Walter Williams could be talking about the Buffalo school district here too. Once again Williams is right on.

Black Education by Walter E. Williams

“Hard Times at Douglass High,” is an HBO documentary that aired last June. It captured much of the 2004-2005 school year at Baltimore’s predominantly black Frederick Douglass High School. The tragedy is that what is seen in the documentary is typical of most predominantly black urban schools.

Douglass’ students are four to five years below grade level. Most of its ninth-graders read at the third-, fourth- or fifth-grade levels. In 2006, only 24 percent of its students tested proficient in reading, in math just 11 percent, and that’s an improvement over previous years. Only one student managed to score above 1,000 on the SAT and another student scored 440 out of 1,600. You get 400 points for just writing in your name. Out of its 1,100 students, 200 to 300 are absent each day. Many of those who do show up don’t do so on time; they roam the hallways and leave the school during the day. Only one-half of the school’s 500 incoming freshmen ninth-graders return for their sophomore year and far fewer remain for graduation

Sixty-six percent of the teachers are uncertified. Even if there were no certified teacher shortage, I doubt whether many teachers with attractive alternatives would want to teach at the school. Douglass High School is not a place for teachers with high expectations for their students. English teacher Mr. McDermott resigned in the middle of the school year saying, “Teaching becomes secondary, and discipline is the main thing that goes on. I don’t feel like I’m making a difference anymore.”

Cameras followed then-principal Isabelle Grant on her visit to the home of a chronically absent student. The student who reads at the fifth- or sixth-grade level is promised that if she attends school regularly she’ll be promoted to the 11th grade. It is impossible to eliminate such a reading deficit in a semester. Teachers are pressured into passing failing students. The documentary showed that within a few days of graduation time the school went from having 138 eligible graduates to 200. Promoting and graduating students who haven’t made the grade is nothing short of academic fraud.

Douglass High School teachers and staff appeared to be concerned and caring people, but the poor quality educational outcomes demonstrate that concern and caring is not enough. The virtually empty classrooms, filmed on back-to-school night, suggested little parental interest in their children’s education. School day behavior demonstrated little student interest. Some students spent class time laughing, joking and tussling with one another. Others had their heads lying on their desks or appeared uninterested in the teacher’s discussion. Many of those engaged in student-teacher exchange on academic topics showed very limited reasoning ability.

Frederick Douglass was founded in 1883 as the Colored High and Training School before it was renamed. It is one of the nation’s oldest historically black high schools. It was a draw for Baltimore’s brightest black students. Success stories among its alumni include Thurgood Marshall, Cab Calloway, as well as several judges, congressmen and civil rights leaders. I guarantee you that if Douglass High student test scores of that earlier era were available, they wouldn’t show today’s achievement gap. Also, a 1940s or ’50s Douglass High graduate would find no comparison between student behavior during their school years and that shown in the documentary.

Politicians and the teaching establishment say more money, smaller classes and newer buildings are necessary for black academic excellence. At Frederick Douglass’ founding, it didn’t have the resources available today. If blacks can achieve at a time when there was far greater poverty, gross discrimination and fewer opportunities, what says blacks cannot achieve today? Whether we want to own up to it or not, the welfare state has done what Jim Crow, gross discrimination and poverty could not have done. It has contributed to the breakdown of the black family structure and has helped establish a set of values alien to traditional values of high moral standards, hard work and … [visit site to read more]

HAHAHAHA… A democrat resume enhancer! The National Enquirer’s lawyer is David Kendall — Bill Clinton’s impeachment defense attorney. I would bet anything that HRC was waiting to drop this to kill JE’s VP chances and put her higher on the VP list. From what I hear, this is all true. What a sleeze bucket…

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS CAUGHT WITH MISTRESS AND LOVE CHILD!

Vice Presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards was caught visiting his mistress and secret love child at 2:40 this morning in a Los Angeles hotel by the NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

The married ex-senator from North Carolina - whose wife Elizabeth continues to battle cancer — met with his mistress, blonde divorcée Rielle Hunter, at the Beverly Hilton on Monday night, July 21 - and the NATIONAL ENQUIRER was there! He didn’t leave until early the next morning.

Rielle had driven to Los Angeles from Santa Barbara with a male friend for the rendezvous with Edwards. The former senator attended a press event Monday afternoon with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on the topic of how to combat homelessness.

