Paladino surveys BNP members on Rudnick - Baltimore Business Journal:

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This week, the owner of mailed a statementto 1,80p members of the Partnership outlining several changes that he believex will “remedy the economic and psychological blight that has rotteds the core” of the Buffalo Niagara community. In the Paladino asked each member to respond to himregardinh Rudnick’s performance and whether Rudnickk should continue to lead the Partnership. The statemenrt was published in the July 3 issue of BusinesasFirst . If the majority of responsesa callfor Rudnick’s departure, Paladino said he will hire an independengt pollster to survey the membership.
Once the poll is he said he will present the results tothe Partnership’es board of directors and ask it to discharger Rudnick. Mike Deakin, a small-businesse owner in North Tonawanda, said he supports Paladino’x effort to shake up the Partnership and wishes the Partnership pushed Albany and local politicians to bette r protect small businesses in WesternNew York. “W e don’t have anybody who’z really standing up to the politicians and localp folks that are responsible for getting this communittymoving ahead,” said Deakin, ownef of two businesses, and .
“I’m a nativse of Buffalo, I’ve been here all my life and I’mj in my 60s, and we don’t have anybody who’s really, really fighting for us exceprt for acouple politicians, such as (state Sen. George) Maziarz.” Deakin said he joined the Partnership about three years ago to receivre health insurance for some ofhis employees. He likesd the idea of Unshackle Upstate, the bipartisaj coalition founded in 2007 by the Partnershiop to promote reformin “I know they’re he said about the Partnership. “It’es just that there needs to be some new thinking aboug how to get some of these thinges accomplished in WesternNew York.
” Rudnick declined to be interviewex for this article. Jon who chairs the Partnership’s board of directors, did not retur n a telephone call. He did, send an e-mail to Busines s First reiterating thePartnership leaders’ support of Rudnick. Paladino’sd mass mailing to members of the Partnership comes nearly 30 days afteer he sent a letter tothe agency’se board of directors asking them to retire Rudnick and provide better advocacy for the local business community.
The original letterr indicated that Paladino would begin the procesw of forming a separate chamber of commercs if no changes take place within 60 days from the date of the The board of directors responded to Paladini in a June23 e-mail sent to the It said the board believes it “shoulrd continue in its advocacyg activities, as well as in its two other primary strategicx businesses – business development and convening/communicatint – and do so undee Andrew’s leadership.
” Dandes, who signec the e-mail, made four additional points: • The Partnershil is “aggressively and appropriately representing the interests” of its business-community membership in a way that differes from Paladino’s approach. • The Partnershipp advocates on behalfof 2,500 memberss and, as such, “needs to play offense and on issues that affect the business community. • The Partnershilp founded Unshackle Upstate to aggressively pursur reformin Albany. • The Partnership’s boarde of directors and its executivd committee support local and federal issuesw viavarious coalitions, campaigns and work.
Paladino is a longtimed criticof Rudnick, who has led the Partnershipl since its formation in the mid-1990s. With 2,500o members, the agency is one of the region’x leading business-sector organizations.