Howard Stern on Carl Paladino

I came across this clip the other day while looking at something else. It is Howard Stern's take on the 2010 Gubernatorial race between Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino. In the clip, Stern calls Paladino "retarded" and says he looks like Elvis' mother (because of the dark circles under his eyes). 

Stern also says Paladino was "lucky" to have achieved his wealth. I don't think it's fair to say that. You may not like Paladino's politics or temperament, but the fact remains he made Ellicott Development into the business it is today. I'm sure a lot of hard work went along with whatever luck Paladino may have encountered.

If you ask me, Stern's opinion was more of a commercial for the special interests of Manhattan, who probably "persuaded" the King of all Media on this one. How arrogant of Stern to assume the seat was Cuomo's, feeding into the mentality that he was entitled to it. Anyway, I never heard this clip during the actual campaign and thought it was interesting.

It's time to clean up Board of Education

 
Three years ago, after 23 years of service to the youth of South Buffalo, I found out where I stood with residency violator James Kane and the rest of the entitled members making up the Buffalo Board of Education's administrators. The sound you hear now could possibly be the sound of the chickens coming home to roost.

I saw today that Buffalo developer Carl Paladino is considering a run for the School Board and I was particularly intrigued with these comments he made to the Buffalo News...

Paladino says that if he does run for the board and win, his first step would be to fire the upper-level school district administrators in City Hall.

“When you have people whose performance is lacking, as evidenced by year after year of dysfunction, it means you have to try to get somebody else,” he said. “I’d get rid of that whole staff up there and get some real professional people to do a real professional job, rather than just protect their job all day long.”

I have nothing personal against James Kane. However, I said it then and I'll say it now. The lack of respect I was shown three years ago, because I happened to not be related to any political cronies, is going to come back to haunt him. I said it in the blog then, and I'm saying it now. I plan on corresponding with Paladino with one question. How serious is he about getting rid of these lackluster administrators? 

By now, Kane should be well aware that over 3,000 local residents read this blog each week (which I write in my spare time between  two private sector jobs). If Carl is serious about sending these suits to the unemployment line, he has at least one vote right here. It's time for a complete overhaul in City Hall.
Paladino considers run for School Board*

Erie County voters are not this stupid

When I read Bob McCarthy's political column today, I couldn't believe my eyes...

Have you heard the one about State Sen. Tim Kennedy running for county comptroller this year? Not true.

But a tad of logic made this rumor almost logical. Kennedy barely survived a primary challenge from County Legislature Chairwoman Betty Jean Grant last fall, spending about $400,000 to win by a handful of votes. Grant almost knocked him off with $20,000.

Most people in WNY are onto Kennedy's pathetic act. They've been informed by myself and others about his limited intelligence and selfish nature. He'll never get elected to anything again once he is removed from Albany in the next election. He's damaged goods. Everyone knows this. He's made so many enemies throughout the district. The News writes it off to "demographics." What they really mean is there are many more black people in his district than in years past. However, what McCarthy and others might not know is that Kennedy is despised by many white South Buffalo voters, also. The only supporters he has left are a select group of very dumb people from the neighborhood clique. The people who owe their jobs to Brian Higgins. The people who do whatever they are told to by Brian Higgins. The people with limited intelligence/self respect. There's one on every street.

I'm hoping local developer Carl Paladino uses his financial muscle to help send Kennedy packing in 2014. Paladino recently called Kennedy and Mark Grisanti "cowards" for their gun control vote last week. More upsetting than the actual vote, many residents were unhappy with the way it was pushed through hastily without any debate or public input.

Kennedy will do whatever he is told by Brian Higgins and Andrew Cuomo. He doesn't stand for anything. His constituents are well aware of this and will be much more organized in getting rid of him this time. Prediction: Kennedy will be given a much deserved demotion-cleaning the floors at the local Walmart.

Rental cars and the Birther movement

Photo by Barbara Wingate



This is a story that will have a lot of people talking around WNY. Local developer Carl Paladino has gotten complaints from a few of his customers at Thrifty Rental Cars (Yes, Carl owns one of those, too.) Apparently, Paladino had anti-Obama bumper stickers placed on the rental cars.

