Surviving Hurricane Ian

Michael Adams and I became acquainted about fifteen years ago. Although he's more to the left and greener than me, we became comrades in arms about local government. For many years Michael resided in the Parkway's Log & Stone House, until he was inappropriately evicted by Pawlowski for revenge and vengeance. That inequity was covered by this blog. Michael landed on his feet in paradise, Pine Island Florida to be exact. Things were very well until hell descended upon him, his significant other, and their pets ten days ago. They live on the northern tip of Pine Island or ground zero.

Michael Adams reports:                                                          Many people evacuated but a significant number of hard core Island people stayed. They are a tough, resilient and generous people. 

We were dead on the X ring in the center of the eye. Storm surge 3.5 ft. Wind speed down our lane, 154 mph.  

After the bashing of the first half and the super-natural calm and beauty of the eye we thought, okay, we can take another round. The third and fourth quarters will be survivable. Then came the here-to -fore unimaginable winds following the eye wall and the storm surge flowing up the lane and suddenly we were IN the Gulf of Mexico. Our stilt house was rocking like a ship at sea. 

One wall is gone, another hanging on by a thread. Shingles gone. Roof itself intact. It will take an engineer to determine any structural damage. Plumbing kaput. Electricity shot. 

The first time we saw the Red Cross was today.(Saturday Oct. 8) We have not seen FEMA. The Sheriff and Fire Department were MIA for over 72 hours and largely absent for several more days after.

A bunch of youngish veterans coalesced around the gun shop and a couple of small, independent Christian groups set up immediately and and started bringing in a stream of supplies of all sorts, water, hot meals, tarps and all sorts of material by boat. It was utterly extraordinary. I’m talking about tons of food, water and supplies.generators, gasoline, propane….….hot food!

On day six or so the firefighters dropped off the MREs. Publix’s ferried out employees and opened after a week with free ice. The road link to the mainland has been restored and a convoy of semis has arrived with high line poles. Police and rescue teams from as far away as Nebraska. 

Michael Adams is a native Allentonian and was a well known community activist throughout the valley.  His friends and family are grateful that he is healthy enough to report on this ordeal.

photo from Michael Adams

Allentown's Quickly Vanishing History

For the last twenty years or so I have been a soldier for Allentown's history. As a long time advocate for the park system's WPA structures, I've harassed numerous mayors and park directors. I recall interrupting Joe Daddona jogging in Hamilton Park to complain about a repair necessary at Union Terrace, now named after him. I recall interrupting Bill Heydt and his wife walking by their former home near Cedar Beach. 

By the Afflerbach/Pawlowski era, in addition to park advocacy, I became politically active as an independent. The reason for this Reader's Digest condensed personal history is a revelation that while we all know how much Allentown has changed in the last decade, among its latest victims is its very history itself.

As the new administration embraces the changes and discards one tradition after another, I realize that soon neither those traditions, nor the memory of them, will exist. With the Morning Call building now being a cigarette warehouse, even their archives are limited to some rented space on the data cloud, wherever and whatever that is.

A few like minded people such as myself peck away on our Smith Corona typewriters, hoping we can save some of those memories before the ink on the ribbon dries out.

Growing Up Parkway

I'm a baby boomer. I was born in December of 1946. As soon as my mother climbed out of the hospital bed, another woman climbed in. I grew up in the neighborhood now called Little Lehigh Manor, wedged between Lehigh Street and the top of the ravine above Lehigh Parkway. That's me on our lawn at the intersection of Catalina and Liberator Avenues, named after airplanes made by Vultee Corporation for the War. We had our own elementary school, our own grocery store, and the park to play in. On Saturdays, older kids would take us along on the trolley, and later the bus, over the 8TH Street Bridge to Hamilton Street. There were far too many stores to see everything. After a matinee of cartoons or Flash Gordon, and a banana split at one of the five and dimes, we would take the bus back over the bridge to Lehigh Street.




