When Ed Pawlowski won reelection in 2017, it pretty much summed up everything that can go bad in local government. A former prosperous city, whose population shifted to one which is essentially hand to mouth, actually elected someone charged with shaking down contractors to fund his own exit from the city.
I had opposed Pawlowski's scheme to sell the water department, which had been a positive cash flow for the town. Back in the day when Allentown had industry, its water production had been scaled up to meet those demands. Although the industries had faded, the city was positioned to sell its water and sewage overcapacity to surrounding municipalities. In a very short sighted scheme to avoid a tax hike, Pawlowski sold that golden goose to the county water authority. Although residents were assured that their water rates would be constained, that turned out to be one more broken promise. With this water authority now switching to monthly bills with a base charge, the waters rates are increasing exponentially, especially for those who use the least water.
The hapless home owners who recently saw a huge tax increase, will now also be paying much more for their water. Pawlowski did move on from the city, but not in the way that he had hoped for.
Well written ! he knew what he was doing as did lisa . Btw all his sentencing plea personas were scripted and when hispanic interpreted by his interpreter, as for some reason the courts had none. I found the script on a window ledge outside the courtroom and gave it to the prosecutors; if you truly were innocent Napoleon why did you script all your affirmers and send a translator to translate for the court word word what was on that script that they all were supposedly saying in self thought, and honesty ? everyone of them said the same thing that was written on the Found script,He knew what he was doing was corrupt and encouraged by his other half as she accused me for him being where he was on sentencing day in front of federal marshals !
ReplyDeleteIf only we were JUST paying for Pawlowski.
ReplyDeleteThe water deal was certainly a hidden property tax hike - and one that will increase each year - but it was also people like (now) State Reps. Michael Schlossberg and Peter Schweyer who voted for the deal when they were on Council.
So we're paying for them and gave them a promotion so they could help soak us at the state level!
We're also paying for Ray O'Connell, who apparently was sleeping when he approved the water deal and didn't notice that it included the option for monthly billing or realize what it would do for city finances. O'Connell also voted for three earned income tax hikes, recently gave taxpayers a 27% property tax hike; and hasn't even tried to reverse the new stormwater tax he supposedly opposed when he was running for Mayor the first time.
If only we were JUST paying for Pawlowski.
and all the same feckless and corrupt leaders were re-elected along with some new and proven ineptitude from the the likes of Ce-Ce Gerlach. The downward vortex will tighten dramatically with the twin fiscal ruin and chaos of both city government and school district leadership.
ReplyDeleteamen scott she ce is clueless and oft times a fence jumper
Deleteyou cannot run a city like you did a school they are not one and the same. And too his appt was illegal as it was backroom politics old school backroom, good old boys politics that got him approved to be interim. he never filed his application by the deadline mmm. His good old Council boys went to closed chambers to vote to allow him to do so. And then ce the fence jumper mmm where will the checks and balances be as intended by the charter for NapoleonII completion of Napoleon 1 reign. He is clueless the veterans will tell you that for he denied them the placement of their memorial stone center square and denied them the right to shut a lane down for safety as he was clueless as to its cost and thought the county owned center city island, on which it now stands proudly. And too why wasnt there a veterans day ceremony at the oldest Veterans day statue to veterans ? how disrespectful and ignorant enough said
ReplyDeleteMM -
ReplyDeleteRelated to today's post on the LCA and prior posts about municipalities letting down their residents, what is going on at the main entrance to the Lehigh Parkway (off Jefferson Street)?
Last year, some sort of building was built on the left side of the entrance, which I believe was LCA-related. Now, the LCA has their other (much smaller) building on the right hand side of the entrance (down by the creek) fenced off and looking like construction is coming.
Past administrations (both Democrat and Republican) wouldn't have allowed the natural beauty of the Parkway to be ruined at its entrance. That seems to be lost on the Pawlowski and O'Connell administrations, which I suppose are actually the same thing.
In addition, last year, O'Connell had highway lines painted on the park's internal roadway, also diminishing the park atmosphere. Couple that with the lack of maintenance on the wall steps just down the road, and it's clear that the Parkway is being transformed - but not in a good way.
Couldn’t agree more, nothing better than when our inept school district leaders get elected for city government positions. First time in 30 years I didn’t vote, this city is just plain fucked with O’Donnell and his puppet Ce-Ce at the helm.
ReplyDeleteno checks no blances in city hall and sadly a mayor who is clurless how to get things done
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