Apr 29, 2008

SIMON GETS BROTHER'S VERDICT


Louis F. Simon(Right) tell his heavyweight brother that he is proud that he lasted into the thirteenth round of his fight with Joe Louis last night. Mike Jacobs announced after the bout that the two would be rematched in New York on May 16th.

Blogger's Notes: The above is an Associated Press "Wirephoto" that appeared in newspapers across the country on March 22, 1941. The title and caption is the actual Associated Press copy. Mike Jacobs was Joe Louis's manager. Abe Simon actually ended up fighting four more opponents and waiting over a year before the rematch; they met for second time and the title in Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942. Simon was knocked out in the 6th round, he never fought again. His career record was 36 wins, 25 by knockout, 10 loses, 1 draw.

Apr 27, 2008

Merchant Dog Days


On the front page of today's Business Section of the Morning Call, the Retail Watch column features Hector Diaz and his hot dog cart. It reads "When Hector Diaz noticed business at his hot dog cart on Hamilton Street in downtown Allentown took a hit from the bus stops on the strip moving a few blocks away to a new bus terminal.. Once Lanta opened down there I pursued a location there..." * I give Hector credit for knowing enough to follow the foot traffic, except it's much easier to move a cart (Hector bought a second one) than move a building. But more disturbing, and no disrespect to Hector intended, but we spend over half a million dollars a year on economic planning**, and it seems a vendor with a push cart is ahead of the curve. If one would add up the total taxpayer investment on Hamilton Street over the last two decades, then factor in the hit the merchants took by the Pawlowski endorsed Lanta move, it makes the Afflerbach Police Pension fiasco seem like small change.

*http://www.mcall.com/business/local/all-retailwatch0427.6377491apr27,0,6321365.column

** Allentown Economic Development Planning $180,000, Administration $308,681, Initiatives $70,000

Apr 22, 2008

Showtime with Dottie


Calling all artists,
bloggers,
beggars,
thieves and gypsies,
Friday Nite, 6:30 House of Chen

PhotoCreditMolovinsky

Apr 21, 2008

Pawlowski Decrees Destiny


In 1934 Perry Minich and his bride opened a jewelry store on the side of the elegant Americus Hotel. The post depression years weren't that easy for a merchant in luxury goods, but they had faith in Allentown. They were rewarded by Allentown's boom years during the 50's . In 1981 a robber entered the store, pushed Mrs. Minich to the floor, then shot and killed her. The Minich family carried on with their Allentown business. Their nephew, who witnessed the tragedy, took over the store. One by one, in Scranton, Easton, and Wilkes-Barre, hotels of the Americus vintage, closed and were boarded up. The Americus, a white elephant, although a dollar short and a day late, stayed open. Enter new Mayor Ed Pawlowski, self-designated real estate expert. He decided because the hotel owner was controversial, and had been demonized in regard to other properties, he could execute a forced sale. He erected a scaffold around the building, declared it unsafe, and ordered the existing merchants to vacate. For those really familiar with the situation the irony abounds. One week after the scaffold was erected, a window fell out the Schoen building, controlled by the city, narrowly missing several pedestrians. Although transient tenants will be offered relocation money to de-convert apartments in Old Allentown, three merchants of the Americus got nothing. While almost seven million dollars in grant money was offered outside developers to purchase the hotel, the city confiscated insurance proceeds from the existing owner. Pawlowski ended what had endured over seventy years through good and bad times, through tragedy, and it will cost the taxpayers many millions to ever put this humpty dumpty back together again.

