May 21, 2022
Hello blogger Dan Valenti,
Yes. We will always be friends. Yes. I care about you, and I am thankful that you care about me. To be clear, I strongly disagree with your decision to ban me from posting on your awesome blog for 2 weeks. While I understand that it is your blog, but what about my right to Freedom of Speech?
I see my 26-year-old conflict(s) with Nuciforo as being in the past, as well as being in the present time, and being in my future. I understand that a lot of it happened over 2 decades ago, but not all of it. When I was 20 years old in the Spring of 1996, I had no idea who Nuciforo was back then. I had no idea how conspiratorial and mean-spirited he was in Pittsfield politics to Boston. I had no idea that he would hurt me and my dad. Nuciforo took me by surprise back then, but all of these years later in my life, I now know who Nuciforo is and what he has done, and I also know what he is capable of doing in the future. If I had a choice, I wish that Nuciforo was never part of my life, but unfortunately for me, Nuciforo is like a wart on my skin that I try to remove, but it keeps growing back, and the cycle of conflict and abuse goes on and on.
Please practice what you preach. You write and blog about Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington all of the time. I disagree with your unfavorable coverage of her. Pittsfield has had a violent crime problem long before 2019 when she became the D.A. Countless Pittsfield politicians have promised to stop Pittsfield's violent crime problem for years/decades without success. It is unfair for you to write and blog that her progressive political views and restorative justice policies are causing Pittsfield's violent crime problem. Andrea Harrington has every right to her progressive political views because we live in a free country. I am not saying she is without flaws, but none of us are.
I offer the following comparison:
Jon Melle:Andrea Luciforo::Dan Valenti:Andrea Harrington
I support Berkshire Country District Attorney Andrea Harrington for reelection in 2022.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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JON
I understand you may not agree with this advice, which I respect, but let’s try it. Of course, I believe you have tried to heal, and I can’t say anything about your success in that, since that is an individual situation. Trust me when I tell you I write out of care for you and hence am advising what I think might be best for you and THE PLANET. We are friends and always shall be.
DAN
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May 20, 2022
Hello blogger Dan Valenti,
Thank you for your email to me today, Friday, May 20th, 2022, which is the 24-year anniversary of when "Luciforo" tried to jail me on May 20, 1998, when I was a 22-year-old graduate college student at UMass Amherst, and my dad was an elected Berkshire County Commissioner back then. I am disappointed with your decision to ban me for 2-weeks from posting on your awesome blog "PlanetValenti". Your comment that I should give up "this fixation with Nuciforo" strikes me as a double standard due to you always writing and posting unfavorable words about the current/sitting Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington, who is running for reelection this year of 2022. I have tried to deal with, cope with, and heal from the Nuciforo's years of bullying me, and Nuciforo filing all of his state government "ethics" complaints against my dad from the Fall of 1997 to the Spring of 1998. Do you really believe that I don't try to deal with the past, present and future moments of my life? Nuciforo meets all of the criteria. Nuciforo tells people that I used to go around harassing people when I was a then young man in my 20's from mid-1995 to mid-2005. Nuciforo's sin(s) of omission(s) are that he was the one who dished out harassment and retribution against innocent people back then.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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May 20, 2022
On May 20th, 1998, which is 24 years ago now, the Pittsfield State Senator Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior made secretive and false allegations to the Pittsfield Police Department that I was making veiled threats against him and that if I stopped by his local legislative office, his staff were to immediately call 911 and I was to be arrested and sent to the Berkshire County Jail (where his Mafia-like Pittsfield politics ally Sheriff Carmen C. Massimiano, Jr. was in charge). My dad, Bob, found out about it and he told me to stay away from Nuciforo back then. This unusual event in my life took place after Nuciforo made multiple state government "ethics" complaints to multiple state government agencies from Boston to Pittsfield Massachusetts from the Autumn of 1997 to the Spring of 1998 against my father, Bob Melle, who worked in the probation department in the Pittsfield District Court back then and also served as an elected Berkshire County Commissioner back then. The irony of Nuciforo's filing of state "ethics" complaints against his political opponents as retribution, including my father, is that in 2006, Nuciforo had to step down from his elected post as a State Senator because of his alleged illegal double dipping as Chairman of the State Senate Finance Committee while at the same time working as a corporate Attorney for Boston area Big Banks and Insurance Companies. The irony of Nuciforo telling the PPD that I was making veiled threats against him on May 20th, 1998, was that Nuciforo was the one making open threats against me, including during the Summer of 1997 when he gave me a threatening staring look that would have even scared the President himself, and then during the 1997 North Adams Fall Foliage Parade when he - with Sara Hathaway at his side (who said nothing to stop Nuciforo) - cut from his parade route and got right in my face, but my Uncle who lives in Saratoga Springs, NY, and my cousin from North Adams back then stepped in front of me which led Nuciforo to back off and go back to his parade route. Since I was 20 years old in the Spring of 1996 when my father started his campaign for Berkshire County Commissioner back then, Nuciforo conspiratorially had his political network bully and even threaten to physically assault me without Nuciforo leaving behind his own proverbial fingerprints/DNA. Nuciforo blacklisted me from employment when I was a then young man in my mid to late-20s living in Becket and then Pittsfield back then. After I moved to Southern New Hampshire in the early-Spring of 2004 (through present time of Spring 2022), Nuciforo had his mean-spirited political network spread half-truth and vicious rumors about me around the Pittsfield area. Since March, 2017, Nuciforo used his political connections in Pittsfield and Boston to cofound his a little over 5-year-old multimillion dollar marijuana empire. Since he had to step down from being a State Senator back in 2006, Nuciforo still has a law office in Boston's financial district whereby he continues to enrich himself from his corrupt connections with Boston's big banks and insurance companies. How does Nuciforo get away with all of this is beyond my comprehension, but corrupt politicians only get richer and more powerful as time goes by in local, state and federal government. In closing, Nuciforo is a 4-foot tall piece of shit!
