given billions of dollars in state tax breaks to wealthy corporations and created a multibillion-dollar state budget deficit back then, which was quickly defeated. Dan Bosley holds the record on Beacon Hill for supporting the biggest state budget tax cuts for the wealthy in the over 400-year history of Massachusetts.
The Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) never once explained Dan Bosley's opposition to casino gambling in Massachusetts many years ago. Dan Bosley opposed casino gambling because he was protecting the billions of dollars in profits from the (voluntary) regressive taxation scheme called the Massachusetts State Lottery.
To explain Dan Bosley's support for the state lottery, one has to understand that all forms of regressive taxation in state government really serve to allow corrupt career politicians in Boston as well as greedy registered lobbyists in Boston (and beyond) to give wealthy big businesses in Boston a little less than $18 billion per fiscal year in state tax breaks. Boston politicians are flat out lying when they say that gambling revenues go to public education and unrestricted state aid to local governments because it is a half-truth.
Dan Bosley is a fiscal conservative retired Beacon Hill lawmaker turned greedy Beacon Hill lobbyist who writes and publishes letters to the editor of the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) critical of honest progressive politicians such as Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington.
Honest citizens and Veterans such as you, Pat, and I, should feel proud that the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) favors greed-ball corrupt men such as Dan Bosley over us. Let the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) and Dan Bosley criticize Andrea Harrington and censure common people such as you and me. We know that the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) is on the wrong side of history, while good people and Veterans like us mean well.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 5, 2022
Someone asked me: "Do you support the gambling?"
Yes. I support gambling. I would never take away a person's right to gamble.
No. I do NOT support the way gambling is structured into our society's tax base. I do NOT believe that the government should be profiting off of any form of (regressive taxation), including the state lottery, casinos, sports betting, horse and dog racing, and so on. I believe that all forms of regressive taxation are wrong, especially on the state government level. I understand that local governments use regressive taxation as a necessity.
If it was possible, which it is not, revenue neutral taxation would be fine, but our nation's middle class has been systemically decimated over the past 50 years by big government(s) and big businesses. Without a strong middle class, revenue neutral taxation is only an academic theory.
Given that our society is at its most economically unequal point in one hundred years, I strongly support progressive taxation without corrupt career politicians and lobbyists playing their financial shell games to benefit their wealthy campaign donors and clients so that the Financial, Corporate and Ruling Elites can continue to enrich themselves at the public trough.
We are living in the age of Class Warfare whereby the Financial, Corporate and Ruling Elites are getting very rich by systematically screwing over the common people, who live in fear of losing their homes or apartments, going hungry, going deep into debt, never being able to retire, and so on.
I wish I could single handedly STOP greedy lobbyist Dan Bosley, PAC Man Richie Neal, and the rest of the corrupt career politicians from their inequitable policies in Boston and beyond, as well as in the Swamp, but I know that all someone such as myself is really able to do is for me to pound sand. I am sorry to disappoint everyone.
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 6, 2022
Hello blogger Dan Valenti,
I do NOT understand why corrupt career politicians, Wanna Be's, and their supporters always turn the tables on me when I criticize them on your blog. It is ridiculous for Tim Shugrue's supporters to keep asking me what have I done over the past 36 years? I am 47 years old. 36 years ago, I was in the 6th grade at Herberg Middle School in Pittsfield when I was 11 years old.
My point about Dan Bosley writing critical letters against politicians such as Berkshire County D.A. Andrea Harrington is that he has spent decades playing financial shell games that benefited big government and big business, which doesn't have a presence in Northern Berkshire County and beyond, while being disingenuous about his inequitable public service to the people and taxpayers.
My point about Tim Shugrue criticizing Andrea Harrington's less than 4 years as D.A. is that he, just like Dan Bosley, was only about the Almighty Dollar. Tim Shugrue had 36 years to reform Pittsfield politics and the criminal justice system, but he did nothing of the sort.
When I used to write about Luciforo on your blog before you censured me from writing about him on your blog, I pointed out that Nuciforo was in bed with Boston's big banks and insurance companies, which led to him stepping down from his post as a Pittsfield State Senator. To this day, Luciforo still has a law office in Boston's Financial District. Nuciforo runs a multimillion-dollar marijuana business that he cofounded by using his corrupt political connections from Pittsfield to Boston. Luciforo's love of the Almighty Dollar gets him high as a kite.
PAC Man Peter Larkin, who is married to a wealthy Worcester-area Medical Doctor, made millions of dollars lobbying on behalf of GE, which made Pittsfield into its toxic waste dump, and GE wants to put its third Berkshire County area toxic waste leaky landfill inside of a watershed in the polluted Housatonic River in Lee and very close to Lenoxdale. Smitty Pignatelli wrote op-eds in the Dirty Bird supporting this billion-dollar debacle that the heavily indebted GE has yet to make a financial commitment to. The people who live in Lee and Lenoxdale must have a picture of Smitty Pignatelli on their dart boards. Money talks, which makes Peter Larkin and Smitty Pignatelli look like Judas Iscariot selling out the people for a lot more MONEY than 30 pieces of silver.
To answer your blog's recurring questions of what I have done over the past 36 years from 1986 - 2022, I have NOT worshiped the Almighty Dollar since I was 11 years old to my current age of 47 years old. Instead, I have written and blogged about the corrupt career politicians in Berkshire County and beyond who have dedicated their lives to doing DISSERVICES against the common people who have had to pay for them enriching themselves at the public trough.
Happy Primary Election Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts!
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 6, 2022
The corrupt career politicians all predictably won their primary elections in predictable Pittsfield politics and beyond in the beautiful Berkshires. Why am I NOT surprised? John Barrett is a lifelong political hack in North Adams. Tom Bowler is the Supreme Emperor of the dynastic jail on Cheshire Road in Pittsfield. Tim Shugrue finally won the D.A. election after 18 long years of wanting the plum position. Meanwhile, the fictional Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski will be paying all of these same Bags of Hot Air an excessive amount of their tax dollars for more "Business as usual" in return for unsafe streets full of violent crime, Level 5 public schools, severe economic inequality from generations of population loss and thousands of long lost living wage jobs in the postindustrial rust belt Berkshire County distressed economy, and the disconnected limousine latte drinking liberals such as Sherwood Guernsey and the Lexus luxury car owner Mayor Linda "Gated Community" Tyer, etc. who run the one political (Democratic) Party system of state and local government. To illustrate, for the common people, it would be like winning a nuclear war in a radiation-poisoned Earth run by John Barrett, Tom Bowler, Tim Shugrue, and the rest of the failed political establishment. I am not so cruel as to say, "Congratulations!", because I am and always will be a caring good person with lofty democratic ideals who wishes everyone to have a chance in life and a voice in their government.
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 8, 2022
To recap Pittsfield politics and beyond in the beautiful Berkshires primary election day 2022, Tim Shugrue ousted D.A. Andrea Harrington, and then he controversially thanked retired Judge Dan Ford. Incumbent Sheriff Tom Bowler defeated his "All in the Family" challenger Alf Barbalunga, who will run again in 2028 after "Pudge" retires with a public pension plus perks that rivals a commoner winning the huge state lottery jackpot. Paul Marxism and the ultimate career politician John Barrett III both won their respective primary elections that will guarantee them at least two more years as do-nothing backbenchers in Boston. All of these establishment politicians will make over 6-figure public pay plus perks in 2023 except for Andrea Harrington, unless she finds a new public position next year. My question is: "What do the common people and taxpayers really have to gain by paying all of the useless corrupt career politicians such huge public salaries for more "Business as usual"?