Not that many people know where Lehigh Parkway Elementary School is. It's tucked up at the back of the development of twin homes on a dead end street, but I won't say exactly where. I do want to talk about the photograph. It's May Day, around 1952-53. May Day was big then, so were the unions; Most of the fathers worked at the Steel, Mack, Black and Decker, and a hundred other factories going full tilt after the war. The houses were about 8 years old, and there were no fences yet. Hundreds of kids would migrate from one yard to another, and every mother would assume some responsibility for the herd when it was in her yard. Laundry was hung out to dry. If you notice, most of the "audience" are mothers, dads mostly were at work. I'm at the front, right of center, with a light shirt and long belt tail. Don't remember the girl, but see the boy in front of me with the big head? His father had the whole basement setup year round with a huge model train layout. There were so many kid's, the school only went up to second grade. We would then be bused to Jefferson School for third through sixth grade. The neighborhood had its own Halloween Parade and Easter egg hunt. We all walked to school, no one being more than four blocks away.

reprinted from June of 2008

Allentown Band Jeopardized

Word has reached this blog that the Allentown Band, oldest in the country, might be jeopardized by Mayor Tuerk's quest for diversity.  Supposedly, the mayor is disturbed that those sitting in front of the West Park Bandshell watching the performances, all look like the same old folks to him, devoid of spirit and color.

So, it's not the band per se that is targeted, but their tradition of using the bandshell.  Those affiliated with the Allentown and Pioneer Bands consider the bandshell performances an integral part of their identity.

I suspect that they're not taking much comfort in Tuerk's appreciation for tradition, after he announced ending the Halloween Parade, also the oldest in the country. Now, some of these old local traditions the mayor doesn't have a problem with, like philanthropy.  The recently disbanded Century Fund just endowed free admission to the Art Museum. The Trexler Trust funds a large part of the park budget. 

While I'm glad to take this threat public, I will  not be in the trenches fighting for the bands' survival. I'm already fighting on a different front, trying to keep our WPA structures from crumbling.

Open Letter To Mayor Tuerk

Mayor Tuerk,

       I haven't been on Mr. Molovinsky's blog now for a long time. Years ago, he allowed me space here to complain about the drug store closing on Hamilton Street, back when Mr. Pawlowski was mayor. I still live in the high rise by 8th and Union.

On Sunday night I drove out Linden Street to visit my sister at the Phoebe Home. Between 12th and 17th Streets, I encountered three cars double parking. Each one was near a corner, making it hard to see the intersection. Believe it or not, each empty double parked car was along side of an empty space, they didn't even need to double park! But the reason I'm writing is I heard that you went to some island to see how they do things there, for us?

If you're back from that island, I was wondering if you could do me a favor? Drive down Linden Street with a policeman, and have him give tickets to those people double parking!  I don't know what you learned on that island, but I was hoping that things might get better here.

Thank you for your time

Agenda Journalism At The Morning Call

A month ago, Morning Call editor Mike Miorelli wrote that he wants to start including more women and minority sources in their articles. There was an article on Friday about critics against the State Hospital land deal. Two local hispanic women were quoted on their objections concerning the sale to City Center Real Estate.

One of the critics, Enid Santiago, ran for state representative twice. I followed Enid for both elections. Don't recall her ever mentioning the state hospital in either campaign. The other protester* I had never heard of before, so if there had been any protests by her, they had to be done very softly. However, they did meet Miorelli's new criterion for sources, even if their objections were freshly minted for the story. 

If an article on the land sale sounds familiar, it's because Bernie O'Hare and I covered that topic two weeks ago.  In addition to having to fold in hispanic/minority sources, be assured that the reporter was forbidden from mentioning any bloggers. While Miorelli read the recent thinking on minority sources, he apparently missed the articles on primary and secondary attribution. 

So, it appears that the reporter was told what to write about, who to include, and who not to.

*ADDENDUM: I have been informed by comment that the other protester, Yamelisa Taveras, was a candidate for the 14th state senate district primary.

Great Day For Hasshan Batts

Hasshan Batts, or Dr. Batts as he insists on being called, had a great day yesterday. After being with Mayor Matt Tuerk on the junket to the Dominican Republic, Tuerk told WFMZ 69 that there is a need for investment in violence interruption, aka giving grants to Hasshan. Hasshan is the director of Promise Neighborhood, which supposedly reduces violence by sprinkling magic dust and good vibes on crime scenes. 

