Now if these voters read the paper or listen to the news is questionable. If these congregants are registered, or will even still be living in Allentown next election is questionable. What is for sure is the taxpaying homeowners, who have to listen to these sermons.
Matt, take off your clerical robe and order your police chief to crack down on motor violations. In the process they will find some drugs and guns. There might be consequences, like an improving quality of life for the taxpayers. Don't concern yourself with affordable housing. If we lose some denizens, maybe there will be less litter. Don't worry about the next election, you have already campaigned enough.
ADDENDUM JUNE 18, 2024:The reason that this post and addendum have the same date is because this post was sitting in my draft file, while I tried to give Tuerk some more benefit of the doubt. However, since he has essentially vetoed council's investigation of his administration, it's time for this post. Personally, I didn't consider the discrimination investigation very necessary, but I consider his canceling of the contract for the investigation totally inappropriate. Council voted for this contract 6 to 1. As a pundit of local government, I eagerly await their reaction.
I have to admit, I was a critic of the City Council investigation when this all began. Part of my feeling that the investigation wasn’t needed was due to Tuerk’s openness and acceptance of an investigation, with Tuerk saying that he had nothing to hide.
ReplyDeleteThat tune has quickly changed, however, in recent days, and Tuerk now seems to be DESPERATELY trying to stop the investigation.
Maybe seeing that council allotted sufficient funding for a real investigation, and that the investigator is more than competent has put the fear of God into Tuerk.
Perhaps Tuerk’s change of heart comes from the knowledge that the chosen investigator was the one who put a previous Mayor behind bars. This isn’t a novice who will simply scratch the surface just to gain sufficient knowledge to put together a token report and collect a check. This is a seasoned criminal investigator who’s already been inside City Hall, and who will quickly see what has - or hasn’t - changed in the last decade.
Instead of continuing to act innocent, Tuerk now appears to be engaged in some sort of coverup. Tuerk’s about face makes me think that there might be something there, and it could be more than just a baseless discrimination charge.
I don’t know if his action to cancel the investigation is appropriate, and don’t much care. I moved out of that city years ago.
ReplyDeleteTuerk’s decision DOES make him look bad, though. He obviously sees his decision as serving the public’s fiscal interest. But, the “what have you got to hide?” charge will follow him around, for sure.
We are a nation in which everyone wants to be a victim of something. To feel as if we are being held down by someone else and thus, not responsible for our own situation. Helpless in an unfair world.
From the original post: “Matt, take off your clerical robe and order your police chief to crack down on motor violations. In the process they will find some drugs and guns. There might be consequences, like an improving quality of life for the taxpayers.”
ReplyDeleteQuality of Life, now there’s a novel concept. This past weekend in the city, I was serenaded by loud music coming from backyards and too many vehicles to count. One car I could hear coming from three blocks away (no exaggeration).
That noise was later replaced by the constant thump-thump-thump of a state police helicopter, circling overhead to supposedly make the city safer.
While I’m dubious about how much safer we actually were, I am certain we weren’t any quieter.
In the future, I might suggest a more subtle aerial approach to policing, such as the use of drones for surveillance. They’re quieter and use far less fossil fuel (for those who might care).
That said, I have a feeling that the use of the helicopter was less about actual policing and more about a show of force, particularly for those attending various Juneteenth celebrations in the city on Saturday. Our supposedly “anti-racist” mayor would never admit that, but actions (and helicopters) speak louder than words.
I couldn’t help but notice that Council’s allotment of $300,000 for the discrimination investigation far exceeded the paltry amount Council (with the Mayor’s acquiescence) approved for the study of abolishing the parking authority.
ReplyDeleteIt would seem that the Mayor and Council are telling us something by what they actually spent, despite them telling everyone how much they were with us in fighting the Authority.
By the way, was that report on the Parking Authority ever completed? If so, was it released to the public?
Another out-of-town mayor that is being cagy about his actions.
ReplyDeleteI suppose Allentown will never learn
Few are noticing, in the season where people are on vacation or disengaged, Matt is attempting to rush through a very radical rewrite of the city's zoning regulations. With this Matt can recreate Allentown to fit his vision of what it should be, trust me, this is a vision very few actual residents share. I suggest every resident tell council to vote this down or at least table this for further study.
ReplyDeleteTuerk isn't cracking down on motor violations because once he addresses Economic Mobility and then combats Social Isolation, the bad guys in Allentown will stop speeding, running through stop signs and double parking.
