Today, The Morning Call caught up with molovinsky on allentown about the hockey arena offers. In addition to being late, they may be wrong. They quote Ed Pawlowski as saying "We're not hiding anything." He says that the AEDC is openly trying to buy the properties. I interviewed two of the property owners mentioned in the article this past weekend. Both indicated that the buyer was not revealed, and that Summit Reality was acting as an agent for an undisclosed buyer. I did not review the offers to purchase myself. Also today, The Morning Call caught up with my Joyce Marin scoop. Although molovinsky on allentown is not credited in either story, the Marin story refers to a local internet blog.
Kudos to you, Mr. Molovinsky,
ReplyDeleteThe Call is in the gutter much of the time anymore. How many pages of local news? How many wire stories from such local spots as Baltimore,
San Francisco or LA? You're doing an excellent job at keeping those of us informed. Some still care about this once grand city.
Please continue your investigation of the Marin episode. Did we read correctly? Did a current school board member who was courageous enough to come on this blog honestly admit he hadn't read the contract before signing it?
Is Nancy P. everywhere?
although zimmerman pleads guilty for not fully understanding what he approved, the Morning Call misses the details. the marin job was included in a long list of personnel transfers, and zahorchak avoided pointing out the new hire in the executive session prior to voting on the agenda. i credit zimmerman for his candor; none of the other board members acknowledge that this hire was inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder Marin's laughing. She sure got it over on stupid trusting taxpayers. Why doesn't the school teachers union sue? Anyone:?
ReplyDeleteCourtesy: Morning Call:
"A week before the Allentown School Board voted to cut 247 teachers and 85 courses, the board hired an administrator at a salary of $84,000.
The March 24 vote to appoint a former city administrator as the district's new "before/after school activities project manager" has the teachers union questioning the need for the position in light of the depth of the job cuts.
The criticism, directed at the school board and Superintendent Gerald Zahorchak, has caused one school director to publicly apologize for what he claimed was his own lax decision.
Director David Zimmerman said Monday he did not know he had approved the hiring of Joyce Marin, former director of the city's Community and Economic Development Department, because he did not thoroughly examine the 18 pages of personnel moves the board approved."
michael molovinsky said...
ReplyDeletealthough zimmerman pleads guilty for not fully understanding what he approved, the Morning Call misses the details. the marin job was included in a long list of personnel transfers, and zahorchak avoided pointing out the new hire in the executive session prior to voting on the agenda. i credit zimmerman for his candor; none of the other board members acknowledge that this hire was inappropriate.
April 19, 2011 7:08 AM
We agree. It takes courage to admit a mistake but only 17 pages?
The MC says, "Marin could not be reached for comment," but the smiley gloating photo of her is dated yesterday. Apparently she could be reached for a Monica Cabrera photo op.
ReplyDeleteBeyond the deceit and apparent contempt for the public, the city's leader opens the speculation floodgates.
ReplyDeleteDirector David Zimmerman said Monday he did not know he had approved the hiring of Joyce Marin, former director of the city's Community and Economic Development Department, because he did not thoroughly examine the 18 pages of personnel moves the board approved."
ReplyDeleteApril 19, 2011 7:37 AM
See someone else wrote about the document's length. Thought the same thing. Why wouldn't a school board director read a document before voting on it? Zimmerman needs to resign.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteThe MC says, "Marin could not be reached for comment," but the smiley gloating photo of her is dated yesterday. Apparently she could be reached for a Monica Cabrera photo op.
April 19, 2011 8:03 AM
So, did Marin allow herself to be photographed during work hours on taxpayer dollars?
anon 8:24, as i have previously stated, it is expected for the superintendent to point out anything extraordinary on such long lists. you apparently have no idea how many long documents are routinely approved at such meetings. you want to punish zimmerman for his candor, and give all the other members a pass for their approval?
ReplyDeleteMichael -
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping up with the arena issue. We became aware of the city making offers in the area of the arena Thursday and Friday of last week. We then followed through with our reporting to produce today's story. Neither myself nor the other reporter saw your post until after the story was written yesterday.
Cheers,
Chris Baxter
Congratulations MM on the investigative post on the Joyce Marin affair. Even with an apology for not informing board members, this action is inexcusable. Board members should be fully informed of new hires, especially new administrators. No administrators should be hired when teachers are being laid off. The fact that the position is grant funded is irrelevant. Dr. Z could easily transfer an existing administrator or teacher into that position!
ReplyDeletechris baxter, thanks for the note. please put this blog on your reading list, for that in the future any proper attribution, when due, can be afforded. i believe your article glosses over the fact that ADEC is not listed as the buyer on the offers. in addition to the two property owners who told me such last weekend (before you interviewed them) an attorney for a third, also told me that the buyer was undisclosed. summit supposedly refused to reveal the buyer. this is a shenanigan, which is part of the story.
ReplyDeletegary ledebur said...
ReplyDeleteCongratulations MM on the investigative post on the Joyce Marin affair. Even with an apology for not informing board members, this action is inexcusable. Board members should be fully informed of new hires, especially new administrators. No administrators should be hired when teachers are being laid off. The fact that the position is grant funded is irrelevant. Dr. Z could easily transfer an existing administrator or teacher into that position!
April 19, 2011 9:12 AM
Well Said. School board members must resign.
Interesting that these huge stories appear during Holy Week for many of the world's major religions. Folks are busy with family and prayers and do not have the time to read.
ReplyDeleteRetired ASD teacher here.
ReplyDeleteActually, some school board members might well use this opportunity to resign. It's an unpaid, thankless position that SHOULD require many hours.
I could tell by observing the board at the meeting at South Mountain, they simply did NOT understand the gravity of the changes now in place under Zahorchak.
They hired this guy because of his "lofty" former title. What they got was a Harrisburg political hack.
Enlarging and/or retaining an already bloated central staff is a disservice to the students under ANY economy. This position is one of several created since Zahorchak got here.
Now matter how these added positions are funded, good people are set to lose their jobs. If not for the man's politics, some of those positions could have been filled in-house. His credibility with the persons charged with making his vision a success probably could not be lower.
You do not carry water for Progressive Liberal Democrats...
ReplyDelete...hence, "local internet blogger".
(Please read : extreme, fringe Kook between the lines)
EVERYONE knows WHO controls the Main Stream Media, of which The Morning Call is, of course, a part.
April 19, 2011 2:05 PM
ReplyDeletePlease enlighten us as to what you mean.
Who does control main stream media?
anon 2:56, i'm not interested in hosting the answer to your question. i also not interested in hosting any future mention of progressive liberal democrats. this post concerns allentown.
ReplyDeletei will be taking the morning call editor to task for changing the reporter's molovinsky on allentown mention to a local internet blogger
With all due respect,
ReplyDeleteI got five bucks that says the Editor could care less.
Perhaps I am mistaken, but I doubt it very much.
That would, of course, be five more dollars than The Morning Call is actually worth...
ReplyDelete...but that is another matter entirely.