Tuerk and Batts are on a honeymoon with the Morning Call. Although the Call covered Tuerk in Washington yesterday, they never mentioned the delegation to the island. When I linked my recent post about the junket on a local facebook group dedicated to Issues in Allentown, his supporters accused me of being a naysayer. That's an allegation I haven't heard since my complaints about Pawlowski, before he was indicted for corruption. 

Although I find no corruption in the Tuerk administration, I do find a lot of delusion. Thinking that Batts and that Promise might do more good than a stronger police department is one of them. If I wasn't becoming so skeptical of the administration, I'd probably have to scrutinize them anyway, because apparently the local press won't do it.

Kids Of The Parkway

There were hundreds of us, we were the baby boomers. The neighborhood was built for returning GI's, and the streets were named after the planes of WW2; Liberator, Catalina, and Coronado. The twin homes were wedged between Jefferson Street and the southern ridge above Lehigh Parkway. Now called Little Lehigh Manor, we knew it simply as Lehigh Parkway, and we had our own school.

Historical Fact:
The original part of the school building contained four classrooms, a teacher's room, and a health room. It replaced the Catalina Avenue School which existed in a home near the present site. Lehigh Parkway received national publicity because it was being build as a result of the new neighborhood. Thus, the "Neighborhood School Concept" was born.








Because of the school and the park, the neighborhood was really self contained. The Lehigh SuperMarket on Lehigh Street was within walking distance. Soon, FoodFair would build their first large Supermarket, also on Lehigh Street, which was even closer. Today it has developed into The Parkway Shopping Center. We kids enjoyed our own Halloween Parade and Easter Egg hunt.






Because there were so many of us, Parkway Elementary only went through 2nd. grade. We would take the bus to Jefferson Elementary for grades 3 through 6.

Historical Fact:
Jefferson Elementary used to be a high school, and for years, it had separate girls' and boys' entrances. These entrances were turned into windows at some point, but the exterior of the building still has the two entrances marked.

These were some of my friends from 3th grade. They all lived in the Parkway. Not only were they all boys, only yesterday, 56 years later, I learned the name of the girl I'm holding hands with in the May Day picture above.

Historical Facts from Allentown School District Website

ADDENDUM: other Parkway Neighborhood Posts,
Time Capsule
Allentown On My Mind

reprinted from January 2010

Allentown Post Office 1934

In the 1930's, the "New Deal" was good to Allentown. As I noted on earlier posts, our park system was enriched by monumental stone construction under the WPA. We also received one of the architectural gems of our area, the magnificent art deco post office. Constructed during 1933-34, no detail was spared in making the lobby an ageless classic. The floor is adorned with handmade Mercer tiles from Doylestown. Muralist Gifford Reynolds Beal worked thru 1939 portraying the Valley's cultural and industrial history. This incredible 74 year old photograph is the contractor's documentation of the project's progress. The back of the photo states; Taken Sept 1 - 34 showing lobby, floor, screens, desks, completed & fixtures hung

UPDATE: I have reinstalled the photograph with a version that will enlarge when clicked.

Reprinted from Jan.15, 2010 

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER 28, 2022: While the NIZ-fueled new construction on Hamilton Street surges ahead, our architectural history continues to be destroyed. There is no more pathetic example of this than the magificant Art Deco post office languishing for sale. The irreplaceable front entrance lanterns on the eastern end of the building have vanished. 

The new NIZ construction continues, because our state tax dollars are used to finance the private owner's mortgage (almost all the new buildings are owned by one man). However, the language and greed of the NIZ concentrates on new construction, not on the older buildings. That iconic post office masterpiece remaining in limbo this long is a stain on Allentown. Any pretense of museums, art, and culture are exposed as hollow jokes, as long as that For Sale sign on the post office remains, and its treasures disappear.

Damn That Molovinsky and His Dams

I failed to save the small WPA dam shown above in Robin Hood. The Robin Hood Bridge and dam were the last WPA projects built in Allentown.  I did, however, learn a lesson, which I used to save Wehr's Dam. 

Last year, the Morning Call did a whitewash story on Wehr's Dam, and even managed to omit my name, though I urged them for six years to write the story.  I never imagined that they would take each culprit's version at face value. 

