Goldman for Mayor - 30 September 2008 - For Immediate Release
(Richmond) - Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, issued the following statement in response to an email received from Majorie Clark, the head of the 7th District Democratic Committee:
"I have just received the communication copied below from Chairwoman Clark, which is in response to my request earlier today, such request made as part of my appeal in the Jones endorsement controversy, and also copied below.
As I have said repeatedly, I like and respect Dwight, that is not the issue. But given the challenges facing the next Mayor of Richmond to bring this city together, the public interest is not served, nor Dwight should he win, by any taint that might attached to the process used to choose the winner in this campaign.
Having been Chairman of the Virginia Democratic Party, I know it took a lot of guts and integrity for Chairwoman Clark to take such action. Eventually, everyone, will see that she did the right thing, for the right reasons, and in the end, everyone including Delegate Jones, will realize her actions are in the best interests of Richmond, the Democratic Party and whomever gets the honor of serving as the River City's next chief executive.
-----------------Forwarded Message:
Subj:
Please notify Jones campaign immediately of appeal of endorsement
Date:
9/30/2008 12:30:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From:
Mmclarkdem
To:
levar@vademocrats.org, dmark@vademocrats.org, fleone@spriggs.com
CC:
Klearb, mmclarkdem@yahoo.com
BCC:
GoldmanUSA
I believe that Paul's request is appropriate.
I hope you will notify the Jones campaign, the RCDC and all other campaigns immediately that an appeal is in the works and that claiming a final endorsement decision now may be premature.
Continuing to claim this endorsement, if the process turns out to have been in violation of the party plan, compounds the "smell" of unfairness and political rigging that will cling to the Jones campaign. If the endorsement process were conducted with correct notification of "all interested parties," the outcome would likely be the same; but there would definitely be positive vibes about the fairness. That would be good for Jones and for the RCDC.
The request should come from you at the top, rather than from the district committee chairs who have received the appeal.
Thanks.
Marjorie
804-276-2354
From: GoldmanUSATo: Mmclarkdem, Klearb, fleone@spriggs.com, levar@vademocrats.org, dmark@vademocrats.orgCC: eric@ericpayne.net, jennifer.l.mcclellan@verizon.comSent: 9/30/2008 10:19:35 A.M. Eastern Daylight TimeSubj: Addition to my appeal. Sorry, had the wrong subject on last email.
Dear Majorie, and Barbara:
RE: Addition to my appeal as to (e) action requested:
Given the circumstances, I request, as part of my appeal, that the Jones for Mayor campaign be contacted immediately and asked to stop from referring to Mr. Jones, directly or indirectly, as the endorsed Democratic candidate for Mayor until a decision on my appeal has been made.
This is only fair, not only to the other Democrats running, but to the people of Richmond.
Voting as already started in the Mayor's race.
Accordingly, we need to make sure no voter is under a false impression when he or she makes their decision.
Moreover, until a decision is reached, there is nothing to stop Mr. Jones' campaign from sending out literature, making phone calls and otherwise saying that he is the Democratic-endorsed candidate running with Senator Obama on his official ticket.
This claim can therefore be sent in the next few days to tens of thousands of voters in Richmond.
Should my appeal be upheld - as I believe will be the case - then this incorrect claim would have been communicated to all these tens of thousands of voters.
We all know the analogy to one of those courtroom scenes in Law and Order scenes when the lawyer violates the rules and the Judge tells the jury to "disregard what they heard."
The offending lawyer will smile, knowing that this is not possible.
As I have said repeatedly, I like and respect Dwight, that is not the issue. But given the challenges facing the next Mayor of Richmond to bring this city together, the public interest is not served, nor Dwight should he win, by any taint that might attached to the process used to choose the winner in this campaign.
Sincerely,
Paul Goldman
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
If Jones' endorsement by Richmond City DEM Committee stands, Mayor's election is over.
My column to be published tomorrow will explain why, if the unprecedented, unpublicized and apparently rigged Richmond City Democratic Committee process is upheld, then Dwight Jones is the next Mayor of Richmond: that's right, the election is over even though election day is over a month away and most people in town have never heard of Dwight [nor the rest of us too].
Did unprecedented, rigged process used by Richmond City DEM Committee violate Voting Rights Act?
Goldman for Mayor - 28 September 2008 - For Immediate Release - Contact: 804-833-6313
Did the Richmond City Democratic Committee violate the Voting Rights Act by the questionable, unprecedented, and apparently rigged process it used to endorse Delegate Dwight Jones for Mayor this past Thursday?
(Richmond) - Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor issued the following:
"Surely Barack Obama and Paul Goldman aren't the only Democrats who realize that time has come for a new politics. I like Dwight, he is a terrific guy. But this is not about any one person, it is about the values and principles Democrats across America believe in.
Yesterday, following the procedures in the Virginia Democratic Party Plan, I asked the appropriate body to review the process.
In 2003 and 2004, some of the individuals who voted to break the rules last Thursday night were the same persons who said they didn't back the Elected Mayor law that I drafted because its passage had been done in violation of the Voting Rights Act. They heaped false personal abuse on myself and others.
So the question is: When will we stop the double standard in Richmond and in that regard, if the Richmond City Democratic Committee is incapable of believing in Dr. King's dream, then what does that say about the future of things in the River City?
As my filing showed - and as the additional filing will additionally show now that I am in possession of the RCDC bylaws - the rules passed to protect the rights of the minority, of the all the citizens of Richmond, were not followed last Thursday.
Having been the one person among the candidates running for Mayor who has a proven record of being willing to take the lead at historic moments to bring blacks and whites together so we get with the business of getting past the past, I can say this based on successful experience:
Two wrongs can never make things right, and in the end, the people who get most hurt by the public cynicism fueled by ill-advised action as the RCDC took last night are the very poor children and working families who have long looked to Democrats to level the playing field.
Did the Richmond City Democratic Committee violate the Voting Rights Act by the questionable, unprecedented, and apparently rigged process it used to endorse Delegate Dwight Jones for Mayor this past Thursday?
(Richmond) - Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor issued the following:
"Surely Barack Obama and Paul Goldman aren't the only Democrats who realize that time has come for a new politics. I like Dwight, he is a terrific guy. But this is not about any one person, it is about the values and principles Democrats across America believe in.
Yesterday, following the procedures in the Virginia Democratic Party Plan, I asked the appropriate body to review the process.
In 2003 and 2004, some of the individuals who voted to break the rules last Thursday night were the same persons who said they didn't back the Elected Mayor law that I drafted because its passage had been done in violation of the Voting Rights Act. They heaped false personal abuse on myself and others.
So the question is: When will we stop the double standard in Richmond and in that regard, if the Richmond City Democratic Committee is incapable of believing in Dr. King's dream, then what does that say about the future of things in the River City?