But a months-long NATIONAL ENQUIRER investigation had yielded information that Rielle and Edwards, 54, had arranged to secretly meet afterward and for the ex-senator to spend some time with both his mistress and the love child who he refuses to publicly acknowledge as his own.

The NATIONAL ENQUIRER broke the story of Edwards’ love child scandal last year, when Rielle was still pregnant and Edwards was still considered a strong candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Both parties denied the NATIONAL ENQUIRER report and a close friend of Edwards’ came forward and said he was the father of Rielle’s baby. But sources told the NATIONAL ENQUIRER a far different story - they revealed that Edwards was engineering a massive cover up of his shocking infidelity.

Sources came forward after that story appeared and told The NATIONAL ENQUIRER that Edwards and Rielle had met secretly several times, so that he could see his baby and continue his relationship with Rielle.

The NATIONAL ENQUIRER learned ahead of time that one such meeting was set for yesterday.

At 9:45 p.m. (PST) Monday, Edwards appeared at the hotel, and was dropped off at a side entrance. NATIONAL ENQUIRER reporter Alan Butterfield witnessed the ex-senator get out of a BMW driven by a male companion and stroll into the hotel. … [visit site to read more]

How many times have I said that Silver is the most powerful politician in Albany? A million? 2 Million? It doesn’t matter what the Senate does or what Paterson wants with this Property tax cap, if Shelly says no then no it is… It also does not seem to matter what the rest of the Assembly has to say, why is that? How and why does one person wield so much power and control? Did you elect him? I didn’t here in Western New York, so how come what he says goes? These Bills need to go to the floor for debate and a secret ballot, if that happened I would guarantee it would pass.

Sheldon Silver needs to be bounced out on his buttocks and have his head yanked out of his……..

While dysfunction lives, tax reform is ‘DOA’- Syracuse.com
DICK CASE
POST-STANDARD COLUMNIST

I’m here to say that nothing much has changed in Albany, in spite of what we’ve heard.

I had a startling revelation recently when Dean Skelos, who’s from Long Island, stopped by the office to talk with us about himself, and his plans for the state Legislature. Dean’s the guy who replaced Joe Bruno, who stepped down from his job as Senate majority leader.

The new majority leader didn’t pull many of his punches. He gets along fine with “David” (Paterson), who’s also breaking into the job, as governor. “Shelly” (Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker) is another matter.

Nothing gets done in Albany unless Shelly says it’s OK.

This was not good news. For months, we’ve heard about how dysfunctional our state government has become. Even with new pairs of boots on the floor,

the dysfunction stays.

Dean Skelos quoted Shelly as saying the governor’s proposal on tax reform was “dead on arrival” in the legislature.

He said “DOA.”

Dean went on to explain that’s a lousy response to the governor’s program, which he said is all he hears about on his tour Upstate: “property taxes, property taxes, property taxes.” If the governor puts out a bill, Dean thinks “we owe him the courtesy of a real examination of it. To say it’s dead on arrival basically is saying no to the governor.

“It’s also saying that you’re not serious about real property tax relief.” … [visit site to read more]

Hoyt, Brown, Lenihan, Rumore, Struggle for Power?
That’s my title for this article I found in the Buffalo News. All this is really so dam typical in WNY politics. I heard so many rumors when I was running against Hoyt it got to be hilarious. Everything from he was not going to complete his term to he impregnated a staffer in Albany. Where did they come from? I have no idea, people would call and email me. Byron Brown? Wow I have heard some doozies about him too, but rumors run rampant as there is real power struggles going on.

I can’t vote in this primary and that’s a good thing I suppose, I don’t like either one of them.

Buffalo’s Mayor Brown accused of trying to oust Assemblyman Hoyt

According to the first rumor, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt would resign in disgrace. The second one claimed the FBI was hot on the trail of Mayor Byron W. Brown. Neither rumor proved true, but each side accuses the other of spreading such allegations, which speaks volumes about the escalating feud between the two politicians.

The rift has helped to put Hoyt, up for re-election this year, in the cross hairs of some of Buffalo’s most powerful leaders, from Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano to Philip Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation.

“It’s time for a change,” Rumore said. “We also think Barbra Kavanaugh is a breath of fresh air.”

Kavanaugh, a former Common Council member, is staging a Democratic primary challenge against Hoyt, an old and now former friend. She has the help of some deep-pocket supporters such as Golisano and Buffalo developer Carl Paladino.