The stickers said Vote for the American, an apparent reference to the belief by some that Obama is not an American citizen. Paladino says this is not what he meant...

“I'm not a birther, I'm an American,” he declared. He said he was “fed up” with Obama after the attack and murder of four Americans at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11. He said the president is not telling the truth about what happened and that Obama defies basic American precepts and has weakened the country.

“For that reason, I don't believe he is an American. I don't think he fosters the American ideals,” Paladino said. “I could care less where Obama was born. I don't feel he is an American with American values doing the best for America.”

While one can argue whether Obama is a good President or a lousy one, I don't understand the questioning of his patriotism. I wasn't a huge fan of George W. Bush and am not a huge fan of Obama, but I've never viewed either as being anti-American.

It will be interesting to see if the ultra liberals oppose Thrifty or the ultra Conservatives flock to use it's services. The whole thing reminds me of the Chick-fil-A restaurant down South, which became a rallying point for the Conservative movement after the owner spoke out against gay marriage. In any event, Carl always keeps things interesting...
 Paladino puts anti-Obama bumper stickers on rental cars*

Graystone Hotel

Carl Paladino is willing to fix up a run down, falling apart building in a part of town that has seen better days and Occupy Buffalo thinks it's something to protest? They are upset about the tax break he is getting and the fact he is marketing it towards middle to high income residents. Because the last thing this city neighborhood needs is tax paying residents with disposable income who aren't going to commit crimes.

Why don't they just be honest and say they are protesting Paladino because they don't agree with his politics? This project is a great thing for the neighborhood. He's taking an eyesore, fixing it up, and putting it on the city tax rolls. If he walks away from it, which one of these communists are going to refurbish the building? Buffalo already has enough low income housing. It's called 98% of the city. No wonder nobody takes these well intentioned people seriously...

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Paul Snyder: A big crybaby

Talk about a slow news day. I can't believe The Buffalo News printed an article about developer Paul Snyder's letter. Clearly, it is part of their sophomoric effort to besmirch the reputation of Carl Paladino.

And what's up with Snyder? What a grandstander. He obviously just wants to see his name in the paper. Why else would he send copies of a business letter to the local media?

Snyder, who sent copies of the letter to local news organizations and Mayor Byron W. Brown, could not be reached for additional comment Friday.

baby crying (infant)

What a baby. He reminds me of the 2nd graders I deal with every day. When one raises their hand and begins their sentence with one of their classmates' names, I stop them right there. "I'm not interested in tattle tails" is what I say before they can even complete their sentence. "Worry about yourself and yourself only" is my next sentence. Apparently, Snyder never learned this in grammar school.

The dumpster might be an eyesore, but come on. To blame it for the debacle that is downtown Buffalo is a stretch, even by the Buffalo News "journalism" standards...

Last week, Visit Buffalo Niagara, the renamed Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, revealed that a major amateur sports conference decided to take its annual convention elsewhere, in part because of how it perceived the condition of Main Street.

Newsflash. Andrew Rudnick and his band of dinosaurs have been in charge of the task of improving downtown for a quarter of a century. These guys are terrible. How they keep their titles (I can't even call them jobs) is beyond me. Paladino has fixed up many abandoned buildings and found alternative uses for them. Should he move the dumpster? Perhaps. But to blame him for downtown's woes is way off base. Isn't Snyder the guy who sold the Buffalo Braves years ago?
Snyder blasts fellow developer Paladino on Dumpster at Main Street property


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Congressman Carl?

From this week's Artvoice... This would be an interesting race, featuring two South Buffalo political heavyweights...

• There is much muttering, too, about the possibility of Republican developer Carl Paladino challenging Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins. Paladino is a frequent critic of Higgins, which is awkward: They’re related by marriage.

From what I heard, Higgins' thugs threatened Paladino with bad press should he run for Governor a few years back. Not long after he announced his candidacy, the off color emails surfaced. They were leaked to WNY Media.NET, a left leaning website. Carl never forgets. Caught in the middle of this is the Hannon family, one of the nicest families in South Buffalo (See, I'm not always mean. I just tell it like it is.)