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 10, 2022
Hello Erin Leahy,
I am sorry to read your weekly political email informing us that the corrupt career politicians on Beacon Hill all kept their state legislative seats less one useless political hack. The voters are no match for the lies and propaganda that the political establishment throw at us. Thankfully we have someone like yourself, Erin Leahy, who tells us the truth about how secretive, corrupt, greedy and broken Boston politics has become under the top-down one political (Democratic) party dominated leadership.
How do they do it? The Ruling Elite are failing to lead in government, but they always get reelected for life in plum positions of power. It must be that the political establishment is all about the Almighty Dollar and Power instead of democracy and investing in the people and communities of Massachusetts and beyond. For decades of my 47-year-old adult life, the political elites have shown themselves to me that they do not want to listen to someone such as myself, Jon Melle, who is a common man and Veteran who lives in the wealthiest nation in human history. Some of the corrupt career politicians even block my political email letters. Most of them never write me a response to the issues that I raise. They are all about themselves and their wealthy and powerful supporters. It makes me angry, but all I can do about it is pound sand.
While I support your public advocacy work on Beacon Hill, Erin Leahy at Act on Mass, I wish to openly write to you that I disagree with the state legislation giving undocumented residents state driver's licenses. Where were the public hearings this year of 2022? There were none. Will these people who are illegally living in our country cause an increase in serious motor vehicle accidents? We all supposed to obey the law instead of the government passing laws that say it O.K. for some people to not live here legally and they are rewarded for it by having state driver's licenses. I hope that we still all live under "Equal Justice Under Law" where no one is above the law.
While I support your public advocacy work on Beacon Hill, Erin Leahy at Act on Mass, I wish to write that I disagree with the state legislation that would place a surtax on personal incomes over $1 million. This proposal would be the single largest state tax increase in the over 400-year history of Massachusetts. Raising billions of dollars in state revenues during a time when Beacon Hill lawmakers are sitting on record high billions upon billions of dollars in state surplus funds without passing any legislation for economic development, economic stimulus, and tax relief for low to moderate income residents, senior citizens and Veterans is the height of political corruption.
I know that your heart is in the right place, Erin Leahy at Act on Mass. I support all of your public advocacy work that you are doing in the Boston area. Thank you for sending me your weekly political emails about Beacon Hill politics. Sarcasm: I hope that the corrupt career politicians who you write to us about are all enjoying their 5 monthslong taxpayer-funded vacation, and when they return to their part-time hack-jobs after the New Year of 2023, I hope that they are looking forward to receiving up to three state government legislative pay raises during this time of 41-year high U.S. inflation. More sarcasm: It PAY$ a lot of taxpayer money to be a corrupt career politician who does nothing at all for 5 whole months and then they all get to look forward to receiving up to three legislative pay raises as their reward!
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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9/10/2022
Well, Jonathan, I’m not going to sugarcoat it.
The results of Tuesday’s primary were not what we wanted. It was an all around bad night for challengers, and a very good night for incumbents. Out of all 200 state legislative races, only one incumbent lost their primary to a challenger, and it wasn’t one of ours. (You can find the results of all MA primary races here.)
A handful of our races were painfully close. Heather May lost to incumbent Tom Stanley by just 313 votes. Nichole Mossalam lost to incumbent Paul Donato by just 62. It’s hard not to look at those numbers and think: if we had Same Day Voter Registration, making it far easier for students, renters, and first-time voters to cast a ballot, would things have gone differently? What if we had publicly-funded elections to level the financial playing field and shrink the influence of special interests?
But underscoring these losses is one harsh and anti-democratic reality: incumbents have an enormous advantage in elections. They tend to have the support of the party establishment and their powerful peers, and receive endorsements and funding from large risk-averse institutions who confuse their relationships with legislators for power. Plus, the power of name recognition and constituent service in local elections like these cannot be understated.
Each race is different and I certainly don’t pretend to know exactly why the cards fell as they did on Tuesday night, but I do know one thing: this is a long battle. And we gain enormously by running challengers, even if they aren’t ultimately victorious; just by running, they often push their opponents to the left on key issues, like Rep. Sarah Peake who only cosponsored Medicare for All after Jack Stanton announced he was running.
Not least of all, these candidates had thousands of conversations with voters across the Commonwealth about the broken State House and how their government can and should be doing more for them. This is a phenomenal start to the deep organizing and civic outreach the progressive movement needs to do between election cycles–not just during them.
Lastly, I want to thank all our incredible candidates for running fantastic campaigns focused on democracy and uplifting the voices of their communities. And thank you to all who phonebanked and canvassed for these candidates! Our movement and our Commonwealth are better off because of you.
All right. That’s more than enough navel-gazing for one Scoop.
And hey, I never said it was all bad news…
State House Scoop
Our Primary Victories
Sam Montaño, 15th Suffolk District: Sam sailed to victory in the primary for the open seat vacated by Rep. Nika Elugardo. Sam is a community organizer and housing justice activist who will be an incredible representative for the residents of JP, Roxbury, and Mission Hill. Since there is no Republican running in the general election, Sam is the presumptive representative-elect for this district. Sam is exactly the kind of person we need to send to Beacon Hill; they are a bold, equity-focused progressive, deeply embedded in their community, and are committed to fighting to reform our broken State House. You can see Sam’s completed endorsement questionnaire here.
Teresa English, 22nd Middlesex District: Teresa ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, and now goes on to face incumbent Republican Marc Lombardo in the general election in November. Teresa is a veteran, teacher, and mom of two. She’s running in a purple district (Billerica) on an unapologetically progressive platform of urgent climate action, housing as a human right, and Medicare for All. Plus, she’s committed to breaking down the systemic barriers to passing progressive legislation, i.e. the lack of transparency and accountability on Beacon Hill. Read more about Teresa’s platform on her website, and check out her endorsement questionnaire here. Her Republican opponent, perhaps the most conservative and Trumpian member currently serving in the legislature, is one of the lead sponsors of the referendum to repeal the Work and Family Mobility Act.
Now that the primary is behind us, it’s time to go all in on the competitive general election races. Sign up to volunteer for Teresa today:
VOLUNTEER FOR TERESA >>
In Memoriam: The Graveyard of the 192nd Session
Now that our legislature is through with major business for the rest of the year, it’s time to take a look back through the 192nd legislative session to acknowledge some of the popular progressive bills that died, yet again.
Healthy Youth Act
This bill, first filed in 2011, would require that sex education taught in Massachusetts public schools 1) be medically accurate, 2) be LGBTQ+ inclusive, and 3) teach about consent and healthy relationships. That’s right–there is currently no requirement in the Bay State that sex ed taught to students be accurate. This legislation is supported by organizations like Planned Parenthood, Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, MassEquality, and REACH Beyond Domestic Violence. Seems like a no-brainer, right?
Wrong. Well, according to the Massachusetts Legislature, anyways. This bill has been filed and killed in the State House 6 sessions in a row. It passed the Senate on more than one occasion, only for it to die in the House. Why won’t the House just take up and pass this simple bill which has virtually no price tag? The truth is, the Speaker of the House in Massachusetts has always been a straight, white, conservative Democratic man. And in this instance, he is choosing not to advance policy that would have a massive impact on the health and safety of young people, especially young women and members of the LGBTQ community. Hmm, maybe ceding virtually all power to just one or two people in the legislature isn't the best way to represent everyone's needs.