Jonathan A. Melle
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May 19, 2022
I am getting insulted daily on the PlanetValenti blog that covers Pittsfield politics and beyond. I am being insulted for my mental health condition as a disabled Veteran, for masturbation, for being called disparaging names such as "Marxist Melle" and "Scam Artist", for supporting the progressive Berkshire County D.A. Andrea Harrington's 2022 reelection, for writing that Nuciforo has persecuted me over the past 26 years of my life, and so on. When I reply to the ongoing mudslinging, blog posters write that it is about my off-traffic ego, and they ask blogger Dan Valenti to ban me from posting on his blog. Blogger Dan Valenti wrote and posted: "We shall consider it". I ask blogger Dan Valenti to consider all of it, please.
I view blogger Dan Valenti's ongoing unfavorable writings of Andrea Harrington to be without merit, but I cannot argue with the facts he presents about her. Andrea Harrington is the least of the problems in government. There are so many corrupt career politicians in Pittsfield politics, Boston, and the Swamp, that all of them make Andrea Harrington's 3-year, 4 month and 19-day tenure as D.A. look good, despite her professional mistakes. Attorney Tim Shugrue's campaign promises to stop Pittsfield's decades of Violent Crime have been made by countless Pittsfield politicians over the years without success. Give me a break!
On a personal note, Nuciforo and his mean-spirited and conspiratorial political network of bullies mistreated me since the Spring of 1996 - as well as my father - because my dad, Bob Melle, was a Berkshire County Commissioner (1997 - mid-2000), and Nuciforo made it his mission to abolish Berkshire County Government back then.
Massachusetts politics is a one political party dominated fiefdom with a bunch of local top-down fiefdoms full of corrupt career politicians who want to suppress democracy, including Freedom of Speech, through retribution, which is the very thing that is happening to me today in Dan Valenti's blog. We are supposed to be a nation of laws, not of men. We are supposed to tear down political fiefdoms, political corruption, and the corrupt career politicians who want to suppress democracy, including Freedom of Speech!
Jonathan A. Melle
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May 22, 2022
Hello blogger Dan Valenti,
Interesting blog posting tonight, despite the current 2-week ban you have imposed on me from posting my response to it. Anyway, my response to your emphasis on COMMUNICATION is that people such as you and myself communicating with a corrupt career politician really means if we don't fill their campaign coffers with a lot of cash, stroke their ego like we are proverbially stroking their...., and unconditionally kissing their dirty behinds, then talking to them is an exercise in futility. On Joe Biden's new and historic White House press secretary, what difference does it make who is spinning the president's propaganda? Nobody believes any of it in the first place.
As for the Lovely Linda Tyer, she is the "Business as usual" Mayor of Pittsfield politics, which charges the fictional Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski excessively high municipal taxes for substandard public services and Level 5 public schools. But what else is new in good old Pittsfield politics? The middle-class families, small business investors, and young adults have been fleeing Pittsfield over the past 50 years. Unless one is politically connected with the "All in the Family" incestuous-like low gene pool multigenerational Good Old Boys families, then he or she has better odds winning the state lottery jackpot than finding and retaining a living wage job in Pittsfield. Those are terrible odds, of course, but that is Massachusetts fiefdom politics in a nutshell.
I had my monthly dinner with my best friend on this past Friday evening, and I asked him what he thought about Joe Biden hiring impeachment Attorneys this past week due to the high probability that the Republicans will win the majorities in both chambers of the United States Congress in the 2022 midterm elections? He replied that Joe Biden was being preemptive in anticipating that the U.S. House of Representatives under Republican majority control will file articles of Impeachment against him. I find it to be a foregone conclusion that Trump, Biden in 2023, and future U.S. Presidents thereafter will have articles of Impeachment filed against them if the opposing political party has majority control of U.S. Congress. To Hell with the Rule of Law because it has recently become the Rule of Political Retribution in the Swamp.
I told my dad, Bob, that I agreed with Trump when he was impeached the first time because I would have asked the President of Ukraine about Hunter Biden's activities there, too. My dad said the extortion with foreign aid and the quid pro quo was the reason the U.S. House Democrats voted to impeach Trump. I told my dad that I agreed with the U.S. House Democrats vote to impeach Trump the second time because Trump incited the January 6th, 2021, Capitol Hill insurrection. 5 people were killed, including a Capitol Hill Police Officer that tragic day.
Lastly, I noticed that you did not write about Andrea Harrington in your blog post tonight. And I didn't write about Andrea "Luciforo" in my political email to you tonight.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
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June 2, 2022
Nuciforo's cousin purchased an abandoned property in Slingerlands, New York, for $770,000 on March 2nd, 2022. Nuciforo's late-mother's last name was Wojtkowski. Nuciforo's late-Aunt Anne Everest Wojtkowski was the first woman Mayor of Pittsfield. Nuciforo followed his late-Father's footsteps as a Pittsfield State Senator in Boston. The "All in the Family" Nuciforo and Wojtkowski Pittsfield family dynasty's Berkshire Roots company is the largest grower of marijuana in Western Massachusetts with multimillion-dollar marijuana dispensaries in Pittsfield and East Boston. New York State is getting ready to allow marijuana dispensaries to legally sell their recreational drugs there. Similar to alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and the like, marijuana dispensaries are predatory businesses that profit off of exploiting low to moderate income people and communities. I do not know anything about Slingerlands, New York, but it probably is a distressed community outside of Albany. Pittsfield (MA) is a severely distressed community within an hour's drive to Albany. It is always in the distressed communities where the predatory lawyers, politicians, businessmen, and so on, thrive. Nuciforo was a corrupt politician who bragged about hurting people with state "ethics" complaints and wanting not just to win, but to win big. Nuciforo had to step down from being a State Senator in Boston in 2006 because he was allegedly illegally double dipping as Chairman of the State Senate Finance Committee while at the same time working as a Corporate Attorney for Boston area's big banks and insurance companies. Nuciforo's infamous corrupt cutthroat reputation of wanting to win big followed him when he used his political connections in Pittsfield and Boston to be one of the first marijuana businessmen in Massachusetts. The Boston Globe wrote news stories and editorials over the years about Nuciforo's corruption in state government and in the multibillion-dollar marijuana industry. Since Nuciforo's corrupt political career and cutthroat reputation became known as a fringe political outsider in 2012, various people told me that Nuciforo spends most of his time in Boston, while staying invested with his Wojtkowski side of his family in Pittsfield. Nuciforo still has a law office in Boston's financial district. The Boston newspapers write about disgraced politicians such as Dianne Wilkerson running for her old seat in the State Senate in 2022 without writing that while she paid her debt to society, Nuciforo and others like him were far more corrupt than she was, and they profited from their alleged misdeeds to the tune of many millions of dollars. In closing, I feel sorry for Slingerlands, New York, because Nuciforo is a no-good son of bitch who belongs in state prison for his decades of corruption in Massachusetts!