We almost lost Wehr's Dam in 2014. Abigail Pattishall, from Wildlands Conservancy, told the South Whitehall Commissioners that "Keeping this dam is not an option, It's a hunk of concrete."  The lesson I learned from Robin Hood is that once the Wildlands Conservancy is given a green light, they demolish the dams immediately, so that there's no change of mind or going back. On June 18th, 2014, I prevailed upon South Whitehall to take the issue under advisement. Luckily, publicity from that meeting got the attention of other people, including descendants of the former mill owner Wehr, who had built the dam.

Despite the conspiracy against the dam, it still stands. The culprits even organized a referendum, never expecting it to win, because they tied it to a tax increase. I'm happy to report that every one of them involved with this conspiracy is no longer elected or employed in South Whitehall government. Because of family issues, the Wehrs dropped out of the prolonged battle to save the dam, but I continued at meetings, and here on this blog. 

The Robin Hood Dam did not have such a happy ending. The small ornamental dam was built over boulders which are still in place,  still providing some drama and sound. However, the city allowed the Wildlands Conservancy to deposit the demolished dam debris around the stone bridge piers, spoiling their aesthetics.  

Although I remain a persona non grata with the Morning Call and Allentown government, I will continue to campaign for the removal of the former dam debris around the stone bridge piers.

Photo of Robin Hood Bridge and dam before being despoiled. 

Photo courtesy of the Earl Price Collection

Mayor's Junket To The Island

Over the weekend, a facebook member posted that he was eating at one of our new restaurants, and that dirt bikes keep driving by (probably doing wheelies) and he wondered what the mayor was doing about it?

Actually, the mayor is in the Dominican Republic to understand the place that shapes the culture of thousands of our Allentown residents. The mayor bragged that despite that relationship to the island, he was paying for his own trip himself. That's nice, but how about the other fifteen or twenty people with you?  Who is paying for them? Among them is council president Cynthia Mota and Promise Neighborhood crime entrepreneur Hasshan Batts. Also on the trip is Genesis Ortega, city communication manager. In my forty years of scrutinizing city government, I cannot recall such a junket.

Mayor Tuerk, to even think that the taxpayers should be paying for your trip is mind-boggling. Frankly, the Dominicans, and anyone else here, should be learning more about our culture, we do have one you know.  But, more important than these cultural fine points, let's get back to the dirt bike issue.  Let's get back to quality of life issues here in Allentown. 

On Friday, before I learned of this island visit, I messaged the mayor and city council, asking them to consider more budgeting for the WPA structures.  Maybe I'd be more successful with that request, if I'd keep my mouth shut about this trip and other realities here in Allentown....  But that's not my way.

Enjoy your vacation, delegation or whatever you call it, but remember, you were elected mayor of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

ADDENDUM 1:00PM: I have been informed that everybody on the trip is paying their own way.  The larger issue remains...what are they going to learn there, that justifies their absence from problems here in Allentown? 

ADDENDUM 1:30PM: The Tuerk administration states that Genesis Ortega (Communications Manager) is not on the trip.

I'm Still Pitching For The WPA

In 2012, over a decade ago, I took our current park director, Karen El-Chaar, on a tour of the Allentown WPA structures. At that time, she was director of Friends of the Allentown Parks.  El-Chaar, a native daughter of the area, seemed to share my interest in seeing these irreplaceable icons preserved. She subsequently secured a grant from the Trexler Trust to repair the stairs by Fountain Park. 

In following years she organized volunteers to clear the overgrown spring pond by Robin Hood. In conjunction with the Friends group, I conducted a couple of tours of the WPA structures in Lehigh Parkway.

When El-Chaar was appointed Park Director by Ray O'Connell, I thought that finally, after so many years, I would have an ally about the WPA in the administration.

As it turns out El-Chaar does care about the WPA, but she hasn't made it a line item priority in the budget. The lower entrance wall of Lehigh Parkway is being repointed, but that is a continuation of the upper wall's replacement, after it collapsed from years of neglect, before El-Chaar's time.

