After the extremely long and un-air-conditioned Derenda hearing was concluded, the Common Council took public comment on the issue of a Community Benefits Agreement for Canal Side. Under a CBA, the city could mandate certain rules concerning hiring and rate of pay for workers at the publicly funded downtown retail project.
The ECHDA opposes a city-imposed CBA because it would apply to ghost anchor tenant Bass Pro, and likely create problems attracting it. The ECHDA, as usual, touts Bass Pro’s importance in one breath, while claiming it’s not the end-all-be-all of the project in the end.
As typically happens at these hearings, they become an opportunity for well-known professional troublemakers to give speeches loaded with buzzwords and manufactured outrage.
Unlikely Republican gubernatorial candidate and forwarder of horse-on-woman anal pornography and racist emails Carl Paladino showed that he has absolutely no idea about the definition of a thing he hates the most – socialism. He complained that CBA proponents are promoting socialism and preventing businesses like Bass Pro from competing, completely missing the point that the Canal Side project is almost entirely funded by public money. Carl Paladino could very well be the perfect tea party candidate, as he is full of sound and fury that is uninformed and ignorant.
The laughing that Paladino hears all across the state isn’t directed at Buffalo. It’s directed at him.
VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMP
Predictable Preservationist Tim Tielman (Campaign for Greater Buffalo):
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Daniel Sack:
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Scot Fisher and other speakers:
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Larry Quinn and others:
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Carl Paladino becomes unhinged, yelling about socialism and ACORN. Seriously.
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The Buffalo Record 
The troubling thing for me was watching Larry Quinn blather on late night news last night saying that all of this might cause Bass Pro to change their mind because of all the community negativity. It’s shenanigans like yesterday’s hearing that will probably cause that. I personally don’t have a strong feeling one way or another about Bass Pro as the great outdoors has no room service, what gets folks exercised the the Harbor folks conviction that their presence in this project will save it, be the end to any retail issues downtown, solve world peace, cap the well in the gulf, etc. The store will be none of those things, just something that should have been thought through a little bit better as it could be argued that if we are going to giveaway the store, there are better retail giants to do it to, like an Ikea or something of that ilk
The subsidy should be used for air conditioning City Hall instead.
Ya know, if there were no artifical basement wage, like the Federal Minimum wage and the NYS minimum wage, Employers would have to negotiate wages with qualified employees.
I know all you libs hate those employers who pay minimum wages to those who didn’t bother to take advantage of the free public education they had given to them, and are too ignorant and lack the skills to do anything that pays well. Bottom line is, without the federal and state minimum wages, they would have to pay “What the market will bear”, and most would get more than your over regulated state minimum wage. But, who the hell’s listening???
Haha that is pretty funny because what you are saying is that people were making great wages in low skill jobs until the mean old federal government stepped in and forced companies to pay less with the introduction of the minimum wage. You right wing people have a great sense of humor. The right and the patriotic private companies fought hard against this federal mandated lowering of wages but lost out to the evil Llllllllibruallls.
As someone who has been in business management for may years, I can tell you that the minimum wage has had a negative impact on the wages for more skilled workers and has eliminated opportunities for people who need to develop skills.
Labor cost is generally the largest controllable expense for most companies. When you have to devote dollars at the bottom for less productive and less qualified employees, it only stands to reason that there is less money to allocate at the top.
Wow, I always knew Carl was a hateful nutbag but it now looks like he is really losing his marbles.
This is extremely contradictory no? Isn’t the Tea Party all against big government and instead wants the private sector to rule all? Well wouldn’t public funds going into private funds be a negative thing? If anything things like welfare and MedicAid would be GOOD institutions as public funds are being used on…well the public, not for the benefit of a private institution.
Paladino as a businessman may see this as a positive for private industry everywhere, but point is, we’re not businessmen. We do not own business. We should instead be investing for what’s best for the public, not private industry solely. Yes, private industry drives markets, but using public funds to secure it is a step in the wrong direction. Canalside needs local business to keep the little capital we have left local.