ReplyDeleteHermano Tuerk is a visionary leader,his detractors are by in large angry white boomers and their hell spawn who fear a hip bi lingual cyclist tatted up and woke when they drive v8s one block away to get whine and cheese from the Bodega where nobody looks like them
ReplyDeleteHip? No.
DeleteVisionary? Absolutely not. This city is imploding under his watch (he’s no leader) and the only thing he has really managed to do is upgrade his own car….with taxpayer dollars I must remind.
Bi-lingual? Are Babbel courses now qualifiers to be bi-lingual?
White Boomer and their hell spawn? Racist much?
Please direct me to any of the bodegas that sell wine and cheese. I am going to take my tan behind driving Tesla right over there.
Another crooked administration. Justice may now be best served if hiszonner's clumsy obfuscation attracts the apparently called for Federal DOJ investigation. Pray for Allentown.
ReplyDeleteThe contract wasn’t awarded legally. The preferred vendor by council submitted an unqualified bid during the RFP process so council threw out the rules and awarded it improperly. Not complicated. Vetoing it is the appropriate action. A consequence is the fact that this it makes the mayor look like he is worried about the results of the investigation. I doubt he is. Council needs to get their ducks in a row.
ReplyDeleteTitle VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as amended, protects employees and job applicants from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.
ReplyDeleteAs an Allentown citizen I would rather see the feds investigate the discrimination complaints, just as they investigated "Fed Ed", which under the law they are required to do, than waste $300K of my tax dollars.
Isn't it interesting that the left brings up race when they want to condemn certain points of view. I am a minority on my street and my concern are shared by my minority neighbors. They don't hold their opinions because of their race, they hold them for the same reason I do, they want to live in quiet , stable neighborhoods.
ReplyDelete10:12 - Council’s power on investigations is unhindered in the City’s Charter.
ReplyDeleteUnless you’re suggesting the absurd position that the Mayor has to approve the people who investigate him.
Council also has the power to “throw out the rules”.
This is looking very bad for Tuerk. I realize he’s doesn’t come across as having the slightest understanding of math, but Even he should understand he is trying to fight a 6-1 vote by council. That’s losing math.
It will end worse if the Solicitor’s Office is involved in any way in a cover-up. Unfortunately, that office managed to avoid heavy scrutiny when Pawlowski was investigated by rolling over on Pawlowski and giving their assistance in the FBI probe. They could be angling for such immunity from prosecution again, although I don’t think they’ll be as fortunate a second time around.
Finally, one has to question the judgment in trying to void the contract of the retired FBI agent that previously investigated City Hall. That agent surely now his antenna up to look for problems far beyond discrimination, and surely still has contacts that are still active in the FBI. I’ve seen a lot of stupid from Allentown City Hall in my lifetime, but this is on a whole other level.
And the guy is somehow the Mayor! That should keep
All
Residents awake at night.
We know the Morning Call is loaded with bias and censorship. Have to wonder what side of this issue the paper would support.
ReplyDeleteanon@10:12, 10:16: The finance dept. has helped vendors repair and conform their bids often to city standards. The opticsare not flattering to Tuerk
ReplyDeleteanon@2:30:The current MC work from home staff may have some memory of Miorelli's preferences, such as "no letters from Molovinsky," but otherwise no local political inclinations.
anon@4:31PM: Allow me to use this reply for some general comment guidelines. This blog is not comment centric: Replies to other comments generally are not printed. Very short comments agreeing or disagreeing with a previous comment are generally not printed. Very insulting comments are not printed, but signed comments are given more leeway. I believe that comment 8:20AM is from an individual who very often amuses himself with facetious satire, however, the actual identity of anonymous comments is not known to me and other bloggers using the blogspot format.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Tuerk has no use for me, very likely from my criticism of AEDC, I believe that he is very popular with the public. As I mentioned before I did not endorse the Discrimination investigation per se, but very much oppose his attempt to thwart it.
I think his position as mayor is to ensure that the COA finances are responsibly managed. Council does not get to establish how funds are spent since it isn't councils money to spend. Hence, it seems pretty simple that council needs to fall in line with the procurement process.
ReplyDeleteGlad to give you the third bite at the apple, but no mas. Three possibilities: sincere, apologist or troll?
DeleteThis is a unique situation, where the administration itself is the subject of the investigation.Furthermore, there is no question that the vendor (Scott Curtis ) is well qualified.
Delete