Jonathan Alan Melle
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June 10, 2022
JON
I would like to invite you back to THE PLANET. These are the conditions:
1. No more than one post per day.
2. Posts of brief to moderate length. The briefer the better.
3. No posts on Nuciforo or past prosecutions of you or your family.
If those conditions are acceptable, and you give me your word as a gentleman to abide by them, then please come back. If not, then we can continue your retreat.
Let me know.
In any case, be assured of my friendship and respect.
DAN
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June 10, 2022
Hello blogger Dan Valenti,
I had an emotional reaction to your email to me. I have taken a few hours to gather myself enough to reply. I feel like you know how Pittsfield politics operates more than anyone. Everything I have written to you about Nuciforo over the years is in confluence with Pittsfield politics. Nuciforo's late father was a Pittsfield State Senator and then a Family and Probate state court Judge in Pittsfield. Nuciforo's late-Aunt, Anne Everest Wojtkowski, was Pittsfield's first woman Mayor and a career professor at Berkshire Community College. Nuciforo's Uncle, Tom Wojtkowski, was a Pittsfield State Representative and an Attorney in Pittsfield. Nuciforo followed in his father's footsteps as a Pittsfield State Senator in Boston, which is similar to the Doyle family, the Pignatelli family, the Downing family, the Ruberto family, and so on. It is "All in the Family" when it comes to Pittsfield politics. I know full well that your vast knowledge of Pittsfield politics is like Mount Greylock, while my limited knowledge of Pittsfield politics is like the hill at Clapp Park. For a little over 26 years, Nuciforo has purposefully persecuted my dad and myself in a Mafia-like style that fits the mold of Pittsfield politics. I haven't lived in or near Pittsfield in over 18 years now, but I reasonable assume that Pittsfield politics is still ran by the proverbial 4 families similar to NYC when it was managed by the 4 Mafia families in the 1950s. How do you think it makes me feel that my name has been dragged through the mud in Pittsfield over the past 26 years of my life? What distorted half-truth rumors about me do Pittsfield area people gullible enough to believe the Nuciforo network's vicious rumors believe? I know that you are nobody's fool, Dan Valenti, but there are enough people who don't understand the way it is in Pittsfield politics. Since I was 20 years old in the Spring of 1996, Nuciforo had multiple people connected to his political network conspiratorially bully and even physically threaten me over many years without Nuciforo leaving behind his own proverbial fingerprints/DNA shortly after my dad, Bob, began his campaign for Berkshire County Commissioner, which he won in November 1996, and went on to serve as an elected official from 1997 - mid-2000. I understand that it is almost the Summer of 2022, and my father's political activism in Pittsfield and beyond is a long time ago now, but Nuciforo's retribution and negative actions against me never really stopped. Nuciforo filed multiple state "ethics" complaints against my dad from the Fall of 1997 to the Spring of 1998, which he sent to multiple state government agencies from Boston to Pittsfield. When I was 22 years old in the Spring of 1998, Nuciforo, who was both indirectly and directly bullying me by then, made false allegations against me to the Pittsfield Police Department that I was making veiled threats against him, and that if I entered his Pittsfield legislative district office, his staff would immediately call the police to have me arrested and jailed. Nuciforo did this without calling my dad, who back then was a political colleague of his back then. My dad found out about these events and told me to stay away from Nuciforo. When I was 24 years old and finally finished with K - 18 education, Nuciforo blacklisted me from finding employment in the beautiful Berkshires. I joined the U.S. Army in the Fall of 1999, whereby I served our country honorably, and after July 7, 2001, I have been a 100% service-connected disabled Veteran ever since. Despite all of Nuciforo's bullying and persecution of me and my dad, I am thankful that my dad wasn't fired from his Massachusetts state government job, and that he was able to retire in early-2002 after 31 years of faithful service to the Commonwealth. I am thankful that Nuciforo wasn't able to jail me. I am thankful that our country honors me as a Veteran. The irony of Nuciforo's self-righteous time in Massachusetts state government is that he had to step down from the State Senate in 2006 because he was allegedly illegally double dipping as the Chairman of the State Senate Finance Committee while at the same time, he was working for Boston area big banks and insurance companies as a Corporate Attorney. Talk about Nuciforo violating more state laws and policies than one can count their fingers and toes. In 2006, Nuciforo strong armed two women - Sara Hathaway and Sharon Henault - out of the state government so-called "election" for Pittsfield Registrar of Deeds, which he was going to quickly resign from after a few weeks in early-2007 if then Governor Deval Patrick named him the state Commissioner of Insurance, but he was passed over, and Nuciforo remained at the Registry of Deeds, which he treated as a no-show public sinecure. In 2012, Nuciforo launched his campaign for U.S. Congress against Congressman John W. Olver, who ended up retiring after redistricting. Nuciforo faced PAC Man Richie Neal in the 2012 Democratic Party primary, but he ended up being called a fringe politician who lost to Congressman Richard Neal by 40 percentage points. In March of 2017, Nuciforo cofounded his multimillion-dollar marijuana empire in Pittsfield with a marijuana dispensary in East Boston. The Boston Globe wrote news stories and editorials about Nuciforo using his insider political connections to start one of the first marijuana businesses with deep pockets of financial investors over minorities and Veterans. All of these years later, Nuciforo still has a law office in the Boston financial district where he makes money representing sleazy insurance salesmen who scam little old ladies out of their hard-earned life savings. Then, when I post something on your blog, there is almost always comments posted on your blog mocking me about how Nuciforo persecuted me many years ago like it is all in my head and it is a big joke to Pittsfield. When I talk to mental health providers, I am told that I have experienced unusual events that most people never experience. Is there a mental health group for people who were bullied and persecuted by Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior over the past 26 years? I didn't think so. I must sound like a delusional man, but it all really happened to me. Why? What the Hell did I do other than being the son of Bob Melle? I never had a choice in the matter! Mental health providers have told me that this isn't about politics, but it is about Nuciforo being mean-spirited. When Nuciforo campaigned against PAC Man Richie Neal in 2012, the Springfield Republican used the same word to describe Nuciforo: Mean-spirited. From what I have heard over the years in Berkshire County, most of the powerful Democratic Party officials dislike Nuciforo for his actions of putting himself above everyone else in Pittsfield politics. Boston is a much larger city than Pittsfield, so Nuciforo probably doesn't stand out to the people who live there. I hope that you, Dan Valenti, along with everyone else, will finally or someday understand my perspective on and negative emotional feelings about Nuciforo.