This is the second serious challenge that Hoyt, a lawmaker since 1992, has faced in recent races. Four years ago, he fended off an opponent — North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr. — who had many of the same backers as Kavanaugh.

Is this new battle with Kavanaugh really about change and reform as Golisano and Rumore suggest? Or is it simply Round Two in Hoyt’s ongoing war with Brown?

“Their view is, ‘You’re either with us or … [visit site to read more]

Byron Pigeon Target Pro Gay Legislator

THROW DOWN!

HOYT CHALLENGED BY KAVANAUGH

BUFFALO •The challenger was the first gay or lesbian person elected to public office in Western New York. The incumbent has the best legislative record on gay and lesbian issues in upstate New York.

Former Buffalo Councilmember-at-large Barbra A. Kavanaugh is now officially challenging Sam Hoyt for his seat in the state Assemblyman .

Kavanaugh, a Democrat was was elected to an at large position on the Buffalo Common Council in 1995. She served only half of her term when she took a job as the Director of then New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s Buffalo office. She, until recent weeks was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice John F. O’Donnell, Sr.

Kavanaugh did have two subsequent failed bids for elected office in 2003 (NYS Lieutenant Governor) and in 2005 (Buffalo City Comptroller). She was unable to rebuild the coalition of gay and lesbian voters that has supported her city council campaign in 1995.

In her 1995 campaign for city council, Hoyt actively supported Kavanaugh through fundraising, volunteers and personally walking with Kavanaugh, introducing her to voters.

Hoyt has served eight terms in the New York State Assembly. He has voted and co-sponsored important legislation such as the Hate Crimes Law, Sexual Orientation Non Discrimination Act, Same Sex Marriage bill, Gender Expression Nondiscrimination bill. Hoyt has throughout his legislative career had a 100% score from the Empire State Pride Agenda. Hoyt is also responsible for millions of dollars in state funding for groups like Aids Community Services, Gay and Lesbian Youth Services, Pride Center of Western New York and other programs that directly benefit gay and lesbian people.

Mayor Byron Brown and former Erie County Democratic Chairperson Steven Pigeon have in the past have targeted Hoyt. In 2004 the pair backed conservativeCity Councilman Joseph Golombek in his challenge to replace Hoyt. Hoyt easily defeated a well financed Golombek. 2008 finds Pigeon financially backing Kavanaugh and the majority of Kavanaugh’s petition signatures were gathered by city hall employees.

Hoyt has been endorsed by The Empire State Pride Agenda and The Stonewall Democrats of Western New York. Kavanaugh did not seek the Stonewall Democratic … [visit site to read more]

It’s about time someone started looking at the legislature as a full time job.. Let’s get them back to work now and get some things done for the taxpayers for once. They have already kissed up to all the unions and screwed the taxpayers of Western New York, now it’s time to get down to business and work to cut the taxes, stop the excessive rate of growth of government, taxes, pork and make this place a place where people want to return and businesses see an opportunity for growth.

Leaders Meet in Albany - FOX23 News

It was the first chance all three of the State’s top leaders were able to get together. They met this afternoon at the Governor’s Mansion to discuss issues not resolved back in June.

“We’ve agreed that we don’t have to wait until January to start addressing them. We see the Legislature as a full time body,” says Governor Paterson.

One hot topic: Energy costs. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has asked the Governor to consider a plan to enhance the Home Energy Assistance Program. With President Bush calling for federal cuts, Paterson says he agrees something must be done at the state level.

“We’re going to look to the Department of Housing and all the different areas that we might be able to withstand what is a proposed cut,” he says.

Another issue discussed at today’s news conference was the property tax cap. The Governor put that proposal on the table back in June. New Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos says he supports it, but there are hold ups in the Assembly. Speaker Sheldon Silver says the concern is over maintaining educational services.

“What guarantees do we have that the children in those school districts will continue to get the resources that are necessary when they graduate to become competitive members of a global society,” asks … [visit site to read more]

I can see this battle playing out now. First we have to get an agreement with the governor which should be fairly easy to do. Paterson seems to be working well with the Republican Senate, Thank God. The biggest stumbling block will be Silver and the union controlled Assembly. The unions do not want a cap, they want more and more.

At this same session Maziarz informs me that our toll bill will finally make it to the floor and pass. Now, what will the Assembly do with that? I hope this isn’t going to be used as a political football. That would suck.