Read more: http://artvoice.com/issues/v11n2/week_in_review/odds_and_ends#ixzz1jfx66ESe

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Carl's new billboard

Did you see Carl Paladino's new billboard? It's his "bucket list" of people he'd like to see removed from leadership positions in Western New York. Brian Higgins even made his list. There is no doubt politics in WNY is a full contact sport. Wow. Look at #11. Apparently, longtime employees are not exempt...








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Conspiracy in Buffalo schools

Buffalo developer/activist Carl Paladino has filed a complaint against the Buffalo Schools administration with the New York State Attorney General's office. Among the things Paladino touches on in his complaint are allowing Superintendent Williams to stay here for another year, the gift of public monies (with no known explanation) to Folasade Oladele (A.K.A. Beverly McCelroy Johnson-never trust someone with two names), and the illegal solicitation of funds and grant money by the leadership in the Buffalo Schools.

In a statement, that his critics will try to portray as racist, Paladino asserts that the leadership in the black community are letting down their own constituents through selfishness and greed...

In the complaint, as well as in interviews, Paladino was outspoken about pointing a finger at black leaders in the district.

"You've got a black community that has for years suffered at the hands of its leadership," he said. "People will call it racist. Call it what you want. You've got black leaders ruining the lives of these kids."

Then you have most of the School Board, which basically works for BTF President Phil Rumore. They purposely hold their elections in May (at a cost to taxpayers), ensuring that mostly BTF stakeholders will show up. They don't want the election to be held in November, as this might lead to more turnout and actual reform. Sad.

Don't trust new school board President Lou Petrucci, Carl. He will talk out of both sides of his mouth. He'll tell you how great you are when he sees you, but he was actively supporting Andrew Cuomo last Fall. When push comes to shove, everyone knows he answers to Phil Rumore, Ray "Wrong Turn" McGurn, and the local Democratic party. He will never take a moral or ethical stand on anything. He's a paid prostitute who aspires to be Councilman. He would leave the board tomorrow if the position opened up. Fortunately, the word is getting out that he is a known liar, and hopefully Brian Higgins will look to someone else.

Paladino files complaint alleging conspiracy in Buffalo schools

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Buffalo News runs slander piece on Paladino

The Buffalo News continued it's petty, sophomoric attacks against Carl Paladino last week, accusing Paladino of embellishing his military service. People need to know the truth behind their cowardly agenda. Paladino, whether you agree with him politically or not, has fought for the removal of unnecessary thruway tolls, improving the Buffalo Public school system, and against the dysfunction taking place in Albany (wholeheartedly supported by The Buffalo News). His crime has been pointing out that the News has,either directly or indirectly, supported this corruption throughout the last 35 years. They rail against the problems of the state, yet continuously endorse the same career politicians year in and year out.

When I started this blog two years ago, I wondered whether my amateurish writing style would be on par with legitimate publications such as the News. Surprising to me, was how many mistakes and facts of error take place in the Buffalo News every day. So it was no surprise when I read this quote from Buffalo News' editor Stanley Lipsey (who still sports the silver spoon he was born with), talking about what he found out about Carl Paladino through, of all sites, Wikipedia...

"Yet when you search for Paladino on the internet, Wikipedia pops up with his bio and says he spent three years on active duty in the Army. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, has become one of the main sources of information on the internet."

If Stanley Lipsey had spent any time in 6th or 7th grade classrooms, he would know that Wikipedia is not considered a reliable source by legitimate scholars. Teachers routinely tell their students they cannot use it as a source in term papers (because it is filled with false information and untruths). Anyone can use it to slander or make something up about one of their enemies. The Buffalo News itself did a piece a few years ago, about malicious things people were putting on the Wikipedia pages of local officials (most of which were untrue). It makes you wonder whether Lipsey even reads his own paper.

I spent most of last summer selling my t-shirts and bumper stickers at Paladino events. I never once heard him brag about his military service during countless speeches. I specifically remember him honoring a veteran at an event at Fontana's Picnic Grove. (I heard the speech as I was trying to load up on free pizza and chicken wings). He thanked the young man, but never tried to sell himself as any sort of military hero. This is yet another hatchet job by the Buffalo News. I'll leave you with a quote from their Wikipedia page to show how ludicrous they are...