I agree with your conditions of me posting on your blog. I respect you. I see you as a friend of my family. I am thankful for your public advocacy in Pittsfield politics and beyond.
Best wishes,
Jon Melle
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September 16, 2022
Hello Fort Cannon,
Thank you for your emails. I believe that your heart is in the right place.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
On Friday, September 16, 2022 at 8:56 PM EDT, Fort Cannon wrote:
We can clear up a few things. Politics is a changing game, we are never a donkey or an elephant because someone else is, unless we lose all common sense and take on a sheep's mentality.
Your dad is a great guy and I hold much respect for him. We started out together over 50 years ago. County government died, I don't know if that was for the best? The last holdout is the sheriff's office and that is 80% state controlled. Their job is incarcerating prisoners. If they don't do it and well they will be history.
Shugrue, you missed the boat. The incumbent was inept and it came to light once she had been elected. Progressive is not another word for incapable. Shugrue was voted in because he had the respect and trust of the top law enforcement in the jurisdiction. If the DA's office doesn't work law enforcement doesnt. I predict he will do a fine job. He did private practice and when a prosecuter I believe he prosecuted any case load assigned, and well. His adversary never prosecuted anything and really wasnt successfulI in civil practice. She was not dilligent like your dad. They were both compassionate, that's it. I think you live too far away to really have a grip on this? All in the rear view.
Trump gobbly goop is just that, the whole country flourished and Wall Street provided the money to get rid of him. Ask yourself, not in their best interest? They over contributed to Brandon so that argument is shot. Of course we have corruption, my question exactly why do you vote for it? Tell me a squeaky clean Democrat running or holding a statewide or national post? I'll be excited to put them on my list, so far there is none. We can list corrupt politicians for ever, and given time I'll give you two to one maybe 3? I was an independent for 28 years and tired of fence sitting. I chose the Republican party because it would be the easiest to clean up. There were more people with virtue about everyday things like God and rule of law. They all need scrutiny, foxes guarding a chicken coop have been known to eat the inventory. A two party system is a must. I'll leave you in peace, keep your powder dry and your chin up.
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March 20, 2023
I didn't write that letter. Please leave my best friend Todd Green out of this. He has nothing to do with what Luciforo did to me in Pittsfield politics since I was 20 years old during the Spring of 1996 through present time. Nuciforo and my dad, Bob, both ran for and won elected offices in 1996. While my dad, Bob, lived in the beautiful Berkshires back then, Luciforo always really lived in Boston. Luciforo had no business being a Pittsfield Massachusetts State Senator back then because he didn't really reside in his Berkshire-based state legislative district back then. Since I first met him during the Spring of 1996, Nuciforo went on to hurt both my dad, Bob, and myself for many years/decades. Luciforo never apologized for any of his harmful actions. In fact, I was told over and over again that Nuciforo mockingly laughs when people bring my name up to him. Part of the reason for my mental health issues are from my dad's political career as a Berkshire County Commissioner from 1997 - mid-2000. Luciforo put me through Hell for being Bob Melle's son. Lastly, I will never use mental health as a weapon against myself or anyone else because I have a good conscience, unlike Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior aka Luciforo!
Jonathan A. Melle
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May 6, 2023
By that logic, if one kicks a dog enough times and the abused dog ends up biting the human animal abuser, then that allows the human animal abuser to kick that dog some more. Do you really believe that I, Jon Melle, asked for any of this abuse by "Luciforo" and his network of bullies? What you are telling me is that if I stop writing about my experiences in Pittsfield politics to the Boston Statehouse, then I won't be seen as a would-be paranoid victim of political persecution who is spinning a bs fairytale. What exactly did I do "to all those people I mention"? If they are saying that they had to do something about the aggression that I allegedly showed towards them, then they are committing the Sin of Omission by leaving out "all of those things I mention" that they did to me and my family over the past 27 years when my dad, Bob, began his successful campaign for Berkshire County Commissioner. They never tried hard to reason with me with no effect because they persecuted me since I was 20 years old in the Spring of 1996. They never stopped! I was told that while what happened to me occurred within the context of politics, that what happened was not politics, but rather, it was really mean-spirited and vindictive actions by career politicians and bureaucrats from Pittsfield to Boston. In all of this time, nobody who conspiratorially hurt my family and I ever once apologized to me or my family. "Are you really surprised, Jon Melle?" My answer is that I understand that human behavior and human nature has a dark side, but I still believe that people are still good in their hearts. Except "Luciforo", of course, and all of the other EVIL people like him throughout human history. Lastly, "Whatever happened to being a good person?"
Jonathan A. Melle
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25 years ago today on May 20th, 1998, is the day that then Pittsfield State Senator Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior tried to put me in jail when I was a 22-year-old graduate student at UMass Amherst studying Public Administration. My dad, Bob, who was a Berkshire County Commissioner and worked in the Pittsfield District Court Probation Office back then found out at his workplace that Nuciforo was making false allegations against me to the Pittsfield Police Department that I was making "veiled threats" against him, and that if I entered his Pittsfield District Office in the Onota Building on North Street, his legislative staff would immediately call the police to have me arrested. Back then, my dad and Nuciforo were in daily/weekly communication, but Nuciforo did not relay his concerns and allegations against me to my dad. My dad told me to stay away from Nuciforo.
