Carl Paladino: He took down the 190 tolls, up next, Buffalo's corrupt school system

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http://www.wben.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=10399

“I think it’s a responsibility of our business community leadership to get out there and criticize where we have to criticize and applaud where we have to applaud,”
– Carl Paladino, Buffalo businessman

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - Buffalo real estate developer Carl Paladino is calling for the state to remove the Buffalo School Board, in the latest of a series of paid advertising messages where he presses for city reform and better leadership.

Paladino’s radio advertising, airing on WBEN, minces no words, and is a open letter to the board and Superintendent James Williams, directly calling for them to pay better attention to community needs.

“Hello, Board of Ed and Dr. Williams, can you hear us now?” Paladino says in the messages…“We are still waiting for the state to remove you.”
His criticism focusses on spending issues and the recent scandal involving the suspension of a student at McKinley High School.

“You get $26,500 per student. We could send all of them to private schools and have $10,000 left for a college fund,” he says in the open message to the board.

Earlier this year, an independent investigator was hired to conduct an investigation of McKinley High School,after volunteer coach Michelle Stiles questioned whether boys basketball coach James Daye was involved with a student. Principal Crystal Barton fired Stiles and student Jayvonna Kincannon was suspended for 5 weeks when she used a cell phone during school hours to try and speak on Stiles’s behalf.
Paladino’s statement refers to the coach as “the philandering Daye” and questions whether he is worth a $79,000 annual salary.

The board citing costs, state education law, and the time considerations involved, has declined to persue disciplinary action against Barton, despite the investigator’s report (below) which says the Kincannon suspension was overly long.

“You couldn’t find the courage to reprimand a rogue principal who slandered, discharged and humliated a talented volunteer coach, and vilified and abused a 15-year -old honor student,” Paladino says in his open message to the board. " You (The board) blatantly showed favoritism toward a … coach… with the feeble excuse that it would be too costly… You should be ashamed of your collective disfunction and overall incompetence."

The Paladino approach, while not always embraced because of it’s bluntness, is generating a range of reactions, including some support for those who want others to speak out more often in favor of reform. A few examples:

Board Member Chris Jacobs, a downtown real estate developer: “I certainly share his frutration on the McKinley incident,” Jacobs says, adding that more public input can improve the school system, as long as it doesn’t degenerate into “character assasination”

“It’s time for taxpayers like Mr. Paladino to make public education an issue in their communities,” says Ralph Hernandez, West District Board member.

" I think more people should express their frustration with dealing with their government," says Dennis Penman, a former chair of the county industrial development agency. “A lot of people acquiesce.”

Two frequent Paladino targets, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and Superintendent James Williams, through their spokespeople, declined to comment on his latest in a series of controversial public remarks. In the past, the Buffalo City Council has considered censure of Paladino for outspoken remarks about Williams race. Paladino has often said Brown is unqualified and owes his election to politics not ability.

While Paldino’s candor gains supporters, it does not have universal support. A downtown business person who has worked with city development officials but did not want his name disclosed, tells WBEN that the public route that Paladino choses may not always be as effective as more behind the scenes diplomacy.

Paladino remains unapologetic. " I think it’s a responsibility of our business community leadership to get out there and criticize where we have to criticise and applaud where we have to applaud," he said in an interview with WBEN’s Dave Debo You can hear Debo’s reports and related liveline interviews available on the audio links above right.

This is the kind of guy Buffalo needs to be mayor.

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Paladino has been known as corrupt and ruthless as well, however his message rings clear.

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NO, NO, wait… NO, and fuck NO.

Although he has his good points.

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lol. buffalo has the most foreign/ESL, mentally handicapped, discipline problem, and just overall dumb kids of any school district around here by far. Garbage in, garbage out via test scores.

79,000 for a basketball coach? hopefully he’s also a full-time teacher that has been there for 30 years or so…damn.

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My aunt made around 75k at the end of her career as a teacher with the Cheektowaga School system. But thats putting in 30 years for God sakes.

A lot of the older teachers coach as well, so it could be a similar situation for this guy.

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while he does some things i agree with, he does a lot of shit i don’t. he’s been coming around a bit lately, (just not doing as many awful things) so hopefully that continues

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he makes good points but you gotta remember hes mad because his best friend was masiello and hes racist. I used to do work for this guy and he loved masiello in office he was givin city property for nothing. one job i worked on was the old LL burger building he turned into luxury condos he got that building real cheap and he was givin an entire city street for $1 to turn into parking.

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Hey if he has the money to make statements like this and try to invoke some debate/change I’m all for it.

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All we need is another mafia mayor or county exec.

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That’s a pretty fucking bold and ignorant thing to say.

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masiello > brown.

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then why is one of the best high schools in the nation also right in the fruit belt?

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because they have thousands of kids to recruit from to only take the best of the best.
And because buffalo teachers are actually good. They just don’t have the materials to work with except in special cases, like city honors.

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other states love employees educated in buffalo and generally up north but our system is going to shit if you get allmost $30k per student and 30 students in a class well 1-2 classroom pays for all the teachers/maitenance workers in the school so all that extra money should be put into programs. Hell the fact that music classes were eliminated was bullshit i thought that music class was great back in 2-3rd grade who knows maybe i woulda got into it and become a musician. Also i remember for 2 years all the paper in school was pink because there was a surplus and it was cheaper i had binders full of pink sheets.

Now i agree with cutting the fat and paying teachers well but why not get rid of study halls instead of classes. and the maitenance budget of allmost all schools can be cut my friends father was an engineer and they basically get $xx,xxx and hire people as they want and keep whatevers left, he used to just sleep at the school not hire anyone, do everything his self or with a friend and get a huge bonus.

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If Paladino gets the kids educated, then they will rent his luxo apartments, and they will improve the tax base in erie county and the surrounding areas.

Its in his interest. Same deal with property values…

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BUMP for the SHTF!!!
It looks like Buffalo may get its next black eye. This could be national news soon.

How did idiots and criminals get to be incharge of a billion dollar budget? Scary stuff.

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What did I miss here? Whats hitting the fan?

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Someone resigned and they decided to pay her $140000 or something like that for no apparent reason.
They were going to vote on getting rid of Williams right now instead of next year but somehow someone got persuaded to vote the other way at the last minute.
All of their shady dealings are getting exposure again and Paladino is fired up again.
Could get interesting very soon. Buffalo schools may be taken over by the control board or the State or…

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I hope Pegula comes to the rescue!

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x2000000000000000000000000

When millions of dollars gets spent on barber shops on filmore but The Iron Island museum in Lovejoy asked for 10,000 for roof repairs, the city said they couldnt afford it.
Williams is an Idiot. End of story.