Paladino Pisses Everybody Off
Carl Paladino - a private, albeit well-connected and well-known, citizen - said some mean things about Buffalo School Superintendent James Williams. In fact, they were downright stupid.
If you say something stupid, does your local legislature come down on you for it?
Common Council members, in a 5-4 vote Tuesday, condemned as “racially divisive” recent remarks by developer Carl P. Paladino, who said Buffalo’s school superintendent was hired because he’s black.
Some Council members also said Paladino owes Superintendent James A. Williams an apology.
“I think this individual really needs to be run out of Buffalo,” said Ellicott Council Member Brian C. Davis, who said Paladino’s frequent “rampages” and “inflammatory” remarks negate much of the good of his development projects.
Do I agree with or condone Paladino’s remarks? Not in the least. Would I condemn them? Sure.
Would I say that he needs to be “run out of Buffalo”? WTF is this, the wild West?
The Buffalo Common Council blew a gasket. How heartening it is to learn that every other problem in Buffalo has been solved that the city’s legislature can direct its attention towards a private citizen’s mean words.
Williams’ office did not return calls seeking comment, but five of Buffalo’s nine lawmakers have rebuked Paladino for comments he made Thursday at a Niagara Frontier Industry Education Council breakfast. Business leaders, educators and students attended the Cheektowaga forum.
Davis said it was unconscionable that Paladino made the comments in front of children — youngsters who should be taught that hard work, not handouts, get people ahead in life. “The message that was sent there to these kids was absolutely horrendous,” Davis said.
Paladino said he has since apologized to the children — but only because they probably didn’t understand the point he was trying to make. He said he will not apologize to Williams, contending that he and the School Board are mismanaging the district.
“I don’t like incompetent people,” Paladino said, alleging that hundreds of millions of dollars are being squandered on what he views as a substandard education for city children.
At the very least, Davis said, Paladino should resign from Buffalo Place and Buffalo Civic Auto Ramps, or be ousted from the not-for-profit entities’ boards.
Or perhaps a six-shooter at high noon. On what basis should Paladino resign from anything? He said something mean and insensitive? OK, that’s fine. Council members can bluster all they want for the press. One thing they oughtn’t do, however, is try and pass laws that are patently unconstitutional.
But Davis and Masten Council Member Demone A. Smith also want the state to consider passing a law that would ban people who engage in “racially offensive” conduct from obtaining public leases or contracts. The state rents office space in some of Paladino’s buildings. Most Council members were uncomfortable with this clause. They sent it to committee for further debate.
Does Paladino’s statement rise to the level of “racially offensive conduct”? Does speech = conduct in this instance? Who is the arbiter of what is and is not racially “offensive”? Since when does the Common Council tell the state what laws to pass? Doesn’t Buffalo have enough real, genuine problems
North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr. questioned the constitutionality of such a rule, a concern that was echoed by Council President David A. Franczyk. Speech can be “stupid, offensive or wrong” and still be protected by the First Amendment, Franczyk said.
Government would be “treading on dangerous waters” if it tried to punish people who said offensive things, said Delaware Council Member Michael J. LoCurto.
Council members voting in favor of the bill condemning Paladino’s remarks were Davis; bill co-sponsor Smith; Lo- Curto; Richard A. Fontana, Lovejoy District; and Bonnie E. Russell, University. Voting against it were Golombek; Franczyk, Fillmore; Michael P. Kearns, South; and David A. Rivera, Niagara.
Some who opposed the bill said they found Paladino’s comments unacceptable. But they want to review transcripts of what he said — if such transcripts exist — and want the entire bill to be discussed in committee.
Wow. What a novel concept. Let’s find out what the guy actually said before we start talking about violating the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.
Here’s a novel thought - everyone’s an embarassment.
Howard Goldman Says:April 30th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Carl Paladino and James Williams are two of my biggest personal heroes. I know that both of these gentlemen deeply care about our community.
I’m glad that we have Dr. Williams no matter how we got him.
Mr. Paladino is justified in his frustration with the failure of the public school system. Dr. Williams is not the problem, he is the solution… if there is one, that is.
If racism was used in the hiring practice, then that should be corrected going forward. No reparations. Let’s move on.
Personally I would be in favor of paying the current state public school system their $22 billion per year and reach a contract with them where they agree to stay home and simply collect their money. I think that may be the fastest way to get rid of our failed educational system. I would rather pay them to do nothing than pay them to help us lose another generation, or another minute for that matter.
