I posted a few minutes ago that New York Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia has been silent on the Carl Paladino issue.
But I just learned that she gave an interview and said she was waiting for his detractors to make a case against him.
It is not enough for Elia that Paladino made blatantly racist comments. She wants someone to explain to her why this is a problem.
This is what Paladino wrote to a local publication, ArtVoice, as his wishes for 2017. This was ArtVoice’s comment, followed by a statement from Paladino that the following remarks are not racist.
Carl’s remarks were in response to Artvoice queries: 1. “What would you most like to happen in 2017?” and 2. “What would you like to see go away in 2017?” Paladino’s answers were: 1. ” Obama catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford. He dies before his trial and is buried in a cow pasture next to Valerie Jarret, who died weeks prior, after being convicted of sedition and treason, when a Jihady cell mate mistook her for being a nice person and decapitated her.” 2. “Michelle Obama. I’d like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla.”
Do you think those comments are racist?
Who will convince Elia that this is a problem? Paladino is a public official, not a private citizen.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Wow. Elia’s response is sickening.
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I suspect this isn’t going to make a difference but I have to try.
To set the record straight – Elia has responded several times through her spokesperson about Paladino. The law is clear. She can’t just remove him without explicit evidence that his words interfere with board business. Paladino is a vindictive, small man. If Elia takes action without explicit proof (which is being submitted to her now by the BPS), he will likely turn around a sue the board, her, and NYS.
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Explicit racism might be a grounds for removal
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Thanks for the context.
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Obviously vicious and racist. She needs an education in American History. Sign her up now.
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Her response speaks volumes about what she thinks of—
Herself.
😎
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The Regents hired Elia. They should fire her, then him.
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Wow. Paladino’s comments are both racist and sickening. Elia’s response is no better. I wonder how and why each of them believes that they can represent, support, and advocate for the education of Black children and their families in the city of Buffalo and the State of New York? Sickening.
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It is hard to believe she is serious. What does she not understand about this man’s indefensible statements?
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I was about to type an angry response about Elia, but I read the entire story and in Elia’s defense, part of the problem was the reporter’s characterization of Elia by using that phrase “waiting for his detractors to make the case”.
When you read the article more carefully, you realize that she was saying that she was waiting for a FORMAL request to remove him from office for his comments – which is how the process to remove him begins. “They have not kicked it to us yet,” she said. “We understand that that is part of what they are reviewing, and the process they’re moving forward on. There is a very specific process in law, and I’m sure that they are fully familiar with what that is.”
Elia herself would be the one to rule on that formal request, and if she comes out and attacks him now, it just gives Paladino evidence of her bias to fight it which he seems intent to do right now.
It seems that the Buffalo Board is planning to make that request and is just working on having it conform to the law. So it seems as if Elia just wants to retain the appearance of impartiality until she gets the formal request.
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I hope you are right.
😎
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NYC parent is right. Elia has been working with the board around Paladino for months now. Each time, their – and her – hands have been tied by the law surrounding the removal of board members. This is the first time she’ll likely have enough evidence to make a claim that Paladino can’t refute.
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Good analysis of Elia’s predicament… here’s hoping she is ready to do the right thing when this issue lands on her desk….
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Elia is waiting to be convinced that racism is a problem
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NYC public school parent
Sounds like the same legalize that the Obama administration used to protect their friends on Wall Street . Is there any doubt that if the similarly offense remarks were made by a Black radical he would have been removed from that board by the commissioner and or the Governor and the technicalities of the law would be left for the courts to decide sometime in the distant future after the facts on the ground established a new reality.
Much of leadership is a perception of power. So do not tell me what can not be done , tell me how we can do what should be done.
What Ellia should have done with the backing of the Board of Regents and the Governor is removed him from the Board even before the local Board acted. The legal process would have caught up eventually but the message would be clear
Taking this line of thought to its logical conclusion all we have to do is look at the recent history of the suppression of American constitutional rights at Occupy Wall st or the RNC or Seattle . Long after the goal of suppressing an effective protest movement were accomplished, the law suits were dealt with. The costs of those suits placed on others .
It is doubtful that, that scum Paladino would have any different recourse to a legal removal than to an over reach by the Commissioner. An over reach that could and would be formalized in the interim between the time of dismissal and the time it was taken to court. The judge would rule on what? That the removal was improper but the subsequent paper work formalized and negated the improper removal.
