SCHOOLGATE IS ABOUT CASSIDY’S BULLYING DEMEANOR AND THE GROUPS AIMING TO RETALIATE.
By Steven Tavares
News of Saturday’s controversial school fair at Roosevelt Elementary has created a stir in the city unrivaled during this quite raucous campaign season. Eyebrows were raised over the perception the event was tinged with political overtones earlier in the week when a flyer began circulating around city insiders. The fact there is video of both Stephen Cassidy and School Board President Mike Katz resplendent in campaign t-shirts and shorts points to the fact opponents were ready to pounce on the opportunity and got more than they expected.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your opportunity to be the first to dunk the next mayor of San Leandro, Stephen Cassidy,” said a man believed to be part of the school’s PTA through a bullhorn. Video of Cassidy’s dunking in a water tank picks up a voice in the background introducing Cassidy along with his political aspirations, “He used to be on the school board, but that wasn’t big enough for his ego, so now he’s running for mayor.”
Two people in attendance Saturday told The Citizen they felt uncomfortable with the mixing of campaigning with a school event organized to raise money for students and called it “inappropriate.” Cassidy’s past in threading a fine line between politics and the school district has now been detailed, but it is no coincidence he lives and dies by his support from parents and teachers. Most of Cassidy’s strength comes from the school district, so much so that insiders often say he appears to be running for the non-existent title of “mayor of the school board.” That strength, though, is blunted by a small, but significant group of parents, notably Asian-Americans, who loathe Cassidy, Katz and anyone deemed with a hand in deposing former school superintendent Christine Lim.
To further their ire, to date, there has never been a precise accounting of the reasons for Lim’s dismissal last January from Cassidy, Katz or the San Leandro Teachers’ Association. In fact, a code of silence blankets any discussion of Lim or Cassidy’s notably tumultuous time on the school board. Past colleagues of Cassidy routinely spoke on background criticizing his tense, oftentimes bullying demeanor on the board up until a year ago. Afterwards, known adversaries refused to talk about Cassidy and his reputation for not playing nicely with others. Although Cassidy says he served only a single term on the school board at the urging of his wife, most believe he decided against running for re-election in 2008 after repeated failures to broker any consistent support for his ideas, aside from Katz.
The scene this past Saturday is certainly problematic for Cassidy, but the real concern in light of his opponents appetite to attack him, is how exactly will he govern with nearly the entire city (public employees, labor unions, councilmembers and minority groups) sharpening their knives to be first to take him down?
Santos and his kind need a ready, docile, permanent and ignorant population that will serve as reliable votes. This is a genetic defect for Santos. It goes back to Portugal under Salazar and that country's 90 percent illiteracy of the 20th Century.
Manuel
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Tony Santos and his cronies want San Leandro to BECOME OAKLAND. Oakland was dumb enough to vote in Ron Dellums, and now it's more dangerous than Rwanda. Why is Tony Santos chasing out business but recruiting Section 8?
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It's been heading in the East Oakland direction for the last 25 years. When the City started bringing in all these low income apartments. That criminal Dave Karp was a big instigator.
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Stop the East Oaklandization of San Leandro before it becomes just as nasty, rude and filled with behavioral problems and crime as our neighbor to the North. Vote for Cassidy and stop the decline of this city before it is too late.
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Huey Long,
The list is too long to type for corruption, but one example is running Red Mountain out of the old Lucky's on E. 14th, purposely keeping Grocery Outlet from moving in there and then the City buying the property and selling it at a loss to a political contributor. So once again, shove it up your ass you fool.
Manuel
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The only corruption is what is going on between Manuel's ears.
Using Huey Long is using irony. A true corrupt politician.
Give me examples of corruption. So far the only person who has broken the law(alledged) is Cassidy(we also know now he was brought up on FPPC charges in 2006)
Where is all this corruption and if its there where are the charges.
I believe the corruption is in Manuel's imagination
Also who told Manuel who Huel Long was? Cant believe he figured it out on his own!
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Eddie Baker, you got it correct. This town had 50 years of corruption under Maltester and now that he's decomposing all bets are off. That's why Santos has competition. Maltester never would have allowed that. Looks like his minion Dale Reed couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again.
Manuel
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Hey Huey Long, you're the stupid one who uses the psedonym of a corrupt Louisiana politician. Blow it out your ass.
Manuel
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How about some examples of that corruption?
Or like Manuel are you just stupid?
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San Leandro has always been corrupt. Those of you who yearn for something that has never been should move to some other democracy. But you will not find it in the East Bay. Eddie Baker.
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San Leandro is a stupidgarchy run by a dicktator.
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I've got to agree with Manuel, what type of town runs out good businesses that pay high wages? Yet I see the same idiots down the street at that Union Hall with Tony Santos for Mayor on their billboard.
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Hey Babooze above, don't let the FACTS interfere with your stupid comments.
FACT… The City of San Leandro has been after the property that Peterson sits on for years. They wanted Peterson out so they could turn it over to their buddies like they did with all the other properties on Marina Blvd. The City wanted to use Eminent Domain but Peterson was too big.