State Senate to adopt cap on school property taxes — Newsday.com

The State Senate will adopt Gov. David A. Paterson’s cap on school property taxes in a few weeks, along with bills aimed at reducing education costs and preserving state aid, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos said yesterday.

Speaking to 30 leaders in this upstate city west of Albany, Skelos (R- Rockville Centre) said he planned to meet Monday with Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D- Manhattan) to discuss tax relief. Skelos said he hoped to persuade Silver to join him and the governor in embracing the cap on yearly tax hikes.

“Within the next month, the Senate will pass Governor Paterson’s tax cap bill … but that is only part of the solution,” Skelos told the luncheon group at a community college. “We also have to provide mandate relief and assure there is adequate funding that goes to our schools districts.”

Skelos, who has been touring upstate after succeeding state Sen. Joseph Bruno as majority leader on June 24, didn’t provide details because the bills still are being finalized. An announcement is expected within the next … [visit site to read more]

Every person in power is from downstate… What’s new? Bruno was from Upstate? Just barely. The key for us is the majority in the Senate. At least for now we have that. The Assembly is dominated by Democrats and most everything that passes benefits downstate and NY City. Most legislation that benefits them hurts us.

Hoyt loves to boast the fact they the WNY delegation works well together? Well I respectively disagree. Sam, the man who tries to be everything to everybody gets nothing accomplished because of that. He votes the way he is told and therefore gets pork money and committee seats that benefit him, while we continue to get screwed.

WIVB-TV News4 Buffalo, NY |Long Island State senator holding one of the most powerful jobs in Albany

A Long Island State senator now holds one of the most powerful jobs in Albany. Republican Dean Skelos has taken the place of Joe Bruno. News 4’s Jericka Duncan spoke with the new majority leader and the Western New York Delegation.

Sam Hoyt (D) Assembly, Buffalo said, “The senate majority leader is from Long Island. He’s replaced an upstater but the new state senate majority leader Republican Dean Skelos says his commitment to Western New York, is real. His first priority–property taxes.”

You have to stabilize property taxes before you can get businesses to locate in New York State and keep young people and those on fixed incomes here.

Republican State Senator George Maziarz and Democrat Assemblyman Sam Hoyt agree. But how will Western New York Delegation make that vision a reality? By continuing to stick together, says Hoyt.

Sam Hoyt (D) Assembly, Buffalo said, “We have a great reputation of being a delegation that works together, to promote the priorities of this community.”

In a recent New York Times article Skelos was painted as someone who stuck with his own delegation and as someone who held grudges.

Dean Skelos, State Senate Majority Leader said, “I don’t hold grudges but I can be determined and very focused.”

Which is especially important now that the republicans lead the senate by only one vote. One man who is very close to the new senate leader is Senator Maziarz. Sources say he could be next to head the senate finance committee. A job Maziarz says is essentially the number two position in the senate. A job that helps to shift important powers to our area.

As for whether this recent change in power is something to look forward to, Maziarz say without a doubt.

As for what change if any Skelos will have on our region, the verdict is still out.

Sam Hoyt (D) Assembly, Buffalo said, “I want to believe he’s better…but the facts right now don’t speak to it.”

Skelos say he will call the senate back in session next month to vote on legislation capping the property tax.

Story by Jericka Duncan, … [visit site to read more]

Great article and look where it came from…. University of California, Santa Barbara. If you think about it this makes so much sense. What happens is pressure builds and hes to be released so where else? The ocean floor. How do you stop it? Drill, release the pressure and stop the seepage.

UCSB Press Release: “OIL AND GAS SEEPAGE FROM OCEAN FLOOR  REDUCED BY OIL PRODUCTION”

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) Next time you step on a glob of tar on a beach in Santa Barbara County, you can thank the oil companies that it isn’t a bigger glob.

The same is true around the world, on other beaches where off-shore oil drilling occurs, say scientists, although Santa Barbara’s oil seeps are thought to be among the leakiest.

Natural seepage of hydrocarbons from the ocean floor in the northern Santa Barbara Channel has been significantly reduced by oil production, according to two recently published peer-reviewed articles, one in November’s Geology Magazine, the other in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans.

The Santa Barbara Channel provides an excellent natural laboratory, as it is among the areas with the highest levels of seepage in the world, said co-author Bruce P. Luyendyk, professor and chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The studies were not funded by oil companies, but rather by the University of California Energy Institute and the U.S. Minerals Management Service, states Luyendyk, responding to the fact that the results favor off-shore oil production and are opposed by some environmentalists.