I would be in favor of privatizing the entire public school system even if it meant almost doubling our current budget. Half would go to the current socialist model to stay home. Heck, we used to pay farmers not to grow things, right? The other half of the budget would come out of our pockets to teach our kids in the new privatized schools. Your first two children in school are paid for by the taxpayers. After that, you pay.
The state would oversee performance standards and testing. I say we put Carl Paladino and James Williams in charge of that.
Broken Ducks Says:April 30th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Two things -
1. Carl Paladino has said racist stuff before. Just not in public.
2. Byron Brown and his Grassroots backing (Davis, Smith, Peoples, Thompson) have hated Paladino for years (the Mayor refuses to go into any of his buildings, including Ellicott Square), this is just their first opportunity to take a legit public swipe at him, so they’ll milk every bit of it that they can.
3. Is saying someone was hired because they were black a racist thing to say? Saying someone is incompetent because they are black is racist, but isn’t saying he was hired for being black really calling him a patronage hire more so than a racial slur?
Mike Miller Says:April 30th, 2008 at 9:46 am
The last I checked, Buffalo was in America, where free speech is a right, right?
I hope Dave Franczyk gets his council in order and stops them before they all end up looking any more ridiculous. If people don’t like Paladino’s remarks, they won’t support his causes, non profit or otherwise.
Let’s have a real honest discussion about race relations in Buffalo. Not this kind of overstepping the bounds nonsense.
Mike Says:April 30th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Carl should start working for the Hudson’s paper, he already buys full page “fake stories” every week in the Reporter.
hank Says:April 30th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Dr Williams has a big fan in me. I sent him a letter not long after he took over, and I was reading about him in the Snooze.
40 years ago, Buffalo and it’s neighborhoods were very tightly ethnically delineated. Not so much today. Of course 300K less people makes that easier.
In those days,it wasn’t a good idea to linger in the Italian West Side, the Eastern European melting pot in the North West Corner, the Irish Channel in South Buffalo, the Iron Triangle of Seneca/Babcock or the Fruit Belt or East Side without being “from around there”. Ethnic bias and racism was alive and well among ALL the ethnic concentrations in the city.
That being said, Do I think Paladino a racist for his comment? Nope.
Hell, Buffalo is a Pandora’s Box of Patronage Hiring of ALL types, which is a part and parcel of the last 50 years of Democrat/Liberal control of the city. The reason FOR the patronage is moot.
I don’t think Dr. Williams was hired because he was black, The Snooze once opining “It’s time Buffalo had a Black Mayor” notwithstanding.
I DO think he was brought to town because between the state, the Buffalo Board of Ed. and the Teacher’s,Principal’s and Operating Engineer’s Loonions–
The salary/benefits genie was out of the bottle, the kids weren’t learning, the cost per student and dropout rate out of control, and Williams was the kind of “outside the box” maverick who could come in and start to shake the status quo tree until all the leaves were off.
God knows Dr Williams has gone 12 Rounds with BTF President “Big Phil” Rumore, and there’s blood on both sets of gloves. I’ll not provoke one of the last areas in the nation to keep a death grip on their beloved Unions to say who drew the righteous blood.
Paladino AND Dr. Williams should not be judged necessarily by what they might say, but by what they do and contribute to the area.
Not unlike many Buffalo Bloggers–I disagree with them vehemently on many political issues, but I certainly admire and respect them for the service they provide to the community. Keeps me abreast of what’s happening.
Terry Says:April 30th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
There seems to be a fine line between stupid comments and factually correct comments, depending on one’s perspective….Who was it that said “I may disagree with what you may say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it….”? I guess we can no longer call a spade a spade, eh?
BTF lover Says:April 30th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Im not quite sure shy anyone feels the love of “Mr” Williams. He has done nothing positive since he was bought and paid for by Wilmers. He has tried to dismantle the school system so his charter school scumbag friends, Chris Jacobs for one, can privatize public ed. Ironically enough Paladino’s daughter is married to Chris Jacobs’ brother. He has had the sisters on the board, who enjoy eating at the trough( Chop House)with him, rubber stamping everything he does. We can thank God for Hernandez, Panipinto and Prutucci( sorry for possible misspellings)for actually holding him/them accountable. I ask all his supporters to Google Williams and Dayton and see the results. It aint pretty. He is doing the same things he did in Dayton. The number of administrators, not principals, gettin paid more than 110K has tripled since he arrived. Over a million bucks in exempt positions. Every word out of his mouth is a lie. He has said he’s decreased classes. Lie. No one has been layed off, yet over 200 teachers did get layed off his first month here.