The optics would be quite different. Either way this piece of turd is going to challenge any removal.
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Legalese: would not be me with out an edit
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Joel,
You make a good point – nothing drove me crazier than the Democrats and Obama’s milquetoast way of fighting for the things they should have been fighting for.
On the other hand, I didn’t always attribute it to corruption or condoning racist behavior when they didn’t fight for things. Sometimes it was because Obama was so determined to try to work with Republicans or because he couldn’t be bothered to learn anything more about public education issues than Arne Duncan told him.
In this case, I read the entire article and it did seem as if the reporter’s characterization was rather misleading, as Elia was simply saying she was waiting for the formal complaint from the board to judge. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt that when it came, she would judge harshly but she was trying to follow correct procedures.
If for some reason she didn’t, I would have suggested making this a Gov. Cuomo issue and implying that HE was responsible for not taking action after Elia’s comments proved that the NY State Education department believed racism was perfectly fine. Making it about Cuomo because he is a political actor and will react if the public opinion is on his side — which in this case no doubt it would be given the disgusting remarks.
But maybe Dems do need to take a page from the Republicans’ playbook and act regardless of the law. I’m not sure Bernie would agree in this case if the complaint is coming in the next few days and not way down the line. At that point, it is necessary that Elia takes immediate strong action to remove him and THEN let the courts have their way. In this particular case, I could see that waiting a few days makes her action to remove him stronger.
But if she let’s this go on for more than a few days before removing him, then yes, it is typical Democrat unwillingness to fight. And then the pressure should be put on Cuomo — is he a racist or not? Since firing Paladino costs his big funders no money and is simply “optics” as you say, it’s the kind of event where Cuomo would want to prove he isn’t a racist because even the Republicans he rules to please don’t like that kind of outright racism – it makes them look bad.
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^^^”lets” (correcting my error writing “let’s”)
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What is it with these old, rich, angry white men, who just don’t know when to go home and shut up. Do they think their money makes them special? It surely does not buy them any class or intelligence.
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To answer your question:
Yes!
And many in our country bow down before and worship Mammon like in no other society ever.
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Frederick Douglas said that “… Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will…”
I am not familiar with Buffalo schools or Paladino but his statements are appalling. I wonder if they are unique to him. He thought he was sending this to a friend who would find his remarks amusing and this to me makes it more awful.
As my daughter is in mid senior year of high school I realize many of these wealthy, angry white men have very nice children that they want to see in “elite” private colleges and do not want their fancy-expensive-private school children to have to actually socialize or compete with public school children to enter and attend “elite” colleges or compete with them in getting the best jobs and positions of power, so one way to accomplish this is to make sure all the public school children are less competitive by controlling the standards and curriculum and force out the amazing and experienced public school teachers to make public school students less competitive in admissions. They disguise their efforts by pretending public schools are failing and that they are “improving” education.
Why would those in power want to share the advantage that they have or concede their power?
ps Here’s an example of the Harvard feeder schools:
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/12/13/making-harvard-feeder-schools/
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He didn’t think he was sending those comments to a friend, though. He KNEW he was sending them to a local newspaper.
It shouldn’t matter, though. Public or private, those comments are disgusting. He cannot represent the children of his district, especially children who are minorities, with opinions like that.
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What did community and religious organizations, worker collectives, school parents, decent people, etc. do, before Paladino was elected, to get support for an opposing candidate?
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Paladino’s district in Buffalo has the largest percentage of White, non-Black residents in the city which plays a role. Additionally, the last candidate who ran against him was a 18 year old student who had just graduated from the district and had some interesting ideas for the direction of the board. He lost by 200 votes.
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Oh, I read this in the Huffington Post that indicated he was sending to friends to be funny. Perhaps it’s incorrect then.
“In his letter on Tuesday, Paladino said he’d never intended to send the comments to Artvoice to begin with.
“I filled out the survey to send to a couple friends and forwarded it to them not realizing that I didn’t hit ‘forward’ I hit ‘reply,’” Paladino wrote. “All men make mistakes.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/carl-paladino-email-apology_us_58629a35e4b0d9a5945920ff?