Take Action
Join the Fair Share Campaign!
It’s time to gear up for the general election on November 8th! Voters this year will have a rare and precious opportunity to amend the state’s constitution by passing the Fair Share Amendment. According to our constitution in Massachusetts, we must tax all income at a flat rate. This regressive tax system means billionaires’ income is taxed at the same rate as the poorest taxpayers. By passing the Fair Share Amendment, we do away with the flat tax requirement, and place an additional 4% tax on income over $1,000,000 per year. 99% of Bay Staters wouldn’t pay a penny more in taxes, and yet we would raise an additional $2 billion per year for education and transportation infrastructure.
We can’t let this opportunity slip through our fingers. Find a volunteer event in your area:
VOLUNTEER FOR FAIR SHARE >>
That’s all for this week!
I know Tuesday was filled with disappointment and frustration for many of us, and I know that elections are exhausting. If you were out there campaigning this spring and summer, make sure to take some time to rest, recover, and celebrate all your hard work. You more than earned it.
And after we rest, I'll see you back on the doors.
In solidarity,
Erin Leahy
Executive Director, Act on Mass
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September 11, 2022
Hello Patrick Fennell,
When I was at Pittsfield High School from the Fall of 1989 to the Spring of 1993, and when I was at Siena College from the Fall of 1993 to the Spring of 1997, I remember in my history classes when my history teachers and history professors covered World War 2. They showed the high school students of old and then college students of old historic photos of FDR sitting with Stalin and Churchill as Allies against the Axis Powers. I remember the photos showed FDR and Stalin smiling and laughing together, along with Churchill. Let us all not forget that Stalin killed many millions of innocent Peoples and people than Hitler did during Hitler's EVIL Holocaust. Nonetheless, FDR used his diplomatic skills to work with Stalin, along with Churchill, to defeat Hitler in Europe, which saved the world as we thankfully know it.
What happened to diplomacy by the U.S. President? Joe Biden has called Putin of Russia a "KILLER" and a "BUTCHER". Joe Biden threatened Xi of China with WW3 if he invades Taiwan. Why? If I were in Joe Biden's shoes as the sitting U.S. President, I would act like FDR and use my diplomatic skills to work with Russia and China instead of acting like Joe Biden and calling Putin names and threatening to blow up China off the world map with nuclear weapons. People criticized Donald Trump for befriending Putin and being tough with China, but Joe Biden has ugly relationships with Putin and Xi that are not helping matters.
Our strongest Allies in Europe are in a serious energy crisis. I read that millions of European households are at risk of not having the energy supplies to heat their homes during this upcoming Winter season of 2022/2023, which means that millions of people and families could needlessly freeze to death. Instead of Joe Biden, Maryland Markey, billionaire John Forbes Kerry, and so on, spewing their hypocritical HOT AIR about the Green New Deal - the U.S.A. is the number two polluter of greenhouse gases in the world second only to China - they should present the U.S. and Europe with their energy plans to have the nations' energy supplies ready for the home heating Winter season. If you think 10 percent U.S. inflation is hurting the common people, then double it to 20 percent inflation in Europe. How are the common people in both the U.S.A. and Europe going to be able to afford the costs of heating their homes this upcoming winter? Joe Biden's only plan is the Green New Deal, which has led to the current energy crisis we are all experiencing as we approach the coldest months of the year.
When it comes to racism, Joe Biden's 50 years in the Swamp has a long list of his racist language and laws. Donald Trump also has a long list of his racist language and policies. The proverbial pot is calling the proverbial kettle black, and not in a nice way! Bill and Hillary Clinton also have a documented history of racist language and laws. The Democratic Party's use of the word "neocons" to describe U.S. President George W. Bush's foreign policy team really meant "Evil Jews" in the U.S. and in Israel. The Democratic Party's fix in favor of Hillary Clinton over the Jewish U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in 2016 is another example of anti-Semitism. We live in the 21st Century! Why do we still have politicians with documented racist pasts?
I was told long ago that in my grandparents' generation in the mid-20th Century, there were neighborhoods with Churches and/or Synagogues where Peoples of certain ethnicities lived. I was told that the Irish Catholics lived in a neighborhood with their own Church. I was told the Italian Catholics lived in a neighborhood with their own Church. I was told that the Protestants lived a neighborhood with their own Churches. I was told that Jewish People lived in a neighborhood with their own Synagogue. I was told that black people and Jews alike were not allowed to buy homes in certain neighborhoods. Then I asked, "Why?" I was told that is how things were back then. Well, in the 21st Century, my next-door neighbor is a Jewish woman who is one of my best friends. When I was in the U.S. Armed Forces many years ago, I served with Soldiers of all ethnicities. When I go to the VA Hospital, I sit with Veterans of all ethnicities. Our society has changed for the better, but our politics is unfortunately still stuck in a bygone era.
I went to a minor league baseball game with my dad and two of our guy friends last weekend. Our town's former NH State Senator Shannon Chandley who is running for her old seat this election year of 2022 came to our seats and said hello to us and we had a friendly conversation together. Why cannot all of our politicians be more like Shannon? Instead, most politicians avoid people like me. When I write to them, I hardly ever receive any heartfelt responses from them.
Some politicians even block me from emailing them. Some politicians use retribution against people like me who openly exercise our right to Freedom of Speech. Some of my friends ask me why I don't run for political office. I tell them that I saw how my father, Bob, was mistreated by the politicians many years ago, and that I wouldn't be able to take the abuse that my father endured, along with what they did to me back then. I also say that corrupt career politicians spend 90 percent of their time raising money from greedy lobbyists and other special interests. I couldn't do that because I have lofty ideals, which means I could never sellout the people I represented in government for 30 pieces of silver - the Almighty Dollar.
I recently watched a group of corrupt career politicians team up against Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington, who is a progressive woman politician, this past Summer of 2022. Dan Bosley is a greedy lobbyist in Boston and beyond who has long sold out the people in favor of big businesses since I was in the 6th grade (1986 -1987). Sherwood Guernsey is a very wealthy Democrat who turned his back on this progressive woman and fellow Attorney because they have Tim Shugrue in their pocket. When I discussed these recent events, people who don't even know who Dan Bosley, Sherwood Guernsey, and the like men, are, responded to me by asking me the question: "How much money did these so-called Democrats get paid for supporting Tim Shugrue for Berkshire County District Attorney?" Like Dan Bosley, who collects to public pensions plus perks on top of his 6-figure lobbyist salary, Sherwood Guernsey, who is a multimillionaire trust fund rich boy from birth, and so, even need the money. They have shown themselves to be all about money and power!
That is the problem with the Swamp in a nutshell. Both political parties full of bought and paid for corrupt career politicians are only about the Almighty Dollar and Political Power. Democrats say they are about progressive policies until someone who is honest such as Andrea Harrington stands in their way. Republicans say that they are about limited government and individual freedoms until the ball is their court and they borrow and spend public dollars second only to their elitist Democrat counterparts. Then when things go bad, the Swamp politicians point their hypocritical fingers at each other instead of looking at themselves in the proverbial mirror for their failed leadership.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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Hello Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington,
You are still being slandered and libeled on Dan Valenti's blog. Today, Wednesday, September 14th, 2022, an anonymous poster wrote that he or she overheard from a friend that you are pissed at everyone who didn't support you, and that if you had won reelection, you would have used an enemies list to use retribution against the people who didn't support you. They wrote that you are a racist, that you hate blacks, and you disingenuously used them for your political ambition. They wrote that you use racial slurs against blacks, and that you have a foul mouth and curse like a sailor. They wrote that you have had love affairs with Andy McKeever and now Josh Landes.
