I tell people the only way that they will see my name in the paper is if I get arrested or die. Considering that now you must order and pay for obituaries, I suppose only the arrest option remains. I bring this up because it would not have been inappropriate for the Morning Call to ask me for my opinion about Lindsay Taylor being let go. Nobody has had more to say, or for longer, about the park system than me. Although they do quote Cythnia Mota, I can honestly say that I pass dogs being walked in the parks everyday who know considerably more about the park system than Mota.
Getting back to Ms. Taylor....Although I certainly have faulted her taking direction from The Wildlands Conservancy over park policy, especially the Weed Walls, I never advocated for her dismissal. However, now that she has been handed the proverbial pink slip, let me say that I didn't appreciate her attempts to justify Pawlowski's purchase of two parcels for future parks, among other things.
Lets get back to Ms. Mota. The paper quotes her saying ....The next director of the department needs to reflect the city’s charging demographics, Mota said, emphasizing the city’s Hispanic population which now encompasses more than half of city residents. Taylor was the only woman who held a cabinet-level position in Allentown. All of O’Connell’s cabinet appointees so far have been white men. Although I will opine in another post about what qualities the next park director should process, none of them involve race or gender.
Although this next statement doesn't apply specifically to Ms. Taylor, I am glad to see Ray O'Connell willing to make changes in his administration.
photocredit:molovinsky
Why inject identity politics into the parks? Parks are for everyone, and unless I'm missing something they don't discriminate or harbor conscious,unconscious/latent racist views.
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ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your assessment of unnecessary weed and grass riparian buffers on a great portion of the Little Lehigh. I suspect the majority of Allentown residents are not schooled on the danger of lyme disease and high grass is where many of the disease ridden ticks live.
The extent of the buffers is way out of hand. Given that the root system of the grasses is well in place, the grass could be cut short with zero affect on erosion along the banks. The new Park Director should start the mowers asap.....and bring the beauty back to our park system. Chris Kocher, President of the Wildlands has stated that this is the city's responsibility....so let's GET RESPONSIBLE.
Typical Ms. Mota banter playing up to her partisan base. Leave it up to this nimrod, city government would be filled with unqualified ex-cons, undeserving minorities and political hacks who know nothing of the parks system, their history and the legacy of it. I'm sure she would get lost in Lehigh Parkway and has no idea how the current or old park system works. All she can manage is identity politics in any problem solving action she partakes in. She is disgusting and she should be the poster girl for the devolved state of politics in Allentown.
ReplyDeleteMs. Lindsay Taylor got what she deserved, and not because of her ties to the disgraced one, the former Mayor of Allentown, but her tenure as lost Parks and Recreation Director.
Ms Mota was put on the board by Pawlowski to add diversity to his rubber stamp city council. She fulfilled that duty without question as they all did, now with this new day she is looking for a raison d'etre. Let her...she cannot escape her past and the deep ties she had to the very corrupt Pawlowski Administration.
ReplyDeleteI have lost faith in anyone that in Allentown Government that would take Councilperson Mota seriously.She has lost the fear of being embarrassed.Once one loses that emotion there are no boundaries as to limits of political power . The Mayor might very well appoint Ms. Mota parks director to shut Her up
ReplyDeleteI do hope this is the first of many changes in the Pawlowski cabal that rules Allentown.
ReplyDeleteTaylor didn't have the background to adequately manage large parks. First, do no harm. The Parkway is in shambles with overflowing garbage that doesn't fit into the hi-tech garbage containers. Park rules are not posted, in English or Spanish. I was delighted to recently see a city cop on a mountain bike ride through the trails, but he failed to address the swimmers at Robin Hood Bridge, even though "no swimming" signs are posted there in English and Spanish. Speed limits are ignored, parking rules ignored, picnicking rules ignored, alcohol rules ignored--this creates unsafe situations. I hope the next director can do something, besides appearing as a mayor's attempt at inclusion.
ReplyDeletebernie o'hare has a post today noting that taylor was also director of youth sports for macgunie, and he feels that this is a conflict with her allentown job. he reports that he never sees her at the boy's evening and weekend basketball games, which he attends. he also reports that she leaves her office in the early afternoon. although i don't know about that, i can say from observation that she arrives early in the morning. he fails to make clear that the macgunie job is part-time, which would not be a contractual conflict. her dismissal is a personnel issue, and it is probable that the reason will never be publicly disclosed.
ReplyDeleteo'hare has now amended his post to say that it was egotistic of me to suggest that the Morning Call ask me for my opinion, vs. cynthia mota. for the last decade i have been advocating for the WPA structures throughout the park system. I am responsible for some being repaired, and others being uncovered. i have campaigned against outside influences in park policy, such as the weed walls. i saved the union terrace stone arch bridge and led tours for friends of the parks. i was a major player in saving wehr's dam in south whitehall, and am now fighting to uphold the wishes of the voters there in that regard. bernie's allentown park experience is limited to watching boys play basketball.
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ReplyDeleteBernie has issues, sad.
ReplyDeleteI just saw on the City's Home Page that Councilperson Mota is now Dr.Mota.May I offer my congratulations !
ReplyDeleteDiDid moto buy that same degree were most of the indicted onez oppointeez got there's too?
ReplyDeleteMaybe holio was the hookup for all there sheep's wool purchases!
Living rent free the mind of Bernie O'Hare is certainly no crime, unlike all that stuff Alan Jennings' great friend Ed Pawlowski got caught and convicted for doing, Mr. Molovinsky, so please do not allow anybody to try and intimidate you with more silly stuff, like blog hit pieces featuring a nifty photos of Moshe Dayan, just to cite one example of what is, in fact, entirely possible.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
ROLF OELER
I disagree with your assessment of Dr. Mota. But I wanted to ask you if you knew who might replace Taylor or who you might like to see replace her?
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