Jul 24, 2013

The Hope and Change of Allentown's Transformation

Last week I had a letter to the editor in the Morning Call. It was a rework of an earlier blog post, in which I state that although there will be more lunch business from additional office workers, that will be the extent of any spinoff. I called the arena itself a white elephant. Yesterday, I bumped into an acquaintance at the supermarket, a card carrying liberal type. We usually disagree about things in a cordial fashion. In a less than friendly manner, he told me that my letter in the paper was "Just nasty." I asked him if he though that the arena projects would change things, and that Allentown would be a day destination and a nightspot?

He replied, "No, not right away, but maybe with time, you gotta start somewhere."

I told him that it either works or it doesn't. Furthermore, it will have it's biggest draw when new, and that the bloom will fade fast. He's hoping that I'm wrong.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 24, 2013 at 6:03 AM

    Mike,

    In general our liberal friends have faith in government and their elected officials. Conservatives want proof and independent studies first. We are less willing to hope things work out.

    Scott Armstrong

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  2. monkey mommaJuly 24, 2013 at 11:02 AM

    Anyone who has been to Camden or Newark knows that an arena is NOT a panacea for a city's ills. (And really, those cities make Allentown's woes look laughably cute.) There are many more examples of blighted cities hosting arenas - these are just 2 that any local politician could have and SHOULD HAVE visited prior to all of this arena madness.

    Your LTTE didn't seem nasty. It wasn't rude. It just expresses a viewpoint that has been ignored and ridiculed by our local government officials.

    After seeing how Pawlowski & Co., Inc. handled this arena, is it any wonder that apathy exists in this city? It doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks - the mayor gets his way and lines the pockets of his cronies. Truly disgusting.

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