The above scene is from Cedar Creek along the rose garden. The creek banks have not been cut once this season. As an advocate for the traditional park system, the only solace I got from that situation was that the ducklings were spared from the usual spring massacre.
I did find the purple flowers pretty, and did feel a twitch of hypocrisy while taking the photo. Former park expert Michael Adams did inform me about my photograph....Purple Loosestrife, a beautiful but dreadful invasive... Michael is still an expert, but he was removed from the Parkway's Log and Stone house for political impurity by Pawlowski.
The new park director's background is in plant science. She should wonder why both an opponent and a proponent of riparian buffers are upset by the condition of our creek banks.
What does Allentown actually spend its money on ?
ReplyDeleteThe mayor is hiring lots of administrative positions, apparently very important. Clearly everyone must have a high paid DEI Director, and who wouldn't insist on a highly paid Innovation Administator, but certainly, we can all agree a Sustainably Coordinator is a must have. Allentown Democrat Voter.
ReplyDeleteHello, Allentown’s “Innovation Administrator” here- I’d love to talk to you about what I do! Send me an email at laura.cole@allentownpa.gov
DeleteBut even if you don’t drop me a line: Since it’s budget season, I can tell you that my entire budget (including my salary) is 0.1% of the entire City Budget. -LBC
DeleteMs Cole:
DeleteI am curious about what precisely you do and how your position benefits the people of Allentown.
Would you consider forgoing your salary and working as an unpaid volunteer?
Why are you posting anonymously? Not off the a good start. By the way, any single employee earns just a tiny percentage of the total budget. This does not serve to justify the necessity of any position.
Deleteanons @9:20 and 9:20: Laura Cole is not posting anonymously, but you are! Would you forgo your salary and work as a volunteer?
DeleteI didn’t post the earlier comments, but I am curious as to how many city positions include monitoring and posting on blogs as part of their job description so that employees can solicit residents to chat about what their city job is.
DeleteI’m assuming that city taxpayers are paying Ms. Cole (and others) to do actual, needed work. If you have to explain it to people - apparently one person at a time - and have the time to do that, I’d say the position probably isn’t necessary.
And while Ms. Cole doesn’t seem to think that .1% of the city budget is significant, I’d beg to differ. If a competent Mayor found 10 more of those positions, he could cut city property taxes by 1% (actually more since property taxes only fund a fraction of the budget).
That’s a good start, and would make a difference to those struggling to pay their property taxes. Particularly those on fixed incomes.
RGR
Anon/RGR/Anon, I'm not a fan of the mayor's jobscape, but Cole does make herself available, including announced public meetings. You might attend one, and ask her directly about your concern.
DeleteRGR, MM made an excellent suggestion. I would also ask if her position also leads to the attainment of grants. Scrutiny involves both cost and benefit.
DeleteAnyone who thinks purple loosestrife is not a horrible invasive, has no place in park policy.
ReplyDeleteI have been pulling loosestrife for 16 years now in the Lehigh gorge state park, and it still pops up. We started pulling hundreds of plants and now we’re down to a dozen or so each year.
Mostly Beastly. Can no longer enjoy the view. Plus keep clear it infested with ticks. It looks disgusting. It used to be so beautiful
ReplyDeleteThe reason I'm an opponent of the riparian buffers is that in Allentown they aren't real buffers, but an excuse not to cut the grass. In reality they are mostly invasive species. To keep them clear of the invasives, it would require much, much more labor than simply keeping them cut. Although the willows are not modern science approved, their spreading roots do keep the banks together, and they look beautiful to boot. The choice is the beautiful traditional park as designed by Trexler's landscape architect, or the ugly we have now which is environmentally toxic.
ReplyDeleteI will ask the Innovative Administrator directly, what exactly does an "Innovator Administrator" do and what do you expect to accomplish? Scott Armstrong
ReplyDeleteYou got to be kidding. You really expect her to answer you on a blog? MM made an excellent suggestion. I'm waiting on dinner or I would not have bothered to make this comment.
DeleteMs. Cole has been very accessible on this blog. However she may not work 24/7. I'm sure anybody can contact her at city hall, but not anonymously. On a similar note, although I start approving comments about 4:00AM, I usually turn the computer off around 6:30PM
Delete@9:20 my charge is to make the city a more collaborative and data driven place. currently i’m focused on digitizing city services and just led the project to modernize the city’s website. i now am reviewing the city’s external services to see where we might increase efficiencies and effectiveness. i host a monthly event called City Hall at the Table to bring residents and city employees together for problem solving conversations. although i started my career as an Americorps volunteer, alas, now i have young children and i must feed them and put a roof over their head.
ReplyDelete@11:48 you’ll notice that i don’t post during working hours. i think a free press is essential to democracy and i like to take in many different sources. however, when i am snarkily summoned, i will post too :)
my position has been somewhat budget neutral so far. i’ve brought in $150k of direct grants and more in-kind resources through internships and partnerships with community institutions.
@5:01 my big north star goals are to: 1: implement more performance management standards in the city so that we are always improving our customer service capabilities 2: get the city of allentown ranked as one of the best places to work in the LV and 3. continually prototype new projects and programs to improve resident quality of life so that we can scale up what works
governments tend to be risk averse institutions, and with good reason. but when you never take risks, you never evolve, and in the 21st century that is a risk in and of itself. i’m here to help take some calculated risks based on resident input.
"@9:20 my charge is to make the city a more collaborative and data driven place. currently i’m focused on digitizing city services and just led the project to modernize the city’s website."
DeleteAll this is well and good. Are you the one who closed the city's facebook page to citizen comments? Apparantley the Turek regime does not like citizen comments on its activities that it posts in its facebook group,
6:22 - Are you joking? She can’t be expected to answer on a blog? She’s already posted here several time (on different days). She obviously has time on her hands.
ReplyDeleteAnd why not tell us what she does, here on this blog? It seems much more efficient (and a better use of time) than asking people to contact her one-at-a-time.
When 12:38 posted his questions, he hadn't seen Ms. Cole's reply at 9:18, because I didn't approve either of their comments until after 5:00AM this morning.
ReplyDeletethe Riparian buffers is an offering to Gaia she has been abused so badly we must shield her veins and arteries from the toxic stew brewed by.modernity, so glad to hear the ducklings were not eviscerated by the mower MM no plant is invasive all gods creatures bless this blog even though it is not woke.
ReplyDelete