Nat Hyman's offer to purchase the State Hospital parcel was interesting, but Mike Schlossberg's comments on the offer are more newsworthy. Schlossberg accuses Hyman of indulging in a publicity stunt to booster his mayoral ambitions, which may not even exist.
What intrigues me about Schlossberg's comments is the uncharacteristic aggressiveness he displayed, a trait not normally associated with him. He was much kinder about Pawlowski, despite the former mayor's conviction on 46 counts of corruption.
The company which currently has an option on the state hospital property appears to be much smaller than Hyman's real estate ventures. I surmise that Schlossberg's attitude might be intended as a political boost for O'Connell, or some other candidate interested in the mayorship.
I did reach out for comment from Schlossberg after office hours last night. If he does respond and clarify, I will post an update.
photo screen grab from WFMZ
Believe the worst about Mike the Democrat elected official, he deserves it. Just another political hack seeking cheap partisan headlines.
ReplyDeleteI find nothing about Schlossberg's comments surprising.
ReplyDeleteFirst, he has a very large interest in maintaining the status quo in Allentown, since the status quo keeps anyone from digging deeper into what went on during the last decade in City Hall. Schlossberg was an ambitious politician on City Council for part of that time, and I'm certain there are things that he'd prefer wouldn't come to light. So that explains his aggressiveness towards Hyman, and his attempt to damage Hyman politically.
Second, the Hyman offer exposes the financial ineptitude of the state, which apparently has decided that it makes sense to virtually give away prime real estate on the East Side AND absorb the cost of demolishing the buildings on the property.
Third, I'm certain that Schlossberg (who I believe represents the East Side) promised his constituents that he was/is doing everything humanly possible to get them what they want - preservation of the State Hospital campus and a possible site for a new East Side School building. I'm not sure if or how hard Schlossberg actually tried, but Hyman's offer exposes the fact that Schlossberg may not have actually been honest with East Side residents.
Fourth, Schlossberg is a politician and likely suffers from an ailment that makes him believe that only the "solutions" that he was involved with are the only "solutions" to a problem. I suppose that's a kind way of saying he's a bit arrogant for someone who never held a job in the private sector. Hyman's offer likely represents a path that Schlossberg hasn't considered, or that Schlossberg has said isn't possible.
In addition, I find it interesting that Schlossberg is talking down the condition of the buildings. I haven't been in the buildings, but the state was paying $2.2 MILLION ANNUALLY to maintain the property, supposedly so the buildings would be in decent shape for a potential buyer. At least that's what they told us before they decided to convey the property to the Doylestown buyer and before the state decided to absorb the cost of demolishing the buildings at a price of $15 MILLION.
Schlossberg can't have it both ways. If the properties haven't been preserved, Schlossberg (as a state legislator) should be providing us an accounting of exactly where the $2.2 MILLION ANNUAL payments have been going? Were politically-connected contractors being paid/overpaid for work that wasn't actually being done?
I realize that last sentence might seem like an overreach, absent additional facts. But in a City with the recent history that Allentown has, I think it's a prudent question to ask. Plus you have a state politician now saying that the taxpayers apparently didn't get what the taxpayers were paying for.
You would also think that a certain local newspaper, which missed the largest municipal corruption scandal in its own backyard, would be interested in publishing who received those $2.2 MILLION in ANNUAL PAYMENTS, and confirming if those $2.2 MILLION in ANNUAL PAYMENTS were properly spent.
'I could have known. I should have known. I did not know but, as a high ranking member of the government, I must accept my fair share of collective guilt for what was allowed to transpire.'
ReplyDeleteIn a true one-party town, how can I be certain that people like Schlossberg and O'Connell are not just a couple of BS artists in the very same way that Albert Speer was?
Furthermore, be it on the local, state or national level, it is the Democrats - and certainly not Republicans - who are extremely well known for 'sticking together' and 'marching in lockstep.
Respectfully,
ROLF OELER
I believe that it would be in the taxpayers interest to revisit the existing sales agreement
ReplyDelete