Easton is obsessed with the used hubcap business near Rt. 22, they should worry about the retread they elected for mayor. Sal Panto insists on supporting an unnecessary parking garage, in a flood plain, that will hurt the merchants of Easton by relocating the bus riders away from Center Square and Northampton Street. According to an article in the Morning Call by Michael Duck, he blew off critics for a second time by canceling a scheduled meeting. I drove to Easton and checked out the location of the proposed transportation hub. Without a doubt, the Easton location will be even more disastrous to their center-city merchants than the hub in Allentown. While Lanta serves the suburban malls with transfer bus stops, these remote parking garage/Lanta Terminals delete the center cities of foot traffic. Lanta doesn't care, Panto doesn't learn.
I agree with the assessment regarding the LANTA station location. Like Pawlowski, Panto is one of these guys who believes in public $ for economic development.
ReplyDeleteBut Panto is no retread. For one thing, he answers phone calls and emails. For another, he recognized Easton's public safety problem and began adding cops and firemen right away. The Guardain Angels are in Easton, too. He does not hide his head in the sand and call Easton's crime problem a "perception" problem.
panto resisted the guardian angels until it became apparent the chapter would start with or without his blessings. bixtler jewelry closing, and the failure of the eastonian condo sales, demonstrates that easton should be more pragmatic about what clientele it's center city can attract. i have no patience for the bureaucratic mentality. btw, the riverwalk flood plain objectors would differ with you about panto's responsiveness.
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