In 2009, Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, called his continued ownership of the newspaper "not totally rational", saying that the industry's practice of giving away its online content when charging for it in print has been a mistake.

Yea, but if everyone read the Buffalo News online, what would bird owners use to line their cages?





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Replace the entire school board

Some familiar faces were at the Buffalo Public Schools protest on Monday. "Pinocchio" Petrucci shows his support for the boycott by telling a channel 2 reporter that he sent his daughter to City Honors today. This is the exact stance people that have come to know the two-faced liar would expect.

Later in the segment, local activist Carl Paladino correctly reminds the reporter that the people protesting the schools continuously elect political yes-men like Petrucci. I guess you can say, you get what you pay for. If you elect an incompetent school board, you get under performing schools. If you're on the school board, I can tell you straight up. Do not believe a word Petrucci says. He lies and exaggerates so much, even he can't keep track of his lies.

Wasn't "Pinocchio" the one that leaked it to the media and accused Dr. Williams of calling the volunteer girls basketball coach at McKinley a lesbian in a closed meeting? That has nothing to do with this story, but since Lou is a liar, I thought I'd remind the people in city hall that he cannot be trusted. Ever...


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Buffalo News reduced to tattle tails

The Buffalo News' petty, unprofessional feud with developer Carl Paladino reached a new low today. The News is reporting that Paladino does not have a valid permit with the Thruway Authority for his billboard along the 190 South....

The billboard’s location within 660 feet of the Thruway requires a permit from the Thruway Authority that Paladino’s company has not obtained, according to Thruway Authority spokeswoman Betsy Feldstein.

“The sign you’re referring to is not currently permitted by the Thruway Authority,” she told The Buffalo News.

And this is newsworthy how? I can just see Donny Esmonde approaching Stanley Lipsey (because Esmonde strikes me as a whining pathetic tattle tail).

(Esmonde):"Mr Lipsey! I hear Paladino doesn't have a permit for that terrible billboard he put up near the Thruway! I think we should do a story about it and make him look bad!"

(Lipsey):"You know, little Buddy. That is a wonderful idea. Then, we can have it taken down and that evil man will go away forever, and we can get back to pushing our political agenda, without anyone questioning it. Donnie, you're a genius! Can you come into my office and rub my shoulders like you used to?"

(Esmonde): "Sorry Mr. Lipsey. Congressman Higgins asked me first! But I'll be back tomorrow."

The article then claims to know Paladino's reasons for putting up the billboard...

The billboard currently attacks The News with a sign that reads: “Spineless Stan Lipsey & The Buffalo News threw WNY under the bus.” Paladino posted the sign in December, angry that The News endorsed Andrew

M. Cuomo for governor instead of him and because the newspaper also accepted advertising on behalf of the Democratic candidate.

I don't think Paladino really cared that the News accepted advertising on behalf of Cuomo or that they endorsed him. In fact, many people in Western New York (including Paladino) considered the News' endorsement process a sham and the "kiss of death".

Perhaps Paladino was upset that the News wrote several unflattering stories about him, yet never mentioned Cuomo's controversial tenure at HUD or anything from Cuomo's highly suspect, personal life.

It's hilarious that the News is even spending one minute on the billboard. What's so funny, is that most citizens had forgotten about it. They drive by every day and it has become as familiar as a Cellino & Barnes ad. Now the News, with this childish and vindictive article, has succeeded in making the billboard a topic of conversation once again. Is Lipsey such an insecure wuss, that he even cares about something so trivial? Oh, no. I hope his feelings aren't hurt. Don't cry out loud, Stanley...

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The Buffalo News' weak hatchet job on Paladino

The Buffalo News is really getting desperate in their blatant attempts to destroy the reputation of South Buffalo developer Carl Paladino. Paladino owns 250 properties in Erie County and their "investigation" discovered that two of them are eyesores. That's some investigation! Have they been to the Pasquale on the waterfront? Have they been to the Belesario building on Main St. downtown? I have. Those buildings were falling apart and now they are beautiful high rent lofts.

