Aug 29, 2019

Allentown's Lottery Ticket


Mike Moore, Allentown city spokesman, announced that Allentown was suing big pharma for the opioid crisis. Allentown joins about 200 other cities in purchasing this lottery ticket. I have mixed feelings about the current suits against pharma regarding opioids. Although I realize that many abusers have overdosed, at what point do these suits discourage drugs companies from new research? The drugs were developed for people needing relief for severe pain. While some doctors may make the drugs too available for patients, the leap to Allentown suing is opportunistic. However, these suits are a popular notion with the left, making the man pay, and retribution against capitalist greed.

What concerns me more as a local commentator is that Allentown still has a city spokesman. Pawlowski expanded the fifth floor of city hall's staff significantly. He created the Managing Director position, in spite of Allentown previously deciding to stay with a strong mayor, instead of a manager. After Pawlowski was elected, we ended up with both positions anyway. Considering we now have both a mayor and manager, do we really need another designated spokesman?

Is Allentown so large that such a position is still necessary, or did Pawlowski train city council so well, that nothing is no longer questioned?

shown above 1962 postcard of new city hall

3 comments:

  1. Couldn't agree more about the communications director, but while we are at it, the finance director should go as well for their complete failure to forecast revenues. If I remember correctly last year the mistake was in the other directions when they came up millions short.Does this happen in other municipalities?If it does I am unaware of it. But back to the communications director, at least the city, unlike the school district, also broke and in the red, only has one.

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  2. Who cares about the outcome? It's the action that counts. Please review the infamous McDonald's coffee lawsuit, in it's entirety, not the biased short version. Serving 20 degrees below boiling hot coffee, and they were reprimanded/cited over 2 or 3 times before the now famous lawsuit happened. Want to change corporate errors? You have to go for their $$$ before anyone notices. I applaud this action.

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  3. Does Allentown have standing to file this action ? What interests were affected by big pharma in Allentown.Excellent example of the legal lottery

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