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Carl Paladino
Born	Carl Pasquale Paladino August 24, 1946 (age 64)
Alma mater	St. Bonaventure University (B.A.) Syracuse University College of Law (J.D.)
Occupation(s)	Businessman Community Activist Veteran
Employer	Ellicott Development Company
Political party	Republican Party
Spouse(s)	Mary Catherine Hannon (m. 1970-present)
Children	William "Billy" Paladino Danielle Paladino Jacobs Patrick Paladino (1979-2009) Sarah Paladino
Website	http://paladinoforthepeople.com/

Carl Pasquale Paladino (born August 24, 1946) is an American businessman from Buffalo, New York. He was at one time best known for serving as Chief Executive Officer of Ellicott Development Company, a real estate development company he founded in 1973. Paladino has won the Republican nomination as a candidate for governor of New York. His candidacy has been supported by the Tea Party movement.

In addition to his business developments, Paladino also is a senior managing partner in the law firm of Paladino, Cavan and Quinlivin, a firm that specializes in corporate and real estate law.

Paladino was honored in 1991 by the City of Buffalo as Buffalonian of the Year and in 1993 as Alumnus of the Year by St. Bonaventure University.

Political history

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Paladino registered with the Democratic Party in 1974 and remained there until 2005. Later that year, he changed to the Republican Party and has remained there. Paladino and several limited partnerships controlled by him have donated to numerous political candidates and organizations, both Democratic and Republican. During his time as a Democrat, he generally considered himself a conservative Democrat in the mold of former Buffalo mayor James D. Griffin; Paladino's campaign site features a 1980s picture of himself alongside former President Ronald Reagan.

In 2009, Paladino involved himself on behalf of South Buffalo councilman Michael Kearns in Buffalo's mayoral election, campaigning against incumbent Byron Brown. Both were Democrats.

Gubernatorial campaign

On April 5, 2010, Paladino officially entered the race for Governor of New York. Tom Ognibene, the former minority leader of the New York City Council, was his chosen running mate. Michael Caputo is acting as Paladino's manager for the campaign. John Haggerty, who is currently under investigation for funneling money between Michael Bloomberg and the Independence Party of New York, is in charge of circulating petitions. Roger Stone has acted as a supporter and advisor for the campaign and has stated that despite his earlier agreement to work as the campaign manager for another candidate, Kristin Davis, that Davis is a protest candidate and Paladino is the one Stone wants to win; Stone recommended Caputo, a former employee of his, to the Paladino campaign.

Paladino competed against Rick Lazio, Steve Levy, and Myers Mermel for the Republican nomination. At the state Republican convention, Paladino received only 8 percent of the weighted vote; only delegates from Erie and Orleans counties voted for him. He fell far short of the 25 percent needed for automatic ballot access. Paladino had 3,000 volunteers circulating petitions in an effort to force a primary election. With a legal minimum requirement of 15,000 signatures to force a primary, he aimed for 40,000 signatures and submitted 28,000, enough of which were valid. Paladino went on to defeat Lazio in the primary election on September 14, 2010 with heavy support in his native Western New York. Paladino will compete in November against Democrat Andrew Cuomo and several other minor-party candidates, assuming that they all successfully petition their way onto the ballot.

Paladino originally planned on seeking the nomination of the Conservative Party of New York but dropped out of that nomination battle due to party chairman Michael Long only allowing him two minutes of speech time to make his case. As a result, he skipped the party convention and was unable to garner enough support to get the Wilson Pakula for the Conservative Party's nomination, with that going to Rick Lazio, Republican known for his support of abortion rights, and gun control. In Paladino's place on the primary ballot will be Ralph Lorigo, the chairman of the Erie County Conservative Party and a supporter of Paladino's campaign. Lorigo, being a party member, did not need a Wilson Pakula and only needed 25% of the weighted vote at the party's convention on May 28, 2010 to get on the primary ballot instead of the majority required by non-party members. Lorigo joined forces with Steve Levy's supporters to get 42% of the weighted vote. Lorigo and Lazio will face off in the September primary. Under a complicated setup, Lorigo could at some point resign his position as nominee (either by moving out of state or by accepting another nomination, such as a state court), allowing the Conservative Party to pick someone else through a committee. Family members of Paladino's campaign are running Lorigo's campaign, including Paladino's brother, Joseph Paladino, and Caputo's father, Raymond Caputo. Lazio defeated Lorigo in the Conservative primary by a 60-40 margin.