27 years ago, during the Spring of 1996, when I was 20 years old back then, I first met Nuciforo when he, the now late-Congressman John W. Olver and my dad spoke at a candidate forum. Ever since that day, Nuciforo conspiratorially had people bully, harass and even threaten to assault me without Nuciforo leaving behind his own fingerprints/DNA. But then over one year later during the Summer of 1997, Nuciforo started to directly threaten me himself. During a promotion ceremony for Judge Francis X. Spina at the Pittsfield Courthouse, Nuciforo gave me a long intimidating and threatening stare. During the Fall Foliage Parade in 1997, Nuciforo with his then legislative aide Sara Hathaway at his side both broke their parade route and then Nuciforo aggressively approached me without Sara Hathaway telling him to stop, but then my uncle and cousin stepped in front of me to confront Nuciforo, and then Nuciforo became scared, and he and Sara Hathaway returned to their parade route. It was Nuciforo who was the one who was making threats against me.
From the Fall of 1997 to the Spring of 1998, Nuciforo filed multiple state "ethics" complaints against my dad to try to force my dad to resign from his elected position as a Berkshire County Commissioner and have the state fire my dad from his position as an Assistant Chief Probation Officer that my dad held since December of 1970. Nuciforo filed his state "ethics" complaints against my dad with multiple state agencies from Boston to Pittsfield.
By the Spring/Summer of 1998, the pieces of the puzzle started to come together. While Nuciforo put me through Hell in Pittsfield politics to the Boston Statehouse, I realized that Nuciforo persecuted me as the bait to hurt my father, but I also felt relief that Nuciforo's mean-spirited and vindictive actions did not lead to my dad's demise of his political and probation career, nor did it lead to me being arrested and jailed. But it bothered me that Nuciforo had legitimacy, while I understood that he was really a fraud.
On July 1, 2000, Nuciforo successfully abolished Berkshire County Government and the state took over its functions. Nuciforo put Pontoosuc Lake, which sits on both Pittsfield and Lanesborough, in a state accounting agency for two years. Nuciforo argued that county governments were inefficient, while Boston's "Big Dig" had recurring billion-dollar cost overruns.
Nuciforo always lived in Boston while he was a Pittsfield State Senator and then a Pittsfield Registrar of Deeds. Nuciforo's late father was a long-ago Pittsfield State Senator and then a Probate Court Judge, which Nuciforo used to his advantage to further his own political ambitions.
From 1999 to 2006, Nuciforo was allegedly illegally double dipping as a State Senator in Boston who Chaired the Finance Committee in Boston, while at the same time, Nuciforo served as an Attorney for Boston's big banks and insurance companies for the Boston law firm named Berman and Dowell. Nuciforo's unethical actions in Boston led to him having to step down from his elected position as the Pittsfield State Senator in 2006.
After Nuciforo announced in 2006 that he would not be seeking reelection as a Pittsfield State Senator since 1997, he then strong-armed two women candidates - Sharon Henault and Sara Hathaway - for Pittsfield Registrar of Deeds out of the state government "election" to anoint himself to the no show plum that he served in for six years from 2007 to 2012. Then in January 2007, Nuciforo allegedly lobbied the then new Governor, Deval Patrick, to appoint him to the post of Commissioner of Insurance, but he was passed over.
From 2007 to 2012, Nuciforo planned to run for then Congressman John W. Olver's elected position, but he burned his bridges with the political establishment for trying to oust Olver. Due to redistricting in 2012, Olver retired from his elected position in U.S. Congress, which left Nuciforo to run against Springfield U.S. Congressman Richard E. Neal. The Berkshire Eagle called Nuciforo "A Fringe Politician" and the Eagle editor(s) endorsed Richie Neal for reelection. Nuciforo lost to Neal by a net 40 percentage points in 2012. Nuciforo's political career was over.
Six years ago, during the Spring of 2017, Nuciforo used his political connections in Pittsfield and Boston alike to cofound his marijuana business that he named "Berkshire Roots". Nuciforo is the largest grower of marijuana in Berkshire County, and one of the top pot growers in Western Massachusetts. His "Pot Kingdom" on Dalton Avenue in Pittsfield abuts residential neighborhoods who have long complained with no success that Nuciforo's pot growing buildings are stinking up their neighborhoods. Nuciforo only cares about himself, which means that it doesn't matter to him when he hurts people who stand in his way of money and power. Nuciforo also runs a marijuana dispensary in East Boston.
It has been many years now since Nuciforo has caused me a lot of emotional distress over many years of my adult life, but neither Nuciforo nor any of his hench-people have ever once apologized to me for hurting me. If there were ever a study in bad character, political corruption and abuses of power, Nuciforo would be Exhibit A!
Jonathan A. Melle
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May 24, 2023
Nothing will change after Andrea Harrington's one term as the Berkshire County District Attorney from 2019 - 2022. But if you can prove me wrong on this, please let us know how the sitting Berkshire County District Attorney Tim Shugrue turned the tide in Pittsfield's favor.
As for my many years of writing and blogging about "Luciforo" in Pittsfield politics and in Boston, I believe that he is a conspiratorial, mean-spirited and corrupt fraud who ended up as a failed Fringe Politician turned corrupt Pot King.
The political establishment in Pittsfield to Boston only want the government in their pocket. They do NOT care about the common people, distressed communities, and all of the corruption in government. They only care about lining their own pockets with money to preserve their entrenched political power.
When one speaks out against the political establishment, one faces retribution. It has been the story of my adult life. My political emails are blocked and/or ignored by the corrupt career politicians. They only want people like us to kiss their dirty behinds and pay taxes.
I would hope that the government would please invest in people instead of mocking us with their corruption and inequitable financial SCAMS.
The theory is that when the government invests in people, then the common people will have social mobility to achieve a middle-class life which in turn will allow the common people to have the economic and financial means to return the favor and invest in the government by paying taxes, spending money at small businesses, and passing the economic opportunities to the next generation in the future. Whatever happened to these old school ideals of the middle-class American Dream?
