Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Update 5:20 PM from Gotham: The panel has voted to deny Cathie Black a waiver. Two members voted in favor, but four voted against it and two voted “not at this time.”

Dispatch from Gotham Schools

Incoming comments:

These people have no shame 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/nyregion/24waiver.html?hp  - just came over the NY Times website - they may have voted no but check this out


Steiner said he would grant the waiver if Bloomberg appoints a deputy (Chief) with ed experience.
Don't celebrate yet.

The union's track record with politicians is so good, that if they bought a funeral home, people would stop dying.
Makes all those COPE dollars seem worth it don't you think?
City Council Member Domenic Recchia, a Brooklyn Democrat and chairman of the council's finance committee, said he believes Mr. Steiner should grant the waiver. "The DOE is a huge agency and needs a good manager. It needs someone who can take the lead and say, 'We're going to make changes,'" Mr. Recchia said.  



I just saw Bloomberg on the news from some news conference (don't know when) where he described Joel Klein's chancellorship as having been the first seven innings and now Cathie Black is coming in as the "perfect closer."

Pardon my French here, but WTF? What the hell does that mean, a "closer"? If education is nothing more than a game, the analogy is horrifying. If we're entering the eighth inning with only two to go, what on earth happens after the ninth inning? Game over? I totally don't get the implication -- is it supposed to be that Joel has solved ALL our education problems for the coming three or four decades, but we just need a closer to mop things up?

Or could it be the ultimate Freudian slip -- that what he really means is that Cathie would be the ultimate school closer?

Every time I think the Mayor simply can't possibly be any more imperious and condescending, he goes out and proves to me that he still hasn't found his limit. I would say appalling, but even that word doesn't come anywhere near describing that man's attitude and behavior.

Steve Koss
 

9 comments:

Room 229 said...

1. Yay!
2. This panel was formed for the specific reason to vote on this issue and two people refuse to vote? Weird/ thanks you two!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful. Lets hope the commissioner will decide with the panel.
You know what they say, a billionaire who does not get his way...hmmmnn..

Anonymous said...

Steiner said he would grant the waiver if Bloomberg appoints a deputy (Chief) with ed experience.



Don't celebrate yet.

John Powers

james boutin said...

See NY Mag's take on it.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/11/cathie_black.html

Anonymous said...

Who is this Domenic Recchia, (Brooklyn Democrat)? What area of Brooklyn does he represent to agree with Bloomberg? We need to call this insane man. Please somebody provide the phone #.

ed notes online said...

I think the area around Lafayette and Dewey HS including parts of Bensonhurst and Coney Island. A real backstabber.

Anonymous said...

The statement that stuck out in my mind from the NYT article was:

"Mr. Bloomberg has said that transforming the school system would be his legacy, and a rejection of his candidate would be an embarrassing and public defeat for a mayor accustomed to getting his way."

Well, its sort of true. He is definitely transforming and marking a legacy, but not in the way that others see it. He is not helping the cause, as we all know. He is hurting the cause.

Anonymous said...

Recchia serves Coney Island.

I have a feeling that Recchia is going

to feel the heat soon for lots of things.

Anonymous said...

Recchia is a Bloomberg ass wipe and a darling of Madam Quinn. He was the Luca Brassi look alike who sat right next to Bloomberg as he was drilled by speakers when he had to appear before the city council over the term limits debacle. He is the city councilmen whose district includes parts of Bensonhurst and Coney Island. He is also a major player in the real estate development going on in Coney Island. A real creep who is also selling his high school John Dewey down the river at DOE behest. He is a disgrace and probably has connections to undersireables from the neighborhood. Yet, the UFT backs him all the time and supports him each time he ran, he also benefited from the third term. He would not be making his comments about Black if term limits were upheld.