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Carl Paladino
BornCarl Pasquale Paladino
August 24, 1946 (age 64)
Alma materSt. Bonaventure University (B.A.)
Syracuse University College of Law (J.D.)
Occupation(s)Businessman
Community Activist
Veteran
EmployerEllicott Development Company
Political partyRepublican Party
Spouse(s)Mary Catherine Hannon
(m. 1970-present)
ChildrenWilliam Paladino
Danielle Paladino Jacobs
Patrick Paladino (1979-2009)
Sarah Paladino
Websitehttp://paladinoforthepeople.com/

Carl Pasquale Paladino (born August 24, 1946) is an American businessman, politician, and former Chief Executive Officer of Ellicott Development Company, a real estate development company he founded in 1973. Paladino won the 2010 Republican nomination as the party's candidate for governor of New York. His candidacy has been supported by the Tea Party movement. Paladino's campaign platform emphasizes fiscal reform in Albany and improvement of the state's educational system.

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

Paladino registered with the Democratic Party in 1974 and remained there until 2005. Later that year, after the retirement of Buffalo mayor Anthony Masiello, Paladino changed to the Republican Party, which is his current affiliation. 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.

Paladino helped lead a campaign to remove the toll barriers on Interstate 190 in the mid-2000s. After finding a state law that required the state to remove the tolls once the bonds for that portion of the thruway had been paid off (which took place in 1996), Paladino threatened to sue, and the Thruway Authority removed the tolls.

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

Gubernatorial campaign

Main article: New York gubernatorial election, 2010

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 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. Tom Golisano, an American businessman and philanthropist who ran three gubernatorial campaigns on third-party lines, is also advising the campaign.

Paladino vied with Rick Lazio, Steve Levy, and Myers Mermel for the Republican nomination. At the state Republican convention, Paladino received 8 percent of the weighted vote; only delegates from Erie and Orleans counties voted for him. He fell 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, only to drop out two weeks later. Long later indicated he would endorse Paladino and encourage his allies to nominate him as Lazio's replacement.

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

Main article: Taxpayers Party of New York

Paladino also plans on founding a "Taxpayers Party" line, which will also field David Malpass and Gary Berntsen for Senate candidates (though both dropped out of their races, leading the party to nominate Joseph J. DioGuardi as Malpass's replacement), 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 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 ($10 billion from the state's share, the other $10 billion coming from the county and federal shares) by making significant cuts to benefits, reducing reimbursement rates, requiring identification, fingerprints and drug testing in order to receive benefits, and training family members to take care of people who would otherwise be in long-term care.

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 state laws such as the Wicks Law, which sets prevailing wage requirements, and the 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. Ellicott Development had sold the land where the current Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino stands for US$3,750,000, and Paladino claims he only received $47,000 from the Seneca nation for the land and that the plans for the casino were far different than the ones that were proposed at the time, incorporating hotels and restaurants that Paladino opposes.

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. He also proposes supermajority approval of any tax increase. 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. In response to criticisms regarding Paladino's existing leases to the state, he has stated that he is willing to renegotiate the prices he charges for the leases once they expire, and he would put most of his assets in trust, turning over operations of the company to his son. (Ellicott Development's leases currently charge a "below average" rate as it is, according to the state.) He is willing to support a hard property tax cap, such as the one Cuomo proposes, if it is part of a broader effort to cut spending. 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. He personally opposes same-sex marriage, and 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. He is firmly in favor of drilling in the Marcellus Formation.

He opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, and says 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-politicians 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 issued 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." He added that the mosque should not be built within a range of "the dust cloud containing human remains traveled". Critics responded by stating that over sixty Muslims perished in the September 11 attacks.

E-mail controversy

Paladino admittedly forwarded improper and 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. Content of the emails in question includes video of dancing African tribesmen under the title "Obama Inauguration Rehearsal", a video titled "Miss France 2008 Fucking", an altered image of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama dressed as a pimp and a prostitute, an image of a cargo plane landing in an African desert behind a group of panicked men titled "Run, Niggers, Run!" and a video portraying a woman engaged in copulation with a horse. Paladino admitted many of these emails could be considered offensive, took responsibility for them, and apologized to "the ladies". 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.

Incident with New York Post columnist Fred Dicker

On September 29, 2010, New York Post columnist Fred Dicker asked Carl Paladino to produce evidence to support his (Paladino's) claim of reported marital infidelity by NYS Attorney General, and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo. Paladino said Fred Dicker was following and photographing Paladino's youngest daughter..

The New York Post's editor in chief, Col Allen, in a statement released on Politico, said the Post did not send a photographer to the house of Paladino's daughter . "Paladino spokesman Michael Caputo's claim about our photographer is untrue.We can only assume Mr. Caputo is confusing our photographer with someone else. Mr. Caputo should check his facts before making charges against Post personnel," said Allen.

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 have three children: William Paladino, a daughter Danielle Jacobs, and a son Patrick Paladino, who died March 30, 2009 from injuries received in an automobile accident. Paladino also has a ten-year-old daughter from an extramarital relationship with his former employee, Suzanne Brady.