Jonathan A. Melle
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April 14, 2024
Hello blogger Dan Valenti,
One of my best friends, who I grew up with in Pittsfield, wrote to me today that I cannot change the past with Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior's a little less than 28 years of bullying me, hurting my dad, Bob, and so on. I agreed with him, of course. You, Dan Valenti, once wrote to me that you know that I was hurt in Pittsfield politics. Many other concerned people have communicated with me their negative views about "Luciforo" over these many years of my adult life (20 years old during the Spring 1996 to 49 years old this upcoming Summer 2024). I appreciate that good people care about me, as well as my family, when it comes to "Pittsfield's Pot King".
The thing many people do not understand about Nuciforo's conspiratorial persecution of me is that it has not ended, nor will it ever end until death to us part. It is like I am married and divorced to my enemy #1. I can never escape this 4-foot-tall piece of poop that exists in the form of a man. Nuciforo wins at any cost. He has no decency. He has no bottom. It bothers Nuciforo that he has not fully ruined my life, despite all of the abuses he has done to me over so many years now.
I wrote to my best friend that Nuciforo is suing the city. Nuciforo also filed a lawsuit in Boston to take away unions in the marijuana industry. I wrote to my best friend that Nuciforo is a piece of shit. I am NOT the only person who views Nuciforo unfavorably. Moreover, the Eagle wrote that Nuciforo is a FRINGE politician. The Springfield Republican wrote that Nuciforo is MEAN-SPIRITED. The Boston Globe wrote that Nuciforo - along with other former politicians - used his political connections, deep pockets of unknown investors, and the like to be one of the first marijuana firms to receive pot permits in Massachusetts.
Pittsfield (Mass.) is notorious for persecuting innocent people who are powerless versus the likes of someone such as Nuciforo. All I have to defend myself is my political writings and blogs to fight back versus Nuciforo. I could not imagine what would happen to me if Nuciforo had won in the past or wins against me in the future. Lastly, I do not comprehend how Nuciforo has done so much wrong in his horrible life, but he always gets away with everything under the Sun. I hope that someone out there will STOP Nuciforo over the next 25 years before he ends up in Hell for Eternity.
Best wishes,
Jon Melle
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November 19, 2025
I asked Google AI:
What controversies has Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Jr. been involved in?
Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Jr. has primarily been involved in the following public controversies:
Plagiarism Allegations: During his 2012 campaign for Congress in Massachusetts' First Congressional District, Nuciforo was accused by a political rival of plagiarizing portions of his campaign website's policy positions from other Democratic politicians, including John Edwards. Nuciforo's campaign initially dismissed the accusations as "desperate politics" but later removed much of the questioned content from the website and attributed the issue to a past staffer.
Late Financial Disclosure Filing: Also during his 2012 congressional campaign, Nuciforo filed his personal financial disclosure form three months late, which resulted in a late fee.
Negative Campaigning and Special Interest Money: Nuciforo's 2012 campaign against incumbent Richard Neal was described by some, including an editorial board, as "particularly negative and mean-spirited". Although Nuciforo advocated for campaign finance reform to limit the influence of special interests, his record as a state senator showed he took large sums of money from insurance companies while serving as the chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services.
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Andrea Nuciforo Jr.—a former Massachusetts State Senator and Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds—is not typically categorized as an ideologically "fringe" politician, but rather as a mainstream Democrat whose reputation suffered due to accusations of political opportunism, campaign scandals, and alienating his own backers.
While he was well liked during his initial 10-year tenure in the state Senate (1997–2007), his public standing declined sharply during his unsuccessful 2012 bid for the U.S. House of Representatives.
The primary reasons he drew heavy criticism and lost widespread support include:
1. The 2012 Plagiarism Scandal
The most severe blow to Nuciforo's credibility occurred during his 2012 congressional primary race against incumbent Rep. Richard Neal.
• Copied Policy Positions: It was revealed that major sections of Nuciforo's official campaign website—detailing his supposed personal stances on key issues—had been copied and pasted directly from the websites of other prominent Democrats.
• Mishandled Defenses: When first confronted by rival challenger Bill Shein, Nuciforo dismissed the accusations as "desperate politics."
• Blaming Staff: His campaign later scrubbed the website and blamed the plagiarism on a "past staffer," a defense that drew heavy criticism from political strategists for his lack of personal accountability. His campaign eventually retracted the excuse and took full responsibility, but the damage to his integrity was done.
2. "Burning Bridges" with Donors and the Business Community
Local political observers and former allies noted that Nuciforo severely damaged his professional relationships right before transitioning away from the state Senate.
• The Banking Fall-Out: In his final year as a state senator, Nuciforo aggressively solicited campaign contributions from local bankers and insurance executives.
• Abrupt Exit: Shortly after taking their money, he announced he would not run for re-election to the Senate, instead successfully seeking a lower-profile, unopposed seat as the Register of Deeds.
• Perceived Deception: Donors and political peers publicly expressed that they felt "used" and misled. They had financially backed him under the assumption that he would continue to represent their interests on powerful Senate financial committees, only for him to pivot positions immediately afterward.
3. Allegations of Unchecked Ambition
Former local officials, including long-serving North Adams Mayor John Barrett III, publicly criticized Nuciforo for being "blinded by his ambition." Critics argued that his career moves felt transactional rather than mission-driven. For instance, almost immediately after being sworn in as Register of Deeds, he began heavily lobbying on Beacon Hill to land a higher-paying executive appointment as Governor Deval Patrick's state insurance commissioner. This behavior left many voters and colleagues feeling that he viewed public offices merely as stepping stones.
4. Special Interest Funding vs. Progressive Rhetoric
During his 2012 congressional run, Nuciforo attempted to position himself as a staunch progressive, championing consumer rights and calling for a total ban on Super PACs. However, opponents quickly pointed out a contradiction: during his time chairing the Senate Committee on Financial Services, his largest financial backers were insurance industry insiders and major corporate executives. This mismatch made his populist, anti-corporate platform ring hollow to many progressive voters.
Source: Google AI on October 10, 2026
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Local political blogger and commentator Jon Melle frequently compares himself to Bernard Baran in Pittsfield politics to illustrate his belief that he is a victim of a deep-seated political persecution and "framing" by local authorities and elite networks, specifically by millionaire Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior and his conspiratorial network of abusive bullies.