The funniest part of the article is where Lou "Pinocchio" Petrucci babbles about the city's attempt to punish Paladino...

Lou Petrucci, the city's chief building inspector, said the department has sought penalties in Housing Court for the continuing problems, which, at present, involve three outstanding violations, including the failure to repair the roof or replace missing windows.

"We've asked three times for sentencing and the previous judge thought because of the unique situation of the building that it was better to keep it as an open court case," Petrucci said.

Maximum penalties for uncorrected code violations include a fine of $1,500 or 15 days in jail.

If Petrucci were to see Paladino in person, he'd go down on his knees and tell him how great Paladino was. What a hypocrite. I hope Paladino spends $40,000 to have Pinocchio defeated in the next school board election. I can't believe how stupid some people in this city are. Petrucci makes up half the things he says. His main talent in life is being Ray McGurn's yes man for the last 20 years. He lies about everything under the sun, so his quote in today's paper should carry very little credibility with it.

Paladino's eyesores

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Carl on Donn Esmonde

I for one am glad to see Carl Paladino is mad as hell towards The Buffalo News' Donn Esmonde. Esmonde is clearly a foul ball who doesn't speak for the citizens of Buffalo. He speaks for a select group of hoity toities from the North Buffalo/Elmwood Village neighborhoods, that still think school busing was a great idea.

Esmonde in one of his columns, defended a teen who held up a liquor store at gunpoint, because the teen happened to be poor. He showed a complete disregard for the clerk working behind the counter who had a gun pointed in his face (who was probably also poor). That's the difference between Esmonde and people who know what it means to get their hands dirty. I've highlighted in color my favorite lines from Paladino's message to Donny...

You are bi-polar and the lapdog of Stan Evans and Stan Lipsey.

You constantly write about how we don't need parking downtown and should support mass transit but you drive to work from North Buffalo everyday and park in your private parking lot on State land set aside specially by the Thruway Authority for Stan Lipsey.

You go on and on about promoting tourism and the cultural heritage of our area. Then you insult and attack our largest export partners because one of your bartender friends didn't get a tip. We would not have the Sabres but for our Canadian friends and you certainly don't speak for our community.

You express total shock and disgust when Chris Lee has a bad day. You're a hypocrite. You should have learned long ago that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones, because even you have another side which some of us are well aware of.

You write over 35 articles bashing Bass Pro, Larry Quinn and the Canal Side plan in our city's only newspaper and dribble on that it's the will of the people when a bunch of do-nothing blowhards bring a frivolous lawsuit against the project. Your short memory blames Bass Pro for backing out when in fact it was the ultimatum of our city's incompetent congressman Brian Higgins and the silly living wage nonsense in City Hall that put Johnny Morris's back to the wall, 30 days out from a final deal.

Why don't you just say to the people that you were instructed by the sneaky and spineless Stan Lipsey to kill the Bass Pro deal because Lipsey doesn't want the project next to his building? Conflict? Deja Vous? It sounds like the domed football stadium deal when Mrs. Butler pushed it out of downtown? Mark my words that the one-acre hole in the ground 3 stories deep will still be there 10 years from now.

Lipsey's career is over. He's washed up. He has no legacy. He now has his ace reporter Jim [the worm] Heaney all in a fluster ordered to defame and write more trash on me. That's typical Lipsey. He can't dig himself out of this hole because I don't particularly care what he wants to print and the people see right through it anyhow. The people in this community despise him and his rag newspaper.

Maybe you should take a break Donn. All the pressures of being the "voice of Buffalo" throughout Buffalo's years of decline must take its toll. Time means nothing to you and you are clueless of what our community needs. You're on your way out as your paper works its way to extinction. And by the way, tell Heaney to crawl back under his rock.

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Letter to the editor-misinformed parent

I saw this letter regarding Carl Paladino's boarding school plan in today's Buffalo News from a misinformed parent and felt the need to respond. (For the record, Carl Paladino brought up this plan but it is not his plan. As Michael Caputo points out underneath this post, President Obama's Education Secretary first came out with nthe idea. When he suggests it, it is progressive. When Paladino suggests it, it is divisive. Which is it?...

