When Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski gave his State Of The City speech the other day, he spoke the usual platitudes;
He wants the lives of all Allentonians to be better. That sort of stock speech is not worthy of my analysis, but I would like to discuss
where he gave the speech. Needless to say the lives of all Allentonians won't be better, considering one objective of the NIZ is to push the underclass out of the new nirvana. What should be a goal is improving the lot of all businesses, beside those few new chosen ones, subsidized by the NIZ. For decades the speech was given at the current Holiday Inn at 9th and Hamilton. With J.B. Reilly's brand new subsidized Renaissance Hotel, the future for the Holiday Inn looks bleak. Pawlowski had an opportunity to tell the owners that they're not forgotten, by once again using their facility to give the speech; Instead, he pontificated at the shiny new Renaissance.
photo of hapless Allentown's forsaken Holiday Inn by molovinsky
Slightly Off topic-- Emily Opilo Tweeted on Jan 28th--
ReplyDeleteLINK >> "Allentown's Golf Course account was in the negative 8 of 12 months in 2014. Will finish the year -$164,384"
Slightly Off topic-- Emily Opilo Tweeted on Jan 28th--
ReplyDeleteLINK >> "Allentown's Golf Course account was in the negative 8 of 12 months in 2014. Will finish the year -$164,384"
Didn;t the owners of the Holiday Inn extrude some support of the NIZ (and Pawlowski) themselves?? When all is said and done, Pawlowski will go down as the Mayor who made life better for out-of-town developers and lousy for everyone else. Some community organizer.
ReplyDeletebernie@7:49, you and other early morning readers of this post will notice that while the message is the same, i softened my choice of words.
ReplyDeleteNow he wants to hire ex-cons, this guy is totally delusional. I guess he sees himself as the next answer to the democratic party. Nancy Pelosi, Obama and Reid look out.
ReplyDeleteReaders, you must admit, Allentown's story is playing out VERY CLOSELY to the story unfolding in our nation's capital.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same script.
Plus, both main characters are from Chicago!
Fred Windish
The Mayor is a Bloviating Blowhard who specializes in dissemination of Bull Hockey. I thought your verbiage was fine, really.
ReplyDeleteFred Windish, The Chicago Way is in the Mayor's political DNA. There is no antiseptic for it but further sunlight. Im not from this broken-up town, so I have an outsider's perspective on this debacle. I literally feel sorry for the residents who have nowhere else to go and who call this place home.
ReplyDeleteThere's really no reversing course here.
ReplyDeleteIn a city that includes a school district in which 85% of students qualify for free or reduced price meals, this Mayor is a good fit. Any politician whose only talent is SPENDING and GIVING AWAY taxpayer dollars will survive as long as he/she wants.
Fred Windish
fred@9:12, the consequences of a majority percentage of the population in poverty was actually brought up in 2005 by this blogger, then also an independent candidate. although this problem is now acknowledged by pawlowski, and even no less than alan jennings, it was politically very incorrect at that time. there were incentives in place then which were acting as a poverty magnet, attracting large numbers of chronically unemployed, seeking subsidized housing. pawlowski is now playing both sides of the economic divide. ironically, in many ways the city is becoming more segregated than ever. we now have two shopping districts; the NIZ for suburbanites, and 7th street for the underclass. we may well be on our way to segregate the schools, by creating public/charter magnet schools.
ReplyDeleteSend in the clowns..there ought to be clowns. Well maybe..next year.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more about the Chicago politics in Allentown. McCord and Pawlowski. We all saw their connection during the governor race. Here’s some info to chew on, from a Facebook friend.
ReplyDelete1800s Tammany Hall - NYC
1900s Richard Daly - Chicago
2000s Ed Pawlowski - Chicago/Allentown
Happy Groundhog Day!
Having left A-Town and PA, 40+ years ago, this is my view:
ReplyDeleteThere is a life-cycle to everything. Allentown had it's day. Whether because it was on the Lehigh River, or whatever, it is no more. There is no reason for learned, middle class people to settle in Allentown. You need jobs - real jobs - $80 - $100k a year jobs.
The out dated, tiny, row homes in center city are a plague on the city. They should all be 'dozed'. Of course that's not going to happen. Where would all the 'indigent people' live? Puerto Rico - the county with one of the lowest labor participation rates (40%) in the world. That's right only 40% of the people on that island work - it's been that way for almost 50 years.
There will not be another Bethlehem Steel. No CEO would ever think of relocating a company with the state of the infrastructure of Allentown: schools, poverty, lack of meaningful employment, lack of 21st century designed housing, airport, I could go on and on.
I'm afraid to say, but Allentown is headed towards something like Detroit, Philly, Cleveland, Gary Indiana, etc. I don't see any way of turning it around.
Allentown devolves, strapped by debt, and increasing debt to the government schools - that are really nothing more than a government job / pension fund / voting block. Remember it's all for the 'children'.
So you poor SOB's are stuck there trying to intellectually fix it up. But it can't be fixed up.
Sorry, I thought I could get the links to work. Maybe LVCI could help me out?
ReplyDelete1800s Tammany Hall - NYC
http://history1800s.about.com/od/thegildedage/a/tammanyhall01.htm
1900s Richard Daly - Chicago
https://myiq2xu.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/the-chicago-way-richard-j-daley/
2000s Ed Pawlowski - Chicago/Allentown
http://www.mcall.com/opinion/letters/mc-pawlowski-politics-chicago-hershman-20150131-story.html
1800s Tammany Hall - NYC
ReplyDelete1900s Richard Daly - Chicago
2000s Ed Pawlowski - Chicago/Allentown (Lou Hershman LTE -01/31/2015)
Comrade Molovinsky,
ReplyDeleteI must respectfully protest.
Comrade Mayor For Life Pawlowski, a selfless and heroic champion of the Proletariat, can no longer give his State Of The City address from the Holiday Inn at 9th and Hamilton Streets.
Because, after all, the great victory of the visionary Pawlowski's Transformation WAS achieved some time ago. The Holiday Inn represents old Allentown's association with Capitalism and the now deposed Bourgeoisie. Meanwhile, the Renaissance Hotel (which, coincidentally, has the priceless kind of name professional propagandists can really appreciate) is a symbol of Allentown's Rebirth and Forward March To Progress.
Whereas once Allentonians were all "working like slaves for the wealthy", the Citizenry is now truly empowered as never before.
Sincerely,
COL. VIKTOR TIKHONOV
Soviet Red Army (ret)
Speaking of stock speeches, I recall in a prior year where he used phrases from Trenton and Chicago annual state of the city addresses. At least the political consultants know how to recycle.
ReplyDelete