Aug 1, 2009

Mayor's Wife Plays Hardball

Lisa Pawlowski, wife of Mayor Ed Pawlowski, is circulating the following email;

Saturday, July 18, 2009 6:59:11 PM

Playground at Cedar Beach

Greetings,

I am writing to drum up some support for a playground at Cedar Beach Park . There are already plans for a big, destination playground on the West end of Cedar Beach , just south of the Pool. These plans have been in progress for the last couple of years. Now that they want to move forward, a group of about 20 men have approached Allentown City Council to protest this park. I have no real idea why. Perhaps they are saying it will bring too much noise to people enjoying the park. Well, we already have a pool, basketball and volleyball courts, and they don't seem to protest that.

Anyway, I'm trying to organize different groups of interested people to perhaps attend the next City Council meeting, Aug 5th, to say that they would like a playground to be at Cedar Beach . Would you bring this to your membership, and either get a petition signed and bring it to the city council meeting, or try to get everyone to come. I won't be able to be there (because of vacation plans), but I'd suggest bringing kids, and signs that say "We need a playground at Cedar Beach ". Also, it will be fully handicap accessible, which we don't have too many of in

Allentown . The handicap apparatus was chosen by a group of mothers of handicap children in Allentown , as well as a Pediatrician.

At minimum, you could direct your members that are on facebook to join my group "Yes, we need a big playground at Cedar Beach Park ". I will have someone bring the list of members of this group to city council, though having people there is MUCH more effective. And kids and signs play well for any media that would be there. If City Council members know that there is a LOT of support for this playground, they won't get in the way.

Please talk to your members, join my fb group, post the group on your networks and invite other people to join, and let me know what you decide to do. I am a mother of 2 kids (10 and 7), and always wished that there were more playgrounds in our wonderful park system. I also happen to be the Mayor's wife.

Thanks,

Lisa

Lisa Pawlowski

XX XXth Street

Allentown , PA 18101

h (610) 434-XXXX

c (610) 349-XXXX



Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, first of all the protesters were not 20 men, most were women, and there were about 70 of them. I can assure you most of these women are also mothers and appreciate playgrounds. Their objection is the scale of the playground. The masterplan of 2005 recommended less usage of Cedar Creek Park, not more. This mega-playground, and it's necessary parking, will most likely force the special events, such as Mayfair and Sportsfest to expand over Ott Street into the Rose Garden side of the park. Now let me be less polite.

It's disingenuous of you to have distorted the composition of the protesters, your husband was in the building and is fully informed who was there.

It's disingenuous of you to bring up the special needs aspect. Mack Playground has such equipment virtually never used. Again, the issue is the size of this playground, large enough to accommodate 567 children.

I believe it is somewhat improper to insert yourself into this issue; sending this email to mother's and women's groups, misrepresenting the facts.

Furthermore, to be blunt, you and your husband know jack about our traditional, nationally recognized park system. Last week your husband said Allentown will develop a world class park system. We have a world class park system, you need only be good stewards of that pride. When Ed ran for mayor, he said nothing about making major changes in the parks, I wish he had, but then you wouldn't be "First Lady" now.

Lastly, people came to the past meeting to defend their beloved park. These are dignified long term residents of Allentown, I doubt they will come to this upcoming meeting to compete with your dog and pony show.

ADDENDUM: I have just noticed that LIsa Pawlowski's letter is dated July 18th. It was apparently written in reaction to the 15
or so citizens who came to the City Council Meeting on July 15th to speak against the park plan. She is correct
about the amount of people, but, then also, the majority of speakers were women. Most of those women
returned for the Park Committee meeting July 28th, and were joined by about 50 more people. Again, most of
the "protesters" were women. Although I regret saying she minimized the amount of protesters, she did inject a
gender "card" into the debate. Of course the recommendation to use children and signs to sway the media and so
that council "won't get in the way" speaks for itself.

14 comments:

  1. The absolute inanity of this administration amazes me. Lets all rally around the Cedar Beach campfire and sing Kum Ba Yah!

    The money is burning a hole in the mayors pocket. What motivates the Trexler Trust to seemingly abandon their here-to-fore fairly staid and traditional views? They remain silent.

    In Allentown it is the biggest check book that gets his / her way and many of those check books have "Trust" written all over them. Now isn't that ironic?

    The first ladies letter is very sophomoric. What ever happened to her homeless initiative. I guess the mayor needed some support and what better place to start than right at home.

