May 26, 2015

Why Allentown's Monster Eats Its Young

Pawlowski has ordered the Allentown Parking Authority, whose street cleaning revenues were down in 2014, to pony up with more money for the city in 2015. To help meet this demand, the meter rates have been doubled, and the enforcement period extended to 10:00 pm. The Parking Authority, with the knowledge and approval of both the administration and City Council, fabricated a merchant survey endorsing the increase.
As reported to date...guests at the Allentown Brew Works have received parking tickets as late as 9:30pm. Someone is obviously checking meters late at night now. There are no "Arena Nights" at this time of year. There are a few concerts scheduled over the next few months.      Rich Fegley, co-owner Allentown BrewWorks
One would think that a city with a $billion dollars of new development would not have to resort to such tom foolery. One would think that a city, which only two years ago touted leasing its water system as the financial silver bullet, would not have to sabotage its own merchants with punitive parking rates.

thoughts from Rich Fegley and Michael Donovan were gleaned for this post.

3 comments:

  1. What's needed is a NIZ or 'Downtown' restaurant tax, and entertainment tax.

    As soon as this is implemented, I'll send an invoice for my consulting fees.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No "entertainment tax" for me, thank you very much.

    Phantoms tickets are already overpriced AND already have enough "add on fees" as it is.

    So, go shake down all those "rich" people who don't "pay their fair share" out in the West End or something.

    Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mike, when Linda Kauffman first ran the new APA, she had her employees ticketing cars that were waiting to go into the garages for state inspection. Finally, after getting all the garages mad by her enforcement tactics, they held a meeting with her at the Polish-American Club on Front St. No matter what anybody said, she stonewalled their legitimate complaints and justified her actions...until I pointed out her actual position...she was ticketing vehicles that were in the custody of garages doing the state's business and had no authority to interfere with that custody. THAT shut her up. I was a state constable and worked out the Varricchio's parking ticket court for awhile. I got in trouble with her for not acting like a 'Nazi' , and instead, gave the people that I warrants for the knowledge of where they were at in the system thereby calming them. Parking control was the 'backdoor' retirement job for Joe Dadonna until Emma Tropiano called him on it. The city has no business putting parking meters as far north as Turner St, and as far west as 11 St.

    ReplyDelete

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