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. "Carl on Education," Paladino for the People, September 24, 2010.
  5. "PALADINO'S PROGRAM FOR NEW YORK," Paladino for the People, September 24, 2010.
  6. ^ Smerd, Jeremy (2010-09-26). Accidental candidate. Crain's New York Business. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  7. Peters, Jeremy (2010-04-05) Conservative Developer Joins Race for Governor, New York Times
  8. Hakim, Danny. Opposing Campaigns, With One Unlikely Link: Roger Stone Plays Role in Two Opposing Campaigns. The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  9. Spector, Joseph (2010-09-20). Coming to a town near you: An upstate businessman running for governor. Gannett News Service. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  10. Vielkind, Jimmy (2010-06-08). Paladino begins petition drive, promises 40,000 signatures. Times Union (Albany, NY). Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  11. Johnson, Michael (2010-07-15). Paladino gathers 28k signatures. State of Politics blog. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  12. Gallivan, Pete (2010-05-29). New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino Rebuffs Conservative Party. WGRZ. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  13. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-05-30). The Paladino-Lorigo Connection. State of Politics: YNN. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  14. Haberman, Maggie (2010-09-27). Long: I'll recommend Paladino to party leaders. Maggie Haberman on New York (The Politico). Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  15. Off the canal, into the fray. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  16. Haberman, Maggie (2010-07-02). Air Paladino begins next week. The Politico. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  17. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-07-07). Paladino, Berntsen, Malpass team up. State of Politics.'.' Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  18. Katz, Celeste (2010-07-07). Paladino, Berntsen, Malpass want...
  19. ^ Haberman, Maggie (2010-07-07). Cox third party officially dead
  20. Rus Thompson's official Web site. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  21. List of independent nominating petitions. From the New York State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  22. ^ Gormley, Michael (2010-04-01). Who would want to be Governor?. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  23. ^ Kelly, Brian (2010-09-08). Paladino vows to slash state spending. Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
  24. ^ Albany voter guide: Governor - Republican Party primary. Times Union (Albany, NY). Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  25. Cuomo goes after Paladino's vow to cut Medicaid spending. Politics Now (The Buffalo News). Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  26. ^ Sichko, Adam (2010-09-30). Paladino's pledge: Water down state mandates. Albany Business Review. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
  27. ^ Brown, Nathan (2010-07-17). Paladino plans sweeping changes. Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  28. Hartocollis, Anemona (2010-09-19). New York's No. 2 calls for Medicaid overhaul. The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  29. 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."
  30. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-05-17). Open season on Cuomo. State of Politics. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  31. 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.
  32. ^ Seiler, Casey (2010-08-20). Seeking tips from horse's mouth. Albany Times Union. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  33. ^ LoTempio, Joseph (2010-09-03). Gubernatorial candidate to cut state government heavily in first year. Plattsburgh Press-Republican. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  34. Harris, Elizabeth (2010-09-15). Paladino on a Rival, City Traffic and More. The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  35. ^ Prohaska, Thomas (2010-09-01). Paladino says he'd take hard line against Senecas. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  36. Paladino calls Steve Levy "pretty boy," slaps Bloomberg on term limits. New York Post. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  37. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-08-30). Paladino pledges to shrink government. State of Politics (YNN). Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  38. Vielkind, Jimmy and Rick Karlin (2010-09-21). Paladino: Don't touch any state leases. Albany Times Union. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  39. By RICK KARLIN Capitol Bureau (2010-08-09). "Armed, and representing". Times Union. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  40. Katz, Celeste. Gun owners for Carl Paladino. The Daily Politics (New York Daily News). Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  41. Stone, Roger (2010-04-15). Paladino makes some sense on gay marriage. The Stone Zone. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  42. Dicker, Fred (2010-09-16). GOP pols told to keep Paladino 'at arm's length'. New York Post. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  43. Campbell, Jon (2010-07-12). Gubernatorial candidates weigh in on gas drilling. Gannett News Service. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  44. Katz, Celeste (2010-03-23). "Paladino Compares Health Care Reform To 9/11". New York: Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  45. "Buffalo, NY | Carl Paladino Takes Campaign For Governor To Syracuse". wgrz.com. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  46. http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/26954/low-bridge-—-everybody-down-or-the-s-s-paladino-embarks/
  47. Dicker, Fred (2010-07-05). Andy, rivals in mosque split. New York Post. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  48. "The Man Who Would Stop the Ground Zero Mosque". American Thinker. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  49. http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/paladino-wherever-human-remains.php?ref=fpi
  50. http://crosswordbebop.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-many-muslims-died-in-911-attacks.html
  51. McCarthy, Robert (2010-09-15). Laughing it up with Carl. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  52. Paybarah, Azi (2010-04-12). Paladino's dirty e-mails. New York Observer. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  53. Hudson, Mike (2009-02-24). Big catfight in Buffalo last week. Niagara Falls Reporter. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  54. Benjamin, Elizabeth (2010-04-12). Men: If you've opened graphic e-mail, Paladino wants your vote!. Capitol Tonight. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  55. NY Gubernatorial Candidate Carl Paladino’s Racist and Sexist Email History. WNYMedia. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  56. Men: If you've opened graphic e-mail, Paladino wants your vote!. Capitol Tonight. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  57. New York State Considers Canceling Paladino Leases. WGRZ-TV. Retrieved 2010-04-16.
  58. Precious, Tom (2010-04-16). State plans to honor Paladino contracts. The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-04-17.ories/story.asp?storyID=924483
  61. Reisman, Nick (2010-09-02). Paladino: Dignity Corps an update of New Deal program. Gannett News Service. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  62. 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

External links

Party political offices
Preceded byJohn Faso Republican nominee for Governor of New York
2010 		Most recent
New political party Taxpayers nominee for Governor of New York
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