I'm still lobbying to have the landings repaired on the Parkway Double Stairwell. Three years ago, she told me that the Trexler Trust wanted an expert opinion on how the flagstone should be relaid.  She is still waiting for the Trexler Trust to consult an expert, and only then might they issue a grant for that project. I would have preferred that it was already done, within the regular park budget.  Recreation items, such as the skate park, are directly in the city park budget. 

Above is a 1948 photograph of the bridge that went to the WPA man-made island in Lehigh Parkway.  In the 1980's the bridge was removed, and the island allowed to grow wild. When I gave El-Chaar that tour so many years ago, she commented that it would be nice to replace the bridge and restore the island. I replied that I would be satisfied if the remaining WPA structures are maintained....I'm still hoping and waiting for that to happen.

Since I started advocating for the WPA, El-Chaar has been more receptive than the previous directors. However, like the island, once a park feature is gone, we will never get it back. My mission remains to make sure the WPA structures get the timely attention our park history deserves.

photo courtesy of the Price family

City Of Allentown Hires Molovinsky

No, rest assured that they didn't hire me. On the contrary, because of this blog, they would like to drag me in front of an eager district magistrate, and throw the book at me. 

However, they did hire my father's Uncle Harry in about 1935.  At that time, same time that they were building the magnificent WPA structures which the city is now allowing to go to seed, Earl Price was the City Forester, and in charge of maintaining the parks. 

By 1900,  my great grandparents and all their offspring were living in the Ward.  I'm now the last Molovinsky left in Allentown, so this blog cannot embarrass any family members.  It can, however, if I do my job correctly, cause some distress among those who are failing to properly honor the city's history.

Harry Molovinsky is in the back row, fifth from the right, in the light colored jacket.

use of photo courtesy of the Price family

City and Magistrate Court Snicker At Citizens

About a decade ago, I advocated for better conditions at Fairview Cemetery. At the time I was not yet a complete persona non grata at the Morning Call, and they did a story on my efforts. 

About 5 years ago, a much younger man, Tyler Fatzinger, took over the  effort to make the cemetery management more responsive to families of those interred there. Fatzinger campaigned to get the city involved through the weed codes imposed on other property owners. However, it appears to me that the city is not sincere in their effort.

At a recent magistrate hearing, which was postponed way too many times, the cemetery lawyer claimed that the cemetery is a pollinator meadow, and worse, the judge took that nonsense under advisement.  Even worse, the city didn't protest the ruse.

I can assure the district justice that those families who paid for perpetual care weren't told that the cemetery was a pollinator meadow.  I can assure the code officer that those now paying for perpetual care are not told that there will be no mowing because the cemetery is a pollination meadow.

I witnessed another district magistrate bend the law for the city at a citizen's expense. 

It's time for Lehigh County Court to end this abuse of citizens.  The district courts cannot be run with a wink and nod to the city, abusing those that they're supposed to serve.

ADDENDUM 2:47 PM: Fairview Cemetery was found guilty of violating Allentown's Weed Ordinance. However, beyond court costs of $92, no fine was levied. That's a lot cheaper than mowing 55 acres.

Tuerk's Good Deeds Go Punished

If there is one person who cannot rightfully be accused of discrimination, it would have to be Matt Tuerk, but that didn't stop an inane accusation from Dan Bosket, when Tuerk was called on the  carpet* by the local NAACP group.

In reality, Tuerk's main fault, in my opinion, is a preoccupation with diversity and inclusion.  Bosket complained that the two senior level Blacks in the administration left.  One of them, Leonard Lightner, had been elevated to the highest new appointed position in city hall by Tuerk, Chief Operating Officer.  He left for an even higher paying job elsewhere.

Recently, I did a post mentioning Joel Fitzgerald, a former police chief in Allentown. Fitzgerald has been traveling the country,  taking advantage of municipalities preoccupied with hiring minorities. His latest salary is almost half a $mil, as head of the Denver Transit Police.

Bosket's complaints certainly didn't fall on deaf ears with Tuerk. Tuerk wants to push employment opportunities to diverse candidates. Councilperson Ce-Ce Gerlach wants to give minority owned businesses preference in awarding contracts.

Bosket, Tuerk and Gerlach aside, a preoccupation with complexion, rather than competency, can in itself be a problem.

