By Frank Brutus

In apparent violation of the City Charter and perhaps also the Code of Ethics, a City Hall department head has e-mailed her employees, expressing her expectation that they will buy hundreds of dollars worth of Tupperware from Mayor Byron W. Brown.

Mayor announces discounts on baking sheets.

Tanya Perrin-Johnson, Commissioner of Buffalo Community Pyramid Schemes, has sent her staff a series of e-mails over the last month, informing them of opportunities to purchase Tupperware from Brown in language that appears to leave little doubt about what she expects.

“You each need to buy at least 16 measuring bowls and a cherry pitter,” Perrin-Johnson wrote in a June 2, 2009 e-mail sent to 200 employees.  “It’s time you people stepped up to the plate in honor of the nepotism and cronyism that got you your jobs in the first place.”

And the Tupperware purchases are not just at a time of their choosing. Perrin-Johnson specified that the Mayor would be hosting mandatory Tupperware parties in the lobby of City Hall during all employee lunch hours.  Perrin-Johnson said in her e-mail that “everyone is expected to be at the Tupperware party and better be acting excited about the Mayor’s sales demonstration.”

Perrin-Johnson concluded her e-mail by saying: “Due to everyone on this list wanting to keep their job beyond next week, it is important that we all buy Tupperware from Mayor Byron W. Brown. Also, recruit friends and family to assist because that is how the people at the top of the pyramid make all of the money.”

Mayoral challenger Mickey Kearns called Brown’s attempt to force Tupperware on hard-working city employees “shameless.”

He said that he would be filing a complaint with the NYS Board of Ethics as soon as he clears his car trunk of all the Amway products that he sells during Common Council meetings.