“He”™s too angry to be an effective leader ”“ so closed-minded,” said Michelle Gullickson, owner of Clove Cottages in High Falls.
“I like him because he”™s a breath of fresh air ”“ he says what the voters are feeling and he”™s not afraid to say it,” said Richard Barnhard of Shawangunk, a retired chief of police for SUNY New Paltz.
The small but vocal groups of protesters and supporters talked ”“ and at times talked over ”“ Carl Paladino, who came to New Paltz on Oct. 12 to tour Viking Industries, a corrugated-cardboard manufacturer in business in Ulster County since 1973.
Richard Croce, son of the founder who started the business with seven employees, now runs a multimillion-dollar business with 70 employees who work in two shifts to keep New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania well-supplied with boxes of all shapes and sizes, as well as a plethora of products too long to list.
While Paladino attempted to talk to detractors about their concerns, he stuck to his topic ”“ “good paying jobs for New Yorkers and seeing the Empire State return to its manufacturing roots.”
Then, meeting with Harold King, president of the Council of Industry, and others who came to hear what Paladino envisions for New York”™s economic future, he was whisked into the factory for a closed-door session and given a tour, along with the press, of the inner workings of Viking.
Calls for financial relief
The gubernatorial hopeful called for “relief from the intrusion and overburdening mandates of government when it comes to regulations. It”™s time to lighten up,” said Paladino, referring to what he deemed unnecessary taxes that have chased manufacturing jobs out of the state.
He also called for and end to the corporate franchise tax on both large and small businesses, saying it would give companies an incentive to reinvest and create more jobs.
Paladino also spoke briefly of the Dignity Corps ”“ based on the welfare-to-work program instituted in several forms in years past ”“ that would not only bring welfare recipients to the table to be trained but would offer unskilled workers a chance to learn a trade and for the unemployed to be cross-trained into new jobs. “Too many people are unemployed or underemployed. We also have students who can”™t afford college and want to learn a trade.”
Part of the funding for the proposed Dignity Corps would come from a 20 percent cut in Medicaid, “costing the state billions of dollars to deliver,” much of it going to waste and fraudulent practices, he said.
After his tour of the factory and meeting with the public ”“ both the pro and con Paladino factions ”“ he continued on to Kingston”™s business district.
New Paltz organic farmer Billiam Von Rostenberg said Paladino”™s remarks on gay marriage “Were offensive … either you are 100 percent for equality for gays or you are not.”
But Von Rostenberg gave Paladino the benefit of the doubt, saying that perhaps his style “may not (be) as polished as others” when it comes to battling for a seat in Albany.
”˜If we grow, we hire”™
For business owner Croce, Paladino was “interested, engaged and he”™s not a politician ”“ he”™s a businessman. He”™s been upfront about everything that”™s been thrown at him. He”™s not running away from any issue.
“He understands businesses do not have unlimited amounts of income to pay exorbitant taxes. We need to reinvest in our companies, whether it is training for our employees or to buy safer and more modern equipment ”“ it is not a bottomless pit. If we grow, we hire more employees. He knows if he makes an error in judgment, it is going to cost him as a business owner. I”™m not so sure others running for office have had that kind of experience.”
As for King, who exited the closed-door meeting before the press was given the tour with Paladino, he found the meeting, “Interesting and informative.”
Although Ulster is not subject to the MTA tax, Paladino said he would abolish it in the 12 counties that are and restructure the Metropolitan Transit Authority to make it accountable to taxpayers and profitable, rather than adding additional taxes to keep it “going in the same negative direction.”
Paladino, Cuomo and other hopefuls will battle it out at Hofstra University in a debate sponsored by the college and HVBiz”™ media partner, News 12, on Monday, Oct. 18 beginning at 7 p.m.