I do NOT believe any of the lies that posters have written about you on PlanetValenti. What I do believe is that D.A.-elect Tim Shugrue is in the pocket of the political establishment such as multimillionaire Sherwood Guernsey of Williamstown and the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle). I believe that Tim Shugrue thanking retired Judge Dan Ford was a slap in the face of criminal justice reform in Berkshire County. Tim Shugrue sent a loud and clear message to the political establishment that he will be their go to D.A. so that Pittsfield politics and beyond will be as corrupt as ever in state and local government.
I do NOT understand why so many rich and powerful white men, along with Mayor Linda Tyer, turned on you. These buffoons. such as greedy lobbyist Dan Bosley, all say they are Democrats because that is where the power and Almighty Dollar is in state and local Massachusetts politics, but their betrayal of your progressive leadership in the D.A.'s Office has shown them to be nothing but phony hacks. You, Andrea Harrington, stood in their way of them wielding unchecked political power, and they did everything in their power to defeat you. I saw it coming and now I see it still going on. It was so predictable to someone such as myself because I have had the unfortunate experiences of dealing with these same buffoons when I was a young man during and after my dad was a Berkshire County Commissioner (1997 - mid-2000).
Once again, I apologize to you because these buffoons will never do so. You do NOT have an enemies list, but you were on the political establishment's enemies list. You are not seeking retribution against the people who opposed you, but the lies that are still written about you show that you are the victim of retribution. You are not a racist. You do not have a foul mouth and use racist slurs. You do not use minorities for your political ambition. You did not and do not have love affairs with men such as Andy McKeever and Josh Landes. Rather, you are a decent and good person whose heart is always in the right place. You did a good job in your concluding four-year term as the first woman to hold the elected position of Berkshire County District Attorney. Thank you for your historic service in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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Posted on PlanetValenti's blog comment section:
Yesterday I had lunch with a friend who knows Andrea Harrington, in fact one of her supporters in Lenox, that group of Karen’s.
She is pissed at everyone who didn’t support her but if she won she had an enemies list of people she was going to go after.
She is also somewhat of a racist, like a dyed in the wool, brought up to hate blacks, racist. She just uses them to help further her political ambition.
She has no problem calling them slurs behind their back, the things she’s said about Edgerton, in private, would make people her blush. Harrington has a pretty foul mouth and curses like a sailor.
Everyone thinks there’s something going on between her and Andy and Landis. She was alleged to be doing the dirty with Andy until he started working for her, then she moved on to Josh.
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September 16, 2022
Hello Fort Cannon & Patrick Fennell,
Why am I a Democrat? My dad was a Democrat when he was in politics. Bob, who is now 78, was not a phony Democrat like Sherwood Guernsey, Dan Bosley, Peter Larkin, Luciforo, PAC Man Richie Neal, and so on. He is a Democrat because he believes in the government investing their limited financial resources in the people and communities for a healthy middle class; one of my dad's favorite movies is the 1946 Christmas classic movie: "It's a Wonderful Life".
My dad grew up in a blue-collar home in Pittsfield (Massachusetts) from mid-1944 through the 1950s and 1960s when the government used to invest in people and communities for a healthy middle class. It is not my dad's fault that Democrats have been taken over by the limousine latte liberals who joined the Republican Party since the days of Richard Nixon, to Gerald Ford, to Ronald Reagan, to the two George Bushes, to Donald Trump in using government to enrich the Financial, Corporate and Ruling Elites at the public trough, while the rest of us have to pound sand.
My theory about the systemic decimation of the middle class over the past 50 years in the U.S.A. and beyond is that after LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the elites used class warfare to stop the underclass and working class from achieving Socioeconomic Mobility to be able to live in a middle-class family lifestyle. My theory about why the political establishment in Berkshire County (Massachusetts) turned against one of their own progressive politicians in the District Attorney election is that they wanted Tim Shugrue in their pocket to further their iron grip on (one neo-Democratic Party) political power and the Almighty Dollar. Like my dad, Andrea Harrington, who is 47 years old like myself, is progressive, which stood in the ways of the political establishments' agenda in state and local government. Just like Luciforo tried to take my dad down when my dad was a Berkshire County Commissioner from 1997 - mid-2000, Sherwood, Dan Bosley, and the like, ousted D.A. Andrea Harrington (2019 - 2022), who is the first woman D.A. in the history of Berkshire County.
Politicians are the biggest phonies in human history. Politicians are vindictive, mean-spirited, conspiratorial, greedy, powerful, and they want to be in government for life to enrich themselves at the taxpayers' expense. If you believe that a politician is representing you and the community that you live in, then you must also believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, Unicorns, and the disingenuous Green New Deal.
The Republican Party is divided, and their infighting may cost them some electoral gains in the 2022 midterm elections. Trump's single largest federal tax cut in U.S. history compounded by Biden's single largest federal spending bill(s) in U.S. history has caused the U.S. national debt to be near $31 trillion and rising. Neither the Democratic nor the Republican Parties have raised the federal revenues to pay for the Swamp's financial shell games.
What do I want? I wish that all of the corrupt career politicians will retire, step down or be ousted, including Trump and Biden, and that new leaders will reform our government for the better so that the people and the communities that they live in will have a healthy middle class again similar to when my elderly father was growing up in Pittsfield (Massachusetts) in the 1950s and 1960s. I know it won't happen, but I can still dream of a better future.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 20, 2022
I believe that the corrupt political establishment scapegoated Berkshire County D.A. Andrea Harrington for Pittsfield's systemic criminal justice issues and problems. It is ridiculous for the limousine latte liberals such as trust fund rich boy Sherwood Guernsey, corrupt career retired politician turned greedy lobbyist Dan Bosley, and Gated Community Mayor Linda Tyer to have blamed the sitting D.A. Andrea Harrington for the over 1,000 gang members who live in inner-city Pittsfield, the daily shootings, drugs, poverty and the growing homeless population and underclass. The out-of-touch millionaires, who have done nothing for decades about Pittsfield's problems, have D.A.-elect Tim Shugrue in their pocket, which means that they won't blame him for Pittsfield's violent crime and homelessness like they did with D.A. Andrea Harrington so long as he is their puppet on their strings. To be clear, the limousine latte liberals only care about money and power, while they play their corrupt political and financial shell games that always screw over the fictional Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski family. When things get predictably worse in inner-city Pittsfield during the next four years, please let me know what Sherwood, greed-ball Bosley and the lovely Linda all have to say about Tim Shugrue's job performance as the next District Attorney.
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 24, 2022
Hello Patrick Fennell,
Massachusetts state government's excessive taxation and spending is what happens when you have a one political (Democratic) party dominated group of corrupt career politicians in Boston using taxpayers' money to enrich themselves and their wealthy campaign donors at the public trough. It bothers me that Beacon Hill lawmakers are sitting on billions upon billions of dollars in surplus state government funds, while voters are being told half-truths and outright lies that the so-called "Fair Share Amendment", which would be the single largest state tax increase in Massachusetts' over 400-year history, would fully fund public education and colleges, public roads and bridges, and so on. In April of 2021, the Boston Globe published a news article that stated that every fiscal year, the Massachusetts Legislature gives away a little less than $18 billion in state tax breaks to wealthy Boston area big businesses, which leaves out many regions of the state such as mostly rural Western Massachusetts. The point I am trying to make is that Boston politicians play financial shell games for their own personal gain(s) instead of fully funding public education and public services.
