New ad touts Corwin's experience in family's former business

Republican Jane Corwn once again inflates and exagerates her business experience at the company her late father founded. Soon after Jane Corwins late father passed the business on to Jane and her siblings they sold the company to the Hearst Corporation who moved most of the operation out of the area and laid of the majority of employees withthe notable exeption of her husband and brother who were retained presumably as part of the sales agreement. So much for Jane Corwin's job creation claim.

The important thing that voters should be focused on is Republican Jane Corwin's endorsement and support of the Republican Paul Ryan's plan to end Medicare and replace it with avoucher leaving seiors at the mercy of private insurance providers. Jane Corwin has a history of taking money from nursing homes and then voting to limit their liability when one of their disabled or elderly patients are injured or abused. This is who Republican Jane Corwin is.

Yeah, running that business was so challenging, Corwin decided to sell it off to the Hearst Corp. who then eliminated more than 400 local jobs. Corwin walked away with millions though so all's well that ends well, right?

WOW!! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Are her handlers really this daft? Or did she do this one on her own? I hope that the people that normally vote their party no matter what have a sudden attack of common sense come election day.

This would be like if Eliot Spitzer was running for a political office for some odd reason, and made a claim that he knew how to stop prostitution.

Ugh, I just wasted 20 seconds of my life actually watching this thing...what an insipid piece of crap. Jane Corwin didn't work her way up at the Talking Phone Book, she worked there before college and when she graduated they made her a Vice-President. Then, as soon as it was convenient, she sold the company.

Those people you see in the ad are most likely what's left of middle management after Hearst Corp. shipped all the jobs off to their corporate headquarters located out of state.

Chris,
When you see that Jane Corwin has a net worth estimated to be $58.3 million-to-$158.8 million and is still taking money from special interest groups that look to limit their liability when they do harm. Corwin took money from nursing homes and then voted to limit their liability when elderly or disabled patients in their care are injured or mistreated.

Republican Jane Corwin's support of the Republican budget of Paul Ryan's that eliminates medicare and replaces it with a coupon/voucher will cover a frction of what medicare does now and to add insult to injury the changes that will go into effect for medicaid will be immidiate to those seniors who rely on the program to cover costs they simply can not afford. This is what the voters of our district can expect from Jane Corwin if she is elected. Jack Davis is opposed to the Ryan budget plan as is Kathy Hochul and Ian Murphy. I support JAck Davis because he has proven to me that he will protect the interests of working men and women, the elerly and disabled and fight to preserve medicare not just for those over 55 but for future generations as well.

Chris,
When you see that Jane Corwin has a net worth estimated to be $58.3 million-to-$158.8 million and is still taking money from special interest groups that look to limit their liability when they do harm. Corwin took money from nursing homes and then voted to limit their liability when elderly or disabled patients in their care are injured or mistreated.

Republican Jane Corwin's support of the Republican budget of Paul Ryan's that eliminates medicare and replaces it with a coupon/voucher will cover a frction of what medicare does now and to add insult to injury the changes that will go into effect for medicaid will be immidiate to those seniors who rely on the program to cover costs they simply can not afford. This is what the voters of our district can expect from Jane Corwin if she is elected. Jack Davis is opposed to the Ryan budget plan as is Kathy Hochul and Ian Murphy. I support JAck Davis because he has proven to me that he will protect the interests of working men and women, the elerly and disabled and fight to preserve medicare not just for those over 55 but for future generations as well.

Ed, I know the stuff about nursing homes, in fact, I wrote about it:

http://wnymedia.net/ccharvella/2011/04/jane-corwin-war-on-the-elderly/

Edmund,

Please explain to me why Jack Davis, given his net worth, is still accepting $676,000 worth of tax abatements from the ECIDA (Erie County Industrial Development Corp)for his planned expansion to facilitate the creation of 20 jobs?

http://www.ecidany.com/news/article/current/2011/04/30/100065/ecida-app…

Seems to me that Jack Davis just might owe someone a thank you or two.

Chris, I'm going to have to call BS on your claim that 400 local(Buffalo) jobs were lost when Hearst Holdings purchased The Talking Phone Book, which was published by White Directory Publishing in September 2004.

The NYS DOL Monthly Expansion and Contraction Reports list all significant business activity and reports on layoffs, job creation and retention that result from those activities.

When viewing that information through the WNY filter, which includes Erie County, for the years 2002 - present, there is absolutely no report of any job losses attributed to The Talking Phone Book, White Directory Publishing or Hearst Holdings, let alone something as significant as 400 lost jobs, as you claim.

On the contrary, the reports indicate expansion and job creation:

In 2005, additional office space and 20 new jobs
In 2009, The Talking Phone Book became Local Edge
In 2010, they announced 150 new jobs

Anyone that believes that the success of The Talking Phone book and the family that founded it is somehow evil, should really read the company history. It truly is an American success story.

http://www.localedge.com/490.jhtml

FWIW, I am not a Jane Corwin supporter. I just think that the information used to attack any political candidate should be accurate.