Paladino held a two-week boat tour at the end of May 2010 along the Erie Canal to acquaint himself with the rest of upstate New York. He began a television and radio advertising campaign in July of that year, including local TV stations as well as national ads on the Fox News Channel.

Founding of the Taxpayers Party

Paladino also plans on founding a "Taxpayers Party" line, which will also field David Malpass and Gary Berntsen for Senate candidates, Rus Thompson for comptroller, and will not field an attorney general candidate. The goal of the line is to give potential Republican candidates who were not selected by the Conservative Party an additional ballot line; as such, the organization is not backing an attorney general candidate and is only running a token comptroller (Thompson's own Web site does not even mention his candidacy), because Republican nominees Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. and Harry Wilson already have Conservative Party endorsements and the party does not seek to divide the Republican and conservative vote. Paladino's campaign submitted 30,000 signatures for the Taxpayers line on August 10, 2010. The line has drawn interest from other potential candidates for state office, and several state legislature candidates have filed petitions under the "Taxpayers" banner.

Political positions

Paladino says that he plans to use interpretations of the Constitution of the State of New York to declare a fiscal state of emergency, which he will then use to freeze compensation of state, municipal and school employees and cut the state budget by 10 to 20 percent. He proposes closing off welfare services to those who come from out of state to receive benefits, by placing a minimum residency requirement of one year before anyone can claim state benefits. He seeks to cut the state's Medicaid budget by nearly 30%, or $20 billion both by making significant cuts to benefits as well as requiring identification, fingerprints and drug testing in order to receive benefits.

In the past, Paladino has called for a constitutional convention to make changes in the state constitution, which, he argues, creates a welfare state and contributes to many of the state's problems. He proposes increasing the frequency of constitutional convention referendums, currently set for every 20 years with the next one scheduled for 2017, down to 10 years, with the next one moved up to 2011. He has also expressed distaste for public service labor unions, which he has compared to pigs, and is an outspoken critic of the state's Taylor Law, which gives unions significant negotiating advantages in exchange for prohibiting them from striking. He promises to take a hard line in negotiations with unions, whose contracts expire in April 2011, and will refuse to grant them favorable conditions. He supports current governor David Paterson's efforts to furlough state employees. In the event of a late budget, he would shut down most levels of government except those related to public health and safety. Paladino would first target patronage jobs for elimination; i.e., those who received their jobs as political favors and through family connections. He would also rely on the state's rank and file to target persons "incapable for whatever reason of performing their functions at a cost productive level, and hopes to eliminated 60,000 jobs from the state workforce through these reductions. He would seek to eliminate numerous perks such as state-owned take-home vehicles. Paladino also supports converting some minimum security prisons into Civilian Conservation Corps-style job camps for unemployed youth, which he dubs the "Dignity Corps," a program he bases on both the CCC and the work of a local mission in Buffalo. He supports proposals to enforce excise tax laws on Indian tribes such as the Iroquois who have so far refused to pay taxes and has promised severe punishment if the tribes protest, stating: "The fact that the past three governors have neglected to go up and enforce the law because they're afraid of somebody standing on top of a police car or they're afraid of somebody burning some tires in the street, that's not me. Let one of them stand on top of a police car in my administration, it would be the last time they stood on top of a police car." He supports the review and potential revocation of land claims given to the Iroquois.

Paladino supports hard term limits of eight years on all elected officials within the state's jurisdiction, including county and local governments. He also desires to see their positions declared "part time" and as such ineligible for a state pension or lifetime medical coverage; in addition, he opposes automatic cost of living adjustment increases and seeks to force legislators to take an up or down vote on their own pay raises. He would seek a complete reorganization of the state education department and encourages dissolution of the Board of Regents, the SUNY Board of Trustees, the Lower Manhattan Development Agency, the Adirondack Park Agency, and the New York Power Authority. Similarly, the state Department of Transportation would, under Paladino's proposal, absorb the currently independent Thruway Authority and the Bridge and Tunnel Authorities. Paladino has proposed the use of repeatedly calling special sessions to pressure uncooperative legislators into passing his legislation, much as current governor Paterson did during the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis and the 2010 budget negotiations. Though he also proposes supermajority approval of any tax increase, that is already required in the state senate, and the assembly currently already has a supermajority caucus, rendering such a proposal moot. At the local government level, he would consolidate the operations of most school districts at the county level, with a single appointed superintendent, and also consolidate other local town and village operations at that level. He is currently considering a solution for districts that span multiple counties. Some of these proposals would require amendments to the state constitution.