Paladino knows nothing about special education

Now Carl Paladino has made me mad as hell. It is obvious he knows nothing about the needs of special children. Taking children from their families and putting them in boarding schools is not the answer. You can put them in clean uniforms and give the children three square meals a day, but these children need great amounts of special care and love. That comes from family and their teachers, not a boarding school.

My son was born in 1967 with learning disabilities, a lazy eye, dyslexia and hyperactivity. He often needed one-to-one instruction. His special education teachers were so caring and dedicated. They always told me of any concerns they had and always listened to my concerns.

After six years in special education classes, it was determined he was ready for junior high school. The rest is history. He is married with two children and has been with the same employer for 25 years. I will always be thankful for his special education.
Elsie Robinson

North Tonawanda

This is a perfect example of how people try to distort the facts in order to form their agenda. In this case, The Buffalo News' agenda is to make Paladino look like a villain, which apparently is why they chose to print this erroneous letter. His plan does not call for taking special education students and putting them in boarding houses. He is not talking about children traditionally described as "slow learners" or mentally retarded. He is talking about emotionally disturbed children, often the result of very unstable home lives. These are the students in class causing major disruptions to the other 90% of the students. They are often loud and potentially violent.

The special education students, like the letter writer's son, are probably not disruptive and would not need this extra layer of support. People attempting to demonize Paladino's plan (because they don't like him), need to differentiate between the two. Is it a perfect solution? No. Would it need tweaking? Like any new idea, it probably would. The alternative would be to sit back and do nothing, and watch more Buffalo Public School students perish through lives of drugs, violence, and despair...
Paladino knows nothing about special education - Letters to the Editor - The Buffalo News

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Holding the school board accountable

You might not always agree with his style, but Buffalo developer Carl Paladino is getting to the heart of a very important issue in our region, the failure of the Buffalo Public School system. Some city lawmakers joined Paladino today in a lively meeting on the current status of the Buffalo schools. In a rare show of unity, members of both races agreed some drastic changes in the school system were in order.

Ellicott Council Member Darius G. Pridgen, a former school board member, said the city's school district is in dire need of a "complete overhaul."

"I apologize to every kid, because we should have been paying attention to them a long time ago," Pridgen said.

Council Finance Committee Chairman Michael P. Kearns railed against the Board of Education for turning some schools into "dumping grounds" for students with special education needs.

"I'll tell you right now, my daughter is not going to a Buffalo public high school," Kearns said.

Buffalo has one of the lowest graduation rates among black males in the nation, said Education Committee Chairman Demone A. Smith. Only 31 percent of black males graduate, the eighth lowest rate in the nation.

It's ironic that Pridgen feels that way, since he was a member of the do-nothing School Board for several years. It's great that now, he thinks drastic changes are in order. What an epiphany!

To me, the first order of change needs to be instilling discipline in the students. They clearly are not learning it at home. Right now, in the grammar schools, it is the students who run the show. I worked as a substitute today at Public School #27. In one 5th grade class, I had four kids argue with me when I made them put away their IPods. Can you believe the nerve of me? Not letting them listen to their music while we were doing a reading assignment? Why isn't there a policy in place involving cell phones and other electronics? It's very simple. You have a lock box. Anyone caught with a cell phone or an IPod gets it confiscated. They get it back at the end of the semester or their parent has to come to the school to retrieve it. God forbid we hold the parents accountable for the actions of their kids. In this instance, I blame the principal. There appeared to be no policy in place at the school.

The Buffalo School Board meetings are a big sham. They show up and talk about how great everything is going and pat each other on the back. Meanwhile, none of their kids attend the poorest performing schools. A few of the schools in the city are very good, however, many are in complete and utter disarray. The two or three students in every group that want to disrupt the class or cause problems need to be removed. (Currently, they are not.) Alternative schools for these children need to be established. If that were to happen, you would be shocked at how much better the rest of the students would perform.

