Judy for Mayor of Buffalo

[Night Owl]

This sounds like a breath of fresh air. A woman running for change at City Hall.

[citymouse]

What is the website?

[kristop]

www.judy4mayor.org

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Go to her site and read what she is all about...

If we want true change, this is one candidate that will deliver.

The political-powers-that-be do not have their hooks in her....

[jbinbny]

Originally posted by citymouse
What is the website?

Hey, wait a minute......I thought you were in a Vegas hotel with Nicole and Pam????

[judy4mayor]

Funny you say breath of fresh air. Sometimes I think my first act would be to open all the windows and air out City Hall!

I have a woman friend who's raising money for the campaign by offering people brooms, a clean sweep, in exchange for a contribution.

Obviously we're in a serious effort to save city govt, but we're having some fun on campaign trail!

[Night Owl]

Yes, a breath of fresh air. For as long as I can remember there have been only 2 mayors in the City of Buffalo. Not that I am showing my age, there have been more in my lifetime ( ) but 26 or so years for just two people to be leaders of the City is way too long, especially since we have nothing much to show for it... except for maybe a control board.

Good points about opening windows and handing out brooms for a clean sweep.

[biker]

Judy:

There's been a lot of talk on this MB about Bass Pro.

What are your thoughts on it.

[Night Owl]

I was going ask about that too.

[moadib]

Judy, do you believe in School Vouchers?

Do you believe that parents should have the choice of receiving a voucher based on school taxes that would have accompanied their child to a public school and using that money to send their children to a charter, private or parochial school?

Thus truly creating competition at all avenues and levels of education.

[moadib]

Judy, would you champion selling all BMHA Property & replacing it w/rental vouchers?

Most other cities have changed their zoning laws to multi-use mixed income residential and commercial development.

Most other cities have used their block grant funds and low income housing funds to subsidize mixed income multi-use development instead of warehousing the poor into stalinesque low income projects

IN A CITY WITH A DECLINING POPULATION AND SURPLUS HOUSING WHERE WE ARE DEMOLISHING NEIGHBORHOODS FOR LACK OF BUYERS AND TENANTS....DO YOU REALLY THINK OUR CITY SHOULD BE IN THE BUSINESS OF COMPETING WITH LOCAL LANDLORDS?

WOULD YOU SELL THE MARINA TOWERS AND PUT ALL BMHA PROPERTY BACK ON THE TAX ROLES?

[judy4mayor]

Night Owl,

From the sound of your email I think you believe in vouchers and charters.

My answer to this question may not be what you want to hear. I believe our traditional Buffalo public schools should be so wonderful no one wants or needs a voucher or a charter option.

I completely understand the parental drive to provide children with the best possible education. Unfortunately the voucher option is sold to people at the lower end of the income scale and when they find out how much money they have to add to cover tuition it's too hard on them.

There are a few charters doing the job of raising student performance. Most don't. That's nation-wide. I've looked at the financing up and down and any way I look at it, charters are more expensive and not providing the results. It worries me that we're draining precious dollars out of traditional schools, where 86% of our community's children remain.

The basic financial problem in our public schools is the high cost of pensions and health care which suck the money that should be in classroom out of the system.

I'm sorry if this answer fails to please you. I hope that on balance I'm still in the plus column.

[judy4mayor]

Biker,

Sorry for the long delay answering your Bass Pro question. I've responded to a similar question on my web site. You might want to check that out.

Basically, there are many flaws in the MOU and the amount of power the community cedes to Bass Pro. I have problems with the $1 a year rent and loss of tax dollars any other business would pay into the public treasury. I worry about a big company putting small sporting goods stores out of business. I wonder about the sanity of a business plan that relies on huge gas/fuel guzzlers that will park in yet another garage. I heard today that Bass Pro has 40 odd stores listed on their web site, and half or so are in the planning stages, ours included. That's a company that's expanding rapidly. Too rapidly to manage growth? I'm not privy to the business plan.

Every downtown has bigger businesses and lots of them are out of town companies. My only hope if this goes through, and there are reasons to think this deal will fall apart like other deals, is that Bass Pro may be a good partner in proper stewardship of the Great Lakes and waterfront natural habitat. Yes, we'll get some jobs, but most sales associate jobs aren't all that well paying.

[buffy]

MOADIB:

Why don't you ask Judy how she feels about lift bridges, feminisim, and Indian run casinos?

[moadib]

Im disappointed Judy, parents should be able to use their tax dollars for any schools

While some charter schools may fall behind public schools, just how do you expect to send a message to the board of education and the teachers unions if parents cannot vote with their feet (which they already do when they move to the suburbs)

Besides its not a 1:1 trade off when children transfer to charter schools. Charter Schools only get a fraction of the cost that public schools receive for the same student.

And as far as charter, private or parochial schools...many parents would rather receive a stipend or voucher that they could add their own money to send their children to a charter, private or parochial school.

Since one of the reasons people refuse to live in Buffalo is because of the schools it only seems reasonable to improve our neighborhoods by allowing parents to choose the school choice they can best afford (w/school vouchers) than to leave the city entirely (w/o school vouchers)

ALSO, YOU WILL NEVER GET THE SCHOOL BOARD OR THE TEACHERS UNIONS TO AGREE TO TYING PAY & BENEFITS TO PERFORMANCE, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY ARE CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES.

SO YOUR RESPONSE PRETTY MUCH SAYS THAT YOU DONT HAVE THE GUTS TO STAND FOR WHATS BEST FOR BUFFALO OR THE GUTS TO STAND UP TO THE TEACHERS UNIONS ANY MORE THAN MASIELLO DOES. MAYBE YOU CAN SMILE, LOOK SELF EFFACING AND FLASH YOUR BOOBS SO PEOPLE WONT HATE YOU AS MUCH AS MASIELLO BUT YOU DONT HAVE THE GUTS TO LEAD BUFFALO OR STAND UP TO ITS SPECIAL INTERESTS BASED ON THIS ANSWER!

[moadib]

Judy, would you champion selling all BMHA Property & replacing it w/rental vouchers?

Most other cities have changed their zoning laws to multi-use mixed income residential and commercial development.

Most other cities have used their block grant funds and low income housing funds to subsidize mixed income multi-use development instead of warehousing the poor into stalinesque low income projects

IN A CITY WITH A DECLINING POPULATION AND SURPLUS HOUSING WHERE WE ARE DEMOLISHING NEIGHBORHOODS FOR LACK OF BUYERS AND TENANTS....DO YOU REALLY THINK OUR CITY SHOULD BE IN THE BUSINESS OF COMPETING WITH LOCAL LANDLORDS?

WOULD YOU SELL THE MARINA TOWERS AND PUT ALL BMHA PROPERTY BACK ON THE TAX ROLES?

WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THE ABOVE ISSUES?