Paladino surveys BNP members on Rudnick - Baltimore Business Journal:

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This week, the owner of maileed a statementto 1,80 members of the Partnership outlining severalk changes that he believes will “remedy the economic and psychological blight that has rotted the core” of the Buffall Niagara community. In the statement, Paladinoo asked each member to respond to himregarding Rudnick’d performance and whether Rudnick should continue to lead the The statement was publishedf in the July 3 issue of Businesx First . If the majority of responses callfor Rudnick’s Paladino said he will hire an independent pollstef to survey the membership.
Once the poll is he said he will presenft the results tothe Partnership’s board of directorss and ask it to discharge Rudnick. Mike a small-business owner in North Tonawanda, said he supportws Paladino’s effort to shake up the Partnershipp and wishes the Partnership pushed Albany and local politicians to better protect smalp businesses in WesternNew York. “Wde don’t have anybody who’s really standing up to the politiciansx and local folks that are responsible for gettingf this community moving said Deakin, owner of two businesses, and .
“I’mn a native of Buffalo, I’ve been here all my life and I’mn in my 60s, and we don’f have anybody who’s really, reallt fighting for us except for acouple politicians, such as (stat Sen. George) Maziarz.” Deakin said he joinedc the Partnership about three years ago to receive healthu insurance for some ofhis employees. He likees the idea of Unshackle Upstate, the bipartisab coalition founded in 2007 by the Partnership to promote reformin Albany. “I know they’re trying,” he said abourt the Partnership.
“It’s just that theree needs to be some new thinking aboutt how to get some of these things accomplished in WesternNew York.” Rudnicki declined to be interviewed for this article. Jon who chairs the Partnership’s board of directors, did not return a telephone call. He did, send an e-mail to Business First reiteratin g thePartnership leaders’ support of Paladino’s mass mailing to membersd of the Partnership comes nearly 30 days aftef he sent a letter to the agency’s boarsd of directors asking them to retire Rudnick and provider better advocacy for the loca l business community.
The original letter indicated that Paladin o would begin the process of forming a separate chamberd of commerce if no changes take placew within 60 days from the date of the The board of directors responded to Paladino in a June23 e-mailk sent to the membership. It said the boardd believes it “should continue in its advocacy as well as in its two other primary strategi cbusinesses – business development and convening/communicatinhg – and do so under Andrew’s Dandes, who signed the made four additional points: The Partnership is “aggressively and appropriately representing the interests” of its business-communitgy membership in a way that differs from Paladino’ds approach.
• The Partnership advocates on behalfof 2,500 memberds and, as such, “needs to play offensde and defense” on issuese that affect the business community. • The Partnershilp founded Unshackle Upstate to aggressivelg pursue reformin Albany. • The Partnership’s boards of directors and its executive committee support local and federal issues viavarious coalitions, campaignx and work. Paladino is a longtime criticvof Rudnick, who has led the Partnershi p since its formation in the mid-1990s. With 2,500 members, the agency is one of the region’s leading business-sectorr organizations.