As my filing showed - and as the additional filing will additionally show now that I am in possession of the RCDC bylaws - the rules passed to protect the rights of the minority, of the all the citizens of Richmond, were not followed last Thursday.
Having been the one person among the candidates running for Mayor who has a proven record of being willing to take the lead at historic moments to bring blacks and whites together so we get with the business of getting past the past, I can say this based on successful experience:
Two wrongs can never make things right, and in the end, the people who get most hurt by the public cynicism fueled by ill-advised action as the RCDC took last night are the very poor children and working families who have long looked to Democrats to level the playing field.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Goldman urges Democrats not to abandon principle, to realize any taint on mayoral election will only wind-up hurting the city's poorest children
Statement from Paul Goldman to his fellow Democrats:
In 1985, when no other Democrat in the state who looked like me would do it, I took the chief cook and bottle washer position in order to free Virginia of an old politics that denied equal political rights to African-Americans and women, long denied any chance at being elected to statewide office.
I believed then - and I believe now - that Democrats need to champion a political process that is based on merit,is as open and fair and democratic as we can make it.
Clearly, the action taken by a small number of members of the Richmond City Democratic Committee violates - as I show in my official complaint filed this morning - those basic principles, not to mention the rules of the Virginia Democratic Party Plan.
I like Dwight Jones, he is a terrific guy. But life is a lesson in living and learning from your mistakes. Moreover, candidates are generally not informed of all the nitty-gritty details of such things as party plans, and notice requirements. They leave that to staff.
Richmond needs a Mayor who has a proven record of reaching out across racial lines, to bring people together. Thus the next Mayor must be elected in a way that does not make the people of the City think it was through a rigged process, which put the public interest second, and the political interest of the political power-brokers first.
In 1985, it was lonely out there on the front lines of change. The same for 2003 when we freed Richmond from the grasp of a failed and corrupt system of government. At the time, Mr. Jones and most of his key supporters opposed me, one basically comparing me to racist trying to take away the voting rights of African-Americans.
Having been called names before, I didn't worry, as Dr. King says, truth crushed to Earth will rise.
Now, Mr. Jones and my opponents, who were comfortable with the old failed system that denied Richmonders the right to vote for their Mayor, suddenly have had a death-bed conversion and want the job they said was not necessary.
I consider that progress, and worth all the personal abuse.
2008 now presents the next challenge here in Richmond.
In the name of the poor children of Richmond, who stand the most to lose, I urge the RCDC and the Democratic Party to realize that "endorsing" Dwight Jones, given the process used, holds the whole Richmond mayoral election up to ridicule: and in so doing, it will make it harder for Mr. Jones to be the Mayor he needs to be should he be elected.
So in that sense, everyone stands to lose unless principled heads prevail: and the right thing is done.
Reversing the RCDC decision will, admittedly, be unprecedented. It will embarrassing. We have all been there if you have had the guts to stand in the arena and fight for real change.
But it is the right thing to do, indeed the thing Richmond needs Democrats to do right now.
In 1985, when no other Democrat in the state who looked like me would do it, I took the chief cook and bottle washer position in order to free Virginia of an old politics that denied equal political rights to African-Americans and women, long denied any chance at being elected to statewide office.
I believed then - and I believe now - that Democrats need to champion a political process that is based on merit,is as open and fair and democratic as we can make it.
Clearly, the action taken by a small number of members of the Richmond City Democratic Committee violates - as I show in my official complaint filed this morning - those basic principles, not to mention the rules of the Virginia Democratic Party Plan.
I like Dwight Jones, he is a terrific guy. But life is a lesson in living and learning from your mistakes. Moreover, candidates are generally not informed of all the nitty-gritty details of such things as party plans, and notice requirements. They leave that to staff.
Richmond needs a Mayor who has a proven record of reaching out across racial lines, to bring people together. Thus the next Mayor must be elected in a way that does not make the people of the City think it was through a rigged process, which put the public interest second, and the political interest of the political power-brokers first.
In 1985, it was lonely out there on the front lines of change. The same for 2003 when we freed Richmond from the grasp of a failed and corrupt system of government. At the time, Mr. Jones and most of his key supporters opposed me, one basically comparing me to racist trying to take away the voting rights of African-Americans.
Having been called names before, I didn't worry, as Dr. King says, truth crushed to Earth will rise.
Now, Mr. Jones and my opponents, who were comfortable with the old failed system that denied Richmonders the right to vote for their Mayor, suddenly have had a death-bed conversion and want the job they said was not necessary.
I consider that progress, and worth all the personal abuse.
2008 now presents the next challenge here in Richmond.
In the name of the poor children of Richmond, who stand the most to lose, I urge the RCDC and the Democratic Party to realize that "endorsing" Dwight Jones, given the process used, holds the whole Richmond mayoral election up to ridicule: and in so doing, it will make it harder for Mr. Jones to be the Mayor he needs to be should he be elected.
So in that sense, everyone stands to lose unless principled heads prevail: and the right thing is done.
Reversing the RCDC decision will, admittedly, be unprecedented. It will embarrassing. We have all been there if you have had the guts to stand in the arena and fight for real change.
But it is the right thing to do, indeed the thing Richmond needs Democrats to do right now.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Pantele's crocodile tears: His plan to rig the DEM endorsement process fails as he is outrigged by Jones!
Bill Pantele and his people tried for months, led by the head of the Richmond City Democratic Committee Eric Payne, to pack the Richmond City Democratic Committee with pro-Pantele members in order to set-up a rigged the process to get Mr. Pantele the RCDC endorsement. But when they realized that Dwight Jones and his campaign had done a better job packing the RCDC with pro-Jones people, then Eric Payne tried to thwart the Jones people by dragging things out to make it impossible for them to get the endorsement. Last night, the Jones people pulled a power play on Pantele and got Jones the endorsement through an even more rigged process!
I saw this coming last April, which is why I wrote my letter to Mr. Payne hoping to force the process into the sunlight and why I wrote my article discussing the RCDC endorsement and what it would mean to get on the official Obama Democratic ballot.
But never did I imagine they would be so blatant about things, to have a total sham for a process, to treat everyone including the public with such disdain.
So today, to hear Bill complain about Jones is really more crocodile tears than the flood wall in Shockoe Bottom might be able to handle.
Come on Bill, fess-up: your plan to rig the DEM endorsement and then the election by getting yourself on the official Obama ballot was thwarted by Dwight and his campaign. Ironically, there is a good chance Bill decided to run for Mayor because Eric, et. al. promised him they could control the Richmond City Democratic Committee.
So when Highway 101 is in town to do a concert, they should call Bill and have him sing the chorus to their big hit "Cry, Cry, Cry."
