New Graveside Tears At Fairview in Allentown

In August of 08, after about a year of blogging on conditions at Fairview, The Morning Call ran the story shown above. I did manage to organize a small meeting between the cemetery operators and the public later that fall. Yesterday I received the following comment, submitted to a posting from that period.

Patti from California has left a new comment on your post "New Graveside Tears":

My family is buried at Fairview and 2 weeks ago I visited and was appalled at the horrible conditions and total lack of maintenance throughout the cemetery. I have been trying to reach Loretta or David most of the summer and was told they had taken an extended trip out of the country. (business must be good) They seem to be back now - but still no way to actually talk to them.

My mother is 97 - plans to be buried there with her parents and my Dad. I could cry at the thought ....

I googled Fairview and was led to your blog. Loretta told me in May I could get our plot maintained if I invested in their endowment for $1000. After seeing the total lack of care there, I feel like I would be throwing the money away. What do other people think or do about this appalling condition?

I feel sorry for this family, Fairview may have been a well maintained place when the father was buried there many years ago. I believe the cemetery is in better condition than it was two years ago, but that's not saying very much. I will occasionally revisit this topic, to at least continue a small noise on behalf of these families.

reprinted from September of 2009

ADDENDUM: Over the years I have published numerous posts about Fairview Cemetery. Today and yesterday, I revisited the cemetery to cast light on a problem; Allentown's orphan cemeteries. Although Fairview isn't really an orphan, it shares the same issues as the West End Cemetery, in center city. Our esteemed mayor took it upon himself to purchase two unnecessary parcels, ostensibly to add to the park system. In addition to their cost, $1.5 million dollars, there will be upkeep expenses by an already underfunded park system. City hall should instead concentrate on these cemeteries, which have been problematic for decades.

reprinted from November of 2016

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 7, 2017: In the picture above I'm shown walking in the small Jewish section of Fairview. Over the last decade, in addition to advocating for the cemetery's upkeep, I've made frequent return visits to keep checking on conditions. Starting about five years ago, I noticed new burials toward the rear of the sprawling cemetery, near Harrison Street. It certainly appeared to me that these new burials were on old family plots, probably no longer visited by any descendants. I mentioned my concern to several people associated with other cemeteries. They seemed to share my suspicion, but did not want to get involved. The new burials have continued, and now appear bordering old family plots even closer to the front of the grounds, near Lehigh Street. The current owner claimed years ago that the plot plan for the cemetery was destroyed in a fire. Let this post serve as public notice of what may well be a new problem at a very old cemetery.

No Dutchmen Need Apply

Mildred and Milton are upset. They lived and worked their entire lives in Allentown. They both started working in sewing factories after high school and spend their working lives there. During the late 60's they owned their only car, and always lived in apartments. They never sought any help from the government, their culture taught them to make it do, use it up, wear it out and do without. When they heard about these new public housing apartments overlooking the Lehigh, they thought that would be a nice reward for a life of hard work. They were told it would take years,years they don't have, to get on the list. It's hard for them to understand how brand newcomers to the area, who don't  speak English, go to the head of the line. They don't know about the poverty pimps, the social organizations, funded by grants; The professional advocates who know what buttons to push, who make a career out of political correctness. Maybe we need a Pennsylvania Dutch American Organization.

 reprinted from 2007 and 2010

ADDENDUM: Needless to say ,the previous times I published this piece some readers were offended by its bluntness. Here we are in 2017, and Mayor Pawlowski isn't even seeking Mildred and Milton's vote.

The World Of Mirth

Allentown at one time had two very productive railroad branch lines; The West End, and the Barber Quarry. The Barber Quarry, for the most part, ran along the Little Lehigh Creek. It serviced the Mack Truck plants on South 10th, and continued west until it turned north along Union Terrace, ending at Wenz's tombstone at 20th and Hamilton Streets. The West End, for the most part, ran along Sumner Avenue, turning south and looping past 17th and Liberty Streets.

The Allentown Economic and Development Corporation has received a $1.8 million grant, toward a $4 million dollar project, to restore a portion of the Barber Quarry branch to service it's industrial building on South 10th Street. This building housed Traylor Engineering, which was a giant back in the day. Recently it housed a fabricator who President Obama visited on his Allentown photo opportunity mission. The business has since closed, but let's not have that reality stand in the way of grants. Last summer, I fought against Allentown's Trail Network Plan, which catered to the spandex cyclist crowd. The new trail was to be built on the Barber Quarry track line. Not only didn't the AEDC oppose the plan, it's director was an advocate. Now they will be funded to develop that which they wanted to destroy. Where do I begin in Allentown's World of Mirth?

The wonderful photograph above shows the World of Mirth train at 17th and Liberty. World of Mirth was the midway operator at the Allentown Fair during the 40's and 50's. In the background is Trexler Lumber Yard, which burnt down in the early 1970's. The B'nai B'rith Apartment houses now occupy the location.
photograph from the collection of Mark Rabenold

UPDATE: The Barber Quarry branch was not the primary railroad access to the Mack plants on South 10th Street. The branch only provided service to Mack Plant #2 on South 10th and Mack Plant #1 on 7th and Mill Streets which both closed for manufacturing in 1924 in favor of Mack #3,3A,4 and 4A on South 10th. These were served by the Reading Railroad Mack Branch. There was a switchback that connected the Barber Quarry to the Reading west of Traylor Engineering and Manufacturing Co. Yet, that was built by the Reading to serve Traylor and did not provide access for the LVRR to Mack #3,3A, 4 and 4A.

Also the western terminus was not wenz's on Hamliton Street. The branch crossed Hamilton and served several businesses including Yeager Fuel on North St Elmo, several silk mills and Pepsi Bottling at 2100 Linden Street. The bottling plant closed in 1963 which then became a city parks department building. The LVRR sold and removed the track north of Hamilton street in 1969. Accordingly, in 1970, the Wenz company became the western most shipper and receiver on the branch. update information from anonymous comment in November of 2010

reprinted from September of 2013

Allentown On A Tightrope

Forty three years ago Philippe Petit walked above Hamilton Street on a tightrope. Two weeks earlier he had walked between the Twin  World Trade Towers above Manhattan. Back then, you could count on Allentown's retail titan Max Hess to bring the best to town.

Flash ahead over four decades, and now Allentown itself is on the tightrope. Our mayor, who has been alleged corrupt by the FBI, will likely be re-elected by a coalition of minority voters. Aiding in that election result is a city councilman, who will most likely divide the anti-corruption vote, hoping to enter the office through the back door early next year.

