I have as much, if not more institutional knowledge of Ed Pawlowski as anybody, including the paper. Although not widely remembered, I ran as the third person on the ticket in 2005, against Pawlowski for his first term. The Morning Call repressed my campaign. As an independent, my chances regardless were very slim...However, I did have an important message, which was also repressed. This post is written through that prism.
The Morning Call, and especially the reporter assigned to the election in 2005, were in love with Ed. The Republican candidate, Bill Heydt, got less than fair coverage, and I got none. As a landlord, I knew that thousands of people at the public trough were moving to Allentown and being sponsored by competing social agencies. I sounded the alarm that we were operating a poverty magnet, but nobody cared to report that harsh truth. Today, 13 years later, Pawlowski was sentenced, and we are now a poor city.
While Pawlowski had defenders until the end, his character was flawed from the beginning. In 2009, while I was conducing a series of SPEAK OUT meetings, Pawlowski told the press that I was a slumlord. Although, I never had any violations in 35 years, and Pawlowski knew that I operated in an exemplary fashion, he knowingly made the false accusation.
A couple years later, he repeated that false accusation outside council chambers to several people, in my presence. I asked him how he would like it if I called him a corrupt politician? Although I have never called him corrupt, the legal system has now made that determination.
Although, this is first person experience with Pawlowski's flawed character, my experience was not unique. I understand that many people consider landlords expendable low hanging fruit, but as a blogger over the last decade, a number of people have told me how Pawlowski attempted to debase them. Those testifying on his behalf today, for the most part, are people who by appointment or career, benefitted from him. I noticed the total absence of leading business and local real estate people most familiar with him, who apparently declined to testify on his behalf.
photo by molovinsky
ADDENDUM: Pawlowski was sentenced this afternoon to 15 years, and taken to prison.
great read. doesn't sound like much of a pastor to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm breaking with my normal procedure of posting in the early morning because the Morning Call is already enhancing the Pawlowski myth. They're overstating the influence of those who testified on his behalf..... They describe Irene Wood as a community activist twice in their article on the sentence. I'm sure that she is a nice woman, but she is no community activist.
ReplyDeletePawlowski stepped on a lot of people in the last 13 years
Yes he did. But there are still more that needs to be exposed and punished. Starting with the existing Mayor and City Council. They are no better then Ed.
ReplyDeletekim@5:01, i find O'Connell forthright about his mistakes under Pawlowski. The challenge for Allentown's future is being a one party town. That means the real election is the Democratic Primary, and under Pennsylvania rules it excludes everyone else.
ReplyDeleteSome people, I among them, believe there is a future for power sharing between the parties in Allentown. At least I hope so
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ReplyDeleteTalking with neighbors today we agreed the Morning Call is the real guilty party here. They ignored the obvious corruption and Ed's routine shenanigans. If the paper had done it's job, Ed would not be going to Jail. Allentown would be a much better place to live, it's school district would not be distressed, broke, and super majority poverty. The once flourishing community groups would still be active and still creating dynamic chance in the city. rental inspections would have run three full cycles and the state of our neighborhoods, and the living conditions of Allentown's poor would be vastly improved.
Normal investigative reporting would have cast a light on all of Ed's slight of hand legislative moves, his purchasing and packing of city offices, the blatantly clear connections between those seeking city contracts and those making campaign donations...I could go on. The truth is Allentown could have been even better than Bethlehem, we were well on our way before the Morning Call brought us the Roy and Ed show.
Shame on them. Soon people will find out how badly broken Ed left the city, he was able to do this because the Morning Call chose to be a Pawlowski cheerleader instead of a news outlet.
Poor Bill White.
ReplyDeleteAll pretense of integrity gone.