I saw this coming last April, which is why I wrote my letter to Mr. Payne hoping to force the process into the sunlight and why I wrote my article discussing the RCDC endorsement and what it would mean to get on the official Obama Democratic ballot.
But never did I imagine they would be so blatant about things, to have a total sham for a process, to treat everyone including the public with such disdain.
So today, to hear Bill complain about Jones is really more crocodile tears than the flood wall in Shockoe Bottom might be able to handle.
Come on Bill, fess-up: your plan to rig the DEM endorsement and then the election by getting yourself on the official Obama ballot was thwarted by Dwight and his campaign. Ironically, there is a good chance Bill decided to run for Mayor because Eric, et. al. promised him they could control the Richmond City Democratic Committee.
So when Highway 101 is in town to do a concert, they should call Bill and have him sing the chorus to their big hit "Cry, Cry, Cry."
Goldman challenges "sham, manipulated, undemocratic" process used by Richmond DEMS to endorse Jones.
Goldman for Mayor - 26 September 2008 - For Immediate Release
Statement from Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, former Chairman of the Virginia Democratic Party, and recognized as one of the few leaders who stood up to the old, closed process, even suing the old Democratic Party, to make sure all Democrats got an equal say in party matters:
"I was just informed that the Richmond City Democratic Committee, in an example of a closed, non-democratic, boss-run, who-cares-about-the-issues-or-the-best-interests-of-Richmond process that would have even embarrassed the segregationist regime of Harry F. Byrd, last night endorsed Dwight Jones without (1) ever interviewing any of the other Democrats running for Mayor about their positions on the issues, (2)without providing notice to anyone even the press about what they were going to do, (3) (3) without considering how should an embarrassing and undemocratic process could split Democrats and thus hurt the chances of the Obama-Biden ticket to carry Virginia, (4) without any consideration on how such an embarrassing, insular and exclusionary process would hurt the ability of any Mayor to bring our City together and (5) without any consideration to the fact that the RCDC, which never helped me one wit when I was fighting to end this kind of power-broker controlled process of picking our Mayor, has shown once again that never wanted to give average Democrats any say in picking a Mayor in the first place.
As I have said repeatedly in this campaign, my career has been successful in making historic changes that have opened up our society so that all people can have a greater say in their government and their city and their state and their country because I have never been afraid of challenging the political establishment and the political power-brokers: and I see no reason to stop now.
Earlier this year, in a column for Style Weekly, I warned that something like this could happen. No one paid attention. No one cared.
But I believe that the people of Richmond, whatever their political philosophy, agree with me that we have come too far to turn back now. "
Statement from Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, former Chairman of the Virginia Democratic Party, and recognized as one of the few leaders who stood up to the old, closed process, even suing the old Democratic Party, to make sure all Democrats got an equal say in party matters:
"I was just informed that the Richmond City Democratic Committee, in an example of a closed, non-democratic, boss-run, who-cares-about-the-issues-or-the-best-interests-of-Richmond process that would have even embarrassed the segregationist regime of Harry F. Byrd, last night endorsed Dwight Jones without (1) ever interviewing any of the other Democrats running for Mayor about their positions on the issues, (2)without providing notice to anyone even the press about what they were going to do, (3) (3) without considering how should an embarrassing and undemocratic process could split Democrats and thus hurt the chances of the Obama-Biden ticket to carry Virginia, (4) without any consideration on how such an embarrassing, insular and exclusionary process would hurt the ability of any Mayor to bring our City together and (5) without any consideration to the fact that the RCDC, which never helped me one wit when I was fighting to end this kind of power-broker controlled process of picking our Mayor, has shown once again that never wanted to give average Democrats any say in picking a Mayor in the first place.
As I have said repeatedly in this campaign, my career has been successful in making historic changes that have opened up our society so that all people can have a greater say in their government and their city and their state and their country because I have never been afraid of challenging the political establishment and the political power-brokers: and I see no reason to stop now.
Earlier this year, in a column for Style Weekly, I warned that something like this could happen. No one paid attention. No one cared.
But I believe that the people of Richmond, whatever their political philosophy, agree with me that we have come too far to turn back now. "
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wilder sets precedent, responds to Goldman analysis of city budget and fiscal mess. Why did Wilder respond?
Goldman for Mayor - 25 September 2008 - For Immediate Release
What did the Mayor say about the Goldman analysis of our city's budget and fiscal mess, the failure of City Hall and City Council to level with the people on our finances, and the fact the two bodies wasted all that money as they have been living off a real estate bubble leading to inflated real estate assessments, thus inflated real estate taxes?
In a statement, Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor said:
"The reason Mayor Wilder knew he needed to answer my analysis is clear to anyone who has followed Virginia politics over the years. As has been pointed out by those who were there, my AAA credibility on public finances in these situations has been long recognized due to my work in helping Governor-elect Wilder and Governor-elect Warner address the growing budget and fiscal mess they inherited upon winning the state's top job. They sought my advice not only during the transition period, but at those initial meetings either in the Governor's office or at the Governor's Mansion as they needed to make the tough decisions right at the start of their terms.
Sadly, the next Mayor-elect, like Governors-elect Wilder and Warner, is apparently going to going to inherit a budget and fiscal mess in terms of city finances going forward during this same time frame early in his term, something that will carry forward to least the first half of the next mayoral term.
Like Governors-elect Wilder and Warner, the next Mayor is going to have take honest, no-nonsense fiscally responsible action right from the start.
One reason I was the first to announce for Mayor early this year was my hope that it would enable me to sound the alarm, to get the Wilder Administration and the Pantele-led City Council to take the needed action starting with the last quarter of the previous city budget.
But Mr. Pantele and Mr. Wilder proved they would rather fight and feud.
Moreover, as the Mayor knows, my AAA credibility isn't just based on the fact that none of my opponents, taken individually or combined, has this real-time experience. The fact is that I also have a Masters in Public Administration from the top school in the country in that discipline, helping to make me an expert on public finance by education, the only candidate for Mayor with this training. .
Of all the candidates for Mayor, I am the only one that Mr. Pantele, the City Council, and the old power-brokers know they can't fool. I am the only one with the knowledge and independence to expose the truth about what they have done or tried to do with city funds over the years.
My AAA credibility on public finances, earned by not just talking the talk, but walking the walk, and my independence of any special interest is something they fear.
The Pantele-led City Council has tried to belittle me in hopes of hiding their fiscal incompetence.
But those Governors, who have had to inherit the kinds of budget and fiscal messes that Mr. Pantele and the City Council have helped create for the next Mayor-elect, know the truth.
And that is why Doug Wilder knew he needed to respond."
