I hate it when Bill White compels me to review him, as he did yesterday while writing.... since the only people who buy into his propaganda(Hannity) at this point are Trump true believers who are beyond caring about the actual truth of what’s happening. White was criticizing Sean Hannity at White's Morning Call blog about not disclosing that he (Hannity) had received legal real estate advice from Michael Cohen. White went on to question both the journalistic integrity of Hannity and Fox News.
Therefore, according to Bill White, a lot of Morning Call readers don't care about the actual truth. Perhaps Bill should concern himself more with actual truth in the Morning Call's little world. His paper might be more forthcoming about Allentown's NIZ, and its(The Morning Call) landlord, J.B Reilly. While the FBI investigation and indictment of Ed Pawlowski finally brought an end to the paper's bromance with city hall, it continues to praise the NIZ, as if Allentown's revitalization is real, as opposed to a richly subsided staged production at taxpayer expense.
In our era of reduced newspaper circulation, the Morning Call survived because of corporate affiliation, not journalistic merit. Although White, now after so many years is a senior tenured employee for the outside management, he needs to realize that journalistic integrity should start with the home paper.
Bill White is an idiot, has been, and perhaps always will be. Had it with him years ago when he was pretending nothing was amiss at city hall.
ReplyDeleteBill White was head cheerleader for the now disgraced mayor Boss Hogg, the NIZ and J.B. Reilly. His attitude changed only on Pawlowski when the FBI came into town. On the others, he has maintained his ardent support. I guess impartiality went out the door; same as the MC.
ReplyDeleteScott is so correct in his post. If he [White] had any integrity left, except washing the residual stuff left by the FBI down the drain, HE CAN HAVE A FIELD DAY with the evidence dug up by the FBI and the evidence that is contained in the records that were not produced at trial.
The Pawlowski case goes way farther then the case presented. The money, for jobs and contracts, involved numerous local people who received outright gifts for their generous monetary gifts bestowed upon the Pawlowski campaign. I guess the FBI thought these people were collateral damage, so why go after them!
It is probably fair to say that it is too soon to tell on the NIZ's ability to bring business activity downtown.
ReplyDeleteWhat does seem more certain is that Allentown and the Commonwealth have made a pretty big bet on a business model that doesn't really appear to be lasting much longer.
At least in high growth sectors (finance, tech, etc.) companies don't locate where the rent is cheap, they locate where they can compete for talent. The talent locates where numerous jobs are available and they can change jobs easily and even work for two firms at the same time. Allentown isn't one of those places, and we'll see if fashion changes where knowledge workers would like to live in places like the Lehigh Valley (I certainly hope so).
Huge office buildings with big companies doing administrative and management functions are probably on their way out. Companies are outsourcing as much of this stuff as possible (maybe some would go to Allentown), but in general headquarters are small places these days (GE's relocation to Boston took something like 700 employees). That doesn't mean municipalities won't fall over themselves to give taxes away, as we have seen with the supposed "Amazon II."
The nice thing for journalism to do would be to take a look at the assumptions of the NIZ and see if it's working. Does the city need to make changes in how it markets itself? The region? I don't think ANZIDA would do this on its own.
geoff@12:43, then at the end of the day what we appear to have is a program in which the taxpayers(public) finances over a $billion of dollars of privately owned real estate, primarily for one person. I have articulated this point of view since the beginning, despite the Morning Call's wholesale partnership in the scheme. how absurd that J.B. Reilly literally now owns the newspaper building, and that it was included in the zone, although across the street.
ReplyDeletewe now get a lecture on journalism by bill white, who actually called my views on the topic misguided
Business models change so quickly today that no one can be assured assumptions today will prove valid 5 years down the road. Music is more popular today than ever, but, no one now wants to invest in a brick & mortar retail Tower Records type store.
ReplyDeleteWe have seemingly contrary trends.....nationwide downtown commercial development projects with public tax support while the more suburban malls lose tenants and become retail white elephants. Because of globalization & outsourcing BIG BUSINESS locating administrative/HR/financial functions to more rural areas where labor costs are much lower than in cities. However, the educated young folks are leaving the countryside, flocking to the cities for the type of social/cultural life they desire.
There is a disconnect between the needs of business for the workers required and where the work force in an information age society want to live.
This was always a "build it they will come" plan. Only tax dollars can finance such fantasies. Bill White was stupid enough to buy into it. Or his thinking was corrupted by his own partisan beliefs. Either way, he should be hiding his head in shame over the stories he failed to write.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but think of the hassle the NIZ gave the guy who owns the Americus Hotel an historic structure which sits smack dab in the middle of downtown's main street, yet gladly extended the benefits to the Morning Call. Not even Gunther seems to want to go there. Wassup with that?
ReplyDeleteLet us don't forget that J.B. Reilly gave the Fed Ed campaign $25,000 with Center City Corp, two PAC's he owned and himself between 2011 and 2015. Others on the Arena project, Alvin H. Butz Co. $19,550, Orlando Diefenderfer $24,570 and Joe Topper $15,000 for City Center Corp. Bennett Automotive $13,500 for his new Lehigh Street location and Boyle Ventures $12,850 for Allentown Parking Authority projects. Michele Portnoff gave $5,500 to keep her city tax collection operation. Numerous lawyers who contributed Thousands of dollars for no-bid contracts are too many in content, however, Jerome Frank gave $4,625 to keep his ANIZDA solicitor's position. These all occurred between 2011 and 2015.
ReplyDeleteThis only the tip of pay to play by the Pawlowski campaign team. By the grace of God, and that the FBI did not want bring further charges, Pawlowski and cohorts escaped by their hairs on their chests.
I think it is a stretch to say that government-planned business districts "never work" when they have public funding, tax subsidies and other benefits. North Carolina's Research Triangle Park struggled for a little while, but it is safe to say that has been a boon for its region and state. Parts of Silicon Valley developed with a lot of federal contracting behind them, etc.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the successful models tend to combine some sort of research anchor (university or institute) with other innovation businesses. That's where Allentown is a puzzling model...it appears the "plan" was just to have cheap office space and wait for people to fill it up--without reference to proximity to customers, etc. It just appears insane.
The whole fiasco (reported here) on Neuweilers just fits into that. Not to mention what this blog has mentioned on the single beneficiary.
I would push the paper to dig deeper...what's going on, what's the plan. Are we just going to hope it works out.
Superstar zillionaire developer J.B. O'Reilly, esteemed State Senator & unique NIZ legislation author Pat Browne along with much adored veteran local media titan Bill White all walk into a bar on Hamilton Street in Allentown's oft promoted Potemkin Village ...
ReplyDeleteROLF OELER