The public is distracted by some new buildings which poach tenants from elsewhere in the valley, and the local newspaper was incentivized to under-report that reality by the same real estate deal.

Those who still seek unbiased commentary may well be limited to this blog.

photocredit: The Morning Call/August 1974

Just Out Of View and Gone In Allentown

The photo above means a lot to me, for the things just out of view and now gone. You're at the crossing tower on Union Street, near 3th. There's another gate stopping the eastbound traffic, which has backed up toward the Jordan Creek. The same train has also blocked traffic further down the line, at Basin Street. It's the early 1950's and the tracks from the two rail lines, Lehigh Valley and Jersey Central, cross here.  At the end of Union Street you can make out my father's market, Allentown Meat Packing Company. The whole side of the building is a sign, painted directly on the brick in red and silver, Retail Meats, Wholesale Prices. You'll pass Morris Black Building Supply and The Orange Car before you get there. You'll also have to cross another set of tracks, which was the Lehigh Valley old main, before they built the Railroad Terminal over the Jordan Creek, at Hamilton Street. Our commercial past is now consigned to memory and future urban archeology.

reprinted from December of 2013

Selective Statues And Op-Eds

Much attention has been paid to the noble effort, in many parts of America, to remove offensive statues and memorials of past heroes of the south who are now recognized as villains by their beliefs and deeds. Most of the focus has been on statues depicting Confederate generals, statesmen, and even soldiers. Every day, it seems, brings news of another monument to those associated with protecting evil institutions being removed from a public space.

Sadly, no proper attention is being paid to another so called hero of the past.

This twentieth century president knowingly put a member of the Klu Klux Klan on the supreme court, deliberately excluded black gold medal athletes to a “whites only” White house welcome, refused to sign anti-lynching laws because he was afraid it would lose him white votes, declined to desegregate the military and federal work force that had only recently been segregated by America’s 1st progressive president, Woodrow Wilson, a little over a decade before. He did, however, sign legislation that introduced Redlining as official business for the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and, as one historian put it, turned the institution into one which “exhorted segregation and enshrined it as public policy.” This same president was the leader of a political party that was heavily populated with outspoken racists. All this said, these many detestable acts, and the tendency to give deferential political treatment to bigots, were just the tip of the iceberg.

This president interned over 120,000 Japanese-Americans in concentration camps simply because they were of Japanese ancestry. Many lost everything they owned, including land, homes, and businesses. During their time in these concentration camps they were separated from immediate family and acquaintances. He also denied Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany on the MS St. Louis entry into the United States, despite direct appeals to him. As a result, many of those poor souls ended up back in the hands of Adolf Hitler.

This President, of course, is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and even today, he is celebrated by many of the same people who are, at this moment, advocating for the removal of potentially offensive imagery from public spaces.

Now, one might say he did some of these things because that was the thinking of the times, or he had support from congress and/or the Supreme Court. But aren’t these the same excuses we rightfully dismiss when apologists for the confederacy try to justify that racism.? If ridding our public places of certain monuments will serve to unite America and shield the public from unnecessary offense and uncomfortable historical events, then how can we possibly justify memorials and a place on our coins for FDR? On that note, shouldn’t we also agree that the monuments to the five Democratic Senators that signed the racist “Southern Manifesto” Including the still beloved Sam Irvin and Former Senate Leader and Hillary Clinton mentor Robert C. Bryde be removed? Should we then remove the numerous statues, and the name from the many academic buildings of one of America’s most notorious racist residents, Woodrow Wilson.

Who out there, with what I assume are only the best of intentions, could demand we only remove some statues of disgraced historical figures, but leave these others standing? Surely no honest person of any integrity would do such a thing.

Scott Armstrong,
Allentown


Editorial From Molovinsky; The above thought provoking Op-Ed was submitted to The Morning Call last week by Scott Armstrong. After not hearing back from the editor for over a week, Scott asked if I might be interested in printing it. In addition to its own merits, I'm also interested in addressing the paper's editorial policy. I've come to the conclusion that the Morning Call bases their decision on who submits the piece, rather than its merits. Both Armstrong and myself have had our submissions put off, I suspect for being too conservative for the paper's taste. In my case, I also suspect that they are providing cover for certain sacred cows. The red illustration at the top of the post is from Robert Trotner's Facebook page. He also is currently being put off by the editor.

A Small Break For Allentown School Taxpayers

Although, the Allentown School Taxes went up this year, one expense has gone down; Starting this year the teacher's union will pay their boss's salary, instead of the school district. This change is one result of a lawsuit filed by Scott Armstrong and Steven Ramos.

The Armstrong/Ramos suit also seeks back salary paid to the union leader, Debbie Tretter, since 2009. Tretter is an Allentown teacher, but is relieved of teaching duties to serve full time in her union position. This practice is known as ghost teaching, and is widespread throughout Pennsylvania.

Armstrong and Ramos, who often comment here, are tenacious advocates for their beliefs.  Armstrong would now like Allentown voters to realize that Ray O'Connell was a supporter of the arrangement, which paid Tretter with their tax money.

ADDENDUM: WEDNESDAY 11:00AM. My statement above about O'Connell  supporting the arrangement was a paraphrase from an Armstrong comment yesterday on Facebook.  O'Connell just contacted me to say that he never had any involvement in the negotiations that permitted that arrangement.  I had messaged O'Connell's Facebook campaign page seeking comment yesterday, but he apparently did not see the message.

This blogger attended Jefferson Elementary, shown above, starting in the 3rd grade. At that time, Lehigh Parkway only went through 2nd grade, and we were then bused to Jefferson.

The Mighty Atom

Years ago, at the Allentown Fair, as one would push through a sea of carney delusion, tucked back by the 4H animals, was an island of reality. There, in an old battered truck, an ancient Jewish strongman performed incredible feats of strength, to sell only homemade kosher soap. Standing on a platform on the rear of his truck, flanked by photographs from his performing youth, he would bent horse shoes and bite through nails. Many years earlier, my mother as a little girl in Bethlehem, saw him pull a truck uphill with his hair. Even as an old man, like a reincarnation of Samson, his grey hair was still long.
In the summers of 1964 and 1965, myself and a friend,(Fred Schoenk, retired Allentown art teacher) made and sold printed tee-shirts at the fair. We had the honor to know Joseph Greenstein(The Mighty Atom) and his wife. For those interested, there are various articles on the Mighty Atom and even at least one book. Enjoy the fair!

reprinted annually since 2007

Allentown Shootings

Statistics that crime is down are meaningless.  We have never had this many shootings and stabbings.   The consequences of the center city demographic shifts  have come home to roost in Allentown.  The changes were fueled about ten years ago by several organizations who would pay the first month rent and security deposit for the unemployed by choice, who flocked here from New York and New Jersey for those incentives.  Some of the new residents were actually set up twice,  after they were evicted the first time.

