After a no confidence, but no consequence grilling at City Council Wednesday night, Hasshan Batts provided the mayor with the Promise of a friendly Neighborhood on Thursday. Promise employees packed the mid-size room with shoulder to shoulder chairs around the perimeter, with a small circle of chairs in the middle for good measure.
Tuerk's communications manager, Genesis Ortega, gently asked scripted softball questions, allowing Matt to showcase what a wonderful budget he had prepared for 2024. He explained how just a few more dollars in this and that department would make a great city even better. He mentioned how the fire department was benefiting from a substantial grant, and that grants were something that people in the room were familiar with. A woman in attendance later wrote on her facebook page: We are lucky to have this committed, accessible, optimistic, and realistic public servant at the helm. There was also one elderly homeowner there for a few minutes, who receives no grants, but worried how any tax increase would add to the already announced school and water increases.
If Tuerk's pared down 2% increase budget gets passed, or council instead overrides his veto of their no tax hike version, remains to be seen.
The voters of Allentown chose these people to lead us. We can complain all we want about the incompetent, woke, corrupt, self serving elected officials who have destroyed so much, but our ire should instead be directed at the responsible party here; the voters. They created the nightmare of the last two decades. My guess is most of them aren't even paying attention or still believe everything is just fine.
ReplyDeleteThis pathetic pandering session reminds me so much of how Fed Ed used to run to his loyal but shrinking support base to boost his self esteem and public image when things started going south for him as Mayor.
ReplyDeletescott@7:29: some might say that you have a reoccurring theme of a city self-destructing with and because of one party voting. You defend a repetitive stable of losing candidates, by saying that more viable ones won't come forward because they are victimized by slander and libel, with media cooperation.
ReplyDeleteAs an independent, I'd love to see that losing cycle broken with some fresh candidates...I vote for people, not party.
I would love that as well. Tom Houck in 21 ran for council, Tim Ramos ran for mayor in 21, both were new, both lost.
DeleteWhat does 'Promise Neighborhood" acutely "promise" that they can held to be accountable to ?
ReplyDeleteIf you watch the video footage from Channel 69 the people in attendance look really bored/disinterested as if they were forced to attend to make it look legitimate to the media.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your posts, it seems to me that Allentown has become such a joke. I'm amazed that the city and school district run as much as they do. How this once great city has fallen.😥
ReplyDeleteanon@1:28: It is not my goal to lower anybody's opinion of Allentown, I still choose to live here. As a blogger I gravitate to those stories not told elsewhere, and they often trend negative.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a Die Hard West Parker, the feeling here is that our neighborhood is improving due. This is due to many things, none of which can be attributed our local leaders. In fact our neighborhood is improving in spite of the often comically corrupt, woke, and dysfunctional local government. This said, if we even had merely mediocre leaders there would be real reason to be optimistic for the city in general. We can, in the meantime, merely work on preserving what is in front of us, and wait for the day when an influx of smart voters outnumbers those whose votes presently undermining Allentown.
DeleteThat would require several things to happen. One of which would be a massive improvement of the Allentown School District. Having good schools that parents want to send their children to attracts intelligent people to live in a community. Another would be lowering the level of crime so people feel safe in their homes. Now that I think of it, not having those things is why Allentown is losing its appeal to live in.
DeleteJust remember if Council does not pass a budget by December 15, then per the charter, the mayor’s originally proposed budget goes into effect.
ReplyDeleteNot true, Allentown no longer has an option of a default budget.
DeleteThey have until December 31st to pass a budget.