The Buffalo school board voted Thursday to demand that Carl Paladino step down or be removed by the state Board of Education for making shocking comments about President Obama and his wife.
Paladino’s responded to a local publication’s New Year’s questionnaire by saying he would like to see Obama die of Mad Cow Disease and First Lady Michelle Obama turned loose to live with gorillas in Africa.
Paladino later apologized, saying he intended to send the offensive statements to friends, not ArtVoice, which released them.
He declined to elaborate Thursday on an apology and explanation he issued earlier in the week.
On Tuesday, Paladino explained his comments as intended for private use and not for publication.
“I wanted to say something as sarcastic and hurtful as possible about the people (the Obamas) so responsible for the hurt and suffering of so many others.
“I was wired up, primed to be human and make a mistake. I could have not made a worse choice in the words I used to express my feelings.”
Two board members urged their colleagues to make Paladino come forward, apologize personally to every student in the district and then endure proceedings to determine whether he should be ousted.
But six others voted for his ouster.
“Words matter, Mr. Paladino. This community has been rocked,” said board president Barbara Seals Nevergold.
Paladino, who served as New York co-chair of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, was on vacation and did not appear at the meeting.
Buffalo residents who showed up shouted down his allies on the board and applauded the call for his resignation.