Beacon Hill lawmakers are mocking so-called Gateway Cities such as my native hometown of Pittsfield by using (voluntarily) regressive taxation schemes such as the multibillion-dollar Massachusetts State Lottery that financially exploits the mostly financially illiterate and disadvantaged low to moderate income residents, who live in economically distressed and unequal places such as Pittsfield, when the Boston politicians give local governments millions of dollars in state aid from the state lottery. The reason why Beacon Hill lawmakers are mocking cities such as Pittsfield is because they are playing financial shell games in Boston that are underfunding Pittsfield's Level 5 public school district and municipal services, while making fools out of the unknowing underclass and working-class people who live in Pittsfield. Former North Adams State Representative turned Greedy registered Lobbyist Dan Bosley is one of the worst offenders on Beacon Hill in Boston who plays financial shell games against economically distressed cities such as Pittsfield to enrich himself and the Financial, Corporate and Ruling Elites in the Boston area. Every inequitable public policy in Boston stands to enrich greed-ball Daniel Bosley, yet the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) thinks he is the best thing to happen to Western Massachusetts since the invention of sliced bread. I see North Adams' corrupt greed-ball Daniel E. Bosley as being worse than Ebenezer Scrooge because Scrooge only neglected the poor, while Dan Bosley financially exploits them as fools for his own personal gain(s).
I wish there were more people such as you and me who knows how Beacon Hill, the Swamp and beyond really operates by only doing DISSERVICES to the people and taxpayers that the corrupt career politicians are supposed to be representing and serving in elected office. To illustrate, Chrome Dome Adam Hinds should have never run for Pittsfield State Senator in 2016 - Sunday, September 25th, 2022. The minute Chrome Dome Adam Hinds married a high society wealthy woman, who is a Professor at Amherst College, he moved out of his legislative district when they (she) purchased a $690,000 home in Amherst, Massachusetts. The minute Chrome Dome Adam Hinds was given the plum CEO position at the Ted Kennedy U.S. Senate Institute, he announced his resignation as State Senator effective Monday, September 26th, 2022. Chrome Dome Adam Hinds never really gave a damn about Pittsfield and the rest of Berkshire County when he went to Beacon Hill in 2017. Chrome Dome Adam Hinds' first vote in Boston in early-2017 was his own 40 percent legislative pay raise that cost state taxpayers over $18 million. Chrome Dome Adam Hinds is the latest example of a corrupt career politician in Boston and beyond enriching themselves at the public trough, while screwing over the common people and taxpayers for their own person gain(s).
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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September 24, 2022
Hello Patrick Fennell,
I was wondering what your thoughts are about the so-called "Fair Share Amendment" referendum on November 8th, 2022? It would be the single largest state tax increase in the over 400-year history of Massachusetts. It is being presented at a time when Massachusetts has the largest amount of state surplus funds - billions upon billions of dollars - in the over 400-year history of Massachusetts, according to outgoing Governor Charlie Baker.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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Letter: "Vote no on the Fair Share Amendment"
The Berkshire Eagle, September 22, 2022
To the editor: It is nonsense that only the rich who “don’t pay their fair share of taxes” will be hit by the Fair Share Amendment if it passes by ballot referendum.
It will cost everyone trying to make a living in the Bay State. Some of our richer folks may decide to move to a more tax-friendly state where they are not seen as a target. How is that good for anyone?
Massachusetts has high taxes. Moving from Pennsylvania this year, I have seen my tax rate increase from 3 percent to 5 percent, and here my retirement income is taxed, too. I paid state taxes on the income before it went into the IRA. Now, it is taxed coming out. Wonderful. I don’t see Massachusetts providing better services for the additional taxes.
The income tax is more than fair. A person who makes twice as much pays twice as much in taxes and scarcely receives twice as much in services. She might even receive lesser services because some are based on income. If anything, the Bay State should eliminate some taxes and reduce others. Here I find a tax in my electric bill for “electric vehicles.” I don’t even own one. What nonsense.
We don’t need another tax pulling money into the state government and out of the economy.
Charles Strehl, Sheffield
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October 4, 2022
Pittsfield has had many decades of violent crime. Andrea Harrington has been the Berkshire County District Attorney for less than 4 years, and she will soon be replaced by the greedy Ambulance chasing and divorce Attorney Tim Shugrue, who is in the pocket of the limousine latte liberal political establishment, such as rich boy trust fund multimillionaire Sherwood Guernsey and greed-ball lobbyist Dan Bosley. Give me a break about scapegoating Andrea Harrington for Pittsfield’s problems. Sherwood Guernsey and Dan Bosley and company all chose Tim Shugrue because he will do what they tell him to do as the next D.A. It is all an insider’s game in state and local politics, which means that the fictional Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski family don’t really matter to the elites no matter how progressive they pretend to be. To be fair, it is the same everywhere. However, I believe that Pittsfield politics has it in spades!
Jonathan A. Melle
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January 15, 2023
Hello Boston Globe Editors,
Sarcasm: I am so surprised that the corrupt career politicians and greedy lobbyists who make their living off of state taxpayers on Beacon Hill are dishonest. Sarcasm: I thought that when Beacon Hill lawmakers conduct the state's legislative business, they are honest, govern under Sunshine Laws, and work to meet the needs of the people and taxpayers whom they represent under Boston's shiny Golden Dome. Sarcasm: I thought that former Massachusetts State House Speakers Tom Finneran and Sal DiMasi, both of whom later became Convicted Felons, were exceptions to the rule.
Once again, I must inquire about former Pittsfield State Senator Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior's (a.k.a. Luciforo) alleged illegal double dipping as the then Chair of the State Senate Finance Committee many years ago who also worked as a corporate Attorney for the Boston Law Firm Berman and Dowell serving big banks and insurance companies from 1999 - 2006, according to the Globe's own reporting and published news articles. In 2023, Nuciforo still has a law office in Boston's Financial District. From 2017 - the present time in 2023, Nuciforo used his political connections in Pittsfield and Boston alike to cofound and co-own Berkshire Roots, which is a multimillion-dollar marijuana company. How is it O.K. for Nuciforo to have done all of those allegedly illegal things and go onto rake in millions of dollars for himself in the process, but it is not O.K. for Convicted Felon Sal DiMasi to make a paltry $60,000 per year as a registered lobbyist on Beacon Hill?
I read the Globe's news articles over the years about the growing number of greedy lobbyists on Beacon Hill, and most of them make a 6-figure salary, while some make a 7-figure salary to legally bribe all of the corrupt career politicians in Boston.
Sal DiMasi did his time, while Nuciforo only had to step down as a Pittsfield State Senator in 2006. Nuciforo then strong-armed two women candidates - Sharon Henault and Sara Hathaway - out of a 2006 state election to unilaterally anoint himself as the Pittsfield Registrar of Deeds from 2007 to 2012, while he spent the next 6 years - 2006 to 2012 - plotting to oust the U.S. Congressman John W. Olver in 2012, but Nuciforo ended up tanking against PAC Man Richie Neal by 40 points in 2012. Nuciforo was able to practice law as a sleazy Attorney who defended sleazy insurance companies and their sleazy salesman who robbed little old ladies out of their life savings. Nuciforo is able to rake in millions of dollars as a legal drug dealer of marijuana products.