Apr 19, 2008

Clean Up Day


How many bureaucrats does it take to push a broom? Unfortunately this is not a joke. This week Allentown City Council approved the distribution of the Community Development Block Grants. These grants are distributed to non-profits which use our money to make instant business people, instant home owners and of course support hundreds of jobs administrating these funds. I have attended the meetings at city hall and watched the administrators of these programs compete for public funds; surely a growth industry in the Lehigh Valley. Admittedly, some of these programs have social value, such as emergency shelters. Besides the questionable mission of many of these programs ( i.e.,making a business owner), another problem is the sheer quantity and duplication of these organizations. The money spent on offices, utilities, overhead and administrators using these grants could be put to so much better use. Allentown, because of our economic demographics, would be allowed to apply much of this money directly to infrastructure. This approach, would benefit the tax payers in multiple ways. More capital projects could be completed with less millage, and I believe the area would receive less migration from low-income. I believe everyone would win, unless your employment depends upon an endless supply of new needy people.
* Approved the city's annual Community Development Block Grant program, which allocates money to various programs and non-profit organizations. Here's a summary.


CODE ENFORCEMENT AND REHABILITATION (CDBG)
Old Allentown Public Improvements $350,000
Code Enforcement (Salaries Only)
Acquisition 400,000
Focus Area Public Improvements 100,000
Site Clearance (Salaries Only)
Old Fairgrounds Corridor Rehabilitation – SFL 551,223
Rental Rehabilitation (Salaries Only)
Hazard Elimination Program (Salaries Only)
Program Delivery (includes Salaries to be Apportioned) 644,945
PUBLIC SERVICES (CDBG)
Allentown YMCA & YWCA $ 15,000
Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living 15,000
Adult Literacy Center of the Lehigh Valley 15,000
Family Answers – Ways to Work Program 15,000
Grace Montessori School 15,000
Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley 12,000
Baum School of Art 7,500
Communities In Schools 15,000
Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley -
Community Action Financial Services 15,000
Neighborhood Housing Services of the Lehigh Valley –
Operating 15,000
Boys and Girls Club of Allentown 15,000
St. Luke’s Neighborhood Center 15,000
Mosser Village Family Center 15,000
Community Bike Works 15,000
Circle of Stones 5,500
Embrace Your Dreams 5,250
Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania 11,250
Allentown Public Library 15,000
Lehigh Carbon Community College 5,700
Lehigh County Conference of Churches – Pathways 15,000
Syrian Arab American Charity Association 15,000
Program for Women and Families 15,000
Allentown Economic Development Corporation –
Securing Industrial/Commercial Properties 15,000
Jewish Community Center 3,750
Mayor’s Anti-Gang Initiative 60,000
Mayor’s Workforce Development Program 40,000
NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION (CDBG)
ADA Curb Cuts $180,000
Habitat for Humanity 75,000
Old Fairgrounds Corridor Façade Grants – Residential 220,000
Voluntary Relocation 20,000
Old Allentown Preservation Association 15,000
ADMINISTRATION, PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (CDBG)
Redevelopment Authority of the City of Allentown $289,199
Community Action Development Corporation of the
Lehigh Valley 32,500
Allentown Economic Development Corporation –
Economic Development Planning 180,000
Administration 308,681
Allentown Economic Development Corporaation
Economic Development Initiative 70,000
HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM (HOME)
Old Fairgrounds Corridor Rehabilitation – SFL $320,000
Housing Association and Development Corporation –
North Street 150,000
Allentown Housing Authority 600,000
Administration 95,851
Housing Association and Development Corporation –
CHDO Operating 23,962
Alliance for Building Communities – Doorway to
Homeownership 150,000
Alliance For Building Communities – CHDO Operating 23,962
EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM (ESG)
Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley -
Sixth Street Shelter $ 29,000
Allentown Rescue Mission 29,000
Salvation Army 29,000
Administration 5,671
Lehigh County Conference of Churches – Daybreak 29,000

*This list appeared on the mcall queen city blog

THIS BLOG WAS INSPIRED FROM A FELLOW BLOGGER INVOLVED IN THE NON-PROFIT SECTION, WHO BELIEVES ALLENTOWN SHOULD PAY A NON-PROFIT GROUP TO HIRE A FOR PROFIT CONTRACTOR TO CLEAN OUR LITTER. I THINK THERE ARE TOO MANY MIDDLE MEN BETWEEN OUR TAXES AND OUR PROBLEMS. I'D RATHER HAVE THE CITY HIRE TWO MEN AND BUY TWO BROOMS.