Paladino, who has a handgun permit and "carries wherever it is legal," is strongly in favor of firearm ownership and Second Amendment rights; he seeks to repeal the NYS Assault Weapon Ban. Though he personally opposes same-sex marriage, he encourages a statewide referendum on the issue and would honor the result of said referendum. He is pro-life and favors adoption over abortion even in cases of rape or incest, though he has not indicated how or if this would affect his political policy. He is firmly in favor of drilling in the Marcellus Formation.

In regard to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which he adamantly opposes, he has stated that he believes that the long-term impact of the act would be just as memorable and possibly more deadly than the September 11 attacks.

Paladino has pledged himself to one term in office and, like fellow businessmen-turned-politician Chris Collins and Michael Bloomberg, would forgo collecting his salary if elected. He would then endorse his lieutenant governor for the 2014 gubernatorial election.

With regard to a planned Islamic community center two blocks from the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City, in late July, 2010, Paladino came out with a radio ad which stated, "As Governor, I will use the power of eminent domain to stop this mosque and make the site a war memorial instead of a monument to those who attacked our country."

E-mail controversy

Paladino allegedly forwarded improper & offensive e-mails among a circle of friends, mostly in the construction industry. Campaign manager Michael Caputo initially stated that the authenticity of some of the e-mails could not be verified, and the site that initially broke the story has been accused in the past of forging e-mails pertaining to another scandal. Paladino later acknowledged that some of the e-mails were authentic, but denied that he originated any of them, saying that he was "somewhat careless" about forwarding them to others. In light of the controversy, the office of Governor David Paterson said it was examining all contracts with Ellicott Development Company for any morality clauses that would allow the state to revoke the contracts. As the contracts had no such clause allowing the state to cancel them, Paterson later announced they would be honored.

Personal life

Paladino is a second-generation American whose parents emigrated from Italy to the United States. His father participated in the original Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Paladino attended St. Bonaventure University and the Syracuse University College of Law. Paladino also attended Bishop Timon - St. Jude High School in South Buffalo. He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1971. He spent three years on active duty in the United States Army and seven years in the reserve, separating in 1981 at the rank of Captain.

Paladino is married to Mary Catherine Hannon. They had three children: William Paladino, a daughter Danielle Jacobs, and a son Patrick Paladino (ca. 1980-2009) who died in an automobile accident. In addition he has a ten year old daughter from an extramarital affair with an employee. He has supported the young girl since her birth and she is integrated into the Paladino family, often seen in the company of his wife and on the road with her father on the campaign trail, though she remains in the custody of her mother. Paladino is related by marriage to Representative Brian Higgins; their wives are cousins.