What did the Mayor say about the Goldman analysis of our city's budget and fiscal mess, the failure of City Hall and City Council to level with the people on our finances, and the fact the two bodies wasted all that money as they have been living off a real estate bubble leading to inflated real estate assessments, thus inflated real estate taxes?
In a statement, Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor said:
"The reason Mayor Wilder knew he needed to answer my analysis is clear to anyone who has followed Virginia politics over the years. As has been pointed out by those who were there, my AAA credibility on public finances in these situations has been long recognized due to my work in helping Governor-elect Wilder and Governor-elect Warner address the growing budget and fiscal mess they inherited upon winning the state's top job. They sought my advice not only during the transition period, but at those initial meetings either in the Governor's office or at the Governor's Mansion as they needed to make the tough decisions right at the start of their terms.
Sadly, the next Mayor-elect, like Governors-elect Wilder and Warner, is apparently going to going to inherit a budget and fiscal mess in terms of city finances going forward during this same time frame early in his term, something that will carry forward to least the first half of the next mayoral term.
Like Governors-elect Wilder and Warner, the next Mayor is going to have take honest, no-nonsense fiscally responsible action right from the start.
One reason I was the first to announce for Mayor early this year was my hope that it would enable me to sound the alarm, to get the Wilder Administration and the Pantele-led City Council to take the needed action starting with the last quarter of the previous city budget.
But Mr. Pantele and Mr. Wilder proved they would rather fight and feud.
Moreover, as the Mayor knows, my AAA credibility isn't just based on the fact that none of my opponents, taken individually or combined, has this real-time experience. The fact is that I also have a Masters in Public Administration from the top school in the country in that discipline, helping to make me an expert on public finance by education, the only candidate for Mayor with this training. .
Of all the candidates for Mayor, I am the only one that Mr. Pantele, the City Council, and the old power-brokers know they can't fool. I am the only one with the knowledge and independence to expose the truth about what they have done or tried to do with city funds over the years.
My AAA credibility on public finances, earned by not just talking the talk, but walking the walk, and my independence of any special interest is something they fear.
The Pantele-led City Council has tried to belittle me in hopes of hiding their fiscal incompetence.
But those Governors, who have had to inherit the kinds of budget and fiscal messes that Mr. Pantele and the City Council have helped create for the next Mayor-elect, know the truth.
And that is why Doug Wilder knew he needed to respond."
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
News Flash: Legendary investor Warren Buffett reports he will "invest in Goldman"
Goldman for Mayor - September 24th - For Immediate Release
Richmond Times Dispatch is reporting this morning that legendary finance expert Warren Buffett "to invest $5 Billion in Goldman."
(Richmond): Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, issued the following statement this morning:
"For myself and of course Mr. Sachs along with the entire Goldman Sachs Group Inc, I want to thank Warren baby for recognizing proven performance and credentials.
$5 extra large is cool Mr. B. It will make for one heck of a campaign finance report next month.
The Buffett man can add. So with (1) Governor Kaine saying we face a 3 billion deficit at the state level, with (2) Uncle Sugar in D.C. facing a trillion - that's 333 times the size of the state deficit! - in debt explosion due to the need to save capitalism from the capitalists, and (3) the fiscally irresponsible Wilder-Pantele regime this past year having created a deficit-ridden, spending-splurge fiscal mess here in the River City that still defies a budget solution 3 months into the new fiscal year,
Mr. B. knew he had to find a someone who understood the 1, 2, & 3 of it all.
So he turned to Goldy, fearing otherwise that he and Richmond would get Sacked.
The Sage of Omaha knows I have been praise by several Governors for giving them no-nonsense and sound fiscal advice that helped them win national acclaim for how they dealt, in a fiscally responsible way, with serious fiscal problems inherited upon taking office.
And the next Mayor of Richmond is going to inherit a fiscal mess.
Mr. B. knows that I am the only candidate for Mayor with the proven record of fiscal acumen and graduate training in public finance to get us out of this growing financial hole.
Later today, I will again try to get the media of Richmond - I have been trying now since February - to finally focus on the fiscal mess here in Richmond.
Even Mr. Pantele has now been forced to concede that he has voted for a series of budgets that has given Richmond the most bloated and inefficient local government in Virginia, the amount of waste he conceded last night to be at least 30 million and likely close to twice that."
Richmond Times Dispatch is reporting this morning that legendary finance expert Warren Buffett "to invest $5 Billion in Goldman."
(Richmond): Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, issued the following statement this morning:
"For myself and of course Mr. Sachs along with the entire Goldman Sachs Group Inc, I want to thank Warren baby for recognizing proven performance and credentials.
$5 extra large is cool Mr. B. It will make for one heck of a campaign finance report next month.
The Buffett man can add. So with (1) Governor Kaine saying we face a 3 billion deficit at the state level, with (2) Uncle Sugar in D.C. facing a trillion - that's 333 times the size of the state deficit! - in debt explosion due to the need to save capitalism from the capitalists, and (3) the fiscally irresponsible Wilder-Pantele regime this past year having created a deficit-ridden, spending-splurge fiscal mess here in the River City that still defies a budget solution 3 months into the new fiscal year,
Mr. B. knew he had to find a someone who understood the 1, 2, & 3 of it all.
So he turned to Goldy, fearing otherwise that he and Richmond would get Sacked.
The Sage of Omaha knows I have been praise by several Governors for giving them no-nonsense and sound fiscal advice that helped them win national acclaim for how they dealt, in a fiscally responsible way, with serious fiscal problems inherited upon taking office.
And the next Mayor of Richmond is going to inherit a fiscal mess.
Mr. B. knows that I am the only candidate for Mayor with the proven record of fiscal acumen and graduate training in public finance to get us out of this growing financial hole.
Later today, I will again try to get the media of Richmond - I have been trying now since February - to finally focus on the fiscal mess here in Richmond.
Even Mr. Pantele has now been forced to concede that he has voted for a series of budgets that has given Richmond the most bloated and inefficient local government in Virginia, the amount of waste he conceded last night to be at least 30 million and likely close to twice that."
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
"Pantele too behold to real estate and other special interests to be trusted on Stadium issue"
Goldman for Mayor - 23 September 2008 - For Immediate Release
Goldman: "I am the only candidate for Mayor who has proven he can be trusted to oppose a Downtown Baseball Stadium. My friend Bill Pantele is too tied to the real estate interests bankrolling his campaign. Now we know why they and certain others have given him so much money after meeting with him in private. And now we know why he is trying to hide his true position until after the election as was evident in today's RTD story."
"A Downtown Baseball Stadium is a bad deal for Richmond as I showed the last time. As the RTD has said, I am the only candidate with the proven credibility to be trusted to defend the public interest of the average citizen on these kinds of key issues."