“We’ve done a good piece of science,” said Luyendyk. “We’ve developed a good understanding of a natural process. It’s all public data; it’s all straightforward. If I thought the study was compromised I wouldn’t be involved in it.”

Most of the seepage is methane, a potent greenhouse gas which escapes into the atmosphere, said Luyendyk. About 10 percent of the seepage is composed of “higher hydrocarbons,” or reactive organic gases which interact with tailpipe emissions and sunlight, creating air pollution.

The researchers state that the production rate of these naturally-occurring reactive organic gases is equal to twice the emission rate from all the on-road vehicle traffic in Santa Barbara County in … [visit site to read more]

This idea has been in my platform since I thought about running for local office. With the population loss the need for 15 legislators is obsolete. 9 is plenty and I think that the $700,000 figure is low. Of course proposing this and actually seeing this come to a vote in the Democrat controlled Legislature is a completely different subject.

The Democrats like big government and all the government jobs they can give to their campaign workers and staff. They could care less about saving the taxpayers a dime. It’s all about them and until we can get people in there with a different mindset things will not change.

WNED: Legislature Republicans Propose Downsizing (2008-07-18)

BUFFALO (2008-07-18) With an eye toward greater efficiency and cost savings, members of the Erie County Legislature’s minority caucus today announced a plan to cut the size of the legislature from fifteen members to nine by 2011.

The proposal calls first for a non-partisan re-districting commission which would review 2010 census figures as it carves the county into nine legislative districts.

The idea was jointly announced by Republican legislators Michael Ranzenhofer, John Mills and Edward Rath III, but Rath was quick to compliment a non-elected official for his commitment to improving government.

“I applaud Kevin Gaughan and the hard work he has done going around Erie County, going into the different towns and the villages and raising awareness of the importance of downsizing,” Rath said.

“We can show some leadership…and that can set an important example,” Rath added.

Similar proposals have failed in the past, but Republican John Mills feels that this effort will succeed. He says the necessary bi-partisan cooperation exists to back the plan, led by the pledged support of Democratic legislator Tom Loughran

“There’s a crack in the armor here where Democrats and Republicans are joining together to do something good for Erie County residents,” Mills said.

It was also noted that another two, unnamed Democrats have indicated they would support the reduction, which could save taxpayers $700,000 … [visit site to read more]

OOOOPS…..Why don’t the media outlets check before pumping out articles like they do? I think it’s because they so want it to be their way and just push out their agenda. There is very little reporting News any longer, it’s like tabloid trash all over the main stream media. THEY have chosen the next president, not us so they will keep rewriting actual news events.

Iraqi PM denies backing Obamas withdrawal plan

BAGHDAD, July 20 Xinhua — Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki denied that he has released statements backing a plan of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama which sets a timeframe for possible U.S. troops withdrawal from Iraq, the governments spokesman said on Sunday.

Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement that Malikis statements to German magazine Der Spiegel “have been misunderstood and mistranslated and were not conveyed accurately regarding the vision of Senator Barack Obama on the timeframe for U.S. forces withdrawal from Iraq.”

Dabbagh explained that Maliki backs an Iraqi vision of pulling U.S. troops based on Iraqs security needs and on talks with Washington, the statement said.

On Saturday, Der Spiegel released an article, quoting Maliki as supporting Obamas proposal that U.S. troops should withdraw from Iraq within 16 months.

“U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes,” the German magazine quoted Maliki as saying.

Dabbagh highlighted that statements made by any member of the Iraqi government, including Maliki, should not be understood as showing support to any U.S. presidential … [visit site to read more]

Cut them off from all tax dollars and make them pay taxes…. $115 Billion? that’s outrageous that they even get one dime of out tax dollars. Family planning? Ya, as an abortion mill.

Planned Parenthood — the LensCrafters of family planning? OneNewsNow.com

A Minnesota conservative is calling for an end to the tax-exempt status and public financing of the country’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood.

According to Planned Parenthoods latest annual report, the organization received more than $1 billion from revenues — nearly one-third of that figure came from “government grants and contracts.” In light of that report, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann R-Minnesota became outraged when she learned of Planned Parenthoods new branding effort in her Minnesota district. She says the new strategy is a move away from helping poor women with family planning, and instead involves targeting latte-drinking, affluent women across America. But Bachmann claims Planned Parenthood has always been about big business.

