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Thread: Ron Ruffino "From Day One"

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    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    Ron Ruffino "From Day One"

    Ron Ruffino "From Day One..."

    In his 2017 re-election town council campaign and in his ongoing 2019 campaign for Lancaster Supervisor, Mr. Ruffino has repeatedly referenced his accomplishments and commitments "From day one."

    October, 2017...


    "From day one I have promised that I am for the people and refused to be controlled by party bosses. I am very proud to say, I have not deviated from this promise. I stand firm in making a statement to party bosses that want to control elected officials..."
    and in his letter to Conservative voters, 2019...


    "Speaking for myself, I have been the most fiscally conservative, experienced and qualified Town of Lancaster Supervisor candidate and have shown that every day since being elected to the Town Council."
    Well, what exactly did Ron Ruffino say in his first ostensibly his "Day One" interview with the Buffalo News?

    Here is an article appropriately referencing Ruffino's "Debute," written by Deidre Williams, and dated November 20, 2001. It was written based upon what seems to be the Councilman-elect's first interview with the Buffalo News ...

    TOWN BOARD NOVICE READY FOR HIS DEBUT
    By Deidre Williams
    Published November 20, 2001



    By his own admission, few people in Lancaster had even heard of Ronald D. Ruffino Sr. before the Nov. 6 election.

    When the counting was done, though, enough people knew enough about the Democratic candidate to elect him to the Town Board, overthrowing a popular incumbent in the process.

    "I'm as new as you could be," said Ruffino, an eight-year resident of Lancaster who will make his political debut when the new five-member Town Board convenes next month.

    "In my campaign speeches, I would ask, 'Who is Ronald Ruffino?' Not too many people knew."

    He speculated that anonymity may have worked in his favor while campaigning.

    "Being new is good, because I have a lot of trust and belief in why I'm doing this," he said.

    Ruffino, 40, received 4,512 votes to defeat Republican incumbent Georgette F. Pelletterie, who received the fewest votes: 3,910.

    Her running mate, Douglas P. Szary, did slightly better, with 3,975. Democratic incumbent Mark A. Montour was the top vote-getter with 4,628.

    "I was surprised with how well I won," Ruffino said. "Trying to remove an incumbent is a very difficult task."

    Ruffino said he felt the race getting closer leading up to the election, but he didn't let that affect his judgment.

    "I always treated it as if I was behind, right down until the time I found out I had won," he said.

    Ruffino said he's looking forward to the next four years on the Town Board. High on his list of goals is controlling growth, which he says will benefit the community as a whole.

    "There's room (for development) in the proper areas (in town)," he said.

    Also on his list of priorities, he said, is to help restore professionalism to Town Board meetings and to put a positive spin on the negativism surrounding the community lately.

    "We want to have other communities look to us for ideas, not as another negative story in the newspaper," he said.

    "I want to give Lancaster the proper recognition it deserves for being a choice community to live in."

    e-mail: dswilliams@buffnews.com

    Deidre WilliamsDeidre Williams– Deidre Williams has been covering Buffalo City Hall for The Buffalo News since 2016. Prior to that, she reported on public schools in the city and was a suburban beat reporter for The News. Williams joined the Buffalo News in 1999.



    https://buffalonews.com/2001/11/20/t...for-his-debut/

    "Ruffino said he's looking forward to the next four years on the Town Board. High on his list of goals is controlling growth, which he says will benefit the community as a whole."
    Controlling growth?

    In spite of the street "gridlock" concerns of many "of the people," in his first two terms as Councilman, Ruffino supported these developments...

    *Summerfield Farms subdivision, phase 3, approved 12/03, 65 lots
    *Whispering Pines subdivision approved 12/2004
    *The Woodland at Pleasant Meadows subdivision, approved 2/06, 79 lots
    *Summerfield Farms subdivision, part 4, approved 1/07, 45 lots
    *Roseland subdivision, phase 2, approved 6/08, 59 lots
    *Brookside Townhouses, approved 7/08, 39 units
    *Pleasant Heights, approved 9/09, 8 homes
    *The Greens at Pleasant Meadows, approved 5/08, 63 units
    *Cross Creek subdivision, approved 1/08, 264 lots
    ...which were followed by Ruffino's dutiful support for developers with his third term support for these developments...

    *Prairie Landing subdivision, approved 5/11, 21 units
    *Hidden Pines, phase 1, approved 3/12
    Those are only examples of Ruffino's seeming "Day One" commitment to control development.

    What else did Ron Ruffino say in his first ostensibly his "Day One" interview with the Buffalo News?

