Nov 6, 2018

The People's Candidate


In the late 1970's, neighbors would gather in the market on 9th Street to complain and receive consolation from the woman behind the cash register. Emma was a neighborhood institution. A native Allentonian, she had gone through school with mayor for life Joe Dadonna, and knew everybody at City Hall. More important, she wasn't shy about speaking out. What concerned the long time neighbors back then was a plan to create a Historical District, by a few newcomers.

What concerned Emma wasn't so much the concept, but the proposed size of the district, sixteen square blocks. The planners unfortunately all wanted their homes included, and they lived in an area spread out from Hall Street to 12th, Linden to Liberty.* Shoving property restrictions down the throats of thousands of people who lived in the neighborhood for generations didn't seem right to Emma. As the battle to establish the district became more pitched, Emma began referring to it as the Hysterical District.
Emma eventually lost the battle, but won the hearts of thousands of Allentonians. Emma Tropiano would be elected to City Council beginning in 1986, and would serve four terms. In 1993 she lost the Democratic Primary for Mayor by ONE (1) vote.

Her common sense votes and positions became easy fodder for ridicule. Bashed for opposing fluoridation, our clean water advocates now question the wisdom of that additive. Although every founding member of the Historical District moved away over the years, Emma continued to live on 9th Street, one block up from the store. In the mid 1990's, disgusted by the deterioration of the streetscape, she proposed banning household furniture from front porches. Her proposal was labeled as racist against those who could not afford proper lawn furniture. Today, SWEEP officers issue tickets for sofas on the porch.

Being blunt in the era of political correctness cost Emma. Although a tireless advocate for thousands of Allentown residents of all color, many people who never knew her, now read that she was a bigot. They don't know who called on her for help. They don't know who knocked on her door everyday for assistance. They don't know who approached her at diners and luncheonettes all over Allentown for decades. We who knew her remember, and we remember the truth about a caring woman.

* Because the designated Historical District was too large, it has failed, to this day, to create the atmosphere envisioned by the long gone founders. Perhaps had they listened to, instead of ridiculing, the plain spoken shopkeeper, they would have created a smaller critical mass of like thinking homeowners, who then could have expanded the area.

reprinted yearly since 2010

7 comments:

  1. robert@6:38, a widely held myth. almost everyone who says that didn't know her, and certainly didn't know her personally.

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  2. A wonderful woman who only cared about her city and its traditions.

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  3. I miss her news. She spoke logic like my uncles used to speak.
    And I guess I am a biggot too because I too think English should be our official language. No more "press 1 or 2."
    MAGA

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  4. English should be our official language

    I couldn't agree more. Just about every nation in the world it is taught and has become almost the universal language. I've watched newscasts and Anthony Bourdain travel the world and in almost every country a large amount are able to communicate in English. Even those in Iran and China Why can't every person here?

    I'll give you two examples. When I use to go to unemployment one guy in spainish told the clerk he couldn't speak English The clerk (who spoke pefect spainish) told him.. "no English, no money. Guess what.. he learned real quick in a matter of minutes.

    We had a guy at work who volunteered in Tamaqua to try and teach English at night school. After two months he got frusrated. One student (a girl) came up to him and whispered.. the rest really do know English it's just that they get certain benefits if they pretend not to. He was really pissed left them have it and walked out. What a shame!

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  5. Wow, that is maddening to hear---I had a similar experience about 10 years ago with the Good Shepard Rehab Workshop---I felt really good to contract with them to do some labour intensive work for our company. I asked to visit the workshop expecting to see wheel chair bound workers---instead I heard loud island music, nobody handicapped at all---I was told the physically handicapped were too slow---their work crew was Puerto Ricans with just one handicap--they do not speak English--they considered that a handicap.
    Contract cancelled.

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  6. Well I know for a fact that in PR you have to learn English language in school to pass. That is mandatory. It’s that they do not feel comfortable speaking English

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