Melle draws a direct parallel between how Baran was treated by the justice system and how he perceives his own experiences with Pittsfield's political establishment:
• Framing and Railroading: Bernard Baran was an openly gay 18-year-old day care worker wrongly convicted in 1985 of child molestation amidst nationwide hysteria, spending 21 years in prison before his conviction was overturned due to suppressed exculpatory evidence. Melle argues that Baran was framed and railroaded by local powerful figures like prosecutor (and later judge) Dan Ford.
• The "Conspiratorial Network": Jon Melle equates Baran's prosecutors to his own political adversaries in Berkshire County. He uses a specific analogy: "Bernard Baran is to Dan Ford AS Jon Melle is to 'Luciforo'" (his derogatory nickname for a prominent local millionaire and former state senator, Andrea Nuciforo Jr.).
• Decades-Long Persecution: Melle claims that just as Baran was a scapegoat who had his life ruined by the local "Good Old Boys" network led by Nuciforo, Jon Melle himself has faced more than 30 years of bullying, blacklisting, and political targeting by local elites led by Nuciforo. He routinely asserts that these powerful factions utilized state ethics complaints against Jon Melle's father, Bob, who was a Berkshire County Commissioner from 1997 - mid-2000, and weaponized local media in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, such as The Berkshire Eagle that blacklisted him for decades, to destroy his reputation and push him out of his native hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Ultimately, Jon Melle invokes Baran's tragic case as a historical symbol of corruption within Pittsfield's legal and political institutions that protects Nuciforo over Jon Melle to validate his own deep grievances and sense of victimhood.
If you would like, I can provide more details regarding:
• The specific legal outcome and exoneration of Bernard Baran's case
• Jon Melle's complaints against Andrea Nuciforo Jr. and other Pittsfield officials
Jon Melle's primary complaints against Andrea Nuciforo Jr.—a former Massachusetts State Senator and Berkshire Middle District Register of Deeds—revolve around allegations of political corruption, personal vendettas, and unethical conduct. Melle, a local political blogger and commentator, has heavily criticized Nuciforo and other Pittsfield officials across various forums and personal blogs.
His core complaints against Nuciforo and the Pittsfield political establishment include:
1. Spreading Vicious Rumors and Retaliation
• Slander Allegations: Melle claims that in 2005, Nuciforo and his political network orchestrated and spread a "false and vicious rumor" in Pittsfield accusing Melle of stalking.
• Targeting Family: Melle asserts that between 1997 and 1998, Nuciforo filed multiple state ethics complaints against Melle’s father in a vindictive attempt to have him fired from his job at the Pittsfield courthouse. Because of these allegedly mean-spirited tactics, Melle frequently refers to him online by the pejorative nickname “Luciforo".
2. Legislative Conflicts of Interest
• Corporate Dual-Role: Melle has aggressively criticized Nuciforo for simultaneously working for a private Boston law firm (Berman & Dowell from 1999 - 2006) representing major banks and insurance companies while chairing powerful state legislative committees responsible for regulating those exact financial institutions.
• Selective Enforcement: He accused local media (such as The Berkshire Eagle) and the State Ethics Commission of protecting powerful politicians like Nuciforo while heavily penalizing weaker local officials for lesser conflict-of-interest violations.
3. Lack of Empathy to Victims' Families
• Opposing Public Safety Reforms: Melle targeted Nuciforo for standing against legal and public safety reforms requested by the family of Molly Bish (a high-profile Massachusetts missing person/murder case). While other local lawmakers supported the family, Melle complained that Nuciforo hid behind "civil liberties" arguments without showing empathy. (It had to do with Nuciforo voting against the all-Felon DNA database legislation in the early-2000's-decade).
4. "Strong-Arming" Political Opponents
• Clearing the Field: In his political commentary regarding the 2006 race for the Berkshire Middle District Register of Deeds, Melle publicly accused Nuciforo of "strong-arming" female candidates out of the primary race to clear his own path to victory.
Complaints Against Other Pittsfield Officials
Melle's broader grievances extend to the entire Pittsfield political ecosystem, which he frequently portrays as an insulated insider network. He often criticizes:
• The "Nuciforo Network": A term he uses to describe a group of local enablers, lawyers, and politicians who allegedly protect one another from accountability.
• The history of Melle's blog and commentary on Berkshire County politics
Source: Google AI October 10, 2026
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October 08, 2026
Pittsfield’s corrupt city government is run like a “fiefdom” by a small group of connected families and special interests.
Its corrupt pay-to-play schemes and backroom political deals are legendary.
The fictional Kapanski’s pay for it all.
Earl and the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield politics pounds, pummels, pulverizes, punishes people’s purses.
Jon Melle
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October 08, 2026
I am NOT the only one with human weaknesses.
The FACT that I am always picked on for masturbation as a human weakness leads me to compare my status in my native hometown of Pittsfield (Mass.) to that of the late Bernard Baran.
Bernard Baran:Dan Ford (et al)::Jon Melle:Nuciforo (et al)
In the mid-1980’s, Bernard Baran was FRAMED by Pittsfield’s Good Old Boys whereby they used his human weaknesses in a homophobic child sex abuse case to send the then-teenager to Massachusetts State Prison for over 2 decades of his short life of 49-years (he died in 2014).
The Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office led by Anthony Ruberto back then with his Prosecutors Dan Ford and Gerry Downing back then HID exculpatory EVIDENCE of audio tape recordings of the young children who said that Bernard Baran did NOT commit the child sex abuse crimes against them.
In the early-2000’s decade, Berkshire County District Attorney Gerry Downing died of a heart attack. After his death, it was discovered that he hid the tape recordings of the children from the Massachusetts State Courts. It still took a couple of years later for then Berkshire County District Attorney David Capeless to release the hidden evidence to the court, which freed Bernard Baran, who was raped 4 times in Massachusetts state prison.
After explaining the Bernard Baran case, I am going to write it again: I am NOT the only one with human weaknesses.
Unlike Bernard Baran, I do NOT rule out suing Andrea Francesco Nuciforo Junior for his 30.5-years of conspiratorially persecuting me since I was 20-years-old in the Spring 1996 through current Fall 2026 whereby I am 51-years-old.