In 2005, as an independent candidate for mayor, I spoke up and out about what the consequences of this change would be for Allentown.  We could now be living in the end times of a former livable city.

Perhaps, with the proper leadership,  we could begin to restore some balance between productive citizens and the predators.  At best, it will take a decade of hard decisions, unencumbered by political correctness.

Nat Hyman had a letter in the paper this weekend outlining his proposals to reduce crime, if he were elected mayor.  Let us hope that the residents of Allentown decide to fight back, and that he prevails in November.

Allentown's New Dog Park

I'm in at least one Allentown park every day. Recently, I visited a dog park in another community a couple of times.  I can tell you that Allentown has an existing dog community in most of its parks. Owners and their dogs visit each other every day in Lehigh Parkway, Cedar Park, Trexler Park and other spots in Allentown.

There would be nothing wrong with establishing a separate dog park near Dixon Street, if the existing parks were maintained, but that's not the case. Every existing park has issues of neglect and deferred maintenance.

We have a mayor desparate to cut another ribbon, hoping it will garner him a few more votes come November.  We have a park director who is apparently more interested in adding new bullet points to her resumé,  than preserving our iconic park system.

Despite the reservations expressed here, the new dog park is under construction. If you visit with your four legged friend,  remember that the double stairway at Lehigh Parkway is falling apart, along with most of the other park structures which once made our city famous.

picture postcard, circa 1950, of Allentown's iconic Lehigh Parkway,  with the WPA Double Stairway 

The Post Journalism Era

Let me start with a disclaimer, I did not watch the speech/rally.  I started to watch a youtube of it, but loss interest very quickly.  What I did notice was that every article about it was an editorial, not a report. It compared what he previously said about Charlottesville, with what he said in Phoenix.

Trump complains that the media unfairly inserts their attitude into the news about him,  and the media in turn applies more attitude when reporting on his complaint.  Where does one find news in this climate?  It now appears that the BBC is channeling CNN: Scratch one more source.

Don't confuse me with a Trump supporter, I'm a defender of our democracy.  You couldn't have paid me to attend that Phoenix event.  Every complaint about him has some truth,  but the media should attempt to separate their opinion from their reporting.  CNN spent Wednesday asking various public officials if Trump is fit to be president?  The Democrats need to mound no opposition strategy,  the media is doing it for them.

The Trump era news' treatment is now being taught in our colleges and universities as journalism.  Revisionism, instead of taking decades, now takes minutes.

An Atlantic City Memory

The picture above by the Associated Press appeared on Facebook yesterday, in regard to the death of Jerry Lewis, the famed comedian. If the picture doesn't look like funny Jerry, there's a reason.

When I was about eight years old, my cousin and I stayed with our aunt, who had rented a house for the summer at the shore. Walking on the boardwalk, my consin and I were delighted to see on the marquee that Jerry Lewis was entertaining on Steel Pier. We both ponied up our week's money and went in to see the funny man. A rather gaunt man came out onto the stage and sat at a piano. When he started singing Great Balls Of Fire, we were confused. When he started pounding the piano with his feet, and his hair started unraveling, we were shocked.

Apparently, the young person at the Associated Press also confused Jerry Lewis with Jerry Lee Lewis, whose picture appears above.

No Real Nazis In Charlottesville

My post on Trump and the Jews received numerous back channel complaints from my fellow tribe members.  How could I possibly defend Trump from not speaking out more forcibly against Nazis?

When children came dressed to your door as super heroes on Halloween, did you think that it was really Superman and Batman?  The real Nazis took our relatives away in the middle of the night and put them in concentration camps, before gassing them.  What you saw in Charlottesville was real anti-semitism,  but not real Nazis.  I understand the concept of being vigilant, but don't trivialize the Holocaust because of your hate against Trump.  American Nazi are not new.  They were already marching against the Jews in Skokie 39 years ago.

While I'm airing complaints against this blog,  here's a different one from a black reader about the Ambush At 9th & Chew  post.

  Gangsters?? who the hell you calling gangsters??? Did they kill that women like racists in Virginia???? Its funny how you hypocrites will praise white drug dealers, and save white addicts. smh....freedom of speech is for cowards too!!!The real gangsters are in the White House. Why don't you write for Breitbart Mr M. they would love you there.  

It wasn't the racists in Virginia in Halloween costumes who killed the woman, it was a lone nut from Ohio, who was probably a week away from killing someone back home.

I don't believe that those swastika armbands in Charlottesville are a threat against me, but I do speak out in person against anti-semitic statements said in my presence.  I don't believe that Confederate statues are a threat against blacks, but I would be concerned about kids formulating gangs at 9th and Chew.

Trump And The Jews

The Jewish reaction to Trump's statements about Charlottesville can be viewed within the larger political arena;  The overwhelming majority of Jews are Democrats, and voted for Hillary Clinton.  They join those who haven't gotten over the election last November, and bash Trump as the numerous opportunities arise.  That said, people marching with torches shouting Jews Will Not Replace Us leaves quite a jarring impression.

As a political conservative of the Jewish faith, I have no delusions about anti-semitism. I think that it is everywhere, just under the surface. I think that many non-Jews share the misconception that there is some secretive Jewish network,  helping Jews succeed at the expense of everyone else.  If such a network exists,  they must have misplaced my address.  These misconceptions have existed for almost two thousand years,  and I choose not to blame Trump for them.

Trump's presidency has been a series of poorly worded sound bites.  His background in commercial real estate development didn't require political correctness.  He was suggesting that everybody who was protesting against removing a statue of Robert E. Lee wasn't evil,  and that not everyone favoring its removal was pure in their intent.  He was not defending Neo-Nazis, or their  hatred of Jews and blacks. In our current era nothing elicits more reaction than an accusation of racism.  Even Mitt Romney joined the drum-beaters this weekend.  I didn't realize that he was interested in 2020.

 Most of those criticizing Trump for not providing moral clarity last week would not be satisfied regardless of what he had said, or didn't say.

