Tony Avella On Bill Thompson And Willets Point

Two segments (here combined) from ny1.com. First, reported by Bob Hardt : "On Friday nights program, mayoral candidate Tony Avella had some tough words for his fellow Democrat in the mayor's race, Bill Thompson."

Second, reported by CeFaan Kim: "City Councilman and mayoral candidate Tony Avella is ramping up his attacks against the city's plan to move five Willets Point businesses to College Point."

Tony Avella On Education

from the Working Families Party Mayoral Forum of July 2 at about the 1 hour 20 minute mark
h/t to Leonie Haimson for transcription

question to Avella; what is your plan to turnaround failing schools?
Avella: “I am absolutely not a fan of charter schools and I never have been. The whole reason they came about is because the regular public schools were failing…Why did we come up with another system, why not fix the schools that are failing?
As mayor I would make sure that all schools would be distributed equally throughout the city….up- to –date equipment, best computers, best teachers. Eventually, charter schools would go away..there shouldn't be a two tier system.
It would be my pleasure as Mayor, to say to Joel Klein you are fired don’t let the door hit you on the way out. He is an absolute disgrace. And I’m absolutely amazed that this farce of a new Board of Education has now given him the chance to stay and given him all the powers…this is an absolute disgrace..
Bob Masters: “now, I believe that additional funds go to low-performing schools now … (NO – that’s not what the DOE does; they have an abstract funding formula that denies low-performing schools extra funds! And would have cut funds from most of the low-performing schools in Harlem.)
Avella: “I’m not going to touch extra funds for low-performing schools…If you start to distribute funds equally –each child will get the same advantage. If I’m elected, the day after the general election I would start sitting down w/ the principals, teachers and parents to discuss what how to come up with system that we could all be proud of. Why aren’t we listening to you. If I’m listening to enough, we stop teaching to the test, we have to educate kids. Making sure that parents are involved and that funds are distributed adequately.