Notes

1. http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article190591.ece
2. Livingston County News 25 August 2010 by Sally Santora
3. "Long Islanders put Paladino to test as their cup of tea," Buffalo News, September 12, 2010.
4. Peters, Jeremy (2010-04-05) Conservative Developer Joins Race for Governor, New York Times
5. Hakim, Danny. Opposing Campaigns, With One Unlikely Link: Roger Stone Plays Role in Two Opposing Campaigns. The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
6. Vielkind, Jimmy (2010-06-08). Paladino begins petition drive, promises 40,000 signatures. Times Union (Albany, NY). Retrieved 2010-06-08.
7. Johnson, Michael (2010-07-15). Paladino gathers 28k signatures. State of Politics blog. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
8. Gallivan, Pete (2010-05-29). New York Gubernatiorial Candidate Carl Paladino Rebuffs Conservative Party. WGRZ. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
9. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-05-30). The Paladino-Lorigo Connection. State of Politics: YNN. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
10. Off the canal, into the fray. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
11. Haberman, Maggie (2010-07-02). Air Paladino begins next week. The Politico. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
12. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-07-07). Paladino, Berntsen, Malpass team up. State of Politics.'.' Retrieved 2010-07-07.
13. Katz, Celeste (2010-07-07). Paladino, Berntsen, Malpass want...
14. ^ Haberman, Maggie (2010-07-07). Cox third party officially dead
15. Rus Thompson's official Web site. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
16. List of independent nominating petitions. From the New York State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
17. ^ Gormley, Michael (2010-04-01). Who would want to be Governor?. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
18. ^ Kelly, Brian (2010-09-08). Paladino vows to slash state spending. Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
19. ^ Albany voter guide: Governor - Republican Party primary. Times Union (Albany, NY). Retrieved 2010-09-05.
20. ^ Brown, Nathan (2010-07-17). Paladino plans sweeping changes. Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
21. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-09-12). WFP goes all in for Cuomo. Retrieved 2010-09-12. "Just because the pig lifts it’s snout from the trough and says “I’m full” doesn’t mean it won’t get hungry again real soon."
22. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-05-17). Open season on Cuomo. State of Politics. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
23. Reisman, Nick (2010-06-08). Paterson ‘finally figured it out’ says Paladino. Politics on the Hudson (Gannett News Service): Albany, NY. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
24. ^ Seiler, Casey (2010-08-20). Seeking tips from horse's mouth. Albany Times Union. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
25. ^ LoTempio, Joseph (2010-09-03). Gubernatorial candidate to cut state government heavily in first year. Plattsburgh Press-Republican. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
26. Harris, Elizabeth (2010-09-15). Paladino on a Rival, City Traffic and More. The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
27. ^ Prohaska, Thomas (2010-09-01). Paladino says he'd take hard line against Senecas. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
28. Paladino calls Steve Levy "pretty boy," slaps Bloomberg on term limits. New York Post. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
29. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-08-30). Paladino pledges to shrink government. State of Politics (YNN). Retrieved 2010-08-30.
30. By RICK KARLIN Capitol Bureau (2010-08-09). "Armed, and representing". Times Union. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
31. Katz, Celeste. Gun owners for Carl Paladino. The Daily Politics (New York Daily News). Retrieved 2010-05-15.
32. Stone, Roger (2010-04-15). Paladino makes some sense on gay marriage. The Stone Zone. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
33. Dicker, Fred (2010-09-16). GOP pols told to keep Paladino 'at arm's length'. New York Post. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
34. Campbell, Jon (2010-07-12). Gubernatorial candidates weigh in on gas drilling. Gannett News Service. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
35. "Paladino Compares Health Care Reform To 9/11". Nydailynews.com. 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
36. "Buffalo, NY | Carl Paladino Takes Campaign For Governor To Syracuse". wgrz.com. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
37. http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/26954/low-bridge-—-everybody-down-or-the-s-s-paladino-embarks/
38. Dicker, Fred (2010-07-05). Andy, rivals in mosque split. New York Post. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
39. "The Man Who Would Stop the Ground Zero Mosque". American Thinker. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
40. McCarthy, Robert (2010-09-15). Laughing it up with Carl. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
41. Paybarah, Azi (2010-04-12). Paladino's dirty e-mails. New York Observer. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
42. Hudson, Mike (2009-02-24). Big catfight in Buffalo last week. Niagara Falls Reporter. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
43. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-04-12). Men: If you've opened graphic e-mail, Paladino wants your vote!. Capitol Tonight. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
44. New York State Considers Canceling Paladino Leases. WGRZ-TV. Retrieved 2010-04-16.
45. Precious, Tom (2010-04-16). State plans to honor Paladino contracts. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-04-17.ories/story.asp?storyID=924483
46. Reisman, Nick (2010-09-02). Paladino: Dignity Corps an update of New Deal program. Gannett News Service. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
47. The Daily Politics (2010-04-05). "New York State GOP gubernatorial hopeful Carl Paladino has 10-year-old love child". Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2010-09-01.

References

• McCarthy, Robert and Tom Precious (2010-04-04). Is New York ready for Carl Paladino?. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
• Conservative Developer Joins Race for Governor The New York Times.

External links

• Paladino for the People - Official campaign site
• Ellicott Development - Official business site
• Template:GovLinks

Template:Persondata

• People from Buffalo, New York
• New York Republicans
• American businesspeople
• Living people
• 1946 births
• American Roman Catholics
• Syracuse University College of Law alumni
• St. Bonaventure University alumni
• Tea Party movement