O'Connell's Back Door

Allentown City Council will hire an attorney and attempt to have Pawlowski removed as mayor.  What this effort indicates to me, this late in the game,  is that Ray O'Connell shares the belief that election night will go to Pawlowski.  Considering that most pundits feel that O'Connell's entrance into the race as a write-in is a boost to Pawlowski's chances,  I might question O'Connell's write in effort.

The City Charter,  short of conviction, leaves the mayor in office.  The best way to get him out is at the polls.  The best chance of an opponent winning is a two-way race.  O'Connell could withdraw his write-in campaign, and support Hyman.

The above two paragraphs are my gut reaction as a local political analyst to the city council vote to hire an attorney.  That said,  as a former third person myself on the ballot, and as an admirer of Ray O'Connell,  best wishes in his pursuit.

Jaindl Up The Creek

It's not actually a creek, but the Lehigh River.  It's not actually Jaindl up the creek, but Allentonians who care about history.  Talen Energy has announced that it will relocate from the PPL Plaza down Hamilton Street to Reilly's new Tower 6.  Jaindl was hoping to land Talen as his anchor tenant for his  project at the riverfront,  which also has NIZ designation.

Students of this blog may remember that I complained about the last spur route being removed from the riverfront,  to accommodate Jaindl's project.  Although,  they tried to spin the track removal with the Rail To Trail annoucement,  it was a historic loss for Allentown. The spur was part of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Old Main, with the last distributor in Allentown using rail service.

This town, and especially Pawlowski, has no knowledge or sense of local history.  The boards, authorities and commissions in Allentown, which are composed mostly of Pawlowski appointees, also have no sense of history.  Further adding to this problem, is the significant number of new residents in the area.  Whether they are the entitlement folks from the big cities, or the new middle class suburbanites, local history is of little concern to them.  Never the less,  local history will continue to be a major theme of this blog.

Photo shows the former last spur line in Allentown, which was probably removed for naught.

The Saga Of Cedarbrook

I snickered when I learned that the Lehigh County Commissioners last week were getting ready to decide the fate of Cedarbrook Nursing Home. They already decided in 2011, when they started postponing any decision. Now, six years later, they have decided? The decision back then in 2011 was rather than say no to the county elders, and suffer the political consequences, they could keep postponing their decision with more and more studies. Along these many years I credit myself and Tom Mueller for speaking out against the charade.

By now Cedarbrook could have been renovated and turned profitable. Recently, at least one former commissioner took umbrage at me for pointing out the folly of another board. Over the years from attending meetings and advocating for one issue or another, I have become friendly with many of our commissioners. However, for me not to speak out against their collective shortcomings because of friendship or courtesy would negate both my activism and this blog. I choose to put these missions first, whether it be the parks or the elderly.

photocredit: K Mary Hess

Ambush At 9th & Chew

A former neighborhood leader was ambushed at 9th & Chew Streets last week.  Youths with their faces covered by bandanas circled her car in ATV vehicles,  causing both damage and fright.   Although Pawlowski is featuring the new buildings in his campaign material,  I suspect that the ambush will not be mentioned. Neither will be the recent shootings, stabbings, home invasions and homicides.

In 2005, I predicted our current state of crime. As a independent candidate for mayor, and an inter-city property manager, I was well aware of the changes moving into Allentown.  Although my views were marginalized by The Morning Call at the time, those chickens have come home to roost.  Allentown has reached a critical mass of the hardcore under Pawlowski's tenure. Hideous crimes are a daily occurrence. The NIZ district will be full of new Reilly owned buildings, but there will be no revitalization. No yuppie with more than three brain cells will want to live downtown among the gangsters.


The screen shot shown above is from John Ford's 1939 epic, Stagecoach.  The movie was filmed in Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation.   That movie, and subsequent ones featuring the valley, made it a destination. 

Stoking The Fire

What occurred in Virginia over the weekend is certainly a tragedy. I don't watch cable news as most people do, my television viewing is very restricted. From the headlines; Three Killed By Supremacist March. Only later did I learn that one pedestrian was killed by the car ramming, and two policemen died when their helicopter crashed.

The march started as a protest to removing the statue of Robert E. Lee. It was originally conceived by the University Of Virginia itself, as a Day Of Reflective Conversation. The white national group's participation was defended by the American Civil Liberties Union.  No less of an informed American than Condoleezza Rice has spoken out previously against revising Confederate history. History is something you add to, not take away from.  The march also did attract neo-nazi's and the KKK. These subgroups are opportunists.

The person who weaponized the car is supposedly a Trump supporter. Juxtaposition Trump's weak comments with that person's background, and you have a media storm which will last indefinitely.  The media pundits are holding Trump responsible for the death.  Nobody of course would attribute any blame to Cornel West, the Princeton/Harvard professor who encouraged the counter demonstration.

ADDENDUM:  On August 16 I received the following note by email from a local reader/college professor.  Although, I don't find his sources any more substantial than mine,  I present his objection to above post.

The march/protest to removing statue was, of course, *not* originally conceived by the University—a day of reflective conversation was. Unite the Right organized the actual protest, which — obviously no one disputes this, including the groups themselves—is a coalition of neo-nazi, white supramicists, and the KKK. It is flat-out inaccurate to say “The march also did attract new-nazi’s and the KKK.” It was organized by them. A correction is called for, in my opinion. The stakes are obviously high on this.

Simmons Is Better Than This

I support the 2nd Amendment and own a gun. That said, I do not belong to the NRA;  I cannot  respect a group which tells its members for whom to vote.

I was disappointed to see Justin Simmons pander to gun owners with a concealed carry seminar.  Here again,  I'm not against the right to carry, just against politicians who play on it, one way or another,  These seminars are straight from Julie Harhart's old playbook, who was a Representative for eleven terms.  I could accept Simmons reneging on his term limit pledge, but he should be above  parlor tricks like this seminar.

Allentown's Planning Puppies

Longtime readers of this blog know that I have written about these puppies before, when they approved the arena itself.  At that time, I said that one of them tried to bark, but hadn't really learned yet,  but that they were so cute.   They're still obedient, and this week passed J.B. Reilly's plans for the Croc Rock site.  One planner praised the proposed design,  inadvertently acknowledging  that their previous approvals were devoid of architectural merit. Could you imagine them not approving a  Reilly proposal?