The politically correct are already criticizing Paladino for his idea of creating boarding schools for the most troubled students in Buffalo. Of course they are. Their kids go to Canisius, Nardin, Nichols, or one of the wealthy suburban districts. These are the same people who applauded Judge Curtin's busing mandate 30 years ago, and we all know how great that turned out! If we all just keep our eyes closed and cross our fingers, all the problems of the Buffalo schools will go away on their own. Paladino wants to hire minorities to work for his private company. However, many of the Buffalo Public School graduates he tries to employ cannot even fill out the application.

The schools need to get the parents involved, but they also must stop pandering to them. Stop giving them everything for free. Make them earn certain things, even if it is merely a symbolic gesture. Make some hard choices. Bring in a Superintendent with some actual ideas for improving things. Keep an eye on this issue, as I have a feeling some great changes are going to come from this debate. I'm thinking about showing up to a school board meeting. "Big Daddy" Williams has a short fuse. Maybe, he'll throw a punch at me and I can take a dive...

City officials, Paladino say school district is failing students - City Hall - The Buffalo News

Here is the story from channel 4...



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Paladino's five points for education reform

Carl Paladino showed up at the Buffalo School Board meeting Wednesday. He outlined a series of changes he deems necessary in order to improve the Buffalo school system....

"My remarks are directed at the collective board, which should be ashamed for its functional paralysis and inability to implement change necessary to deal with core problems," he said.

Paladino gave board members 30 days to deal with the issues he spelled out or resign. If they do neither, Paladino says he will do everything in his power to persuade the Common Council to withhold its funding for the school system.

"I'm giving them 30 days, and then I'm mobilizing people," he said. "I'm good at that."

I know for a fact this is not an idle threat. Please stay tuned, as I hope to relay information to regular readers of this blog as to how they can become involved in the reform efforts. Paladino outlined five areas he feels need to be addressed:

1.) Too many children in special education.

2.)Too many costly state mandates.

3.)The inability to require School Board members to meet certain educational requirements.

4.) State laws giving unions too much of an upper hand in contract negotiations.

5.) Superintendent James A. Williams. The board, he said, should fire the superintendent and launch a national search for a replacement.

South (Park) district board member Lou "Pinocchio" Petrucci offered a diplomatic response to Paladino's demands...

"Carl comes here, and he routinely beats us up," said Louis Petrucci, who represents the Park District. "I don't always agree with everything he has to say. But he speaks because he is passionate. [I think] we could take away the sense of urgency he has, to get kids achieving as well as possible as soon as possible."

In other words, " I have a low opinion of myself, and I'm really afraid of Carl. He prints his own money and could squash any one of us like grapes if he wanted to. I do whatever Phil Rumore tells me to, so I hope Carl doesn't recruit someone to run against me." It's funny. Petrucci was not too supportive of Paladino when he was overheard at the Bishop Timon 5K race in September telling one of Paladino's volunteers he was "on the wrong side" in the gubernatorial race. There are a lot of canaries down by the docks and many of them report to their neighborhood blogger. Don't you think I hear things, Lou?

Petrucci is a recent graduate of the Ray McGurn School of Fibbers. He will lie or exaggerate anything if he thinks it makes him look better. At least McGurn is smart enough to tell believable lies. Pinocchio tells so many whoppers, even he has trouble keeping track of all of them.
(Link) View more Pants On Fire Sound Clips and Liar Sound Clips I don't think it's something Petrucci would have had the guts to say to Carl's face, but I guess that's where we come in. I can't wait to hear what lie Pinocchio uses in denying what my reliable source overheard him say. Looks like Lou's lips continue to sink ships...

Paladino again rails against city schools - Schools - The Buffalo News

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2010 Person Of The Year: Carl Paladino - WBEN NewsRadio 930 : Buffalo & Niagara Falls, NY

Whether you agree with his politics or not, Carl Paladino was the clear choice for WBEN's person of the year. People don't understand how much it takes to run for office, especially when you are not the choice of a major party. The two parties are set up to prevent independent thinking people from running, much less getting elected. They're a lot like the mafia. If an independent person wins by some fluke, they offer the person "protection" in exchange for their future support. Winning a primary in NY state is a big deal, especially going up against an endorsed candidate.

