Yesterday was a sad day in the local political peanut gallery. A political strategist for an independent mayoral candidate released links pertaining to two old court cases involving Nat Hyman. What drives candidates and their surrogates to such desperation? As Douglas Slifkin noted on Facebook, the night after the election the independent candidate will be home watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond. Most of us are way too small in business to be involved in any litigation with international corporations. I made the mistake of referring to this strategist as a campaign manager, and he adamantly corrected me. All I can say is EXCUSE ME.
According to the FBI, Allentown City Hall has been for sale for years. Of the three top candidates, only Hyman can come in with a clean broom. Pawlowski, win or lose, will be spending January and February across the street on trial in federal court. As a council member, the write-in candidate voted yes for Pawlowski's schemes dozens of times. I'm concerned about Allentown's future, not some old dug up court case. If Allentonians wants the sun to shine on a better city, they best work to get Hyman elected.
An individual's past can tell you a lot about them. I also read the article and it seems that Mr Hyman is not the saint of Allentown that he is made out to be.
ReplyDeleteFor example, when a person applies for a professional job, does the employer just accept his credentials at face value? Or is some type of background check performed and are personal references checked?
I know you support him and I can respect that, however, the voters should know about a candidate's past and his character. Not just the campaign promises they make.
dave@4:55, you're referring to complex cases of business law, filed by one corporate entity against another, for financial gain. These cases well over fifty pages long, and well beyond the comprehension of the average voter. I don't accept the summation offered by those with an agenda to boost their candidate at Hyman's expense.
ReplyDeleteI don't see Pawlowski being in Allentown's best interest. I don't see his long time former supporter O'Connell being a new day. Hyman's been operating his businesses in Allentown for decades. I evaluate him on that basis, not some commercial lease case with Marriott Corporation.
I don't think anyone is calling Nat Hyman a saint. Frankly none of us are. That said, Mr Hyman will not have the council and press licking his boots as they did for Ed. No I suspect if Nat wins serious scrutiny will make a return to reporting and council will rediscover their role as the official check on the executive. I don't see any of that happening if Ed wins and council replaces him with another Democrat.
ReplyDeleteIn the corporate world it is dog eat dog. Mega-Corporations file suits like we use toilet paper. Their intent is to swallow-up the little guys anyway they can. Therefore, litigation is routine and part of doing business. I think in the instant case, this is what happened to Hyman. If anything, Hyman learned a valued lesson from these actions. This experience can be applied to a business as Allentown. I agree with MM's assessment of the write-in candidate O'Connell. For years he blindly sat back and approved "Boss Hogg's" agenda. So did his inseparable counsel supporter Daryl Hendricks. However, since D-Day in July of 2015, both of them woke up and smelled the roses. It is amazing that these two allegedly learned government officials didn't know what was going on under the "Boss". However, the uninformed will shape this election and Allentown will fall farther in despair because of their idiotic write-in solution.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing, I am old enough to remember really enjoying Steve Martin. Back then humor, like sports, most films, and network TV were an escape from politics. I miss that.
ReplyDeleteNeither major party cabdudate has the integrity or the skill sears needed to navigate the city to safe haven in these perilous tined. Hyman is just as unfit as Pawlowski, for both similar and different reasons. The responsibility for the lack of any debate, whatever the official excuses, falls on the candidates who could have had a debate on any terms they wished. They obviously had no intention to expose their warts and other dirty laubdry to public scrutiny under any circumstances. Neither is worthy of election.
ReplyDeleterobert@9:42, Hyman was "ready and anxious" to debate Pawlowski when he received the call Wednesday that Business Matters had cancelled the venue. I understand that you would have liked him and Pawlowski to attend your event on Tuesday, but you seemed OK that O'Connell didn't participate.
ReplyDeleteRobert,
ReplyDelete"Integrity"? Ray O'Connell was on the bridge of the good ship Ed Pawlowski. Make me laugh that he has integrity. Maybe outside of city hall he does, but clearly he de-activated it when reporting for duty as first mate Ed's hand selected council.
My parents are longtime voters in the West End. My dad generally votes Republican, and so does my mother. Neither of them like Hyman at all and don't believe they will even bother to vote.
