Say whatever you want about the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, but it has nothing to do with businesses in the Three Cities. It is simply a cult of personality; Tony Iannelli, and an occasional social organization for suburban corporations. Perhaps nothing illustrates my point as much as the Vision Meetings held on Hamilton Mall a couple years ago. At the time this blog scoffed, and wrote that Pawlowski could care less about any vision the merchants had. Years ago, when the former director of the Parking Authority misled City Council that the merchants wanted the meter rates to double, Iannelli sent someone to verify the deception. Several years ago when the Hamilton merchants lamented the loss of bus stops, Iannelli couldn't be concerned. Now, as 34 businesses are discarded for the Transformation, Iannelli, sitting in his office in the Butz Building, cannot hear their screams. Pawlowski has just appointed Tony Co-Chair for Allentown's 250th Birthday Celebration; Complicity has it's reward.
Dec 19, 2011
Iannelli's Chamber of Compromise
Say whatever you want about the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, but it has nothing to do with businesses in the Three Cities. It is simply a cult of personality; Tony Iannelli, and an occasional social organization for suburban corporations. Perhaps nothing illustrates my point as much as the Vision Meetings held on Hamilton Mall a couple years ago. At the time this blog scoffed, and wrote that Pawlowski could care less about any vision the merchants had. Years ago, when the former director of the Parking Authority misled City Council that the merchants wanted the meter rates to double, Iannelli sent someone to verify the deception. Several years ago when the Hamilton merchants lamented the loss of bus stops, Iannelli couldn't be concerned. Now, as 34 businesses are discarded for the Transformation, Iannelli, sitting in his office in the Butz Building, cannot hear their screams. Pawlowski has just appointed Tony Co-Chair for Allentown's 250th Birthday Celebration; Complicity has it's reward.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
MM -
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget about the Chamber's silence on Allentown's EIT tax hike and the bill banning non-union shops from city construction projects - both business killers.
The union bill is particularly damning, since I think there are many more non-union shops that are Chamber members.
If I was a Chamber member, I'd rethink my membership until Ianelli was forced out. There are other places businesses can go to be gouged for health insurance.
The Chamber has become nothing but a social organization. Ianelli uses his Ch 30 "Business Matters" program, underwritten by members on a taxpayer-subsidized station, to host the likes of entertainers and freaks like Cindy Sheehan. All we get are parties on parking decks, this-a-palooza and that-a-palooza. Gone are the days when some of the community's real business leaders kept the Chamber a respected institution. Now? Not much more than parties and 'partnerships' (aka upselling members).
ReplyDeleteI'm a small business owner and there's very little that the chamber does that is relevant as far as I'm concerned. If it wasn't for the health insurance, I'd likely not be a member. The chamber really represents larger businesses and is effectively their rubber stamp on policy issues. All of this merger activity is to really cast a greater number of people under their umbrella to create the impression that they represent a lot of people's interests when in fact they only represent a few. That doesn't detract from the fact that Tony is a decent sort along with a few of the other folks involved, but, of course, that has nothing to do with the chamber's lack of relevance to many smaller businesses
ReplyDeleteRename it:
ReplyDeleteThe Chamber of Horrors
They are , if anything,
anti-business, anti-America