    Why no concern for core policies to deal with the underlying issues affecting this city? These include the lack of sustainable jobs, poverty, the exceedingly high amount of transfer payments as the primary source of revenues in the city, not enough police coverage, drugs, black market activities in center city, layoffs, unions etc. etc. etc. etc.

    Parks will not solve the obesity problem, they will not solve any problem for the core strength of the city. Sorry guys but it runs a little deeper than that.

    Hello - The tax base is decreasing. People who pay taxes and are tractable are moving out of Allentown. More people may be moving in but where is their income coming from. Maybe the mayor and his staff need to revisit an analysis of Allentown by the development corp of the LV a few years back.

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  2. Mrs. Pawlowski,

    How many YEARS have you lived in Allentown?

    Bet $ 2, not as many as me.

    If I win, I will donate the two dollars to Pawlowski re-election campaign, just to reinforce my point.

    Have a pleasant day promoting the super-duper Multi-Generational Destination Playground!

    Sincerely,

    IRONPIGPEN

    P.S. My dad is from Chicago originally, too. He came here in 1970 to work for Air Products - my brother was four and I was one.

    Air Products was just a single building on Route 100 when I was a wee lad.

    I remember very well when they moved to the current campus on Route 222 all those years ago.

    Do you remember Air Products on Route 100, Mrs. Pawlowski?

    MOLOVINSKY -

    WHAT ALLENTOWN DESPERATELY NEEDS MORE THAN MONEY IS REAL HEROES WITH COURAGE

    GO MAN GO

    NEVER SLOW DOWN

    NEVER STOP

    More construction pictures, please.

    -----------------------------------

    ANON 12:39

    Yes, I believe productive people who live inside the city of Allentown are getting SICK AND TIRED of the OBVIOUS SPECIAL INTERESTS catered to and are voting with their feet.

    New U-hauls arriving with New York and New Jersey state plates all day long in the city EACH AND EVERY DAY.

    They don't care about traditions and history...

    Why do they come here?

    What do they bring?

    It is very, very, very NOT PC to ask those two questions...

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  3. "RE-ELECT Pawlowski"

    MAYOR'S # 1 priority policy driving EVERYTHING since day one.

    How is Johnny Manana's working out today, Mr. Mayor?

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  4. Michael rather then post a loooong response on your comments I've decided to make known my outrage with this on a posting..
    Allentown Wants You

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  5. Lisa Pawlowski:
    I'd suggest bringing kids, and signs that say "We need a playground at Cedar Beach ". Also, it will be fully handicap accessible, which we don't have too many of in


    There they go again throwing kid's bodies into the mix.
    .
    If their parents told them every kid should have a video game, the kids would be spouting every kid should have a video game. Naturally, they'll do what their parents tell them to. What do kids know? Years later, they may be stuck dealing with the effects of their manipulative parents actions (done in their name).
    .
    The mayor's wife should have made sure half the kids are in wheelchairs for greater effect. I mean, if you are going to use kids to move public opinion, why not use them to the maximum? Maybe they should have half of them crying and screaming saying they hate anyone who says no.

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  6. I don't understand why Mrs. P. is invlolved in any of this. Is Mr. P. calling out the big guns? This is just silly, she has no official post, if she is starting some kind of pro-park construction group as an independent citizen fine but if I was a city council member I would avoid any communication with Mrs. P.'s name on it. She should be ashamed to generate such an breech of professionalism, and Mr. P.-hang your head.

    This sort of behavior in the past has only sabatoged a cause- I have even less faith in this "dynamic-dou" approach to city government.

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  7. MM - Wow, I can't believe this letter from Mrs. Pawlowski. Where on earth did you find this letter??? And, who were its intended recipients?

    I honestly cannot believe she out and out recommends using CHILDREN as political pawns. (Because they play well for the media.)

    And, what's with the "group of about 20 men" description? That is not accurate, and it seems deliberately misleading. Why doesn't she have any "real idea why" these 20 men object, by the way?

    Finally, I just have gotten the biggest giggle over her last line. "I also happen to be the mayor's wife." WTF? Who actually writes that? She sounds like a bad ad on cable.

    If she was going for the "offensive and snotty" tone in her letter, she nailed it! I wonder if Mr. Pawlowski saw and approved of this e-mail prior to her sending it, or if he's just learning about its existance along with the rest of us. That would be an interesting point of convesation in the Pawlowski household!

    I would like to believe the Pawlowski's have Allentown's best interest at heart, but these park plans and this letter make it seem more likely that they're primarily interested in resume building.