    Well, he said this...

    "Also on his list of priorities, he said, is to help restore professionalism to Town Board meetings and to put a positive spin on the negativism surrounding the community lately."
    Exactly how did Mr. Ruffino "help to restore professionalism to Town Board meetings?"

    It would seem that his "restore professionalism" priority also quickly fell by the wayside.

    (Mr. Ruffino's use of the word "professionalism" in reference to the members of the Town Board is telling. Perhaps "decorum" would have been a more appropriate word?

    I make that observation because most conservatives that I know, detest the idea of a "professional politician" who makes a career out of politics. Ergo, so much for Mr. Ruffino's "conservative values.")
    It seems to me that Ron Ruffino did not honor his obvious responsibility and obligation to the taxpayers and residents of Lancaster, in that did not vote on two budgets of his first term, being absent on November 18, 2003 and November 17, 2004.

    Furthermore, for a second time, he missed two consecutive votes on the budget, those being on November 18, 2013 and November 17, 2014.

    "Professional?"

    IMHO, the direct opposite.

    Moreover, in addition to his seeming texting from the Council chambers during public sessions, Ron Ruffino, his support for the regulations notwithstanding, either ignored, or perhaps defied, rules of procedure attendant to the use of the Town Hall work place for photographic purposes, during this election cycle.

    It seems to me seem that Ron Ruffino has historically applied, and continues to apply, a rather self-serving, if not hypocritical approach to "restoring professionalism" to Town Board meetings and in honoring its authority.

    However, what is most troubling to me is this comment...

    "Also on his list of priorities, he said... is to put a positive spin on the negativism surrounding the community lately."
    ...which highlights the deception of this comment...

    From day one I have promised that I am for the people and refused to be controlled by party bosses. I am very proud to say, I have not deviated from this promise. I stand firm in making a statement to party bosses that want to control elected officials."
    In this ostensibly "From day one" interview in 2001, I see absolutely no reference whatsoever to Ruffino's being "for the people," nor does it reference his so-called refusal "to be controlled by party bosses."

    To the contrary, Ruffino talked about "spin" and, implicit in the word "spin," perhaps how that "spin" could perhaps suppress or otherwise marginalize the concerns expressed by those who opposed the existing state of affairs in Lancaster, governed by a Democrat controlled Town Board.

    According to the online dictionary, the spin, used as an idiom is defined as...


    In public relations and politics, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through knowingly providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to persuade public opinion in favor or against some organization or public figure.
    To me, it sounded like he was actually committing himself to doing the bidding of the Giza machine and the political bosses in the spirit of Groucho Marx's words: "Are you going to believe me, or your lying eyes."

    The only thing that I agree with the article is the title...

    TOWN BOARD NOVICE READY FOR HIS DEBUT
    ...because I believe that Ron Ruffino does not hold a 17-year legislative tenure, but has been a consummate actor, and slight-of-hands deceptive magician with a 17-year theatrical run.

    How are ya gonna fool this year Ron?
    Last edited by mark blazejewski; October 13th, 2019 at 05:20 PM.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

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    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    [SIZE=4]Don't forget...[/S
    IZE]

    (1) The eyewitness described the meeting in one word: "Unbelievable."

    (2) The congregation was divided into small groups seated at individual tables.

    (3) When Ms Terranova asked for an opportunity to speak, dissatisfaction seemingly arose from the participants seated at only one table.

    (4) The Chair, in apparent support of the dissenting participants, applied a loud and aggressive verbal admonishment, apparently to silence Ms. Terranova.

    (5) When a participant supportive of Terranova rose to protest the "censorship," I understand that another party official overtly approached the Terranova supporter in such a way as to suggest hostile intent. That same party official I understand from my source, with fists clenched and arms flailing, appeared to be so full of rage and bellicose animation, that the presiding Chair was required to intervene to prevent physical violence, restore order, and return to the meeting, some semblance of decorum.

    (6) The result of the circumstances described in (1)-(5) above was that Ms. Terranova and/or her supporters were not permitted to fully address the congregation.

    (7) I also understand that certain members of the 2019 Democrat ticket were present at the meeting, including Mr. Ruffino, who according to my source, had no direct reaction to the circumstances which attended the suppression of the perceived free speech rights of a strong woman, who just happens to be an eminently qualified incumbent public servant.
    Last edited by mark blazejewski; October 13th, 2019 at 11:37 PM.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

  3. #3
    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    Ruffino letter, October, 2017...



    image (23).jpg
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

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