ReplyDeleteI saw in the Morning Call this morning opinion pieces by Solomon Tembo and John Ingram. Both of these independent candidates seem to have much to offer, Ingram especially has a very impressive background. I know you ran for mayor Mr Molovinski a few years ago and generally independent candidates don't get much support. Given the choice between Pawlowski with his 50 some felonies he's being accused of and Hyman who is nothing but a Democrat anyway, I believe the people who vote in Allentown should at least look at these other candidates and consider them when deciding whom to vote for.
Jamie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice on how to vote from the safety of outside the city limits. I actually have a horse in this race and I am tired of the city being run into the ground by a self interested partisan political machine. To save Allentown, this machine needs to be destroyed. That can only be done by the Democrats losing the mayors race. Do you understand that? I frankly don't care how wonderful Ingram's or Soloman's ideas are, their plans are frankly as irrelevant as mine are because they have the same chance of winning as I do, ZERO!
If George Washington himself somehow came back and decided to enter the race we would surely praise him and cite his wonderful accomplishments, we might even agree he has a good plan to move Allentown forward, but again, he couldn't win because at this point the race is between Nat and Ed.
Why don't we speculate on how we would spend lottery winning while we are at it. You could praise my spending plans and I would praise yours in exchange. That dialogue would as irrelevant to this election as Ingram and Soloman are.
Mr Armstrong
ReplyDeleteMayor Height was the last Republican mayor nearly two decades ago. One would believe that the Republican party has not been driven into the ground by Mayor Pawlowski and the gang of Democrats that have run Allentown for the past dozen years. The cupboard must be pretty bare as I recall you wrote here that the only reason the Republicans nominated Hyman was basically by default.
The hope for the Republicans is to reach out to the Allentown of 2017, not the Allentown of decades past. The demographics have changed immensely even since my husband and myself went to William Allen. Instead of backing someone Republicans really don't prefer because you want to win an election, perhaps the party should look to the new demographic of the city to sell it's message to. You'll find many supporters and have long term success in the future.
The problem I have with a couple of these fellas is their lack (or should I say absence) of civic engagement. Correct me if I'm wrong but has Nat ever attended council meetings or fronted a civically active group? Molovinsky, Armstrong, Hershman and many others have involved themselves for years. We know their positions well because of it. Trusting future politicians at their word falls short without prior civic engagements to my way of reasoning.
ReplyDeleteThis upcoming local election reminds me of the last presidential election. None of the above. Now we're suppose to hold our nose and make a choice for the one we dislike the least instead of someone we could really get behind.
I was excited to vote in the past for Tom Burke and Bill Heydt. This year there's only a few choices-- worse, worser and the worstest. Who is which I leave others to decide.
Scott--so what your saying is vote for me because at least I'm not a Democrat. Or is he?
ReplyDeleteHowever I do agree with what you said. It's either Nat or Ed no matter what.
Earth to Jamie,
ReplyDeleteQuestion, what exactly do you know about Republican efforts in the city for the last 15 years? My guess, based on your comments is, nothing. How many thousands of hours have you dedicated to volunteering for Republican recruitment, door to door, polling watching, working the polls, telephoning...? I have put in plenty. I happen to know what I am talking about. Do you know that the LCRC had the 1st Latino Republican committee in the state? Do you know I led that effort and recruited a great group of people,registered a large number of Latino voters as Republican and brought in then senator Santorum came to Allentown to address the group.
Apparently you don't understand either that pizza shops in town that hosted Republican events were then visited by code enforcement shortly after and given the anal inspection. Message! Don't do that again. Have you ever been called a racist, a person who "denigrates the poor", a Klansman, a NAZI, in public meetings, in the press or on social media? Gee, I really doubt it. See this is what happens to Republicans like me who dare to speak out, dare to organize, dare to care enough to fight for change here in Allentown.
In short, I imagine you like so many others who fled the city are in safe places for Republicans. That's fine, but please don't dare tell me what the Hell I should be doing here in the belly of the beast.
Why don't you come to Allentown on election day and be a poll watcher downtown? I have done that many times. It's a real real opener. Then perhaps you will have a better understanding of what the few of us left here are dealing with.
Ray has been involved for years. His efforts should disqualify him from any elected position in a new Allentown that serves the residents rather than a chosen few.
ReplyDeleteLVCI, YES!
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