“When Planned Parenthood brings in over a billion dollars in revenues, pays no taxes, and sits at the end of the year fat and happy with $115 million in the bank and brazenly works to go after affluent women rather than helping out poor women, as their original mission statement said, I agree with the executive director of Illinois Planned Parenthood, who said Planned Parenthood wants to be the LensCrafters of family planning,” said Bachmann. “In other words,” she notes, “they want to be the big-box … [visit site to read more]

I see the WFP is clinging to the weakest link. Mesi has the least experience and is the easiest for them to control. WFP troops on the ground and backs up everything I have been saying about unions supplying manpower and money to get them elected.

Capitol confidential » WFP brings manpower to Mesi

Working Family Party Joins Mesi for Senate Campaign

61st Senate District – The Working Family Party (WFP) has joined Joe Mesi’s campaign for state senate. This partnership has brought a renowned grassroots operation and campaign staff to bat for this critical Senate race.

“Joe is exactly the kind of guy working families in Western New York need fighting for them in Albany. He’s been a fighter his whole life, and it shows.” said Sam Williams, State Co-Chair of the Working Families Party. “The WFP is making the Mesi campaign a top priority. We need to change the leadership that’s failed upstate New York, and elect the kind of people who will work hard to create jobs and cleanup Albany.”

Beginning this week, the WFP is placing several full-time campaign staff in the operation. The Party will be instrumental in building the candidate’s base, knocking on thousands of doors, mobilizing labor unions and affiliated organizations, and recruiting hundreds of financial contributors.

“This is a challenging race and I believe their help will make a real difference,” said Joe Mesi. “We share common goals on the issues that really matter: job creation, innovative economic development, and reforming the broken political system in Albany.”

“This was an easy decision, because Joe Mesi is one of us,” said Dave Chudy, Vice-Chair of the Working Families Party’s Western New York Chapter. “Joe understands firsthand the issues and struggles that are affecting working families. Whether it be fighting for living wage jobs, Paid Family Leave, property tax relief, or smart, creative economic development, Joe Mesi will fight for us in the State Senate and the WFP is proud to stand with Joe as we work to reclaim and reform Albany.”

Joe Mesi is a Democratic candidate for the 61st Senate District. He is running for State Senate to bring an independent voice, strong leadership, and working class values back to Albany. Joe believes in our community, and he knows it will take more than the same tired old political promises to get our region back on … [visit site to read more]

BRAVO to Carl Paladino. He is doing what ALL of us should be doing but instead complain while we sit in front of our computers or televisions. Is there any wonder why things have gotten so far out of control in this state?

It is time to get up off your apathy and speak out and most importantly VOTE! Listen to all the sound bytes at the link.

WBEN 930 : Paladino To School Board: ‘You Should Be Ashamed’

“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 … [visit site to read more]

Please help out and give Len Roberto a hand. He will be a great Assemblyman and do the job the way it is supposed to be done. If you can’t go please send him a few bucks, it costs thousands to run for office and not being the chosen “Party” candidate, fundraising is hard.

Fundraiser to Elect Leonard Roberto
Monday-July 28, 6;30 P.M.
Danny Sheehan’s Steak House
491 West Ave.
Lockport, N.Y. 14094

Minmum donation $35.00/ person
*Dinner* Chinese Auction* Music

Make checks payable to:”Friends of Roberto”
Please RSVP TO 716-491-3332 by July 24
If unable to attend, donations gratefully accepted.

*** (Items needed for the chinese auction, If you can help out please call … [visit site to read more]

Golisano’s Money and Michelle Iannello/Ward Whines, that should be the real title to this article. If this is true that you cannot meet with a candidate and talk about the campaign then we have elections violations going on everywhere and in every election.

I will be more than happy to help out Golisano, anyone know how to get a hold of them? Have them contact me. I ran against Iannello/Ward, I know how she works, I know how her husband helps, I know how the unions supported her. By the way,,,,, anyone know where her new office is? It’s not downtown any more, WE pay her rent and bloated staff now, she’s a big wig now don’tcha know.

