The Coalition for Economic Justice has put together an informative piece of literature for city voters, in preparation for the May 5 Buffalo School Board Election, one week from today.

Seven of the original nine candidates responded to questions that were posed by moderator Allison Duwe at the candidates forum sponsored by CEJ at the True Bethel Baptist Church on April 21.

Incumbent Florence Johnson did not attend the event, so there are no responses from her. Challenger Fred Yellen did attend, and provided thoughtful answers—however, he was scratched from the ballot on Saturday, April 25, after a successful signature petition challenge from Herbert Bellamy Jr. and Buffalo-Niagara Partnership Director of Government Relations Glenn Aronow.

Visit the Coalition for Economic Justice Web site to download the School Board Voter’s Guide, or simply click here.

Get educated about the candidates, and get out and vote on Tuesday, May 5.

AV’s roving reporter Ellen Przepasniak sent in this dispatch from yesterday afternoon’s IDA reform protest, organized by the Coalition for Economic Justice:

While protestors in period costume held a tea party outside City Hall on Wednesday to protect unfair taxation, the Coalition for Economic Justice held a smaller, calmer rally a few blocks away at the Ellicott Street Post Office to remind taxpayers about IDA reform.

Roughly 30 demonstrators turned out Wednesday afternoon. The idea was to catch people filing their taxes at the last minute because they couldn’t afford to pay their tax bill. Allison Duwe, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Justice, wanted to send the message that industrial development agencies, which give tax breaks to companies for economic development work, are currently operating under an unfair system that continues to reward big corporations.

The way Duwe sees it, the current tax system is fundamentally wrong. She wants to hold businesses to more accountability of how they spend taxpayer dollars to make sure the rich aren’t getting richer. “Taxes should be levied fairly and spent wisely,” she says. “We really need to change the way we do business.”

The six IDAs in Erie County don’t have a great track record of investing wisely on development and turning a profit on projects. Duwe says too often, money is given to out-of-state contractors that support low-wage workers. She wants reform that creates solid, family-supporting jobs for local workers so that money can stay in our area to stimulate our local economy. “Now more than ever, Western New Yorkers need accountable businesses that are committed to creating quality jobs for local residents,” Duwe says. “We can’t afford to spend tax dollars on empty office parks and low-wage jobs.”

Senator Antoine Thompson and Assembly Member Sam Hoyt have both recently introduced IDA reform legislation. Duwe believes it will help to increase job standards, transparency and accountability so that taxpayers can be sure their money is being spent prudently.

Local developer Carl Paladino recently filmed a “My 3 Minutes” for Artvoice TV decrying Hoyt’s bill, which would mandate prevailing wage requirements on IDA projects. Paladino claims that the bill doesn’t make fiscal sense for Western New York developers.

At the rally, Duwe closed with a limerick she wrote:

There was a big bank looking to expand
So it went to the taxpayer and stuck out its hand
It said, give a big perk
And we’ll create lots of work
A few million in tax breaks is all we demand

Put up your dukes, Carl Paladino! There’s a challenge on the table.

This morning, in Fountain Plaza downtown, the Coalition for Economic Justice greeted morning commuters with a bake sale to raise money for the Wall Street bailout:

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The Coalition for Economic Justice held a rally outside of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) on Oak Street Friday morning, demanding IDA reforms that would include suitable wage standards for laborers on government subsidized projects, among other things.

Speakers included Alison Duwe, Executive Director of the Coalition for Economic Justice, Lou Jean Fleron of the Cornell University School of Industrial Labor Relations, Sam Magavern, UB law school instructor and member of the Partnership for the Public Good, and Erie County legislator Maria Whyte.

The speakers stressed important points about our poor city. One, that while unemployment rates are between 5% and 7%, poverty rates are just shy of 30%. Because a local economy built on the shoulders of the working poor can’t thrive, the demonstration was intended to send a message that not just jobs, but good paying jobs are needed—and they can’t simply be pirated from the city to the suburbs to inflate job growth statistics around the county.

Magavern also pointed out the importance of reducing subsidized sprawl and rebuilding the 9,000 abandoned structures and 10,000 vacant lots within the city, while observing green building codes that will save energy and operating costs down the line.

Based on the cacophony of horns being blown by cars, trucks and buses, as drivers read the banner “A Living Wage for a Livable City,” the theme of this rally resonates with a broad spectrum of Buffalonians.

Learn more about the Coalition for Economic Justice here.