"Mayor Goldman will not allow the real estate and other powerful interests to use their financial and other clout to wield special influence over City Hall and City Council so they can force a Downtown Baseball Stadium on the people of Richmond."
(Richmond) - Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, issued this statement this morning after reading the revelations in today's Richmond Times Dispatch about what has been going around in private in all those meeting between the Wilder Administration and City Council President Bill Pantele, among others, on the issue of a Downtown Baseball Stadium.
In this statement, Mr. Goldman said:
"Finally, the truth about what Mr. Pantele and others have been discussing in private. Of all the candidates running for Mayor, I am the only one who can be trusted to oppose a Downtown Baseball Stadium, for I am the only candidate who showed the leadership, the financial expertise, and the political honesty to expose the truth last time the special interests tried to force a Downtown Baseball Stadium on the people of Richmond.
To paraphrase what Joe Louis said to Billy Cohn: Mr. Pantele, you can run but you can't hide, it is now clear what you have been telling the real estate interests and certain others bankrolling your campaign in all those private meetings.
Mayor Goldman will oppose a Downtown Baseball Stadium, for as I have pointed out since 2005 after studying the issue, it is not in the best interests of the people of Richmond, it is just another Pantele giveaway, as was the case when he voted to raise the meals tax and give all those special benefits to the last failed project he supported, another ill-conceived project that I was able to help stop before it bleed even more millions from the public treasury.
If we want baseball in Richmond, then the current Boulevard location is the only viable option.
Only a Goldman Administration will have the expertise, the proven record and the political courage to stand-up to the old power-brokers: and they know it, because Bill Pantele was always comfortable with the old system, which answered to the old power-brokers as he said when first running for City Council.
There is a reason that I am the only candidate willing to publicly oppose a Downtown Baseball Stadium, Echo Harbor and the sweetheart deal that gave us the highest food tax in the state for a 100 million dollar project that we couldn't afford: and to publicly support the Patrick Henry Charter School and David McCoy for Police Chief.
And that reason is this: I am the one candidate with the independence and knowledge to be able to free Richmond from the grasp of the same old power-brokers on both sides who while claiming to be different, actually are the same in putting their self-interest ahead of the public interest."
Goldman: "I am the only candidate for Mayor who has proven he can be trusted to oppose a Downtown Baseball Stadium. My friend Bill Pantele is too tied to the real estate interests bankrolling his campaign. Now we know why they and certain others have given him so much money after meeting with him in private. And now we know why he is trying to hide his true position until after the election as was evident in today's RTD story."
"A Downtown Baseball Stadium is a bad deal for Richmond as I showed the last time. As the RTD has said, I am the only candidate with the proven credibility to be trusted to defend the public interest of the average citizen on these kinds of key issues."
"Mayor Goldman will not allow the real estate and other powerful interests to use their financial and other clout to wield special influence over City Hall and City Council so they can force a Downtown Baseball Stadium on the people of Richmond."
(Richmond) - Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, issued this statement this morning after reading the revelations in today's Richmond Times Dispatch about what has been going around in private in all those meeting between the Wilder Administration and City Council President Bill Pantele, among others, on the issue of a Downtown Baseball Stadium.
In this statement, Mr. Goldman said:
"Finally, the truth about what Mr. Pantele and others have been discussing in private. Of all the candidates running for Mayor, I am the only one who can be trusted to oppose a Downtown Baseball Stadium, for I am the only candidate who showed the leadership, the financial expertise, and the political honesty to expose the truth last time the special interests tried to force a Downtown Baseball Stadium on the people of Richmond.
To paraphrase what Joe Louis said to Billy Cohn: Mr. Pantele, you can run but you can't hide, it is now clear what you have been telling the real estate interests and certain others bankrolling your campaign in all those private meetings.
Mayor Goldman will oppose a Downtown Baseball Stadium, for as I have pointed out since 2005 after studying the issue, it is not in the best interests of the people of Richmond, it is just another Pantele giveaway, as was the case when he voted to raise the meals tax and give all those special benefits to the last failed project he supported, another ill-conceived project that I was able to help stop before it bleed even more millions from the public treasury.
If we want baseball in Richmond, then the current Boulevard location is the only viable option.
Only a Goldman Administration will have the expertise, the proven record and the political courage to stand-up to the old power-brokers: and they know it, because Bill Pantele was always comfortable with the old system, which answered to the old power-brokers as he said when first running for City Council.
There is a reason that I am the only candidate willing to publicly oppose a Downtown Baseball Stadium, Echo Harbor and the sweetheart deal that gave us the highest food tax in the state for a 100 million dollar project that we couldn't afford: and to publicly support the Patrick Henry Charter School and David McCoy for Police Chief.
And that reason is this: I am the one candidate with the independence and knowledge to be able to free Richmond from the grasp of the same old power-brokers on both sides who while claiming to be different, actually are the same in putting their self-interest ahead of the public interest."
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Richmond's media failure to fight for openness hurts their credibility
Goldman won't attend closed, no-press or public invited debate-style forum before a private, membership-only group
"In any other major city in America, the local press would be demanding to be present, anything less would be seen as a total abdication of journalistic responsibility. The group might refuse, but at least the media would try."
Here are excerpts from today's RTD story:
Thursday, Sep 18, 2008 - Excerpts
By WILL JONES
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Richmond mayoral candidate Paul Goldman is withdrawing from an appearance before a group of corporate leaders, saying the closed meeting highlights the "plantation mentality" that he's running to change.
"I know of no place else in the country where a private group thinks all the candidates for mayor will show up for a private debate before them -- no press, no public," Goldman said yesterday at a news conference outside The Jefferson Hotel, where the Management Round Table is planning its Sept. 29 breakfast meeting.
Robert C. Sledd, Round Table chairman, said Goldman is "trying to make a mountain out of a molehill."
"There are forums for the media and public to attend," he said. "This is just an opportunity for business folks to hear what the mayoral candidates have to say. There's nothing mysterious."
Goldman, whose campaign has garnered no financial support from business leaders, said he was told the meeting would be closed because "it always has been."
"The office [of mayor] itself isn't for purchase," he said. "It's not for ownership by any private group. It is for the people, and the way you demonstrate that is when you . . . campaign openly. . . . I'm not going to fall for what I call this plantation mentality. I'm the guy that wants to change it."
The Management Round Table has about 60 corporate leaders as members who meet about five times a year to hear about community issues, said Sledd, former chairman and chief executive officer of Performance Food Group.
He said the breakfast meeting isn't a forum, although an agenda says the candidates will present their platforms and take questions from the audience.
