Craig Friebolin has a bone to pick with the Allentown Parking Authority. It was my pleasure to publicize his plans to crash one of their board meetings. His ears should pick up as he reads this post. Today Dan Hartzell, the Morning Call's Road Warrior, inadvertently tossed Craig a cookie, and it's my pleasure to point out the treat. Allentown doesn't mind being a little sloppy with testimony to City Council. In 2000 Council readily accepted that a majority of residents wanted a historic district, in spite of the fact that the majority was in the audience protesting. In 2005 Council accepted testimony from the Director of the Authority, then Linda Kauffman, that the majority of merchants supported a doubling of the meter fees and fines. I conducted my own survey, and discovered that in reality the merchants were never polled and were opposed. Although I presented City Council with names and addresses at the time, they chose to go with Kauffman's version.(new rates were to finance new parking deck at City Hall)
Today, in the Road Warrior Column, we learn that a majority of residents requested and approved the various residential permit zones imposed in the late 1980's. Although such testimony may have well been presented to and accepted by City Council, I know it isn't true. I managed numerous buildings in those zones at the time, and never was polled. If you live in such as zone, find it burdensome, ask your neighbors if they were polled.
It is great to hear others know the APA for what it is : an out of control, real estate gobbling, cartel. The APA makes huge money - mostly directly off the backs of tax paying residents living in the center city. The Parking Authority clan all read the national trade magazines to learn what other cities are doing so that they too may extract more profits from this city. I have never spoken to anyone save the APA board members
ReplyDeletewho likes or wants the APA in its current form in our city.
The old Allentown joke known far and wide is: "what did you get when you visited Allentown???"
We all know the punch line.
A parking should be utilized to facilitate life and business within the city, not big profits.
For a miriade of reasons, the Allentown Police Department would manage city parking. much more efficiently, and create a safer enviornment for citizens.
What is a quasi-legal entity any way?