By coincidence, many years ago I  happen to be sitting with Joe Clark when the then mayor phoned him about his plans for that nightclub. Lets just say that he didn't get the cooperation that Reilly is getting, nor did he get to pay for it with our state tax money.

Also on the puppy's menu was Nat Hyman's proposal to turn the massive Phoenix Mill building into apartments.  I have an issue with these conversion projects.  On one hand,  additional apartments contribute to the poverty magnate, by making housing relatively overly abundant  and cheap in center city. However, I do believe in the right of property owners to utilize their investment, and alternative  commercial uses for such buildings no longer exist.  Some people on Facebook wonder if such a project is a conflict of interest for a mayoral candidate.  I think not, and Hyman will seek all necessary approvals before serving, if elected.

Pawlowski Park Crimes

Yesterday on Facebook, Mayor For Life Pawlowski was bragging about a grant to plan for a new park in Allentown. This park would be around the old incinerator plant off of Basin Street. As a long time advocate for the park system, especially maintaining the WPA structures, nothing represents Pawlowski's disconnect from Allentown values more than this proposal. There is so much wrong with it, it's hard to know where to begin.

Pawlowski spent $1.5 Million Dollars buying part of this parcel and another unnecessary one from a local developer in a questionable deal. The WPA double stairway in Lehigh Parkway is crumbling. One of the landings is starting to cave in from neglect, threatening the steps below. Although the city had to replace and repair part of the wall to reopen the park entrance, the remainder of the wall has received no attention, what so ever. Likewise, other WPA locations, such as Union Terrace, are in dire need of restoration.

It would be nothing less than a disgrace to open another park until the existing park structures are repaired. Likewise, the grant that Pawlowski is bragging about should have been directed to WPA structures,  instead of trying to justify one of his back room deals.

Airport Director Flies Coop

The director of LVIA is leaving,  and their board of directors issued the standard exit praise about the wonderful job he did.  In my opinion,  neither he or they do a good job.

As often the case,  people appointed to these boards are the same good old boys appointed to multiple boards.  Often they are appointed not because they care and study a situation, but because their cooperation can be counted upon.

The previous ill-advised acquisition of expansion land cost the authority over $26 million in punitive damages.  Factor in that the airport passenger volume has generally deceased,  the wisdom of those previous decisions is apparent.

When the board decided to do away with the previous management company,  they hired the guy who was representing the previous company, expecting better results?  In recent years they have modernized a perfectly modern facility for no useful purpose.  Their current useless project is to do away with the convenience of having the car rentals by the luggage claim area, and building a separate building as a transportation hub.  Again, expanding for expansion sake with no useful purpose.

In the meantime,  they continue to overcharge for parking, and fail to induce more flights to more destinations.

In the past when I questioned a board member about some of these decisions,  he knew little to nothing about them.  Of course that didn't deter him from voting yes.

What Now For Allentown

With Ray O'Connell entering the mayoral race as a write-in,  the dynamics of the contest change. Some students of the local political scene think that the anti-Pawlowski vote will be divided up between O'Connell and Hyman,  giving Pawlowski a plurality election eve.

Certainly,  O'Connell's entrance can only take votes away from Hyman.  While some Republicans complain that he is only one of them by opportunity, that accusation may actually be a plus in Democratic Allentown.  So far,  I haven't seen Hyman defend his recent Republican registration.

Although Allentown would certainly be better off with either O'Connell or Hyman, I'm refraining from any predictions, with one exception.  Regardless of who wins,  Allentown has been lessened because Pawlowski won the primary.  The fact that about 28% of the votes cast in the Democratic Primary were for someone with compromised integrity, doesn't bode well for Allentown's future.  These supporters will continue their own agenda, regardless of who wins in November.  Future politicians will have to pander to this element, who are more concerned with entitlements than ethics.

Being An Independent Blogger

The Morning Call yesterday reported that two independents have qualified for the mayoral ballot. In addition to reporting their names and backgrounds, they included a photograph of both. In 2005, although I was the first independent to run in two decades, they never once published my photograph throughout the entire campaign. They also excluded me from their sponsored debate with Muhlenberg College, televised by WFMZ.  Every day for two weeks they ran a quarter page photograph of both Pawlowski and Heydt in the paper, promoting the debate. I mention this inequity as a prelude to my thoughts about blogging.

 My exchange with a reporter abruptly ended when I mentioned a former reporter who covered the 2005 campaign, and his bias for Pawlowski. The former reporter was not only Pawlowski's first supporter, but ended up being the last person hired by Mike Fleck, before he flew the coop. The current reporter has remained friends with this guy, and apparently demonstrated his loyalty by ending our dialogue. A feud with a  local  blogger also involved loyalty. He claimed that I was being disloyal, when I scoffed at a disclaimer he made.

 Loyalty to me is something you give to your significant other and your country. It's not something which should extend to journalism, especially in the political arena. That's how you end up with a mayor running for his fourth term under indictment.

Pawlowski's Poverty Shuttle

I told readers that Pawlowski won the primary by campaigning in the minority owned beauty and barber shops. These people were flattered by receiving attention from a mayor. He subsequently attended every event and birthday party to which they invited him. On primary evening he had cobbled together over 1,700 votes, a plurality to win in the crowded primary field. Not being content with my analysis, I called it the Marion Barry vote, because these constituents are not turned off by Pawlowski's trouble with the law. He continues now to court this demographic.  A bus outfitted with a Re-Elect Pawlowski  sign fueled speculation that he was providing a free shuttle service around town.  Perhaps at night the shuttle could take shooting and stabbing victims to the emergency ward.

He certainly knows how to work these people for his gain.  A free shuttle service would be appropriate, since under his tenure most of the low-income moved to Allentown.  I saw another photo of him carrying a cooler, and handing out bottles of water in a park.  I suppose that's because he leased the city's water department.  He might also consider handing out models of city hall,  since he allegedly sold that as well.

Those looking for nice sentiments should buy a Hallmark card,  you won't find them here.

Morning Call's Farewell Missing Firewall

In Bernie O'Hare's obsession to criticize me on Monday, and ingratiate himself with Bill White, he dismissed an important story. When I had referred to Rolf Oeler's comment as interesting, Bernie commented on his blog; His explanation (Molovinsky) is nonsense, too. People going out for dinner on Friday nights or having a drink is indicative of nothing. 

Oeler reported that J.B. Reilly, Pat Browne and Bill White were at the bar.  Bill White, in a subsequent public facebook post, commented that the occasion with Morning Call personnel, was a farewell for Matt Assad, which we know from Oeler included Pat Browne, and J. B. Reilly.