Not counting the debacle at Mckinley, 67, City Honors, etc.. Mark my words, when he’s run out of town we, city taxpayers, will be holding the bag in addition to the poor lil chilren he claims to care so deeply about.
hank Says:April 30th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
BTF Lover makes it clear the postion of the LOONIONS. Thanks so much for that lentghly explanation, which was certainly expected from SOMEONE in the BTF.
Perhaps you should be paid by the number of students that pass in your class—you can’t reach them–you don’t get paid.
And if you’re a man or a woman, your wife (or you) can pay for your plastic surgery on your OWN dime.
What are your concerned about more–your salary, your benefits, or what you were hired to do, educate the young? It takes altrusim to teach children, not a profit motive.
BTF lover Says:April 30th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
One more thing: Palidino did not piss “everyone” off. Most folks in the city hate him. Thank you Carl.
Paul Jonson Says:April 30th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I would like to take a minute to thank Mr. Demone Smith and Mr. Brian Davis for once again proving to everyone without a shadow of a doubt why Buffalo has the problems it does. Thanks guys for making complete asses of yourselves and the Common Council.
Pauldub Says:April 30th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Last time it was the idiocy of accusing the church of “ethnic cleansing” Now this. I do believe the inmates are running the asylum.
BTF lover Says:April 30th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
paying teachers for only the kids that pass is a great idea. here’s how we do it:
teachers hand pick the kids they want to teach. they cherry pick only the healthy, well fed kids from good homes with two bright, successful parents whose only goal in life is to raise doctors, lawyers, cpa’s and even teachers. they live in clean, safe homes. there is no drug dealing, shooting or murders to keep them up all night. etc., etc., etc.. people would be lining up from charlotte to buffalo for them jobs. lets hope the teacher would be paid a comparable salary of 60k which is what williams’ driver is paid. he spend so little time here he cant be bothered learning where the schools are. he really cares bout the chilren.
BTF lover Says:April 30th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Pundit,
Please link tho this :http://buffaloskoolmess.blogspot.com/2008/04/thug-life.html
This is the real deal. Whoever is writing this is right on.
reflip Says:May 1st, 2008 at 2:01 am
I’m not sure which is worse: school administrators lying to cover their asses or teachers whining about their unfair working conditions.
Teachers,
You can’t beat them (the administration) so just join them. Get some Mickey Mouse degree in school administration and Voila! You too can solve all the problems of the BPS. And you’ll make more money.
Or, quit. What did you think being a teacher was going to be like? Let’s see…your boss is an arrogant jerk who “isn’t as smart as you” and you are constantly asked to go above and beyond your job description. And you think they don’t pay you enough. Sounds like every job I’ve ever had, too. Did you see that movie “Office Space?” Yeah. Underrated movie actually.
So, most private sector jobs won’t be that much better. In which case, take a job at a local college teaching education courses. Your job will be much easier, your working conditions better (your students will be just as dumb as your regents classes now but they’ll be less violent - plus you’ll likely still work for the state) and best of all you can teach future generations of teachers to hate the administration, too. Bring the system down from the inside out. Win-win.
Buffalo Pundit » Blog Archive » Buffalo School “Mess” Blog Says:May 1st, 2008 at 5:49 am
[…] Lover” commented here, leaving this link for me to […]
STEEL Says:May 1st, 2008 at 10:53 am
If only I had three months of vacation time, 100% health care, a generous pension and a generous salary and a union to back me up if my boss and my clients are mean to me.
Mr. Pink Says:May 1st, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Let’s not lose sight of not only how dumb Paladino’s comments were but where he chose to deliver them…in front of students. That’s simply not right and if he had an ounce of dignity, he’d apologize for that.
Paladino’s issue is that he can’t buy his way to Mayor Brown’s City Hall the way he did with Tony. Hell, Paladino was effectively de facto mayor, grabbing with both hands and stuffing his pockets.
I’m glad he made his comments so people can finally see what he is all about.
Haterade Says:May 2nd, 2008 at 12:40 am
Paladino was right.
I see you are still whining about “loonions” (comedy gold there, fat boy) from your little burg in NC. Get a life, hankie ….