Buffalo School Board Gives Carl Paladino 24 Hours to Resign

The Buffalo School Board voted 6-2 Thursday, deliver an ultimatum to Carl Paladino to resign within 24 hours from his post on the board or they would ask State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia to remove him.

Paladino, the real estate developer who served as co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump's campaign in New York, has come under fire for the racist comments he directed towards President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama when asked by a local paper what his wishes were for the new year.

Not backing down from his comments, Paladino issued a defiant statement last week saying his words had nothing to do with race. But state and local leaders were quick to condemn the words and many were already calling on him to resign from his post on the Buffalo School Board. In a subsequent statement issued earlier this week, he expressed more regret for his words but said he would not resign from his post on the board.

The Buffalo News notes that the board could have voted to remove Paladino for official misconduct but by choosing to have the state step in, the education commissioner has been brought into the middle of the situation.

Only two members of the board, who are said to be Paladino's allies, did not support the resolution, the Huffington Post reported. One of those members, Patti Pierce, said she hoped the people of Buffalo could show Paladino some forgiveness by taking a page out of the slaughter of nine black church goers in Charleston, South Carolina. An African American woman left the meeting after the comments, saying it was offensive to use the murdered members of the black congregation in this situation.

Paladino issued a statement after the board's vote Thursday, saying the vote is not an illustration of a profile in courage or leadership.

A spokesperson for the state's education commissioner said in a statement to the Buffalo News that once it gets an application for removal, it would review it as quickly as possible.

Paladino has made controversial and racist statements in the past, once referring to Asian students attending the University of Buffalo as "damn Asians." He has also pushed the falsehood that Obama is a Muslim and when he ran for governor of New York he was accused of sending racist and sexist emails.

Earlier this week, a West Virginia nonprofit worker, who made a racist Facebook post directed towards first lady Michelle Obama was removed from her job after initially being placed on leave and allowed to return to work. On Thursday, it was reported that a teacher in Arkansas who made racist comments about the Obamas has resigned.

Image Credit: Sheryl J Thomas via Flickr Creative Commons