Forty members of the Round Table are expected to attend, including executives with Bon Secours, Capital One, Bank of America, Wachovia Bank, Troutman Sanders, Williams Mullen, McGuireWoods, NewMarket Corp., Ukrop's Super Markets, Scott & Stringfellow and Media General Inc., the parent company of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
"It is our hope that the session will be valuable for you too, as most MRT members have not yet committed to a candidate," organizer Tayloe Negus said in an e-mail to Goldman.
Sledd said the Round Table, as a registered civic organization, is prohibited from making political contributions.
Other mayoral candidates aren't objecting to the meeting.
"There are plenty of opportunities for the general public and Richmond city voters to attend a public forum and see the candidates in action," said Craig Bieber, campaign manager for William J. Pantele.
Lisa Fulton, campaign manager for Robert J. Grey Jr., said Grey plans to attend the meeting. "While it would be our hope that all events are open to the press, those decisions are ultimately that of the hosts," she said in an e-mail.
Dwight Clinton Jones will tell the business leaders the same things he tells residents when he's campaigning door to door, campaign manager Kevin O'Holleran said.
"In any other major city in America, the local press would be demanding to be present, anything less would be seen as a total abdication of journalistic responsibility. The group might refuse, but at least the media would try."
Here are excerpts from today's RTD story:
Thursday, Sep 18, 2008 - Excerpts
By WILL JONES
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Richmond mayoral candidate Paul Goldman is withdrawing from an appearance before a group of corporate leaders, saying the closed meeting highlights the "plantation mentality" that he's running to change.
"I know of no place else in the country where a private group thinks all the candidates for mayor will show up for a private debate before them -- no press, no public," Goldman said yesterday at a news conference outside The Jefferson Hotel, where the Management Round Table is planning its Sept. 29 breakfast meeting.
Robert C. Sledd, Round Table chairman, said Goldman is "trying to make a mountain out of a molehill."
"There are forums for the media and public to attend," he said. "This is just an opportunity for business folks to hear what the mayoral candidates have to say. There's nothing mysterious."
Goldman, whose campaign has garnered no financial support from business leaders, said he was told the meeting would be closed because "it always has been."
"The office [of mayor] itself isn't for purchase," he said. "It's not for ownership by any private group. It is for the people, and the way you demonstrate that is when you . . . campaign openly. . . . I'm not going to fall for what I call this plantation mentality. I'm the guy that wants to change it."
The Management Round Table has about 60 corporate leaders as members who meet about five times a year to hear about community issues, said Sledd, former chairman and chief executive officer of Performance Food Group.
He said the breakfast meeting isn't a forum, although an agenda says the candidates will present their platforms and take questions from the audience.
Forty members of the Round Table are expected to attend, including executives with Bon Secours, Capital One, Bank of America, Wachovia Bank, Troutman Sanders, Williams Mullen, McGuireWoods, NewMarket Corp., Ukrop's Super Markets, Scott & Stringfellow and Media General Inc., the parent company of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
"It is our hope that the session will be valuable for you too, as most MRT members have not yet committed to a candidate," organizer Tayloe Negus said in an e-mail to Goldman.
Sledd said the Round Table, as a registered civic organization, is prohibited from making political contributions.
Other mayoral candidates aren't objecting to the meeting.
"There are plenty of opportunities for the general public and Richmond city voters to attend a public forum and see the candidates in action," said Craig Bieber, campaign manager for William J. Pantele.
Lisa Fulton, campaign manager for Robert J. Grey Jr., said Grey plans to attend the meeting. "While it would be our hope that all events are open to the press, those decisions are ultimately that of the hosts," she said in an e-mail.
Dwight Clinton Jones will tell the business leaders the same things he tells residents when he's campaigning door to door, campaign manager Kevin O'Holleran said.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Goldman declines to participate in private debate-style forum before Management Round Table where press is excluded.
At Noon today, I will be holding a press conference to discuss the letter sent explaining my reasons for not believing it proper for a candidate for Mayor to participate in a private debate-style forum before a purely private group - in this case the Management Round Table - where the press, for example, is excluded.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Goldman support upsets old power-brokers: excerpts from RTD news story
Goldman has $100,000 for race
Goldman willingness to challenge the same ole, same old power-broker politics that has held Richmond back gains support, makes real change possible next year. But will more people join the effort?
Sunday, Sep 14, 2008 - 12:08 AM - Excerpts from front-page, B-1 story
By WILL JONES
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Richmond mayoral candidate Paul Goldman will have cash to compete for votes in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Goldman, who has been running an aggressive, shoestring campaign, said yesterday that he has raised $100,000 -- a serious sum that three opponents reported having raised or nearly raised through June.
"It's like a card game," Goldman said yesterday. "This is enough to stay in the game, to get the next card."
Goldman said he expects the reports due tomorrow to show that Jones, Pantele and Grey have raised substantially more than he has. He said he expects to use the money to reach out to voters in the final weeks and believes it could also convince Richmonders that he is a viable choice.
"In the system we live in, the ideas are more important if you have a big bank account than if you have a small bank account," said Goldman, a lawyer and a former state Democratic Party chairman.
Goldman willingness to challenge the same ole, same old power-broker politics that has held Richmond back gains support, makes real change possible next year. But will more people join the effort?
Sunday, Sep 14, 2008 - 12:08 AM - Excerpts from front-page, B-1 story
By WILL JONES
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Richmond mayoral candidate Paul Goldman will have cash to compete for votes in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Goldman, who has been running an aggressive, shoestring campaign, said yesterday that he has raised $100,000 -- a serious sum that three opponents reported having raised or nearly raised through June.
"It's like a card game," Goldman said yesterday. "This is enough to stay in the game, to get the next card."
Goldman said he expects the reports due tomorrow to show that Jones, Pantele and Grey have raised substantially more than he has. He said he expects to use the money to reach out to voters in the final weeks and believes it could also convince Richmonders that he is a viable choice.
"In the system we live in, the ideas are more important if you have a big bank account than if you have a small bank account," said Goldman, a lawyer and a former state Democratic Party chairman.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Goldman Backs McCoy for Police Chief
Goldman for Mayor - 9 September 2008 - For Immediate Release
Goldman Backs McCoy for Police Chief
"Given the incredible success in the fight against crime since we started the Elected Mayor form of government, Mr. McCoy has earned the great honor of having the word "Interim" removed and just being known as Richmond Police Chief David McCoy."
(Richmond) - Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, says "Mr. David McCoy, a 23-year veteran of the Richmond Police Department, has been a integral part of one of the most successful crime-fighting teams not just in the history of Richmond, but around the country. He is a professional who knows how to keep our success going."
"My opponents were happy with the old way of policing, they opposed my efforts to change our form of government, which is the only reason we could get someone like former Chief Rodney Monroe. Under the old system championed by Mr. Pantele and City Council, we would be stuck with a failed anti-crime strategy that they knew was failing, but they didn't have the courage to change.