Edmund was just wondering if Davis wins who will he be voting with more often the republicans of the democrats..How will he lower the debit..

JoAnne, Jack Davis has accepted tax abaements that were offered by the ECIDA the same as Chris Collins, Mark Hamister, the McGurire Group ans myriad other businesses have. Your reference to "Anyone that believes that the success of The Talking Phone book and the family that founded it is somehow evil" borders on delusional as the only reference to date is yours in the above quote.

The fact is Corwin has inflated her claims of years of business experience as well as creating jobs. It was her father who founded the business and it was her father who expanded the business not Jane Corwin. The majority of the jobs at the Talking Phone book, and the Local Edge are telemarketing jobs that rarely provide long term gainful employment or substantial benefits, and have a high turnover rate. There is a seasonal uptick in jobs for temporary help that distribute and deliver the phone books once a year, jobs that offer no benefits and remain close to minimum wage. It is a clever and successful business plan that has benefitted the Corwin family and a select few at the top after Jane Corwin's father passed the business on to Jane and her siblings and it was sold to the Hearst Group. However, Jane Corwin's claims that she was responsible for its success or that the recostituted business is her legacy is at best a gross exageration of the facts.

The fact is Republican Jane Corwin stated that she would have voted for the Republican budget of Paul Ryan that ends medicare replacing guarenteed health coverage for seniors with a voucher paln that will leave senioras at the mercy of the private insurance industry and replace medicaid with block grants causing immiediate problems for seniors and the disabled who rely on the program for health care.

It is also a fact that Republican Jane Corwin accepted money from several nursing home groups and then voted to limit their liability for consequential damages to patients due to injury, neglect or mistreatment. This is the kind of "business experience" that appears to be the hallmark of Jane Corwin's that she brings to elected office. Again a clever and successful plan that benefits Corwin and a select few insiders.

JoAnne, what do I get when I prove it?

JoAnne, I just read the link, www.localedge.com, you provided with the history of the Talking Phone book and it's history from its founding by Wilbur Corwin to its sale to the Hearst Corp. and it's remarkable that not once is Jane Corwin mentioned. The article mentions Jane Corwin's father, her brother and her husband but not one reference to Jane and her contributions to the company. The site also references that the White Pages 800+ employees are spread over 13 states as is the case with a directry that has been more of a yearly advertising campaign that relies primaraly on telemarketing and temporary employees to produce its end product. Today the once inovative directory has been rendered obsolete by the internet and it's most common use is as a door stop in most homes. To be fair the business still employs people locally, most notably Corwin's husband and brother.

Chris, you get the satisfaction of providing accurate and relevant information on an important issue.

Edmund,
I think Jane Corwin's claims that she helped the company grow are in reference to it's rebranding as Local Edge and not the old print Talking Phone Book part of the company history where she states she delivered phone books. That would be one explanation why she is not listed in that particular company history. I don't know what her role in the company's success was. Maybe Daddy gave her a title and an office or maybe she is a real go getter. Who is to say?

You are correct when you state the internet has rendered print directories obsolete. That is why they have since launched an innovative rebranding of the company:

Longtime U.S. independent publisher White Directory (owned by Hearst Corp.) has launched a complete rebranding, dropping the old “Talking Phone Book” in favor of “LocalEdge.” The company says it plans to phase in the new brand over the next 12 months. In our view, the rebranding is way overdue. “Talking Phone Book” is a brand that harks back to the days when audiotex was a popular value added feature. Those days are long gone, so the brand was a bit old school to say the least.

http://www.localedge.com/ (this link directs to the new company website, not the company history page)

Buffalo is the headquarters for the company which accounts for the employment of about half (400) of their employees nationwide.

The NYD DOL reported the opening of their new call center in Amherst in 2010 would result in 150 new jobs. The base salary for new consultants will be $27,000, but they could earn $45,000 to $55,000 during their first year depending on their sales levels.

Yesterday, you posted this comment:
"The majority of the jobs at the Talking Phone book, and the Local Edge are telemarketing jobs that rarely provide long term gainful employment or substantial benefits, and have a high turnover rate."

Yet on March 30, 2011 you posted the following comments:
"That the people who gathered the petitions were paid, realy sir would you deny people part-time employment in these tough times".

"Perhaps the idea of putting people to work in these times of high unemployment even on a temporary or part-basis bothers some people"

I get that you are pro-Jack Davis, but your comments are bit hypocritical.

On March 31, 2011 - you posted:
"Everyone has a right to their own opinions, but it's best to let the facts speak for themselves".

Finally, something you and I can both agree on!

JoAnne, the Corwin family sold their business to the Hearst Corporation, now you claim it wasn't the Talking Phone Book she built up it's actually the successor company's rebranding. Jane Corwin has nothing to do with the the successor or the opening of the call center owned and operated by the Hearst Corp. other than her husband and brother were retained as a part of the sale.