Golisano’s Money

It was a major announcement by Sabres owner and Rochester businessman Tom Golisano. He put 5 million dollars of his own money into a fund to support candidates for the New York State legislature. It’s called a multi-candidate unauthorized independent committee. “It’s pretty straight forward. We want a responsible state budget. We want responsible process for coming up with a state budget and we want to remember we have to keep our expenses under control because our economy is not growing as fast as the budget is.” said Golisano on Tuesday of last week.

But now Erie County board of elections commissioner Dennis Ward is crying foul, saying that Golisano’s committee could be breaking the law. According to election rules, when a committee hands out a lot of campaign money, it’s not allowed to meet with the candidate and talk about the campaign.

Ward says that Golisano has already met with candidates like Baby Joe Mesi, who happens to be running against Ward’s wife, Erie County legislator Michelle Ianello, in the democratic state senate primary. Mesi was supported by Steve Pidgeon, the man now running Golisano’s new committee and handing out all the money. “How does the candidate not cooperate or foster if your sitting and discussing the campaign with Mr. Golisano, or Mr. Pidgeon, or Mr. Parenti that they will not cooperate and use the money. What do you just sit and talk about the weather?”, said Ward.

“Dennis Ward is probably the biggest whiner and cryer in Western New york Politics and is wrong again.” replied Pidgeon. He doesn’t deny knowing Mesi, but says it doesn’t matter what happened in the past because the committee didn’t exist when he was working with Mesi. Pidgeon claims so far no decision have been made about where the money is going. “It’s a matter of coordination going forward, going on in the future. He hasn’t made any designations yet. He doesn’t need to make designations.” said Pidgeon.

Still political analyst Bob Davis says this is a real issue that may eventually end up decided by the courts. “I think the state election law is set up to prevent things like this from happening. I think somebody needs to challenge it.” said … [visit site to read more]

A whistle blower line, great idea and I hope many, many people use it but use it for real waste, fraud and abuse. I also think we need one for Erie County government where patronage jobs can be reported. When I was running for Erie County Legislature so many County employees discussed to incredible amount of patronage in their offices. They were afraid I wanted to eliminate their job. Far from the truth, the real county workers we need, they are the ones that keep everything up and running. What we need to eliminate is the patronage.

County government has become the employment agency for campaign workers and is full of patronage. But, the legislators will do nothing to eliminate this and we continue to pay these peoples salaries, healthcare, pensions etc………..

County comptroller opens new whistle blower hotline for reporting waste, fraud : The Buffalo News

Erie County has a new email address and telephone line for reporting waste, fraud and abuse in county government. They are: whistleblower@erie.gov and 858-7722.

Or tipsters can still use the anonymous form found on the erie.gov site, after clicking on the link for the county comptroller’s office.

“We will review every one of the tips we receive,” Comptroller Mark C. Poloncarz said this morning when announcing the new methods for people to contact his auditors anonymously.

The comptroller’s office receives about 20 tips a year, or perhaps two a month, he said. Most often people choose to send unsigned letters.

“We are receiving more tips lately because people see that when we get a tip we research it. We do check it out,” he said.

His auditors last year read an anonymous letter about a government employee who seemed to be home during his work day. The auditors confirmed the parks department employee would punch in to work, go home, go back to work to punch out for lunch, then once clocked back in, go home again.

Poloncarz said the employee was disciplined but not fired by aides to then-County Executive Joel A. … [visit site to read more]

The City of Tonawanda got slammed a couple years ago when Hoyt had the Erie Canal designation moved to the city of Buffalo. It cost the Tonawandas over a million in Federal aid. Now this? Could this be payback for the election when I was running against her and the Mayor accused her of not living in her district?

The way she views her town of Kenmore and the City of Tonawanda is really twisted. Kenmore is a village with it’s own system of government that honestly should be consolidated into the Town of Tonawanda. I do think Kevin Gaughn suggested that in the way to shrink the sizes of government and so many elected officials. Something stinks about this whole thing and if it is political payback who gets hurt? The people that live in the City, not just the Mayor who will have to do something about the finances.

Tonawanda News - ERIE COUNTY: Change to tax revenue could hurt city

The City of Tonawanda stands to lose $1 million of revenue per year if a proposal being touted by a local member of the Erie County Legislature gains approval from state leaders.

Appearing earlier this week before the county Legislature’s Finance and Management Committee, Tonawanda Mayor Ron Pilozzi argued that the county’s three cities would be drastically impacted by a plan authored by Legislator Michelle Iannello, D-Kenmore, to redistribute the way sales tax revenue is shared with Tonawanda, Buffalo and Lackawanna.

