From the crumbs breaking off the NIZ windfalls, it's apparent that no elected position in Allentown is for the little guy anymore, even election to the school board. This event announcement, sent from the Chamber of Commerce email account, shows that $14,000 is being raised on Charlie Thiel's behalf, before anybody even walks through the door. Among $thousand dollar hosts are developers Reilly and Jaindl. Sponsors at $500 include Pawlowski and our state representatives. Nobody gets a sip of wine or bite of cheese for less than $100. We have candidates who will spend three times more on their election than the district spends educating a student. What's the lesson here?
I think the lesson is that you've identified who NOT to vote for!
ReplyDeleteAmen
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteSo the Allentown Chamber supports a candidate that wants to restore positions before our fiscal situation is clear. Is this how they operate? Would this kind of management fly in the private sector? Of course not. But this is Allentown and clearly the Chamber is part of the Pawlowski team. What is that called again? Crony capitalism.
Scott Armstrong
**Pour the Wine and Cut The Cheese**
ReplyDelete(snark)
scott@2:09, this fundraiser seems to be independent of Pawlowski's PAC, although the main patrons are the same. i believe that each elected office in the valley has a certain acceptable range of dollar amount which can be appropriately spend, and this one fundraiser has already greatly exceeded the appropriate amount for a school board candidate.
ReplyDeleteIt seems the Chamber and its president should be impartial in politics. Crony capitism is now the hallmark of both the national and local chambers. And having Tony Ianelli sit on local Authority boards like the Airport Authority also puts the heavy hand of the Chamber in government (even 'quasi-government) entitites. I say let the Allentown School District sink on its own. Mark Jaindle, the consumate Republican whose family helped make the Parkland School District one of the best in the state is now joining forces with the neo-Marxists that run the city of Allentown?
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteAll you say is true, but remember this is Allentown/Pawlowskiburg and that makes all the difference.
Scott Armstrong
Hello Mike - I would like to clear up all of the wrong assumptions made by you and the others on this blog. I am a dear friend of Charlie Thiel's. I am hosting this event for him. I believe in Allentown. I believe in helping good men and women with good hearts to have a more positive influence on the city. Charlie and I invited the Hosts and Sponsors (who are friends of ours) to bring the business community leaders together to cast vision and spur on the necessary change for the ASD as part of the revitalization of the city. Change requires leaders coming together in unity for a positive cause. There will be both Republicans and Democrats coming together. FYI, I am a Chamber member and all Chamber members have the ability to buy e-mail blast ads as we did. Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeletedavid, your comment is very welcome, but except for the chambers' members "open" use of email blasts, i see no wrong assumptions, certainly none in the body of the post. with five available slots on the board, i have no problem with charlie filling one of them. i stand by my primary point, that you seek to raise an amount of money inappropriate for a school board race.
ReplyDeleteUnderstood. :)
ReplyDeleteMy problem is why these good people didnt get together in the past and support Scott Armstrong when he first ran. How about Charlie Versaggi or for that matter Joanne jackson when they first ran. There have been many deserving of such good people in the spirit of bipartisanship. What is so special about charlie Thiel? An inquiring mind wants to know and not speculate.
ReplyDeleteGood people never come together by accident, but because somebody is organizing and mobilizing them. I happen to be doing that with my friend Charlie Thiel. I do not know why Scott A. and Charlie V. did not have a friend doing the same thing for them...
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