I have been asking here on this blog for several years whether Matt Assad was reporting on the NIZ, or acting as a press agent for Reilly's City Center Real Estate Company? The newspaper articles, one after another, read more like press releases than news articles. Readers looking for critical analysis of the NIZ were left mostly with only this blog. The Morning Call would be hard pressed to prove that the proper firewall exists, especially now since J.B. Reilly literally purchased the Morning Call Newspaper building, and is their landlord.

The Dour Molovinsky

Bernie O'Hare wrote an attack piece against me yesterday, in which he claims that I allowed Rolf Oeler to threaten Bill White, because White called me dour. White did describe me as dour, thank you, several years ago. However, after seeing a psychiatrist numerous times, I came to grips with the description. It appears however, that Bernie O'Hare hasn't come to grips with his resentment towards me. He got angry when I called his disclaimer about contributing $25 dollars to Morganelli an understatement. Anyone who has read O'Hare's adulation of Morganelli understands that $25 pales in comparison to all the free public relations given to him over the years.

The comment by Oeler did have some hostility, but it was interesting and informative. It was about a politician and developer sitting in a place they created with our tax money, with the newspaper men who promote it for them.  It was in no way an actual threat against Mr. White.  I believe that the only real aggression was O'Hare's post about it.

Call me dour,  but don't tell me who can comment on my blog.

Allentown's New Political Era

In his column on Sunday, Bill White uses a Winnie The Pooh analogy,  that he hopes that Pawlowski supporters start wising up, and realize that he is not the leader that he purports to be.

Ed's supporters know exactly what he is.  They're not voting for integrity,  instead they're betting on someone who might share the honey with them.  They're not voting for a better Allentown,  they're voting for bigger piece of the pie for themselves.

The new constituency which Pswlowski cobbled together for his primary victory will continue on past November's election,  regardless of who wins.  Rather than looking forward to a more ethical Allentown,  I think that we have seen the beginning of a Tammany Hall.  Even if we luck out with someone other than Pawlowski for the next mayor,  he created a blueprint for a new era of self-interest politics.

I can appreciate that some of my readers may find this post less than optimistic in outlook.  Thst's good,  because we are going to need all the idealists available to counter the coming opportunists.

Allentown's Predicament

Pawlowski says that he isn't resigning because he did nothing wrong. I certainly believe the first part of his statement, that he won't resign.  Although, his support is limited almost exclusively to minority owned beauty and barber shops, that was enough to get him on November's ballot. The established business community and local government officials have made it clear to him that he is a liability, and that he should put the city ahead of his need for a paycheck. Perhaps these two segments should put their efforts together, and see if Pawlowski could be induced to resign with a payout. He is essentially totally ineffective now as a mayor, making the entire city hall payroll non-productive.

photocredit:The Morning Call

Schism In Lehigh Valley Democratic Party

The Lehigh Valley Democratic Party Committee has thrown Chairman (for now) Walter Felton and the new minority party members shown above under the bus.  Yesterday afternoon one of the committee members forwarded their statement to blogger Bernie O'Hare, stating that Walter Felton was speaking for himself, and not the local party. We are seeing a schism between the county suburban, mostly white establishment and the city urban core, which they had formally embraced to mint new voters.

When Ed Pawlowski was campaigning to win the Democratic primary,  I reported that he was courting the minority beauty and barber shop owners.  I called it the Marion Barry vote.  A Black Democratic political consultant accused me of being racially insensitive on facebook,  because of my bluntness.  A Black woman who moved here from Washington DC told me outright that she supported Barry in spite of his criminal wrongdoings.  She is now very comfortable supporting Pawlowski.

Now that Pawlowski's indictment has become very real,  Felton and the folks pictured above apparently spoke out of turn. They apparently were not authorized to endorse Pawlowski, who now is a full blown liability.

I believe that we're witnessing the beginning of a split between the city and county Democrats.  The County party wanted those urban votes,  but the white suburban voters aren't ready for Marion Barry moments.  Don't expect any committee members to verify my observations,  but the people shown above don't appreciate being dissed.

A local Democratic activist on the molovinsky on allentown sounding board contributed to this post.

Allentown, Pawlowski and Molovinsky

When I started this blog over ten years ago, one of the things that motivated me was the direction Allentown would be going in under Pawlowski.  The Morning Call writes today that Pawlowski began his political career defeating William Heydt in 2005 for mayor.  There was actually a third candidate, an independent,  also on the ballot that year.

Although, The Morning Call denied me equal coverage,  I held underreported and unreported news conferences on what would become Allentown's most pressing problems in the coming years.  While the paper held interviews and debates with seven Democratic primary candidates this year, they claimed that three was too many when they excluded me from their sponsored debate in 2005.

Back in this blog's earliest beginnings,  I was a chorus of one.  Even bloggers Bernie O'Hare and Chris Casey assumed that the issues I was raising were just sour grapes on my part.

I will not be reporting on the nuts and bolts of the indictment.  To me it's already old news.  I will be reprinting some of my early posts.   Despite the tone of this post,  I take no satisfaction with the current events.  Despite all these new buildings, Allentown has been depreciated over the last ten years.  Our center city streets have become danger zones.  Our schools are failing.  Even our famous parks are falling apart.

Below is a reprinted post from June of 2007.

June 23, 2007

Certainly Maxwell Davison and Robert Wood had Allentown's best interest in mind when they recommended a raise for Mayor Pawlowski. The same gentleman also recommended a manager style city government. There are those complainers who say Pawlowski should be paid less ,because although the manager style was not adopted, he hired one anyway, effectively reducing his own job description. But his supporters, and there are many, feel the mayor is reorganizing the ship of city government to lead us to better times. Here's an idea, why not let these cheerleaders form a collection to show their gratitude to the Mayor. Pawlowski will receive the compensation they feel he deserves, and us malcontents will feel less exploited.

REPRINTED FROM JUNE 23, 2007

The Pawlowski Predicament.

Blogger Bernie O'Hare has reported that a lawyer associated with Ed Pawlowski expects to be indicted soon, perhaps even today.  Others speculated that this new round of indictments would include Ed Pawlowski.