Apr 14, 2008

Simon Fearless Against Bomber


The 1941 June edition of Ring Magazine featured the Abe Simon vs Joe Louis fight in March. Editor-writer Nat Fleischer was in awe of Simon's courage against the unbeatable Brown Bomber. Fleischer wrote "They (fans) saw Abe Simon give the Bomber the greatest battle he has had since he won the crown..." Although Simon Lost by TKO in the 13th, this image of Simon grinning at Louis while taking the 8 count in round 7, is one of my favorite photographs of that fight.

Apr 12, 2008

ROSE Colored Glasses


On monday evening the City of Allentown and the Chamber of Commerce will hold a joint meeting where merchants are encouraged to have their voice heard and help create a vision. In 2005, the City accepted The Parking Authority testimony, supported by the Chamber of Commerce, that the merchants approved doubling the meter rate. I conducted a survey and discovered the merchants neither approved or knew about the rate changes. This past fall, when 78 merchants petitioned Lanta not to remove the transfer stations away from Hamilton Street, they were supported neither by the City, nor the Chamber. Although this public gathering in a large meeting room promises a venue for input, the real decision makers can, and do, fit in one booth at the Brew Pub. This meeting is a public relations smorgasbord for the bureaucrats; it will be cited in future budget and grant applications under public input. One merchant, who has been on Hamilton Street for fifty years, spends his time handing out quarters and apologies to his customers about the meters. Another, there for 30 years, now works a second job because Lanta was encouraged to not serve Hamilton Street. Neither will be at the meeting, they were ignored when it really counted.

Blogger's disclaimer: I know the person organizing this meeting, she is a nice, sincere person. I believe she wasn't employed at the time the above wounds were inflicted upon the merchants and/or she is not within the sphere of influence; small booth at BrewPub

Blogger's clarification: It should be noted that in addition to the merchants opposed to the Lanta changes, 1187 signatures from bus riders were ignored.
It should be noted that this past week the Parking Authority, at the bequest of the city, ignored a petition from 120 Verizon workers opposed to the sale of the adjoining parking lot.
Although the merchants may be given input on some street festival, the big decisions will be made in the small booth.

BLOGGER'S OUTRAGE: The following comment, which I posted on the Morning Call Forum in response to an op-ed piece by Pastor Stevens about the vision meeting has been removed from mcall.

Pastor Stevens, in all due respect, I have reservations about the true degree of input most merchants and citizens really have, despite this type of meeting. i refer you to my blog, where i express a point of view based on my experience with the realities of allentown.... http://www.molovinskyonallentown.blogspot.com...

Apr 10, 2008

Monopoly Allentown Style


The Allentown Parking Authority, at the Mayor's bequest, is playing a high stakes game of Monopoly using the real money of citizens. Make no mistake, it's our money. If you received one of the hundred thousand plus parking tickets last year, or pay to park on a lot, or had a parking meter swallow your quarters, it's your money. The Authority has declared the North Lot "excessive" and is preparing to sell it for townhouses. This lot provides safe, convenient parking for the adjoining Verizon Building workers, and is three quarters occupied. The large "Germania" lot, on south 7th Street is virtually unused. Perhaps no lot in the Authority's inventory is more used and important than the "North" lot, yet in spite of a petition from Verizon workers, the Authority persists in selling it to a partner in the Mayor's vision. Although completed townhouses would indeed provide an impressive backdrop for the Mayor's re-election, let us not forget that Verizon has been providing over 200 jobs for decades and the true mission of the Parking Authority.