I was correct when stating that the successor company is a telemarketing operation, an industry that has a history of high turn over and offers minimmal benefits and rarely results in long term gainful employment as a result. The 2010 announcement of a $27,000 base salary with the possiblility of $45-50k in the first year sounds good but the reality is more often than not far different. ($27k amounts to $13 per hr based on a 40 work week, less deductions for taxes and insurance if offered) The $45-50k possible is with commisions, good luck with that, very few make anywhere hear that. Those exeptional few who do make their goals to make the big commissions are the hearty souls who won't take no for an answer when they call and interupt your dinner to sell you whatever it is they are selling.

Another call center in Amherst that no doubt is given preferential tax treatment and a hand by either the Amherst Industrial Development Agency of the Erie County Industrial Development agency.

Your point is that Jane Corwin might not have been as involved in the family business but that she was more likely involved in the business after it was sold.

To your point that I am a supporter of Jack Davis, I am and will work to help get him elected. Unlike Republican Jane Corwin when Jack Davis retires his comapny that he founded and built into an enterprise that pays decent wages, offers long term gainful employment, substantial employee benefits and profit sharing, Jack Davis has put the company into a trust owned by his employees insuring the future of his company and the economic well being of his employees. Jane Corwin and her siblings sold the business that her father founded and built, choosing to
move on into politics. There is nothing wrong or evil about her families choice to sell the business, but don't try to paint the picture of Ms. Corwin as the business maven who was responsible for the overall success of the enterprise or now claim that she has been the driving force behind the rebranding of the business. That is nonsense devoid of any fact to support your claim.

JoAnne, the Corwin family sold their business to the Hearst Corporation, now you claim it wasn't the Talking Phone Book she built up it's actually the successor company's rebranding. Jane Corwin has nothing to do with the the successor or the opening of the call center owned and operated by the Hearst Corp. other than her husband and brother were retained as a part of the sale.

I was correct when stating that the successor company is a telemarketing operation, an industry that has a history of high turn over and offers minimmal benefits and rarely results in long term gainful employment as a result. The 2010 announcement of a $27,000 base salary with the possiblility of $45-50k in the first year sounds good but the reality is more often than not far different. ($27k amounts to $13 per hr based on a 40 work week, less deductions for taxes and insurance if offered) The $45-50k possible is with commisions, good luck with that, very few make anywhere hear that. Those exeptional few who do make their goals to make the big commissions are the hearty souls who won't take no for an answer when they call and interupt your dinner to sell you whatever it is they are selling. I don't know about anyone else, but telemarketing calls interupting me at home are not high my list of things I welcome.

Another call center in Amherst that no doubt is given preferential tax treatment and a hand by either the Amherst Industrial Development Agency or the Erie County Industrial Development agency.

To your point that I am a supporter of Jack Davis, I am and will work to help get him elected. Unlike Republican Jane Corwin when Jack Davis retires his comapny that he founded and built into an enterprise that pays decent wages, offers long term gainful employment, substantial employee benefits and profit sharing, Jack Davis has put the company into a trust owned by his employees insuring the future of his company and the economic well being of his employees. Jane Corwin and her siblings sold the business that her father founded and built, choosing to
move on into politics.

There is nothing wrong or evil about her families choice to sell the business, but don't try to paint the picture of Ms. Corwin as the business maven who was responsible for the overall success of the enterprise or now claim that she has been the driving force behind the rebranding of the business. That is nonsense devoid of any fact to support your claim.

Edward,I said:

"Maybe Daddy gave her a title and an office or maybe she is a real go getter. Who is to say?"

Bottom line: Neither you nor I know the extent of her contribution to the company.

I never said that she was responsible for the overall success of the enterprise or that she was a driving force behind the rebranding. I merely suggested that it was as plausible a theory as yours and in the absence of facts you shouldn't make statements claiming them to be facts. Please do not put words in my mouth.

Sorry JoAnne, you can't have it both ways, you post material in support of the proposition that Republican Jane Corwin contributed substantialy to the success of a business founded by and built up by her father, and go to great lengths to support the claim that Jane Corwin was instrumental in creating jobs as a part of the legacy of that business then cry foul when confronted with facts surrounding the claims that contradict Jane Corwin's advertised claims of decades of business experience and job creation here in Western New York. You have gone to great lengths in an effort to support Jane Corwin's claims and then claim you are a disinterested individual that doesn't support her as a candidate. I don't try to hide my support for Jack Davis and provide facts to support any claims I make and state clearly that any opinions I voice are my opinions.

Fact, Republican Jane Corwin endorsed and supports Republican Paul Ryan's plan to replace medicare with a voucher leaving seniors at the mercy of the private insurance industry and take away the protections provided by medicaid for seniors, the disabled and hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on it for minimum health care, while leaving in place tax breaks and preferential treatment of big oil, hedge fund managers, investment bankers, corporations that export American jobs and manufacturing while raising the cost of basic health care for the majority of working Amaericans.

Fact, Republican Jane Corwin has said that she would have voted for the Ryan Plan.

Edmund, It is pointless to respond to your copy and paste drivel.

So I guess Chris Charvella isn't interested in backing up his claim since he gets nothing out of it?