A New York State Legislator had his bribery/public corruption conviction overturned by the 2nd Court of Appeals, because under the Supreme Court's recent McDonnell decision,  a public official engaging in generalized support for a patron or a contributor is no longer enough to establish a conviction.  Bernie further speculated that perhaps dropping out of the mayoral race might be a condition of bail.  I would think that regardless of what happens in regard to Pawlowski being indicted,  he will be on the ballot come November.   Furthermore, I doubt that an indictment will significantly change his chances of being elected, whatever those happen to be.  His pending indictment has already been baked into the odds.  His constituents, mostly Allentown's minority communities, won't blink over these charges.

In other ballot news, based on a conversation with Ray O'Connell last month,  I expect a decision from him this week about waging a write-in campaign.

In conclusion, I don't see an indictment of Pawlowski changing the election results.  I suspect that a trial won't occur before 2018.

ADDENDUM: Ray O'Connell is making an announcement on August 3th.  Apparently, he is joining the mayoral race as a write-in candidate.

The Left's Dilemma

My liberal and Democratic friends are still foaming at the mouth about Trump, six months after the inauguration.  While world leaders like France's Macron have come to terms with our election,  half the voters here have not.  Of course what Macron realizes is that the world is potentially a dangerous place, and what North Korea is up to is much more important than who is Trump's press secretary.  It's even much more important than who Donald Jr. met with before the election.

Unfortunately, the ratings driven media would rather profit than inform.  Thus, cable news is still reporting on SNL sketches, rather than threats to our security.  In their mind Trump and his administration is both the enemy and their bread and butter.

I suppose what really astonishes me is the superficiality of this obsession.  Trump has become the news, instead of current events.   While I'll concede that Obama was cool, and Trump is not,  what does that have to do with our economy or security?

Allentown Is A Roller Coaster

Last night I attended an art opening at the Baum School of Art. It is a continuation of the art show at Muhlenberg College, featuring artists who worked in Allentown during the 1980's. While the show at Muhlenberg exhibits their older work, the show at Baum features their current work.

Some of the artists have passed away, those remaining are now in their sixties and seventies. I knew most of them at the time, through one association or another. Some would frequent Allentown Photographic, a business I operated on 8th Street.

Although, the show was well attended, I cannot say the same for center city. Despite all the current new construction,  even though there were vacant buildings and empty lots in the 1980's, the town was more vibrant back then. Despite Billy Joel's song,  there was even more pride in the town back then.

I do believe that all this new construction will revitalize Allentown, but it hasn't happen yet.

The art shows at Muhlenberg and Baum will run through August 2nd.  Shown above is Life Is A Rollercoaster by Jessica Lenard,  Mixed media, 30X22 inches.

Allentown's Monuments Of Time

While Allentown City Council has been imploring the feds to rescue the town from our political turmoil, I have been surveying our timeless icons. Although, I cannot predict when Mr. Pawlowski will get a knock on his door, I can report on some needed emergency repairs.

Unlike Pawlowski who is responsible for his dilemma, the WPA structures continue standing despite the neglect. However, unlike people whose integrity is an internal trait, the structural integrity of these stone icons does require some outside attention.

A landing on the double stairway show above is starting to cave in. The seeping water in turn will damage the steps below it.

The bottom of the wall at the Union Terrace double stairway has some missing stones. These need to be replaced ASAP.

Unlike people who can be rehabilitated in prison, once these structures are gone, they're not coming back. In 25 years nobody will remember who Pawlowski was, but hopefully the stone icons of our park system will still be there.

Photos of the WPA structures and the campaign to save them by Molovinsky

New Superintendent Reaching Out

The new Allentown School Superintendent is reaching out to the parents. He is offering free dinner, baby sitting and a raffle for $20 gift cards to attend one of five open houses in the next two weeks; It's an opportunity to meet him and become a better parent. (Implied, but not stated) In my day parents didn't need to be bribed, but only invited to attend PTA meetings and teacher conferences. I have heard back-channel that he also wants to install free laundromats in the schools, so parents might become more involved.

Perhaps these incentives are necessary to get Allentown's low-income parents into the school buildings. If this is the case, I doubt that their interest will extend to more than the free door prizes. If this is the case, I doubt that Allentown will have any more success with these gimmicks than the other large urban areas.

While the student's parents are being invited for a free meal and gift,  the taxpaying homeowners will be receiving their school tax increase.

The school board chose this superintendent for this new route, good luck with that.

No Thirst For Local News

In a recent post,  I noted that The Morning Call seems to be lowering their firewall  between news and opinion in regard to Mayor Ed Pawlowski.  On what planet have I been stranded?  Firewall is a historic term from the dinosaur age.  It no longer exists in news, whether print or broadcast.  Quite to the contrary,  the media seems to wear their bias as a badge of conviction.

Here at the molovinsky on allentown blog,  being a completely unmonetized endeavor,  I can afford to strive for objectivity.  I even proclaim myself as non-partisan.  Truth be told, it would be very difficult to monetize the blog.  There is less than a thirst for news in this community.

Another truth be told,  I'm interacting with less and less people.  I now only attend meetings to advocate for something or other.  Since our esteemed elected officials actually do very little deliberating at the public meetings,  attendance is becoming less and less productive.

However,  I do survey people at the diners and grocery markets.  Their knowledge or interest in local decisions is minimal. Acutally,  they're  perplexed why people even concern themselves with such matters.

Lower Macungie's Draconian Policy

Farmland preservation is the yuppie myth of our time.  While liberals love their organic farmer's market, they know nothing of the realities involved.  Don't misunderstand,  I also love rides in the country and photographs of pretty pastures,  but I know where our bread and butter really comes from.

Those farms are of a different era.  While the yuppies, my pejorative term for uninformed liberal idealists, lament coal mines,  they love those farms of yesteryear.  They only still exist not because there is a shortage of open land, but because of an almost endless supply.  The only shortage involved is that of farmers,  those who are still willing to work like horses to eke out a living.  The yuppies even now want to train farmers as props for their delusion.

Farmland preservation funds are now being mostly used by gentleman farmers, with taxpayers essentially paying for privately owned country estates.  

Enter Lower Macgunie Township, which has decreed that future  home owners on previous farmland developments must pay to maintain the roads in their new neighborhoods.  The roads must still be built to township specification, but be privately maintained.  Of course these new homeowners must still pay township taxes, even though they will not be receiving the same service as residents elsewhere in the township. 

Short Notice WPA Tour

Occasionally, a student calls me about the local WPA. Apparently, my name comes up when doing research on that topic. I have volunteered to take a young woman on a quick one hour tour this coming week. It occurred to me that a few others might be interested in joining us. We will meet in front of the Allentown Art Museum on Tuesday(7/18/17) afternoon, at 1:00,  and depart promptly.