The immoral of the story is that if you are a politically connected weasel such as Nuciforo, then Beacon Hill, Boston and Pittsfield will reward you with millions of dollars, but if you do your time like Sal DiMasi did, then the Editors of The Boston Globe will criticize you and the entire political system for a sickly old man making $60,000 as a registered lobbyist on Beacon Hill in 2022. The other irony is that former Governor Charlie Baker is making $60,000 per week to watch young adults play college sports, which is on top of his public pension plus perks and his personal wealth. $60,000 must be the buzz word of this month.
Jonathan A. Melle
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A Boston Globe Editorial
"LAWMAKERS: CLOSE THE FELON-AS-LOBBYIST LOOPHOLE"
SAL DIMASI’S CASE SHOWS THE NEED FOR REFORM.
By The Editorial Board, January 15, 2023
Oh those strict constructionists on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Their recent decision in a case involving former House speaker and convicted felon Sal DiMasi has the effect of rendering federal public-corruption convictions a ho-hum matter when it comes to lobbying in Massachusetts.
Convicted on seven such charges in 2011, DiMasi was sentenced to eight years in prison but paroled after five for medical reasons under the federal government’s compassionate release program, which is intended for prisoners who are elderly and have served much of their sentence or who have terminal health conditions.
This newspaper supported compassionate-release consideration for DiMasi, who reportedly suffered from throat and prostate cancer.
But however difficult DiMasi’s medical problems may have been to cope with in prison, they haven’t kept him from returning to the scene of his crimes — and as a lobbyist, no less. Rather than being spurned on Beacon Hill, he has generally been accorded a jail-fellow-well-met reception, Beacon Hill chumminess apparently trumping disgust over a powerful legislative leader pocketing thousands of dollars in kickback in exchange for rigging a state contract for a software company. When House members were sworn in for new terms on Wednesday, DiMasi was there in the chamber.
But DiMasi’s relatively new role as a lobbyist has been met with an appropriate frown from Secretary of State William Galvin, whose office oversees the laws, rules, and regulations that apply to lobbyists. Galvin had denied DiMasi the right to lobby based on a state ethics statute, passed in the aftermath of DiMasi’s 2009 indictment, that banned those with public corruption convictions from lobbying for a period of 10 years.
DiMasi declined to wait out that period. Instead, he tried to register as a lobbyist in 2019.
As pertains strictly to DiMasi, the state’s decade-long ban has ceased to matter, since the 10-year penalty period expired in 2021. (In 2022, DiMasi reported almost $60,000 in lobbying income from five clients: the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, two health care clients, and organizations that serve veterans and the homeless.)
Still, the SJC nevertheless ruled on the legal dispute in the case — and sided with the felonious former speaker. Why? Because though the state statute listed state corruption laws as triggering the automatic ban, it didn’t mention federal ones.
Galvin intends to file legislation to expand the state law so it would cover relevant federal public-corruption convictions of the sort that got DiMasi and his close pal, former lobbyist Richard McDonough, sent to federal prison. Interestingly, a federal judge overseeing McDonough’s parole concluded he had lied about having a substance abuse problem, probably so he could participate in a recovery program that reduced his sentence by a year.
This really should be a no-brainer for the Legislature. Serious corruption is serious corruption, regardless of whether prosecuted at the state or federal level. That’s all the more true for this reason: It’s usually federal prosecutors who develop and pursue these kinds of corruption cases, since they have stronger anti-corruption tools. Why? One reason is that the Massachusetts House has resisted strengthening the investigative tools that state prosecutors have at their disposal.
Such a revised law should also extend the period during which someone who has been convicted on felony corruption charges is automatically banned from lobbying. At a minimum, 20 years seems like a more appropriate period. Otherwise, a sticky-fingered felon like DiMasi can serve the typical federal sentence and still reappear on Beacon Hill to take advantage of his (or her) longtime relationships.
Such a lengthened exclusion would not apply to DiMasi himself. But it would take precedence going forward.
In an era of one-party rule on Beacon Hill, this matter will be a test for Massachusetts Democrats, given that fixing the law would be seen as a slap at the former speaker. But it is important both symbolically and substantively. Declining to fix the law would signal the Legislature is not serious about signaling a no-tolerance policy for public corruption. Governor Maura Healey and Attorney General-elect Andrea Campbell should also lend their vocal support to Galvin’s effort.
Those who take their oaths of office more seriously than DiMasi did his should move expeditiously to ensure that when it comes to former felons becoming lobbyists, DiMasi’s history doesn’t repeat itself — at least not for a 20-year exclusionary period.
Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board.
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April 11, 2023
What is more predictable: Pittsfield politics increasing municipal spending by at least 5 percent per fiscal year or blogger Dan Valenti criticizing former Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington's 4-year stint in elected office? Andrea Harrington was and is the least of the problems in Pittsfield politics and beyond. The political bosses such as Sherwood Guernsey II and Daniel Bosley wrote critical letters against her because they wanted Tim Shugrue in their political pocket. If the wealthy Sherwood Guernsey, greedy lobbyist Dan Bosley and company really cared about good governance, then they would be writing critical letters against the do-nothing Beacon Hill lawmakers, the Swamp spending us into oblivion, and the like. But they are only in it for themselves and their failed political ambitions like all of the other corrupt career politicians out there. Andrea Harrington actually cared about the people and county she represented from 2019 - 2023, but the only thing that matters to the "big wheels" are keeping the bureaucrats and elected officials in line so that they will line their pockets with the Almighty Dollar and power for the rest of their lives. I have unfortunately experienced and studied over many years what the political establishment is really all about: MONEY and POWER! The people and communities always get the shaft along with the good politicians like Andrea Harrington.
Jonathan A. Melle
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April 12, 2023
I admit that I am too redundant. I accept the criticism. But I have also dealt with a lot of retribution over the past 27 years of my adult life from the same cast of characters in the Berkshires to Boston who wrote letters criticizing former Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington, who only held one elected position for one term that lasted 4 years from 2019 - 2022. My observations are that the political establishment protects its own political puppets, while an outsider such as Andrea Harrington receives their derision. Look in the goddamned mirror, Dan Bosley, Sherwood Guernsey and company. You are all failed career politicians who are only interested in MONEY and POWER. You don't really give a shit about the common people and the distressed communities they live in. Andrea Harrington actually cared about and helped people who otherwise slip through the cracks of our inequitable society. I proudly support Andrea Harrington in politics!
Jonathan A. Melle
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April 22, 2023
Hello greedy lobbyist Dan Bosley,
I read your op-ed in the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) today, and it comes as NO surprise to me that you are against helping to house the homeless families in a building at the MCLA campus. Some of your concerns are legitimate, but your public record as a corrupt career politician turned greed-ball registered lobbyist on Beacon Hill is illegitimate.
Please allow me to remind you and everyone else out there of your public record in Boston.
Then North Adams State Representative Dan Bosley voted for Speakers of the State House of Representatives who later became Convicted Felons: Tom Finneran and Sal DiMasi.
Then North Adams State Representative Dan Bosley sponsored the failed "Bosley Amendment" that was a secretive rider to legislation that would have given big businesses in Massachusetts the single largest tax break worth billions of dollars in the history of state government.
Dan Bosley is a greedy lobbyist in Boston (and beyond) whereby he earns a 6-figure salary legally bribing the fictional Massachusetts State Representative Sellout Shakedown to give huge state tax breaks for his special interest clients.
Then North Adams State Representative Dan Bosley opposed then Governor Deval Patrick's push for casino gambling in Massachusetts because he didn't want it to cut into the state lottery's profits.