UPDATE: The Board of Directors passed the sale proposal with no discussion today by a 3 to 1 vote. Linda Rosenfeld, Malcolm Gross and Larry Hilliard voted for, Michael Donovan voted against. (Candida Svirzovsky was absent)

Apr 8, 2008

Parking Authority Mugs Woman


Sometime in the not too distant future, a woman Verizon worker will be mugged on Linden Street. She will be the victim of Mayor Pawlowski and The Allentown Parking Authority. At the last Authority Meeting two plans were discussed. One was to make Parking Authority Workers safer by purchasing a robotic tire marker, making it no longer necessary for officers to stand in the street and make calk marks. The second plan, rather than allow Verizon women to continue parking in safety next to their building, the lot will be sold for townhouses. Every night at 10:30, and every morning at 6:30, 70 women would have to walk almost two blocks to the next closest surface lot, the reward for working in downtown Allentown. John Zawarski actually claimed that in spite of this forced march in fear, they will be safer because of his new townhouses. Somehow this development will add stability to the entire downtown, making it more safe to walk two blocks than 100 feet. As I questioned the consequences of this townhouse scheme, Board member Larry Hilliard, kept demanding to know if I officially represented Verizon Corporation. Larry is Pawlowski's Finance Director, I question who he represents? Although a petition signed by over 100 workers opposed to the sale of the lot was submitted to the Authority, Verizon Corporation has not issued a formal statement on the issue. Although the Rite-Aid on Hamilton Street lost over 40% of their revenue from recent Lanta changes, they also will make no statement. It is the policy of most national corporations to not get involved in local politics. In a chain of emails, I instituted from a phone call, has come back to me; Tamara Weller, Authority Director, states that had Verizon Corporate contacted her, she would intervene on the sale proposal. Tamara, although you and Larry Hilliard have not heard from Corporate Headquarters, I can assure you they would rather have their employee's continue parking next door, rather than walking about late at night and early in the morning. As Mayor Pawlowski begins a series of public relations meetings about crime, lets not send these Verizon women out to get mugged.

Apr 4, 2008

A City Called Contradiction


Yesterday our elected officials and esteemed bureaucrats convened to lament the lack of affordable housing. Our County Executive, generously with our tax dollars, declared he would create a new position to promote this worthy goal. Lately, because of public sentiment linking crime and litter to inter-city apartments, developers have been referring to their proposed apartment projects as upscale, designed to attract young professionals. So, it seems our leaders have concluded we need expensive apartments and cheap houses. In reality, all schemes for affordable housing require a subsidy, just increasing the tax burden on existing homeowners. Considering the problems in our cities; crime, litter and lack of civility, we should actually strive to become more "unaffordable", but who wants to live in an desirable place, that's called a vacation.

Apr 3, 2008

$100 a Week


In 1935, a Jewish boy earning $35 a week carrying 300 pound blocks of ice, was offered three times more to fight; win, lose or draw. For one hundred dollars a week, Jock Whitney, British aristocrat and sportsman, owned Abe Simon. Abe won his first 14 fights, 12 by knockout. On his climb to fight Louis in 1941 he would knock out 27 opponents, including Jersey Joe Walcott.

Apr 1, 2008

A Failure Called Allentown





My last letter to the editor, (Morning Call) explained how Mayor Pawlowski's one hand didn't

know what the other hand was doing, thus the bunny hop for Allentown, instead of progress.
The letter, short to begin with, had several key sentences and its meaning deleted out, so now I blog. I don't know what Pawlowski's strong suit is, but it's not business (or housing). In the early fall, in a blotched attempt at improving the street scene, the bus riders where relocated to the former Morning Call parking lot, now known as the Lanta Terminal. The consequence is a virtual empty Hamilton Street with merchants suffering revenue reductions up to 40%. While the city on one hand offers grants, other starting food businesses are submitted to a bureaucracy exceeding hospital operating room standards.
What's probably most pathetic, is someone can push a hot dog cart up to the side of the Lanta Terminal Fiasco, and do more business than either someone put through the city hall inspection wringer or those receiving taxpayer funded grants.

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