Nepotism: The New Transparency in Buffalo Schools

Say No 

Well that didn't take long. 

About 3 hours after I posted the piece discussing the Board Majority's decided lack of interest in community input and the heavy rumor mongering that predicts their plan to appoint James Weimer as Deputy Superintendent, I got about 3 messages explaining that Weimer's wife was a long time employee of Carl Paladino's Ellicott Development Co.

 It's funny how this stuff just takes off on its own. My primary focus was the way the Wealthy White Men's Advocacy Group was seeking to keep anyone else from interfering with their end run to appoint a Super who will follow directions and stick to the script they give him. From what Carl has admitted in the article that served as a prequel to his "50 Shades of Tan" piece, he and Lars and Gateway Jim Sampson thought they had their boy, their official rubber stamp when they drafted Donald Ogilve and pressed him into service without as much as an introduction to The Sisterhood as Carl calls the Board Minority members. The girls were heated and understandably suspicious of what they were going to get out of this heretofore retired unknown white dude who'd spent a career among the suburban BOCES milieu.  If I were a minority member believe me I would not be expecting a whole hell of a lot from the guy either, especially the way he was installed with the majority votes and an invitation to STFU and deal with it from the fearless capitalist Majority who love a good power move more than they love their mothers. 

But as Carl has lamented, Ogie reneged. He refused to comply with their Valentine's Day Massacre and toss Bennett, MLK et al into the waiting bank vaults of the charterizers. Instead he ended up keeping any of them from being privatized and earning the respect of the women of the Board who very likely had no good opinion of him previously. The Old Boys Valentine's Day Massacre got flipped on them and ended up their Friday the 13th. For that they blamed Ogilve. 

 But to Carl and Co. this was Ogie's death knell and the search was on for a new stooge who'd shut up and do their bidding without any of this integrity and honor crap. What's best for the kids comes somewhere down the line with this crew if you look at the values they've embraced for their entire careers. I recently found an old sports post on WBEN grumbling about Quinn's obfuscation on the sale of the Sabres. The google tease reads "Larry Quinn flat out denied to reporters today that any sale of the Sabres is complete or pending...Larry Quinn is a well documented liar." Not my words but I'll gladly reprint them. 

In the eyes of the Majority members, the fact that Ogilve appeared to actually give a rat's ass about the kids and their education consigned him to the sucker's heap with all the rest of the losers who'd waste their lives earning $50K trying to teach someone's stupid kid about Grant's Tomb. 

These guys showed up late in their game, in the twilight of their careers. Before education was revealed as the next big cash cow for rich guys to cash in on by Bloomberg, Murdoch and the rest, none of us had ever seen hide nor hair of them dabbling in edumofocation. 

Sampson was a prison warden in Wisco. Quinn was flummoxing around in NYC trying to develop. Carl was collecting rent and being Carl. And none, not a goddamned single one of them, had a minute to waste on something as financially unrewarding or lacking in prestige as public education. But now here they all are and we're supposed to think their motives are all about the betterment of children and mankind on the whole? We are also supposed to believe that they know better than people who began education careers in their early 20's and are still here in their 50's, 60's and 70's? Ninja please ... 

But now that education has been declared the next Sutter's Mill, suddenly, here they all are!  -- Just caring and caring and caring till they just can't care any goddamned more. Even though they admit to ignoring public speakers at Board Meetings and giving no fucks about teachers losing jobs to accomodate their privatization plans we are supposed to believe that:

•  Quinn (with how many mill from his Sabres deals) and 
• Paladino (with how many mill from all of his state leases and charter leases?) and 
• Sampson (with how many mill he ganked from Gateway?) 

are suddenly losing sleep because poor black kids and poor brown kids and poor white and yellow kids aren't scoring 4's on their NY State Assessments? Someone needs to give us all a break. Talk about straining credulity...

So I guess all that's left is to ask Mr. Weimer if he is their guy how he wants to be remembered? What is to be his legacy as an administrator in Buffalo Public Schools? As it stands I already said I've heard little said against him and Emerson is so successful there is talk and maybe plans already of expanding it with another site. 

Do you want to be remembered as the man who steered Emerson into a new building and built with slow and steady progress a thriving gem in which the whole city can find a little pride? Seems you've earned that.

Or at this point is all of that worth trashing for the sake of being another Carl Paladino stooge who did as he was ordered and faciliated the widescale firesale a handful of rich old white guys thought was their birthright because they are old and rich and white and this is Buffalo? And dammit that's the way she goes?

Your Call, Mr. Weimer.  Buffalo is waiting to see what you're going to do.