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  8. In 1942 The University of Chicago released a report, Juvenile Delinquency in Urban Areas. It concluded that the effects of poor economic and social conditions are the main causes of crimes committed by children.

    Fast forward 50 years and a scientist from USC, Malcom Klien, commented on gang suppression programs and how they "do little to nothing about the forces that foster gang development" where we ought to be focusing. instead, according to him is "racism, under class poverty. fatalism in the face of rampant deprivation and the gross ignorance of inner-city America on the part of most of us who don't have to survive there"

    Now a reasonable person might look at this whole issue and realize the wisdom drawn from these studies. The solution to the problems in Allentown, to improve the quality of life for everyone, is to focus resources in areas where they will do the most potential good.

    As far as parks are concerned, I would conclude, is why invest resources in an area where no problems exists. The resources should be placed in the inner city parks and be used to foster a better quality of living in these areas. This whole issue simply sheds light on how self centered the Palowskis are in their approach toward "improving" Allentown. The saying goes "if it ain't broken, don't fix it". The vain glory seekers who exploit disabled children to build their resumes. Damn those 20 men. (A dark image isn't it?).

    On top of that has there ever been any emphasis on developing programs to benefit the majority of the citizens of this city in this city. No. Most of the efforts seem to have been focused on benefiting the more privileged and less economically challenged at the expense of the "under class". Has the under class even participated in any of these processes or decisions? Now, I would like to know, how do we really define racism

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  9. Hi Mike.

    I have a couple of thoughts on this.
    Why build a destination playground? Wouldn't it be better to have several small playgrounds in each neighborhood?
    Playgrounds that kids can walk to?
    Playgrounds that build a sense of belonging to a specific neighborhood?
    I think the problem here is the spirit of what Trexler envisioned is being ignored.

    Secondly, the mayor's wife has as much a right to free speech as the rest of us. The Pawlowski's have lived in Allentown since at least 2001, and have as much right to a voice in the discussion as anyone else.

    However, by using her pulpit to inject herself into the fray, she has opened herself up to criticism.
    I hope her hide is thick, because she has willingly stepped onto the field and cast a stone.
    That is one hell of a political gamble.

    My last thought, to get back to playground, is, Do they really need it?

    I don't think so. Didn't the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) cover the requirements for playgrounds? What are the present playgrounds lacking? Why not fix whatever they are lacking instead?

    And how are all the disabled kids going to get to this playground? LANTA? Do all these people have handicap accessible vans? Something just doesn't add up to me.
    The idea is laudable, and sounds wonderful, the question is, what about practical?

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  10. chris, weitizel, the park director, his family roots here are not as deep as the pawlowski's, but he has been here since mid 2007. thank goodness combined, they have the vision to improve on allentown's old stale park system.

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  11. Of course children can be used as political pawns!

    Democrats have NO shame.

    Heck, Democrats pass bills without even bothering to WRITE them, let alone READ them!

    This little letter thing is nothing by comparison.

    The reputation of Chicago politics is well-known and preceeds Mrs. Mayor's Wife or her husband, the Mayor.

    Does everybody think Mrs. Mayor's Wife came up with the idea of "Children For Maxiumum Impact With Media" on her own?

    Maybe she did, but, if not, then where did she learn it?

    Go back to Chicago, Mrs. Mayor's Wife and organize a Multi-Generational Destination Playground there.

    Get a bunch of kids to carry signs to provoke emotion in Chicago.

    If you cannot find any kids in Chicago willing to be your political pawns, call ACORN. They can probably provide assistance but that's just a well-educated guess so it's not guaranteed.

    Take ALL your dirty political trickery and elitism with you back to Chicago, Mrs. Mayor's Wife!

    BTW - do I owe two dollars to the Pawlowski Re-Elect fund because a deal is a deal or what?

    AND - what's up with the plight of the homeless these days, Mrs. Mayor's Wife - or does that not jerk enough tears and get enough positive media attention which translates into votes for your husband, the Mayor?

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  12. Thought Lisa was to revamp city hall in the ancient art of Feng Shui, (per Call photo).
    Attended last week's Phillips meeting: city hall layout not so hot nor anywhere near the beauty associated with Feng Shui.
    Do not believe there is one Allentonian who does not support handicap accessible playground equipment for all city's playgrounds. By causing fire storm over Cedar Beach, Lisa detracts from real city playground neglect that has continued under her husband's administration.

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  13. ACORN is being investigated in several major cities for corruption and funding abuses.

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  14. The RICO STATUE will remove Allentown Mayor.Hopfully Attorney general too.Restore Trust to our city.

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