Mayor Wilder used his power under the new form of government to get Rodney Monroe to come to Richmond: and the rest, as they say, is history.
To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, why change horses in midstream now, when we have finally turned the corner in the fight against crime?
A decade ago, in an article for the Richmond Times Dispatch, I wrote that if we went to an elected Mayor, I guaranteed we would get a new, successful approach to fighting crime that would cut the murder rate by 30%.
Mayor Wilder made the right choice in choosing Rodney Monroe. Now, David McCoy is the right person to keep our anti-crime successes going. The record speaks for itself.
With Chief McCoy, Commonwealth Attorney Herring, and Mayor Goldman, citizens will have a crime-fighting team that has a proven record of being willing to make the changes necessary to help make our loved ones safer and keep Richmond from returning to the days when it was ranked as one of the most dangerous towns in America.
I applaud our police officers for their bravery and their success. As Mayor Wilder leaves office, he has a right to be proud of his efforts to build one of the most successful police departments in the country."
----------------
Goldman Backs McCoy for Police Chief
"Given the incredible success in the fight against crime since we started the Elected Mayor form of government, Mr. McCoy has earned the great honor of having the word "Interim" removed and just being known as Richmond Police Chief David McCoy."
(Richmond) - Paul Goldman, candidate for Mayor, says "Mr. David McCoy, a 23-year veteran of the Richmond Police Department, has been a integral part of one of the most successful crime-fighting teams not just in the history of Richmond, but around the country. He is a professional who knows how to keep our success going."
"My opponents were happy with the old way of policing, they opposed my efforts to change our form of government, which is the only reason we could get someone like former Chief Rodney Monroe. Under the old system championed by Mr. Pantele and City Council, we would be stuck with a failed anti-crime strategy that they knew was failing, but they didn't have the courage to change.
Mayor Wilder used his power under the new form of government to get Rodney Monroe to come to Richmond: and the rest, as they say, is history.
To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, why change horses in midstream now, when we have finally turned the corner in the fight against crime?
A decade ago, in an article for the Richmond Times Dispatch, I wrote that if we went to an elected Mayor, I guaranteed we would get a new, successful approach to fighting crime that would cut the murder rate by 30%.
Mayor Wilder made the right choice in choosing Rodney Monroe. Now, David McCoy is the right person to keep our anti-crime successes going. The record speaks for itself.
With Chief McCoy, Commonwealth Attorney Herring, and Mayor Goldman, citizens will have a crime-fighting team that has a proven record of being willing to make the changes necessary to help make our loved ones safer and keep Richmond from returning to the days when it was ranked as one of the most dangerous towns in America.
I applaud our police officers for their bravery and their success. As Mayor Wilder leaves office, he has a right to be proud of his efforts to build one of the most successful police departments in the country."
----------------
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Goldman Praises Williams, West: challenges Richmond to get past racial politics
Goldman for Mayor - September 6th - For Immediate Release:
"I urge everyone to read Michael Paul Williams column today in the Richmond Times
Dispatch, [copied below] it is an exception article and for the sake of the children of our town, I hope the adults of the River City reflect upon it, and take it to heart."
"Let me also say that Keith West is likewise doing what a public servant should do, he is working to bring people together to help improve the educational opportunities of the children of Richmond, I know the goal of providing greater educational opportunity is shared by every other member of the School Board, so as I said when working with others to get Richmonders their right to elect their Mayor, I know that change can be hard, but when it is necessary, we need to figure out a way to get it done. There are 4000 charter schools in the country, so it has long been a mainstream idea, and in our case, an idea whose time has come for Richmond."
Mistrust of charter school may mean missed chance
Saturday, Sep 06, 2008 -
By MICHAEL PAUL WILLIAMS
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
Rosa Parks, before her death, was associated with the charter schools movement.
Black parents and teachers in Topeka, Kan., are trying to establish a charter school in the same building where plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education were denied admission in 1951.
Charter schools have a track record of improving the achievement of black students in low-income urban areas, and are endorsed by none other than Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
"Some of the strongest advocates of the charter movement in the U.S. have been African-Americans, Native-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and so on," said Joe Nathan, director of The Center for School Change at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
So why are some black folks in our town so leery of them?
Perhaps it's because, in Richmond, past is prologue and history is often at loggerheads with harmony.
Richmond is fertile ground for conspiracy theories for no other reason than they often prove out.
The Virginia State Conference NAACP is not alone in observing that one election after the change to the mayor-at-large system in Richmond, the City Council and School Board became majority white.
Some black folks who've stood by the school district, or had no other options, bristle at the thought of those who abandoned the district or who never belonged carving out an educational island. Some opponents argue that resources provided to Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts would be put to better use systemwide.
Nathan counters that charter schools can be more egalitarian than district schools, since no admissions tests are allowed like at say, Richmond Community High. Patrick Henry would hold a lottery to determine admission.
Three of the four black members of the Richmond School Board opposed the Patrick Henry proposal Tuesday.
Board member Keith West, a charter school proponent, voted against the proposal because he said the contract governing the school was too restrictive. But instead of lawyers, this situation needs mediators.
Nathan was among the founders of the nation's first charter school in St. Paul, Minn. It opened in 1992 with fewer than 100 students. Today, more than 4,000 charter schools nationwide educate some 1.3 million students.
Nathan is quick to point out that not every charter school proposal has been a great one, and there have been abuses and misuse or theft of monies. But he urged Richmond to embrace the concept.
"We make progress when we try new things," Nathan said.
He attributes suspicion of the movement here to the bitter aftertaste of white resistance to the Brown v. Board of Education decision declaring school segregation unconstitutional.
"One of the things I witnessed in the South sometimes with African-Americans is a very strong recognition of the school choice movement of the late '50s and '60s, which was about promoting segregation and inequality," he said.
Indeed, the NAACP said in a recent statement: "There is a nefarious battle being waged by a segment of the population to take back what was lost in the 1970s. Charter schools were conceptualized immediately after the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1955."
What would Nathan say to the wary?
"I'd say that while I completely respect and understand the concerns about what's happened, and completely respect the concern that the world is not entirely fair, the evidence is quite clear that some African-Americans who did poorly in existing schools are doing far better in charter schools."
Shouldn't that be the bottom line?
"I urge everyone to read Michael Paul Williams column today in the Richmond Times
Dispatch, [copied below] it is an exception article and for the sake of the children of our town, I hope the adults of the River City reflect upon it, and take it to heart."
"Let me also say that Keith West is likewise doing what a public servant should do, he is working to bring people together to help improve the educational opportunities of the children of Richmond, I know the goal of providing greater educational opportunity is shared by every other member of the School Board, so as I said when working with others to get Richmonders their right to elect their Mayor, I know that change can be hard, but when it is necessary, we need to figure out a way to get it done. There are 4000 charter schools in the country, so it has long been a mainstream idea, and in our case, an idea whose time has come for Richmond."