Based on an agreement that has been in place since 1977, the county’s three cities receive 10.008 percent of the local 3 percent share of Erie’s sales tax revenue. Were that to be abandoned, Tonawanda would lose $1.1 million, or 5.7 percent of its annual operating budget, Pilozzi told the committee.

“Tonawanda would be either forced to cut vital public services or raise city taxes by approximately 13 percent, placing additional stress on its state 2 percent constitutional taxing limit,” he added.

The resolution, which Iannello’s colleagues passed last month, asks Gov. David Paterson and the State Legislature to re-examine the formula for determining state aid for municipalities to make it more fair to New York’s 279 villages, including Kenmore.

“Demographically and geographically, they are very similar,” Iannello said of the City of Tonawanda and Kenmore, whose populations are 14,931 and 15,123, respectively, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimate. “The current formula gave the City of Tonawanda $2.6 million in 2007-2008 and the Village of Kenmore $651,000,” Iannello said.

Her resolution calls on state officials to revise the revenue sharing criteria to “focus less on what a municipality is called, but (more) on the services it provides, the needs of the residents and the economic factors surrounding the municipality.” … [visit site to read more]

Well the session is over and he does not have to campaign so why not… So long Joe.

NY Senate leader Bruno to resign seat by Friday - NewsChannel 9 WSYR

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York Sen. Joseph Bruno, the chamber’s Republican majority leader since 1995, said Tuesday that he will officially leave office by Friday.

He surprised most in state government last month when he said he would resign but had not given a firm date when he would leave the office he’s held since 1976.

The 79-year-old resident of Rensselaer County near Albany said he would like to return to the private sector and run a business.

State law prohibits him from a lucrative job of lobbying the Legislature for two years.

Republican Sen. Dean Skelos of Long Island has been chosen to replace Bruno, with Bruno’s support.

In the two years since Gov. George Pataki left office, Bruno has been New York’s top Republican leader.

“Frankly, my work is fairly well done,” Bruno said Tuesday at his last major public event, an announcement of an IBM Corp. high-technology project in Albany. “I feel like my transition is done. The furniture is moving out of my office tomorrow, the pictures are off the walls.”

Then Bruno, true to form, joked: “It can get depressing if I hang around. I push the buttons and nobody’s answering.”

His term would have ended Dec. 31. A general election in November will pick Bruno’s successor, who will be sworn in in January.

He said his exit doesn’t threaten the Republicans’ majority, now that the regular session is over. The Senate’s Republican majority would likely only convene a special session if there was broad agreement on issues with the Democratic … [visit site to read more]

No of course it’s not an easy fix, I can see blockades coming from all sorts of directions namely the strength of the public service unions, teachers unions and stubborn corrupt politicians not wanting anything to change that would benefit anyone else but them.

The people and the local economies are at the bottom of the list in Albany, we should be at the top of the list.

Wilmers assumes Empire State post, says economy is “not an easy fix” : The Buffalo News
First step is to reorganize development agency

Robert G. Wilmers, chairman of Buffalo-based M&T Bank, adds a new line to his resume today — economic-development czar for the state.

Wilmers, who was Gov. David A. Paterson’s surprise selection to oversee the powerful but fractured Empire State Development Corp., admits he has his work cut out for him.

“This is a big job, and I hope I’ll be able to do it in a way that’s good for New York,” Wilmers said. “I want to see a state more thriving and prosperous than it is now. That’s not an easy fix.”

Wilmers, 74, has built M&T Bank, with $66 billion in assets, into one the country’s 20 largest financial institutions. Now he faces the task of overhauling the development agency so it can facilitate the state’s economic resurgence.

He is expected to streamline and refocus it, starting at the top.

Several business and development sources said he plans to create a new chief executive officer position to oversee the corporation’s day-to-day operations. That person will report directly to Wilmers.

Two lieutenants, responsible for separate upstate and downstate divisions, will answer to the new chief executive.

While he declined to discuss his restructuring plan, Wilmers confirmed he has been winnowing a list of candidates for the top posts. A handful has been interviewed.

“I can’t put a plan together until I get the right people, and if it takes some time to find those people, so be it,” Wilmers said.

He said that personnel search does not have geographic boundaries and includes every avenue he can think of.

“They don’t have to be from New York. I don’t care where they come from as long as I know they can do the job,” he … [visit site to read more]