Beyond Allentown City Council's Purview

Next week Allentown will past an ordinance banning gay conversion therapy, and there were no objections at a widely attended and publicized committee meeting. Let me be the first.  While the intent of the ordinance may be commendable,  it is clearly outside of the purview of City Council.

What motivates this post is council's historical failure to properly regulate things that are in its purview. While there are many such topics,  I will mention some recent examples concerning the park system.

Allentown City Council gave permission to demolish the Robin Hood Dam in Lehigh Parkway, just to solely accommodate the Wildlands Conservancy.  Council approved spending $1.5 million dollars to purchase two parcels for additional parks, while the existing park system is in deteriorating condition.

While much of my activism has centered on the park system, there are others who could cite numerous examples where council has rubber stamped one initiative after another. Some were done to accommodate the mayor, before he lost favor.   The better interests of Allentown's general public should be the only criterion used on council decisions.

Stairway To Shame

In the mid 1930's, Allentown, and especially it's park system, was endowed with magnificent stone edifices, courtesy of the WPA; Works Progress Administration. This was a New Deal program designed to provide employment during the aftermath of the depression. Stone masons from all over the country converged on this city and built structures which are irreplaceable. The walls and step structures in Lehigh Parkway, as the Union Terrace amphitheater, are legacies which must be protected. Pictured above is the grand stairway from Lawrence Street (Martin Luther King Drive) up to Union Street, built in 1936. The steps are in a state of disrepair. They lead to the great Union Street Retaining Wall, twenty five feet high and two blocks long, which was completed in 1937. I call upon the Trexler Trust and Allentonians of memory, to insist that these steps are re-pointed and preserved. The current Administration knows nothing of our past, and really has no commitment to our future. Save the things in Allentown that matter.
REPRINTED FROM 2008

UPDATE JUNE 2015:It's seven years later, and I'd like to say there has been some progress, but it hasn't happen. While Pawlowski is on his third term as mayor, we're on our third park director, and not one $dollar has been spent on one WPA project, in all these years. Actually, the state of our historic structures has significantly declined. An indifferent administration allowed The Wildlands Conservancy to demolish the scenic Robin Hood Dam, which was only ten inches high, and was the companion piece to the Robin Hood Bridge. Built in 1941, it was the last WPA structure completed in Allentown. Union Terrace, which was the last large scale WPA project, built in 1937, is rapidly deteriorating. While the park department concentrates on playgrounds and parking lots, it's losing the stone structures which make the park system iconic. They will never be able to be replaced.

UPDATE JULY 2017: Over the years I was able to influence Karen El-Chaar,  Director of Allentown Friends Of The Parks, about the WPA structures.  She in turn prevailed in obtaining a grant from the Trexler Trust to repair the steps at Fountain Park in 2016.  Most of the structures throughout the park system remain in dire need of attention.

Allentown's Urban Woes

Allentown has been waking up to a new shooting or stabbing practically every day. We're now talking about trying neighborhood policing.  It is nothing new,  going back to the Heydt and Afflerbach administrations, with officers assigned to different districts in the city.  At one point they actually had neighborhood offices from which the officers worked, when not out talking with members of the community.

One thing is apparent, something new needs to be tried, even if it has been done before.  We know from recent experience that having a police chief of color, in itself, makes no difference.

As someone who visits Hamilton Street several times each week,  despite the arena and all the new buildings, there is less activity there than ever.  Unless, and until Allentown can appear safe there will be no meaningful revitalization.  This is the urban dilemma of our times, not unique to Allentown.

Pawlowski's Paper Problem

Up until recent years, The Morning Call wrote editorials and endorsed candidates for Mayor. They endorsed Ed Pawlowski for mayor in 2005. They certainly will not be endorsing him in 2017. As a matter of fact, it's becoming increasingly difficult for him to find a friendly word about himself in the paper. Bill White, the Call's remaining columnist, has written that it is time for Ed to go. An article in today's paper , by one of their sports writers, takes him to task for his decision to remove the basketball rims in Andre Reed Park.

As a local political blogger, I find this new attitude by the paper interesting. Although,  Bill White has criticized the Ray O'Connell write-in effort, no one at the paper has yet to directly endorse Nat Hyman. In the days of the editorials, the paper claimed a firewall between the editorials and the news. Now, there are no editorials, but the firewall seems to be lowered.

In the primary election with a crowded field, Pawlowski cobbled together a coalition of mostly minority voters.  Ray O'Connell doesn't see Pawlowski garnering much more than those 1,700 votes in the general.  How the other 5,000 or so votes will divide is the question.  Will the plurality go to O'Connell or Hyman,  or will the divided vote allow Pawlowski to win once again?

Injury To Allentown's West End

After the "improvement"

For almost a hundred years the western stretch of Chew Street beyond Muhlenberg College had a quiet elegance to it. This was by no accident, as the neighborhood was developed by General Harry Trexler, also father of the park system.

Regular readers of this blog remember that recently I lamented the decision to blacktop the cement streets.  Little did I know that the macadam would only be the first assault on the neighborhood.

Despite the fact that virtually no cars park on Chew Street in that area, parking lanes have been painted. Although, there is little traffic or even walkers, cross walks have been painted on four sides of each corner. Add the double yellow lines and bike logos, and you have a blinding smorgasbord of paint.

There's something wrong when an improvement depreciates the value of a neighborhood.

Before the "improvement"

The Politics Of Local Basketball

Mayor Pawlowski had three of the four basketball nets removed from Andre Reed Park after neighbors complained of rowdy late night playing. According to The Morning Call, a youth coach has accused Pawlowski of accommodating a few neighbors over the need for youth basketball, to curry political favor in the neighborhood.  Cynthia Mota is crying foul because of the deprived youth.  Dennis Pearson is threatening to move back to Allentown and run as a write-in candidate, unless the courts are restored.

When contacted by phone,  the founder of this blog and park activist Michael Molovinsky, said that the trouble started when Pawlowski renamed the park from Irving to Andre Reed.  Furthermore,  they removed one set of WPA steps, rather than repair them.  When you have a park department that forsakes it's history and iconic structures for recreation,  then suspends the recreation for politics, what do you have left?

photocredit: The Morning Call

ADDENDUM:This story attracted the attention of both myself and blogger Bernie O'Hare. Both of us paid homage to Dennis Pearson, an east Allentown activist for many decades, who recently married and is in the process of moving.