Mistrust of charter school may mean missed chance
Saturday, Sep 06, 2008 -
By MICHAEL PAUL WILLIAMS
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
Rosa Parks, before her death, was associated with the charter schools movement.
Black parents and teachers in Topeka, Kan., are trying to establish a charter school in the same building where plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education were denied admission in 1951.
Charter schools have a track record of improving the achievement of black students in low-income urban areas, and are endorsed by none other than Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
"Some of the strongest advocates of the charter movement in the U.S. have been African-Americans, Native-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and so on," said Joe Nathan, director of The Center for School Change at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
So why are some black folks in our town so leery of them?
Perhaps it's because, in Richmond, past is prologue and history is often at loggerheads with harmony.
Richmond is fertile ground for conspiracy theories for no other reason than they often prove out.
The Virginia State Conference NAACP is not alone in observing that one election after the change to the mayor-at-large system in Richmond, the City Council and School Board became majority white.
Some black folks who've stood by the school district, or had no other options, bristle at the thought of those who abandoned the district or who never belonged carving out an educational island. Some opponents argue that resources provided to Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts would be put to better use systemwide.
Nathan counters that charter schools can be more egalitarian than district schools, since no admissions tests are allowed like at say, Richmond Community High. Patrick Henry would hold a lottery to determine admission.
Three of the four black members of the Richmond School Board opposed the Patrick Henry proposal Tuesday.
Board member Keith West, a charter school proponent, voted against the proposal because he said the contract governing the school was too restrictive. But instead of lawyers, this situation needs mediators.
Nathan was among the founders of the nation's first charter school in St. Paul, Minn. It opened in 1992 with fewer than 100 students. Today, more than 4,000 charter schools nationwide educate some 1.3 million students.
Nathan is quick to point out that not every charter school proposal has been a great one, and there have been abuses and misuse or theft of monies. But he urged Richmond to embrace the concept.
"We make progress when we try new things," Nathan said.
He attributes suspicion of the movement here to the bitter aftertaste of white resistance to the Brown v. Board of Education decision declaring school segregation unconstitutional.
"One of the things I witnessed in the South sometimes with African-Americans is a very strong recognition of the school choice movement of the late '50s and '60s, which was about promoting segregation and inequality," he said.
Indeed, the NAACP said in a recent statement: "There is a nefarious battle being waged by a segment of the population to take back what was lost in the 1970s. Charter schools were conceptualized immediately after the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1955."
What would Nathan say to the wary?
"I'd say that while I completely respect and understand the concerns about what's happened, and completely respect the concern that the world is not entirely fair, the evidence is quite clear that some African-Americans who did poorly in existing schools are doing far better in charter schools."
Shouldn't that be the bottom line?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Given failure on school construction, no justification for using City funds to build a new Baseball Stadium
Goldman for Mayor - 2 September 2008 - For Immediate Release:
Statement from Paul Goldman
In the Washington Post today, there is this quote from Mike Berry, the general manager of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority:
"One of the considerations in any discussion would be the playing venue as well as what the community feels it could invest," Berry said. "A partnership could be created with their expectation and what the local community is willing to support."
The RMA is a regional authority, so presumably the "local community" he is referring to are the localities represented on the RMA board.
It will soon be three years since my "City of the Future" plan was praised by Mr. Pantele, the Mayor, City Council and the School Board. It was part of what I call my "Construction Initiative" for improving our schools, a compliment to the "Instruction Initiative" that I want to enact if elected Mayor.
The key component of this plan was to begin the first wide-scale modernization of our school system in modern history, which has the oldest such facilities in the state.
To date, neither the Wilder Administration, any member of the City Council nor the School Board, has seen any urgency in all of these three years to make sure we even began the modernization of a single school, not to mention all the one's included in my plan.
As indicated, I am not sure what Mr. Berry has in mind regarding the City of Richmond putting up money for a new Baseball Stadium. Hopefully, he will enlighten us as to what he means and with whom he has been consulting.
But for me, the choice is clear: If the elected leaders of this city are so indifferent to the plight of the children and have shown no interest in the last three years in finding the time to figure out how to modernize one school in the oldest such system in the state, then there is absolutely no justification for this city contributing any funds from it's public treasury toward a new baseball stadium.
I don't see how a city that is prepared to vote overwhelming for Barack Obama can read his education platform, and then believe that the failure of these last three years in terms of school modernization can be at all justified.
And then to compound the failure by giving public money to a baseball stadium before you have even modernized a single public school?
That's why I say it is time for a change in Richmond.
Given this continuing failure on school construction, there is no justification for the City of Richmond dipping into it's budget, currently 6 million in the red, and spending many millions on constructing a new Baseball Stadium.
Statement from Paul Goldman
In the Washington Post today, there is this quote from Mike Berry, the general manager of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority:
"One of the considerations in any discussion would be the playing venue as well as what the community feels it could invest," Berry said. "A partnership could be created with their expectation and what the local community is willing to support."
The RMA is a regional authority, so presumably the "local community" he is referring to are the localities represented on the RMA board.
It will soon be three years since my "City of the Future" plan was praised by Mr. Pantele, the Mayor, City Council and the School Board. It was part of what I call my "Construction Initiative" for improving our schools, a compliment to the "Instruction Initiative" that I want to enact if elected Mayor.
The key component of this plan was to begin the first wide-scale modernization of our school system in modern history, which has the oldest such facilities in the state.
To date, neither the Wilder Administration, any member of the City Council nor the School Board, has seen any urgency in all of these three years to make sure we even began the modernization of a single school, not to mention all the one's included in my plan.
As indicated, I am not sure what Mr. Berry has in mind regarding the City of Richmond putting up money for a new Baseball Stadium. Hopefully, he will enlighten us as to what he means and with whom he has been consulting.
But for me, the choice is clear: If the elected leaders of this city are so indifferent to the plight of the children and have shown no interest in the last three years in finding the time to figure out how to modernize one school in the oldest such system in the state, then there is absolutely no justification for this city contributing any funds from it's public treasury toward a new baseball stadium.
I don't see how a city that is prepared to vote overwhelming for Barack Obama can read his education platform, and then believe that the failure of these last three years in terms of school modernization can be at all justified.
And then to compound the failure by giving public money to a baseball stadium before you have even modernized a single public school?
That's why I say it is time for a change in Richmond.
Given this continuing failure on school construction, there is no justification for the City of Richmond dipping into it's budget, currently 6 million in the red, and spending many millions on constructing a new Baseball Stadium.
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