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Paladino has sent out racist and sexist jokes many times
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sarah5565
Generally agree, certainly your statement applies to the destruction of our public university systems.
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Hasn’t Carl Paladino already made a potent case against himself? How many more malignantly racist things must he say?
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Elia is from Buffalo
There may be some ties
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She pretty much just told us that she’s a far larger problem for us than we thought. That’s scary.
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No – she hasn’t. While I’m thrilled that Dr. Ravitch is bringing attention to Buffalo’s issue with Paladino, it’s misleading to suggest Elia is somehow enabling or not responding appropriately. He is an evil, small, man who is openly racist and sexist, has been for years – and yet was democratically elected to serve on the school board. Elia can’t remove him just for being a terrible human being. If she could, he would have been removed during his first term. The law around removing board members is very clear and very, very narrow. Anything short of her waiting for the claim to be filed could be refuted by Paladino.
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Perhaps Ms. Elia can give an explanation to citizens of why she should continue to hold her position, as she appears to have no problem with racists.
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Elia is doing what the law and her position requires. Alas, the folks that have no problem with racists are the ones who voted for Paladino in the first place.
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Code of Conduct of the New York State School Boards Association
“strive step by step toward ideal conditions for most effective school board service to our communities, in the spirit of teamwork and devotion to public education in a manner which serves as a role model to our students ”
Some role model!
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The only way that the NY State Ed. Commissioner can act to remove Mr. Paladino is by receiving an official 306 petition or appeal. The BPTO has drafted a petition with supporting evidence and it is being reviewed by attorneys. We intend to file it with the Commissioner when ready. Our rallies, phone calls, and emails certainly put pressure on the Commissioner to act, but they alone will not remove Mr. Paladino. The 306 appeal must be accurately completed and filed for the Commissioner to act. Given the circumstances and the likelihood that Mr. Paladino would appeal a determination for removal, the petition also needs to have legal teeth to withstand a challenge in the courts. The Buffalo School Board is filing their own 306 petition separate from the BPTO.
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Ms Binis has it correct, unfortunately. Paladino was elected by a district which is historically very white and, as a long-time resident of Buffalo, I can tell you it is a district in which minorities are not welcome. They leave with the last inbound bus. Elia’s “out” is a recent (several years) piece of NYS legislation which forbids bullying, explicit racism, etc. in the schools, not only by students but by staff and administrators. I expect the outcome of this unhappy situation (in one of the most segregated cities of the country) will depend on whether it can be shown that mr P’s behavior has adversely affected education in Buffalo. The claim that he “accidentally” sent his response to the newspaper’s survey is, of course, nonsense. He has shown no regrets in the past for airing his racist views. At a public gathering at the local university campus last year he referred to the “damn Asians” taking all the seats at the university. Need one hear any more?
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Here’s an article from the Buffalo newspaper that explains the procedure a school board has to go through to get a board member dismissed:
http://buffalonews.com/2017/01/04/board-votes-retain-lawyer-help-remove-paladino/
I think Elia is doing the procedurally correct thing at this juncture… I hope she will render the right decision ASSUMING the Buffalo Board brings the case to her…
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Sorry for multiple comments, but this story resonated with me based on my work in NYS and in my consulting work in school district governance… so I want to make one last point:
While I would like to see a commissioner have the authority to unilaterally remove an elected board member who uses the kind of inflammatory and racist language used by the likes of Mr. Paladino, it is not too difficult to envision a situation where someone like Mr. Paladino is placed in a position of authority (Mr. Paladino was, after all, President-elect Trump’s State Chairman in NY). Should that happen, such a person might decide to use their position to get rid of “…parasites we now call activist progressives” and “…retarded liberal people” even if the electorate placed them office.
Complicated bureaucratic procedures are the price we pay to live in a democracy….
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Wayne,
We will give our time to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. But not forever.
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I am following this story and as upset as I am about Mr. Palladio’s comment and past behavior, I respect Ms Elia following proper protocol to ensure that he can not file a lawsuit in return,
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He will file a lawsuit no matter how carefully she proceeds. She may decide to think about it for 2-3 years. She is from Buffalo.
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I hate to say it but Intold you so. Buffalo teacher/blogger.
http://b-loedscene.blogspot.com/2016/12/be-careful-what-we-wish-for.html?m=1
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