Correction: while I was sleeping...
Wow, a swarm of Old Guard politicos and their operatives filled the Board of Education meeting last night in a show of... um, uh... what was it a show of?
Because there was nothing controversial on the agenda last night, nothing to rail at Kids First about... so why pull out the Old Guard Big Guns? I'll assume the forces were called out for the Frank Raia slate who are NOT 'Old Guard', just proxy warriors in the battle with Kids First over the $60 million BoE kitty.
A GA source called the 'kitty' a "slush fund" for the Old Guard when they at the BoE helm- favors were rewarded with jobs or checks- and the audits tell the story. So, it is savvy of them to run 'fresh faces' but make no mistake about who's running the show.
They were there last night.
So if any of these 'fresh faces' like Anthony Oland or Liz Markevitch prevail... well. Everybody knows this saying:The cockroaches were out in force.. Perry Belfiore, Michelle Russo, Michael Holmes, Nick Calicchio and Terry Castellano, Franz Paetzhold..Joe Branco, Brian Murray, Theresa Burns sitting together....
You dance with the one who brung you.
So they'll be dancing with Fran Raia and Michelle Russo when the lights are out and nobody's watching. Promising a return of the 'good old days' of the BoE slush fund.. whispers in the dark...
Cellphones! Jobs! Steak dinners! Jobs! Junkets to Atlantic City! Jobs! Checks for favors!
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| 2005-2006 BoE audit- page 133 under BoE Prez Frank Raia & VP Carmelo Garcia |
Oink, oink!
Well, it's early so haven't had an actual conversation with anyone who was there yet, but...
I got a kick out of one of the texts I received last night:
Ha ha ha- that's me! Did I complain?
I think Carmelo's referring to GA's Notes From the BoE- this part:
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| Once again, our Superhero scrupulously avoids a controversial vote! |
Now, for the Unsolved Mystery of the night...
Where in the WORLD was Carmelo Garcia?
Was that a complaint?
I thought it was funny. GA has seen the TV show Unsolved Mysteries about things like Crop Circles, the Bermuda Triangle, the Shroud of Turin... other unsolved mysteries... and I would never accuse the Lifetime Channel of complaining! The Vanishing of Carmelo at BoE meetings is just another one of those mysterious celestial events, unsolved to-date (maybe I should pitch it to the network?)
So what's the problem?
Not sure why Carmelo says it's my issue anyway. I think the issue is his attendance record and not ME.
Well, I do like his idea about using Skype when he's... in a bunker or wherever. Skype is a perfect solution. Isn't that what President Obama uses when he's on Air Force One or abroad at a world conference on an issue like Climate Change and there's a meeting he needs to run at home?
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| President Obama using Skype on Air Force One |
So if it's good enough for the President of the United States and other world leaders to attend meetings remotely when they are called away for diplomatic missions, international conferences and crises, then it's good enough for our Carmelo!
I'm all for Skype.
Maybe all 9 members of the board should use Skype so they can spend the time with their kids and spouses. And watch Unsolved Mysteries.
Can someone put that on next meeting's agenda? Or just call it in?
With it's healthy budget largely unmonitored in years past, our school system was the favorite conduit for siphoning off funds through corruption, grafting and no-bid contracts with over-inflated pricing from vendors like sporting goods suppliers.
ReplyDeleteHaving lost control of city hall and the hospital, the corrupt Old Guard and their anointed disciples like Markevitch, seek to re-gain complete control of the last of the three most important institutions in our city: our school system and its funding.
With an informed citizenry and with elected and community leaders who cannot be bought, they are seeing their gravy-train come to a complete stop and they are desperate. Desperate people do desperate things. Hang on.