Maggie Brooks’ COMIDA Taketh Away from Public Schools, Giveth to Private Schools
This is unbelievable. I’m taking this from the MetroJustice email I just got. Remember how I mentioned the local GOP’s anti-public school, pro-private school platform earlier today? Remember how we mentioned reasons to attend the COMIDA meeting coming up next week? Here’s one more reason to go:
 OK, first Brooks unilaterally confiscates half the sales tax revenue from local school districts, then the Brooks team lines up a $10 million dollar bond for the Harley School.
Yes, you’ve got that right, the same private school that charges $17,000 tuition.
We couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried.
Please join us at the
COMIDA Board Meeting
Tuesday, January 15
11:30am
47 South Fitzhugh Street, downtown Rochester
And here’s the press release where Maggie proudly announces the giveaway to the private school:
These people are just unbelievable. Could they be any more blatant?
[...] more about it over at Rochester Turning. Posted In: Social Context on January 10, [...]
Geez Wally, you don’t think there’s any connection between the fact that a lot of wealthy Republicans send their kids to Harley and this do ya?
Nah Beav, that would be wrong.
Why am I not surprised?
To be more blatant they would need to comply with open meeting laws. It must be a vexing struggle for them- their arrogance vs. their glirine compulsion to do the publics business in the dark.
All right folks, lets have a little integrity here. While we do maintain that COMIDA should not be prioritizing private schools in its bonding, there’s no need to throw ad hominem attacks against Harley, which actually is not a bastion of conservatism. This is not about Harley. This is about COMIDA, and ultimately, this is about whether Joe Bruno will allow meaningful reform of the system.
This is the same situation we had with Bazil’s (Mario Danielle’s restaurant on the lake) and the Del Monte spa. It’s not the fault of the business to apply for the subsidy, its the system that misuses the economic development tools.
That’s why we need reform.
We need an IDA reform bill that:
-Allows school boards and town boards to be at the table when IDA’s are deciding whether to give away their tax revenue.
-Ensures that the jobs being created are good jobs, providing prevailing wages for construction and living wages once the building is up. Why should we be subsidizing the creation of Wal Mart jobs?
-Maintains accountability. When businesses don’t follow through with their job creation promises they need to give the money back
-Requires the study of the economic worth of a project. Does the project create a net gain in jobs? What is the impact on the housing market? On green space? We shouldn’t be creating an unlevel playing field by subsidizing one business over another. That doesn’t create jobs, it shuffles them around. We shouldn’t be subsidizing businesses to relocate within the area.
-Ends IDA piracy. Monroe County shouldn’t shouldn’t be vulnerable to being played off against Erie County. We shouldn’t be forced into a bidding war to deliver the best tax giveaway.
Call your state senator and urge them to support IDA reform that includes wage standards.
Jon, thanks for bringing it all back home. COMIDA is a tool, like any other, and the focus should be on its misuse.
Good point Jon. COMIDA and its board are simply a bunch of tools.
Jon, you’re right, but where was the ad homin attack against the school?
Are you saying that the fact that many of it’s patrons are wealthy big dollar contributors to Maggie and her party have nothing to do with this?
That’s not an attack against the school, its an attack against the influence money in politics has on decision making.
Sound familiare?
Sorry about the French accent.
Sound familiar?
[...] things like the unFAIR plan, which hurts our award winning public schools (and has the gall to then give money to private schools via COMIDA), it makes our area less attractive for [...]