Unlike Bernard Baran, I am FULLY AWARE of Nuciforo’s plan of ATTACK against me. For decades, I have written and blogged about all of the abuses that I have endured at the hands of Nuciforo, who is my Enemy #1 in my life.
While Bernard Baran was still a teenager when Pittsfield’s Good Old Boys deployed their plan of ATTACK against him, and I was only 20 when Nuciforo and his network deployed their plan of ATTACK against me, but now I am 30.5-years older in 2026 as a 51-year-old middle-aged man who lives in Southern New Hampshire, which is 100 miles away from Pittsfield, Mass.
After explaining the Jon Melle case, I am going to write it again: I am NOT the only one with human weaknesses.
So…Go ahead and pick on me for masturbation and other human weaknesses, but after I sue Nuciforo for his millions of dollars, I will be the one who will be laughing all the way to the bank.
JON MELLE
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Source: Google AI on October 10, 2026
Jonathan Melle is upset with Andrea Nuciforo Jr. due to an ongoing personal and political grievance stemming from events in 1997 and 1998.
According to Melle’s self-published accounts on Jonathan Melle on Politics, his animosity toward Nuciforo (whom he pejoratively nicknames “Luciforo”) centers on the following allegations:
The 1998 Police Incident: Melle claims that during the spring of 1998, Nuciforo secretly tried to have him arrested by the Pittsfield Police Department. Melle asserts that Nuciforo lied to law enforcement by falsely claiming Melle was threatening him.
The 1997 Confrontation: Melle alleges that Nuciforo, accompanied by a legislative aide [Sara Hathaway], confronted him in a hostile manner during the 1997 Fall Foliage Parade in North Adams, Massachusetts.
Political Disagreements: Melle has also publicly criticized Nuciforo’s political career and subsequent legal actions, including Nuciforo’s lawsuits against the City of Pittsfield regarding marijuana Host Community Agreement (HCA) payments and labor unions in the cannabis sector.
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October 10, 2026
You are the MORON for defending LUCIFORO.
Earl and the 2-Pete’s Pittsfield politics are the MORONS for their blackout without any explanation of communicating with blogger Dan Valenti.
LUCIFORO, Earl, and the 2-Pete’s are all MORONS!
Jon Melle
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October 8, 2026
ALL FACTS:
“Just get out and vote. If you do that, we’re going to win, and we’re going to win big. And we’re going to shove it up their ass.”
Donald Trump made the “shove it up their ass” comment during a crude campaign speech at a MAGA rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Trump’s speech drew significant attention because Trump threatened to withhold federal funds from Ohio if voters elected Democratic candidates. He explicitly mentioned Democratic candidate Amy Acton, stating, “I’m not going to help her,” while arguing that keeping Republicans in power gives state officials a direct line to his administration’s cash.
Trump repeatedly lashed out at Democrats during the speech, calling them “dumb son of a bitches” and heavily blasting them over border control and voter ID laws.
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October 9, 2026
I am sure that if Barack or Joe said: AND WE’RE GOING TO SHOVE IT UP THEIR ASS – that M.A. would be going NUTS about it.
Same goes if they disparaged the Republican equivalent of AMY ACTON and they said that they are NOT GOING TO HELP HER with federal money to Ohio.
Same goes if they called the Republicans “DUMB SONS OF A BITCHES”.
M.A. is a name caller with double standards.
Jon Melle
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October 10, 2026
No other group than Communism has mass-killed more innocent people in human history. Communism equals DEATH to the masses.
Jon Melle
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October 13, 2026
Hello blogger Dan Valenti,
One year for now, the 2027 Pittsfield politics mayoral race will be in full swing.
Prior to that spectacle of buffoonery, Pittsfield politics will have passed their fiscal year 2028 operating budget that will break all records of public spending that will pull the fictional Kapanski's into the Black Hole of personal financial oblivion.
What will happen first? Will Hell freeze over? -OR- Will Earl and the 2-Pete's Pittsfield politics cut city spending?
Answer: None of the Above, which is the best choice and VOTE if you are NOT a career politician, a political insider and a wealthy campaign donor in the institutionally corrupt, one-political-(Democratic)-system of state and local government in Massachusetts.
Pittsfield (Massachusetts) has one of the highest Commercial Tax Rates in the Commonwealth. Pittsfield always spends tens of millions of dollars per fiscal year MORE than its peer small cities such as Westfield and Fitchburg.
North Street always has between 15 - 25 empty storefronts, and it is called "Social Services Alley" due to "the Ring of Poverty" inner-city neighborhoods that surround Pittsfield's distressed downtown. The only economic growth in "the Pitts" is in its large underclass population.
Pittsfield's violent-crime rate has doubled the statewide average since at least 1980, which is close to 46 years ago. The Pittsfield Police Department is forced to serve their corrupt political masters in City Hall instead of the people who depend on them for public safety.
Pittsfield's public schools are rated Level 5, which is the bottom ranking, and 684 students per academic year choice out to neighboring public school districts, which is a loss of an estimated close to $6.5 million to the city's school district per academic year.
As I - Jon Melle - know all too well, as Pittsfield is my native hometown, Pittsfield's other name is RETRIBUTION whereby the above BUFFOONS persecute good people who stand up to their FAILED public record.
The well-to-do Pittsfield insiders live in mansions, gated communities, have millions of dollars or 6-figure public pay plus perks for life in their lives of luxury on the taxpayers' dime, while someone such as myself- the have-NOT who is known as Jon Melle - is fully aware that millionaire LUCIFORO would like nothing more than to shove it up my....
I am NOT the only one who writes about the EVIL-side of Pittsfield. It is all GREED for MONEY and POWER in a postindustrial small city that is still polluted with GE's PCBs that cause cancer and other severe medical illnesses in people.
I believe that blogger Dan Valenti should be PROUD that Mayor Peter Marchetti issued an unexplained directive that he is blacked-out from communications with city officials. Mayor Peter Marchetti also publicly said that he hates social media, requested a 90-day grace period from public criticisms, and has child-like emotional outbursts that are mostly when he has public conflicts with women city officials.
One word: BUFFOONS!
Best wishes,
Jon Melle
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