Although the Progressives, who campaigned against the waste to energy plant and the water lease this year, didn't like Emma Tropiano back in the day, or now, here's a history lesson they may find interesting. Shown above is Emma camping out by the entrance to Kline's Island on October 13, 1989. Her statement to the press.
"The deal with the Lehigh County Authority to open Kline's Island to outside sewage sources has promoted massive development in western Lehigh County, drawing potential commercial and industrial development away from Allentown and resulting in higher taxes for city property owners." She was running against The First Mayor For Life Joe Daddona's fourth term. His reply.
"It's obvious once again that Emma, because of her lack of knowledge and understanding of a problem, is shooting from the hip and hitting herself in the foot." She was also outspoken about the direction the city was heading in: Is Allentown in an ugly decline, with drugs, crime, filth and mismanagement rotting away the core of the Queen City, as challenger Emma D. Tropiano insists? Or is it squarely facing its problems and coming up with sound, creative solutions, as Mayor Joseph S. Daddona says?"
The Morning Call, Nov. 5, 1989.
reprinted from November of 2013
ADDENDUM May of 2017: On Tuesday Bill White repeated his quote about Emma from 2001;
I like Emma, but she wouldn't know fresh ideas and positive leadership if they were driving down Hamilton Street in a blue Cadillac. Bill has made Emma one of the symbols of his Hall Of Shame. Bill White protests against this designation, coined by yours truly years ago, and cites the philanthropic Cipko Brothers as proof that the Hall isn't limited to shame. However, I remember back when, and the gag about them was their ridiculous toupees, which White featured in photographs. Philanthropic or not, their toupees put them in the Hall, not their charity. Anyway, I digress. Bill White has been wrong about Emma for over 40 years. The problem is that now a whole generation of people disparage her, based on Morning Call distortions.
ADDENDUM JUNE 5, 2025: Emma passed away in January of 2002. Many people who still disparage her, didn't even know her. Many of those from that era were fed misinformation. Back then some reporters and the paper had agendas, about both certain people and certain topics.
“Back then some reporters and the paper had agendas, about both certain people and certain topics.”
ReplyDeleteBack then? I don’t see any change from the MC in that regard, despite a significant drop in readership and advertisers
When I was an infant, before going to kindergarden, my parents lived on Pine Street, just up the street from Tropiano's market, that she and her husband Sal owned. A few moves and some years later I went to Boy Scouts at St Andrews and would stop at Tropiano's for one thing or another and Emma would be behind the counter. I had already left Allentown for the Air Force before she went into politics, but I heard about her and her issues with Mayor Daddona.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if things would be different today in Allentown if the city had term limits on its mayors then like the city has now. And never had mayors for life like Daddona and Pawlowski. And if Emma would have been elected mayor..
There have ALWAYS been hidden agendas behind the Morning Call’s public face. Only now, that special favoritism is not so hidden. It’s right before our eyes!
ReplyDeleteMy household has subscribed for more than 50 years. I personally find it disgusting and rarely pick it up to read. Anything of a political nature is purely ultra-liberal propaganda. Hard to get past the headlines.
Yes Mike erect a statue to Emma. Be my guest. She sent me a thinly veiled death threat which, although now fairly common in politics was extremely rare back then. I shared it with Justice Dugan who told me I could act on it. However, I followed his advice which was along the lines of, "It's Emma". Then without another word, gave me the "you know she's touched" look. I thanked him and let it go. That wasn't the last threat directed at me for daring to express my opinions about city government publicly. In later years they became far more serious. Sure you suffered similar treatment. R.I. P. Emma. She too only wanted what was best for her town.
ReplyDeleteIf Trump was running Allentown instead of the constant stream of incompetent, corrupt and opportunistic liberal Democrats, Allentown would never, ever have sold its water and sewer systems to LCA. Instead, Allentown would have played hardball with Upper Macungie, Lower Macungie, South Whitehall etc...to pay up or build your own sewer treatment plant. The suburban municipalities have extremely affluent residents who pay almost no local property tax [Lower Macungie has 0% local property tax]. The City could have raised non-City rates as a way to raise much needed capital funds. The one thing Allentown did better than the suburbs, water and sewer service and Roy/Fed Ed gave it away to LCA.
ReplyDeleteOff topic, but I saw that the Mayor is proposing new fire, EMS and health department facilities at 4th and Turner Streets. According to WFMZ, “Plans for the proposed Allentown Life Safety and Wellness Center include a three-story fire and EMS building, a three-story health bureau with a partial basement and a four-story parking garage with 300 spaces.”
ReplyDeleteAs usual, this is the height of stupidity.
Traffic on 4th Street is already difficult much of the time, and when students (and buses) are arriving at Central Catholic in the morning or leaving in the afternoon, Fourth Street is near impassible in a car, much less for an emergency vehicle. Plus, that area already has a hospital with its own emergency traffic.
Of course the EMS and Fire Building is likely only included there to help garner support for the new three story health and wellness building, which is needed to shelter city governments’s ever-growing bureaucracy and of course, provide “equity”.
I can think of two better places straight off. Over by Dieruff which would centralize EMS and Fire close to the residents of the east side. Or by South Mountain Jr HS, which also would benifit the residents of the South Side.
DeleteIn my view, both of those sections of the City have been unerserved by government services jeesh, since I was in high school in 1972. Nothing ever changes in those areas of town.
Emma, had the COMMON SENSE of a self employed person, who loved her community and neighborhood and could see through the nonsense that passes for wisdom from the highly educated, but lacking in COMMON SENSE wisdom that come from actually doing things in real life.
ReplyDeleteThe whole country is now run by elites with no practical experience, always quick to adopt some new theoretical idea pushed by those, who are devious but with practical experience, who can bamboozle them that they are the smartest and greatest by adopting their policies.
Yes, in speaking with Emma, I got the distinct idea she was no nonsense. When people speak their mind, the people they're speaking to lose their minds and it's proportional to the degree of the brutality in the honesty.
DeleteWhen we spoke, I admitted that I was the ONE vote that cost her the election... she smiled and said I wasn't the only person to tell her that... still bothers me. I'm not a big democrat voter, but always split my vote and voted for the best candidate. Today, you can't trust a syllable let alone a word that these candidates utter... the split second they're in office they do a 180 degree switch.
Case in point- my late great friend invited Don Cunningham to speak at her home. I personally asked one ended questions and received excellent answers... the split second was all it took for Donny boy to do his 180 switcheroo!!! Now DJT is doing what he said he would and there is flack all over the place. While I don't agree with all of his agenda, I approve of most of it.
Thanks for pointing out, once again, how propagandized the citizen taxpaying suckers have been. The paper dupes us, the government dupes us... heck, we dupe ourselves. I hope we enjoy what we permitted to be created. Shame on this now putrid city.
ReplyDelete