Dan Bosley has two residences: One in North Adams and the other in Boston, which means he lives the high life.
Dan Bosley is NOT volunteering his time at the homeless shelters and/or animal shelters, yet he criticizes the state for its systemic failures in funding and providing social services for the homeless families.
Dan Bosley wrote several op-eds praising PAC Man Richie Neal, who is the Congressman from Springfield who is in the pocket of K Street lobbyist firms' special interests, especially insurance companies.
Dan Bosley wrote an unfavorable op-ed about then Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington prior to the Fall 2022 election, but Hell would freeze over if he wrote similar op-eds about his own public record.
Dan Bosley says he comes from a very poor family, attended MCLA many decades ago, and fought for the college when he was a State Representative from North Adams until 2011, but the reality is that Dan Bosley favors big government and big business over the common people.
When my dad, Bob, was a Berkshire County Commissioner (1997 - mid-2000), he called Dan Bosley "reprehensible", and Dan Bosley was not very nice to my dad back then. Dan Bosley said that I, Jon Melle, am a man with no character. What a (not) nice guy, Dan Bosley!
Dan Bosley unsuccessfully ran for Berkshire County Sheriff in 2010 to try to double his state pension.
Dan Bosley voted against Clean Elections that unsuccessfully tried to drive big money out of state politics. Dan Bosley made his way in life by being in the pocket of the special interests.
It has been written in blog posts that Dan Bosley is said to collect up to two Massachusetts state pensions plus public perks, which is on top of his greed-ball lobbyist salary. I have a blog post that sarcastically says that Massachusetts should pay their taxes to Dan Bosley instead of to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts because it would be more direct and cut out the middleman.
Why is it O.K. for Dan Bosley to receive so many financial benefits from the state taxpayers of Massachusetts, but he is against homeless families having a roof over their heads in a building on the MCLA campus? When I look up hypocrisy and a man who lives his life by double standards, I see a picture of Dan Bosley standing on the word "GREED"!
In closing, I do NOT understand why the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) publishes Dan Bosley's op-eds and letters hypocritically criticizing other politicians who do not line his own pockets with money without the aforementioned facts about Dan Bosley's public record in Boston.
Happy Earth Day (It would be nice if you, Dan Bosley, lived in the real world),
Jonathan A. Melle
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Dan Bosley: "Why I think MCLA shelter plan would be a disservice to the school and to homeless families"
By Dan Bosley, op-ed, The Berkshire Eagle, April 22, 2023
As a former student, a resident in the neighborhood, and as one who has worked very hard to help Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, I am asking you to reject the Healey administration’s efforts to place homeless families in the Berkshire Towers. I don’t believe this is good for the families, the college or the community.
MCLA could receive $2.6 million per year from the state for turning a dorm into a homeless shelter for families
In the November executive committee minutes, it was noted that this held potential for “real revenue” for the college. This decision should not be made based on revenue for the college. It should be based on long-term interests in the college and impact on homeless families.
With regard to the homeless population, in the Department of Housing and Community Development’s “frequently asked questions for the City of North Adams,” sent out last week, it was noted that DHCD expects to house 50 to 75 families at the college. And while the November minutes stated that short-term stays of five to 10 days were expected, the DHCD memo states that there is no minimum or maximum length of stay. However, we know that the hotels contracted by the state are full because many families have not moved out. So, we can surmise that the length of stay will be longer rather than shorter. Closer to home, we can look at the Louison House in North Adams. They have a three-family capacity and an average length of stay of five to six months. Can you imagine trying to place 50 to 75 families?
The DHCD memo also contains several errors. First, we do have a family shelter in North Adams as well as shelter capacity run by ServiceNet in Pittsfield. Second is the inference that the families needing shelter will be from Berkshire County. We know that is not the case. In fact, the need for family shelter is directly related to the influx of immigration in Massachusetts. We are a welcoming state, and that has lead to an increase in families coming to the commonwealth. However, it also means that families will need support and will rely on city and area services, and that places an undue burden on our service networks. Since these are families with children, there will be an increased burden on the local school system. While the state promises assistance, we all know that the promise and the continued aid to fulfill that promise are very different.
Regarding the families themselves, placing them at the college is not an optimal location. There is no playground for the children and the dorm rooms don’t have kitchens. Food will have to be brought in, and the DHCD memo states that there will be supervisors and security provided. This sounds more like incarceration than housing for the families placed there.
I am not dismissive of the families in need, but the fact is that the state doesn’t have a plan to transition families in their care. Much the same as the college shouldn’t look at this as a revenue enhancement, the state cannot look at this as a way to simply satisfy the requirements of the right to shelter law. We need to address the real needs of the families we house. That includes long-term, scattered-site housing and the prospect for employment. Again, placing them in North Adams without the requisite housing opportunities or job prospects fails the families we purport to help.
Regarding the college itself, I am very concerned about its future. As I said, I am a former student. I grew up in a very poor family, and if not for this institution I would not have been able to afford a college degree. I also live in the neighborhood and want the college to thrive. I understand how important the college is for the economy of the area. And as the former state representative, I have responded when the college needed assistance. When the library was sliding into the parking lot, I made sure we had the funds to repair it. When we needed extra funding to complete the Murdock Hall rehabilitation, I secured funding and when we needed to build a science building, I worked with the school president as well as former Gov. Deval Patrick and was able to include the $55 million in a higher education bond.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the state was at the height of a fiscal crisis, there were several plans floated by legislative leaders and political activists that would have closed two college campuses. One of those was MCLA. I was able to fend off these efforts, but given the decrease in enrollment to approximately 700 students this fall, I am not sure that effort will be successful should the situation arise again. I believe that MCLA was given one of the smallest increases in the 2024 budget this year, and that might be an indicator of your strength should we battle this again.
We need to ensure that enrollment increases and that we are once again strong enough to withstand any challenges. I don’t see that happening presently. I have talked to students in my neighborhood who are frustrated because they can’t get the classes they need. We need to fix that. I was frustrated that the college didn’t purchase the Boardman Block, which I always considered an unofficial part of the campus, when the opportunity arose. Instead, it was purchased by a nonprofit and is now being used as substance abuse housing. What message does it send to parents who are bringing their children here when the college has substance abuse housing on one side and homeless families on the other? At a time when we need to grow and the area needs a strong college, we will be hemmed in with no room to grow. We need to consider the long-term impact on the college if we lease the towers to the state.
I understand that the term for this lease is 18 months. MCLA might consider this temporary, but the memo states that the initial lease term is 18 months. That indicates to me that they consider this as something longer-term. And once families are in the towers, what happens if the college wants to terminate the lease? What do we do with the families? Do we uproot them to another housing hotel, or does the state insist they will keep them here until they can find suitable housing elsewhere regardless of how long that takes?
Finally, I understand that Salem has been used as the example that this can work. I would remind you that Salem was in the process of turning that property over to the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance. It is on the south campus and not adjacent to their main campus. It is different from our situation.
This is an important decision. Given that the neighborhood (and most of the city) has only heard of this issue recently, we have not had a chance to weigh in. Recently, about two dozen neighbors got together to ask what they could do about this issue. They are frustrated and feel put upon.
I want to continue to assist the college in becoming great again. Your 450 employees and 700 students are a huge factor in our local economy. And they provided students like me with a place to learn, grow and be successful. Please reject this plan and continue to work on plans to increase enrollment and help the local economy.
Dan Bosley, of North Adams, is a former state representative and a Class of 1976 graduate of North Adams State College, now called Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in 1997.
