The coveted teachers-union endorsement might be in jeopardy for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the perceived mayoral front-runner.
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew warned that Quinn could look like Mayor Bloomberg Lite on public-education issues, in part because her longtime political consulting firm is also representing NYStudentsFirst, a new organization close to Bloomberg and at odds with the union.
“If I’m Chris, I’d be asking myself: Maybe I don’t want to be working with these people who are also working with the mayor to control something that he should have no business controlling anymore,” Mulgrew told The Post.
He called the formation of the group — which was announced this week and will promote charter schools and the end of teacher tenure — “a clear attempt by the mayor to somehow set up a fourth term” when he leaves office at the end of 2013.
Mulgrew was speaking about the fact that Quinn’s long-standing consulting firm, SKDKnickerbocker, is also representing StudentsFirst.
The group will be headed by Executive Director Micah Lasher, who stepped down from his post as Bloomberg’s chief Albany lobbyist to take the assignment.
Like the rest of the Democrats in the crowded field eyeing the mayoralty next year, Quinn is seeking Mulgrew’s endorsement.
Christine Quinn is political expediency and ambition personified. She thought nothing of pulling strings to get Bloomberg his third term, she will think nothing about giving a Bloomberg-funded education reform group much power in school governance if she becomes mayor.
She has no core principles.
For Quinn, it's always about the money.
Pay her and she will deliver for you.
She is the queen whore among a parliament of whores.
Why would they even consider endorsing her?
Frankly if I were the UFT I would be telling ALL of the mayoral hopefuls that the autocratic running of schools without student, parent or teacher support and input is over post-Bloomberg.
Period.
But you can be sure that no matter what deal you do with Quinn before the election, post-election she will hand the reins of the NYCDOE over to the same Gates Foundation and Broad Foundation functionaries currently running things.
It is true that de Blasio and Stringer are politicians with the same instincts for expediency that all pols have.
It is true too that Liu, the one candidate who might have made for a good education and labor mayor, has been destroyed by Bloomberg and the corporate media for "campaign funding fraud" (and yet, Bloomberg, who laundered over $1 million through the Independence Party in 2009 got off scot free for his own fraud.)
And Thompson shouldn't be elected dog catcher - not after the abysmal 2009 campaign he ran, not after his Bloomberg-sucking as comptroller.
So the UFT doesn't exactly have great choices here.
But Quinn beyond a doubt would be the worst choice for a UFT endorsement.
Better to endorse Satan or Joel Klein for mayor.
You'll be getting the same policies.
Bloomberg = Putin
ReplyDeleteQuinn = Medvedev
New York City residents = peasants!
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is right on the money, and Quinn will work with the donors who offer the most money. Bloomberg an unknown had the money to capture the mayors office and hold onto it all bought and paid for. Quinn who pushed to council into allowing the third term will go with the money thinking it can over come the ground forces. The UFT should endorse anyone but Quinn, she is the most likely to continue the destruction of public education.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! Quinn is not to be trusted,nor can Quinn can't think for herself.
ReplyDeleteMichael Fiorillo, you need not go so far across the globe.
ReplyDeleteBush=Cheney
Cheney=Military Industrial Complex
It saddens me when I read, listen, participate in forums with those of you who seem to understand what is really happening here and then reference the Soviet Union/Russia. The United States has it's own examples and plenty of them. The difference is that the US has fierce PR firms lubricating the propanganda machine and the system as a whole.
Let's be intellectually honest.
Unfortunately out of all the potential candidates mentioned above, Liu, seems to be the best pick. Well, if we all agree, then you can see why there was an early offense.
I appreciate the info and analysis.
I know all about Stringer but he has one thing going for him -- he put Patrick Sullivan on the PEP. Given the poor choices he may be the one.
ReplyDeleteThe UFT was leaning to Quinn and it wouldn't surprise me to see both Bloomberg and the UFT back Quinn -- which would give credence to my thesis of which side the UFT is on.
Interesting that both Bloomberg and the UFT hated Weiner. Maybe because he didn't include them on his tweet list.