So take your stupid comments and shove then up your ass you stupid SOB. If you weren't such a pussy for the City you'd know better.
Manuel
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Peterson is leaving because we don't have enough/any empty land to build what they need.
How do you fix that Manuel?
But we already have someone to take over the property, so how do we get hurt?
Commercial vacancy rates 5%, what city is doing better huh Manuel
Dont let the facts interfere with your stupid comments
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Oh you fools who complain about gridlock sound like that old fool Ed Suchman who used to fall asleep at meetings. That jackass was so stupid, right before the council meetings he'd ask “how am I supposed to vote”? And you idiots want more of that crap? Oh yeah, businesses are staying in San Leandro, that's why Peterson is giving us a big middle finger. Santos didn't have jack squat to do with Kaiser, it was planned before he was Mayor, he's just trying to take credit.
Manuel
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OK, I am tilting away form Cassidy too. I have heard and seen way too much commentary from many varied and reliable sources about Cassidy and his poor interpersonal and consensus building skills, those skills are required to make things happen and are the hallmark of a good leader and Mayor. We do not need grid lock and infighting. Hmm…now who to vote for?
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JS, shame on you. Lou Filipovich has never been wrong about anything either and he would make for a much more amusing mayor than Stephen Cassidy. Besides that, Lou would do a good job of bridging the credibility gap. Mel
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Cassidy should be mayor. He has never been wrong about anything his entire life according to himself.
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Yeah!
I always think it's funny when someone questions me as a “journalist.” The joke is on you. You're reading it.
Everybody is encouraged to say whatever they want, but when it comes to my content, please show me where there is an error in fact or biased writing. I'll make the change if you prove it to me. I'm not unreasonable. I won't storm out of the room like Jim Knowles of the San Leandro Times if you criticize me.
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If you guys want to read fiction read the San Leandro Times. If you want balanced reporting read the East Bay Citizen
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Cassidy should be eliminated from the election.
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It looks like Tony has mobilized all the functionally literate members of his campaign to post comments on this blog. Which means a handful of people are working double-duty.
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Stephan Cassidy seems to be a controlling bully from head to toe. When they let go of former superintendent Christine Lim, evidently he couldn't control her. She made a difference in San Leandro school difference, but maybe he didn't put a lot of stock in raising student achievement for ALL students!
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Heres the truth San Leandro's commercial vacancy rate is 5%, so much for all those business leaving.
Budget has been balanced every year, has to, its the law
Kaiser bringing 3000 jobs to town, Kaiser retail site will probably have the space for the Trader Joes that a lot of people want
Yep San Leandro is a shithole, not.
Cassidy-law breaker=truth
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Too bad only three people who comment on here are the only ones reading this “unbiased” publication.
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Lame justification for your propaganda, Tavares. I guess voters already have the information about what a shithole San Leandro has been while Santos has been mayor – at least the ones who have lived here the last four years. Budget deficit, crime, businesses leaving left and right, senior center built but can't open. Just to name a few. So now they need the “information” of one man's opinion on how Cassidy would govern based on info taken solely from his opponents. Jeez, at least round it out with a slight on Starosciak while you're at it.
As you point out, incumbents have a natural advantage. Not fair when a so-called “journalist” keeps taking shots at whomever seems to be the incumbent's biggest threat at the moment.
And you have the chutzpah to say you're the independent and the “other news source” is not? Please…
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that is such a platter of bull crap. Steve Tavares is NOT a reporter an possible does not even have a day job. Como se dice looser?
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I'm here to report what I see. This article here is a good representation of what I've seen and heard about Cassidy over the last 18 months. I'm the first person at these meetings and always the last person to leave the building. I don't have any horse in these races. I don't want to be a politician. I want to cover this area's politics, move up to the capitol and hopefully cover Congress one day. I agree, with the commenter above. You don't want to know about what is going on? If you're a Cassidy supporter, bad press is bad press, not a vendetta against the candidate. When you start talking like that, all I remember is liberals pulling their hair out during 8 years of George W. Bush because of the lack of transparency.
The point of these two article is to show voters who are thinking of voting for Cassidy to know prevailing wisdom says supreme gridlock will occur at City Hall if he's elected and much of it was brought upon himself. The Citizen is designed to help you make good decisions in the voters booth. I think knowing his reputation, which is pretty well known, is a fact you should use in making your decision.
Platitudes aside, if Cassidy gave me $3,000 in ad revenue, I would conveniently look away BUT THAT'S MY POINT! One news source in San Leandro is not independent and this one is. Just kidding. I would never take money from campaigns, at least not $3,000, maybe $10,000. I'm kidding.
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The more I read and see, the mayoral cxandidates are getting down to a choice of the lesser of evils. Santos is starting to look like a better choice by default.
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I love it anonymous doesn't care that Cassidy broke election law, he/she is just upset that Tavares reports it.
Best to stay anonymous so people dont know who is so stupid
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Wow Tavares. Santos now has you on once per day attack ads (I mean blogs) against Cassidy. Nice work!
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I thought Cassidy didn't run for re-election to the School Board so he could run for Mayor?
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