Look for big things this year from Paladino and company. The Democrats and Republicans did a great job of trying to discredit him. If Paladino misspoke during the campaign, it was because he is a regular Western New Yorker who happens to be a successful businessman. The career politicians rarely misspeak because they are carefully schooled never to give an opinion about anything. It was Paladino and Rus Thompson who got the tolls removed, yet several career politicians (who had previously opposed the move) showed up to take credit for it when the cameras were rolling.

It surprises me how naive the average voter is. They get outraged over Paladino's emails, yet don't seem to mind when Andrew Cuomo offers guys like Dale Volker no show jobs. Seriously, the guy (Volker) is completely useless and he's on Cuomo's list for an appointed job. I think what Western New York needs is for more regular people to get involved. We need to take back the community from these career politicians. I'm sick of hearing Brian Higgins talk about the waterfront like it's his and not ours. He's had 25 years as a Councilman, State Assemblyman, and Congressman to come up with ideas. Higgins is well intentioned, but the people need to start making things happen themselves. An idea we've been pushing is for Buffalo to invest in amateur sports competitions (swimming, hockey, etc). I think the community's passion for hockey could be used to bring many out of towners here. We have a lot of work ahead of us, though. The World Junior Hockey Tournament is showing us we need to offer families more things to do downtown other than drink alcohol. What the 18 year old team USA player said was unfortunately, the truth. Downtown Buffalo really is a ghost town after 5PM. I always try to view the glass as half full and I'm optimistic about 2011. Here is WBEN's article on their person of the year for 2010.

2010 Person Of The Year: Carl Paladino - WBEN NewsRadio 930 : Buffalo & Niagara Falls, NY

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Person of the year

I'm encouraging all my readers and Carl Paladino supporters to go to WBEN and vote for him as their 2010 person of the year. His run for governor took a lot of guts, especially when most "experts" said he had no chance of winning the primary. People don't understand how difficult it is to put your name out there. As soon as you do, you become a target for those that like things to stay exactly the way they are, and these people are some of the most vicious people you would ever want to meet. Whether you agree with his politics or not, Paladino could be sitting on a beach counting his money. Instead, he is trying to fight the status quo. Just like me. Only $125 Million dollars separate us.

One of the guys they are nominating is Mark Croce, better known as the guy charging people $50 to park at the HSBC Arena. Hilarious. Here is the link...
Person of the Year Page

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Facebook contest

I'm always trying to think of new ways to get my blog out to more people. Right now, it's all I have to get my message out. It's where I hold court. When I ran for office in 2001, those in power did everything they could to discredit me. It's easy to say somebody is unintelligent when when they have no recourse to prove otherwise. How can one fight back when the incumbents are the ones on TV and radio all the time? In 2010, the answer is simple. Create your own media. In a very small way, we have done just that.

A good friend of mine, who wishes to remain nameless, has given me a $25 gift certificate to Chili's Restaurant. To be eligible, all you have to do is be one of my Facebook friends and hit the share button underneath the Carl's back post. By hitting the share button, you are exposing my crazy thoughts, ideas, and rants to all of your friends. Hopefully, some of them will like the blog and decide to come back. I am seeking other gift certificates or coupons from local businesses as I would like to do this once a month for my Facebook friends. Chili's does not endorse or condone opinionated blogs like mine. However, if you know a local pizzeria or store owner, I would be able to put their logo/phone number on the blog's sidebar as well as give them some publicity and hopefully some new customers. This will cancel out all the customers they lose for supporting a crackpot like me.

The reason I decided to share the Carl's back post is because I believe 2011 is going to be a great year for Western New York. I heard Andrew Cuomo say several times during the 2010 campaign that "anger is not a solution to our problems." Many voters were led to believe that Carl Paladino was just an angry guy with no solutions. Although this was a smart strategy on Cuomo's part, as many people were duped into believing in him, it simply was not true. While continuing to fight against unnecessary tolls and incompetent public officials, I believe Carl Paladino and company will set out to prove the naysayers wrong this year. They are already reaching out to the average citizen to join their fight for positive change. Please help spread the word by sharing my post on Facebook. Thank you.

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