The consequences of our ambitious mayor from Chicago are coming home to roost, shootings and bodies piling up. The national searches, like for the former police chief, came to naught. His campaign funds, first for governor, and then for United States Senator, are now being used for his defense fund. His refusal to resign, and a newspaper which confuses the press with promotion, has created a slow motion, suspended animation of reality. But, let me say that the reality is not so good anyway.
We have a poverty rate of about 60%, most of whom have no interest in local government. While we have a set of self serving phonies willing to replace our current elected officials, there are some sincere citizens devoting their energy for a better Allentown. You can see them at the City Council meetings asking questions, which are seldom, if ever answered.
ADDENDUM: In 2005, when i ran as an independent for mayor, although shut-out by the Morning Call, i warned about the poverty magnet; A number of competing programs were actually inducing the poor to move to allentown, in droves. Pawlowski contributed to this situation in a number of ways, funding such organizations with community block funds. Ten years later, he thinks that we can build our way out of this situation with a hockey arena, apparently not.
photocredit:The Morning Call
Well, at least we have a good bookstore downtown now.
ReplyDeleteThere are three things in the paper today. The body outside the old Banana Joes, the shooting at 15th & Allen and that other story about a woman having liquid thrown at her.
ReplyDeleteI know the last story happened in Bethlehem, but we never had these kind of things happen when I was growing up in Allentown. I don't think it is the mayor's fault but it is the reason why people want to move out of the city.
There isn't really any shopping downtown any more and we don't have any real reason to go into Allentown any longer. My classmates from Allen who still live here all live outside the city although I might move back to the Rose Garden area or maybe around Cedar Crest College or somewhere off Cedar Crest Boulevard.
jamie@5:54, in 2005, when i ran as an independent for mayor, although shut-out by the morning call, i warned about the poverty magnet; a number of competing programs were actually inducing the poor to move to allentown, in droves. pawlowski contributed to this situation in a number of ways, funding such organizations with community block funds. ten years later he thinks that we can build our way out of this situation with a hockey arena, apparently not.
ReplyDeleteSo negative. Focus on the positive, i.e. , cheese steaks and clapboard constructed flats for "millennials" and "empty-nesters". Allentown has truly become a destination!
ReplyDeleteMore lead poisoning at 15th& Allen. White Paper being written, Task Farce being formed, look over here!!
ReplyDeleteYesterday-pictures of the Trexler cabin and a spring/water structure . The water structure was in disrepair. Mike you have spoken of these problems many times. The board of the Trexler Trust or whatever they are called is failing . Who are these people and do they get paid? I don't really want their names but they should be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Ed's vision of bread (welfare) and circuses (hockey) isn't the answer, and I really don't see any difference in the people who are making their moves to replace him.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm looking to your experiences here. If you were mayor Mr Molovinski, what changes would you make to address the situation in Allentown? How would you try to make the city a better place to live?
dave@9:38, i have a problem with the question dave. in addition to running for mayor in 2005, running for state rep. in 2014, dozens of letters to the editor and editorials, and addressing city council countless times, i have written over 2,000 blog posts. read the posts, you'll find many solutions. however, least you say that i'm avoiding the question, a quick answer. the priorities of the city are plain wrong, and have been for 20 years. apply all services in an equal manner, across the entire city. convert the block grants to infrastructure, allowed under the law, because of the poverty level. concentrate on quality of life issues, i.e. crime and litter. refer to molovinsky on allentown archives for more solutions.
ReplyDeletePawlowski is more Di Blasio than Giuliani. Always has been. 90% of the problem there.
ReplyDeleteHe's had numerous police chiefs. Nobody sticks around. You get a new plan with every chief.
Outside the little island of the NIZ, the city's decay has accelerated.
I wonder if a major street fight involving upwards of a dozen youths, resulting in shots getting fired and someone getting gunned down in broad daylight near a public school would get hidden on Page 13 in the Crime Blotter section of the MC if it happened anywhere else in Lehigh County except Allentown.
ReplyDelete@11:37, in fairness to the paper, they did have extensive digital coverage of the event. the hardcopy paper for saturday, sunday and monday is laid out on friday, leaving only the police blotter to fill in.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMaybe I can twist from Gertrude Stein (Her original quote was about the city of Oakland CA - many, many, years ago).
When I returned to Allentown (after being gone for 40 years) - Allentown? Allentown? There is no there, there.
Dare I say... Allentown needs a Frank Rizzo.
ReplyDelete