THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Crazy Carl Paladino has found a way to enrich himself as a member of the Buffalo Board of Education, with a guaranteed 10% of profits. Strangely, certain members of the public have taken exception to Crazy Carl's scheme.

Joan L. Simmons is the latest to pile onto the anti-Carl Paladino train.

The Buffalo resident has filed complaints with five federal, state and city departments, accusing the real estate developer of conflicts of interest because he has business interests in six city charter schools and also votes on matters affecting charter schools as a member of the Buffalo School Board.

Her filings come on top of recent anti-Paladino rallies sponsored by the Buffalo Teachers Federation and other community and education advocacy groups in the school district. They contend that Paladino’s support of charters is an attempt to further his financial interests.

The timing of the ramped-up anti-Paladino campaign is not coincidental.

Public school advocates are aggressively challenging the School Board’s recent state-sanctioned invitation to bring more charter schools to Buffalo. They see Paladino as the weakest link in the 5-4 majority, even though a recent School Board legal opinion gives Paladino the green light to cast his vote.

“He’s looking to expand charter schools, and he’s using his vote in ways that promote his own self interest,” said Billy Easton, executive director for the New York Alliance for Quality Education. “I think there’s a lot of resentment that the community has been totally shut out of this process so far.”

Accustomed to being the center of controversy, Paladino shrugs off the latest campaign against him as “just another day at the office” and described the campaign as an orchestrated union effort.

“Who do you think is writing this stuff?” he said. “It’s coming out of the union and their lawyers. The union doesn’t want charter schools, period. I’m the lightning rod.”

Other members of the board majority say they are steeling themselves for “a huge mess,” as Paladino’s adversaries continue to cry foul over his ties to charter schools.

And Carl, while maintaining his "innocence", has been shifting ownership of his investments so as to appear clean.