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April 22, 2023
Hello Dan Bosley,
There are two responses to my blog post open letter to you today on Planet Valenti.
"Dan Bosley is correct in arguing against housing homeless and illegal immigrants on the campus of MCLA. Forcing migrants into the already economically suffering North Adams area would be a huge strain on their local social service agencies. Bosley is correct in arguing that the migrants should be accommodated in cities with a population of over 100,000 where their local economy would have more opportunities for assimilation.
I would encourage all Western MA citizens to read Dan Bosley’s article in today’s Berkshire Eagle. It is very well written and I completely agree with Bosley’s points."
- & -
"Your dad, Rob Melle rakes in $50,570 a year in a Massachusetts pension. Dan Bosley collects $32,293 per year."
I was surprised that the aforementioned two blog posts are in your favor. I guess that your public record in Boston of being all about the Almighty Dollar by serving the special interests didn't factor into your opposition to providing housing to homeless families in North Adams, Massachusetts.
I have long believed that there should be no such thing as homelessness in the U.S.A. (and beyond). Rather, I believe that the government should invest in the people it serves. Instead, the government only does DISSERVICES to the common people, and in return, the career politicians enrich themselves and their wealthy campaign donors at the public trough.
I, Jon Melle, must stand alone in my belief that the government has a moral obligation to end homelessness and invest in people so that the underclass has a chance for social mobility into the middle class in their distressed lives. You, Dan Bosley, unfortunately stand among the people in your belief that families may be at risk of being homeless, and that greedy lobbyists like yourself come before the people who need social services the most.
Jonathan A. Melle
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May 18, 2023
I am proud of the first woman to hold the elected position of Berkshire County District Attorney named Andrea Harrington, who is my fellow 1993 high school graduate from Taconic High School (I graduated from Pittsfield High School that same year). The words written about her on this blog were mean-spirited, untrue, and harmful. She helped the people who were in the most need that are otherwise always are ignored by the political establishment, which obviously does NOT give a shit about the local people, families and taxpayers. Dan Bosley's letter to the editor last Fall 2022 was the height of hypocrisy. When he was a North Adams State Representative many years ago, Dan Bosley voted for Speakers of the Massachusetts State House who later became Convicted Felons. Dan Bosley is a greed-ball lobbyist in Boston (and beyond) who also collects a state public pension plus perks. Similar to Dan Bosley, Sherwood Guernsey is a former Williamstown State Representative who wrote a letter to the editor against Andrea Harrington late last year. Sherwood Guernsey is an old wealthy latte limousine liberal who criticized one of his own uber liberal politicians in Andrea Harrington. Lastly, I wrote to Andrea Harrington last year that she should sue blogger Dan Valenti for the horrible things that he wrote about her on this blog. I wrote to her that if blogger Dan Valenti wrote that "the Jonathan Melles of the world are responsible for the mass shooting at Uvalde, Texas", then I would sue him for every penny he is worth and then give all of his money to the families in Uvalde, Texas. For that, blogger Dan Valenti banned me from posting on this blog for a couple of weeks until my reinstatement.
Jonathan A. Melle
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May 24, 2023
I am proud of the first woman Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington's one term for four years - 2019 to 2022 - in elected office. I believe that she did a good job prosecuting violent crime in Pittsfield. The only thing that worked against her is that she wasn't a political insider in Pittsfield politics.
Tim Shugrue ran for the position in 2004 and lost. Tim Shugrue ran for the position 18 years later in 2022 and won by kissing the dirty behinds of all of the political insiders who put Pittsfield into the ditch. Dan Bosley and Sherwood Guernsey's respective letters to the editor of the Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) showed that the political establishment is more interested in maintaining its power structure than giving a damn about the common people who live in Pittsfield and North Adams. Dan Bosley is a greedy lobbyist who also collects a state public pension plus perks. Sherwood Guernsey is an old wealth latte limousine liberal politician. Hell would freeze over before Dan Bosley and Sherwood Guernsey would write letters to the editor criticizing the political establishment that they are part of in Massachusetts.
Andrea Harrington helped the people who needed her public advocacy the most because no one else gives a damn about the proverbial little people, while the political establishment mistreats the common people like Pittsfield politics mistreats the bedraggled fictional Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski family in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Berkshire County District Attorney Tim Shugrue has been in elected office for almost 5 months now. Prior to 2023, Tim Shugrue was a greedy Ambulance chasing Divorce Attorney who was out for the Almighty Dollar. Tim Shugrue controversially thanked retired Judge Dan Ford for his mentorship and support. Dan Ford railroaded the late Bernard Baran and has a long history of questionable actions as a former Berkshire County Prosecutor and retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge.
I am sure that Tim Shugrue told blogger Dan Valenti everything that he wanted to hear from him. Tim Shugrue operates like all of the other political insiders who are in the political establishment's pocket. Tim Shugrue's negative campaign against Andrea Harrington worked, but she proved herself to be the bigger person
I have experienced Pittsfield politics as an adult over many years of my life and I understand full well that the political insiders are all in bed with each other, and that when one stands up to one or more of them, one will face retribution, which is what happened to Andrea Harrington.
Violent crime in Pittsfield will still be in the top 10 cities in Massachusetts during and after Tim Shugrue's time as the Berkshire County District Attorney. Like all of the other political establishment insiders, Tim Shugrue is full of "HOT AIR"!
Jonathan A. Melle
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March 11, 2024
I recently read a news article that cited Pittsfield, Massachusetts is a city with a violent crime rate that more than doubled the statewide average since at least 1980, which is 44 years ago now. Andrea Harrington served one 4-year single term as the Berkshire County District Attorney from 2019 - 2022. While violent crime remained just about the same in Pittsfield during her one-term, it is statistically untrue to say that she failed in her duties as the county's top prosecutor because violent crime in Pittsfield since has been a sad and scary reality since at least 1980. It fair to say that one does not agree with her views of restorative justice based on gender and racial social justice because it is not a widely accepted mainstream legal practice in the U.S.A.
It interested me that the failed political establishment in Berkshire County - including the very wealthy Sherwood Guernsey and the greedy lobbyist Dan Bosley - wrote unfavorable letters against D.A. Andrea Harrington during her 2022 failed reelection campaign. I believed that the failed political establishment wanted someone else other than her who would be in their pocket instead of solving the long-standing matter of violent crime in Pittsfield, which is still an ongoing social problem in 2024.
Mayor Peter Marchetti publicly stated that he requests a 90-day grace period free from negative criticisms, along with him saying he is not a fan of social media commentary in Pittsfield, nor does he like the blogs that write about Pittsfield politics. My reply to the openly gay Mayor, who is my relative as we share the same great-grandparents from before we were born in Pittsfield, is that he works for the people and taxpayers of Pittsfield, and that he should respect Freedom of Speech in Pittsfield politics.
The openly gay Governor, Maura Healey, has confused me because she is sending Pittsfield (and beyond) illegal immigrants, homeless people and families, and other members of the underclass population, while at the same time, she cut state funding for Social Services Agencies that the city relies on to help these marginalized people and families. In her fiscal year 2025 state budget proposal, she is making additional cuts in state funding for social services programs that assist people, families and communities in need of assistance. She is a proponent of gambling in Massachusetts, which on a policy level is really regressive taxation that targets the mostly financially illiterate low- to moderate-income residents, while the greedy lobbyists see the inequitable state revenues from gambling as means to give their big business clients even bigger state tax breaks in Boston.
In closing, I write one word: DISSERVICES.
Jon Melle
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