*The Morning Call/September17/Lindsay Weber

Allentown State Hospital Fiasco

State officials, who know much better than the rest of us, decided some years ago to close most state hospitals, including Allentown State Hospital. Residents there would do better in community mental health programs, they said. You've seen the results.  Severely mentally ill people wander the streets.  Instead of being treated in a hospital, they now flood county jails and nursing homes.

In the meantime, Allentown State Hospital's 195-acre campus sat empty and dormant while state officials considered how they could top their initial blunder of closing it down. They came up with a scheme so incredibly stupid that you have to wonder whether they themselves should be committed. 

Our betters in Harrisburg wanted to spend $15 million to tear down the buildings so the tract could be sold to a wheeler-dealer from Doylestown for pocket change. After this scheme was exposed here in Blogistan, our state oligarchs decided to drop the Doylestown developer. But they went ahead and demolished the buildings anyway, with no developer waiting in the wings at all. 

They made sure to brush away multiple attempts by Allentown developer Nat Hyman to save the state the expense of demolishing anything and paying cold, hard cash for the site. He was barred from the site and Browne changed the law when Hyman sued to stop the shenanigans. They also disregarded advice from the state's own Historical and Museum Commission. That state agency concluded that the main state hospital building not only retained its structural integrity, but should be listed with the National Register. 

They probably chuckled when 7,300 people signed on online petition asking that the state hospital be preserved. After all, why on earth should our elected officials ever listen to the people who put them in office? The unwashed masses clearly fail to understand how a representative democracy works. 

Eventually, in 2020, and without a redevelopment plan, the buildings all came tumbling down as though they'd been hit by a Putin cruise missile. The only one deemed worthy to stand was an air monitoring station that could measure the dust from all the pollution created. You can ignore everyone else, but not environmentalists. 

After turning a strategic site between Bethlehem and Allentown into an urban desert, our Harrisburg optimates waited nearly two years before bothering to solicit bids for redevelopment. These were promptly rejected as "nonresponsive" so State Senator Pat Browne could try again with a direct sale.

On his way out the door, following a disgraceful primary loss, Senator Pat Browne's parting gift to J. B. Reilly is right up there with his previous present to Reilly, the Allentown NIZ.  That Bill enabled Reilly to build and own a $Billion dollars of new real estate, paid for with diverted Pennsylvania state taxes. 

Browne's proposed new law now gives the 195 acre State Hospital property to Reilly for $5.5 mil, or just over 28K an acre. The bill, if passed by the general assembly, sells the property to Reilly with no competitive bidding from other developers. Browne's proposal has already been endorsed by the General Services Office, state representative Mike Schlossberg, and most of our so called leaders. 

Browne's gift to Reilly is also the ultimate FU to state taxpayers. 

Because the NIZ already allows land swaps, the taxpayers could end up paying for Reilly's new buildings. Such a swap should be prohibited on the former hospital grounds, as it would be an injustice for all the taxpayers throughout Pennsylvania. 

Other developers and the City of Allentown don't matter.

When asked, Hyman, one of the discarded developers, issued this response:

"I wanted to buy and redevelop the State Hospital site because I believe it is a once in a generation opportunity for Allentown. It is an opportunity to create a new town square for the east side and bolster the finances of the City through desperately needed real estate taxes. City Center is certainly the preeminent developer in Allentown and more than capable of doing a great job with this site. My issue however is with Pat Browne and Mike Schlossberg. Once again, they both are involved in back room dealings shrouded in secrecy and a lack of transparency. The voters have rightly dealt with Pat Browne and this directed sale is another example of his arrogance and his parting shot to the voters as he walks out the door. As far as Schlossberg, you may recall that when I offered $2.3m to buy the site with the buildings intact, he attacked me personally and said that the demolition was necessary to attract a much higher price for the site and a profit for the taxpayers. He claimed to know more about development than I do, despite all of the buildings that I have redeveloped in the City of Allentown. Well, he spent $15m in demolition costs and sold it for $5.5m. He lost the tax payers $10m. He must be held accountable for that.” 

The deal seems in direct conflict with the General Service mission of disposing property in the best interests of the public. With Browne's departure, Schlossberg apparently wants to position himself as the developer's best legislator.

In Allentown government, Mayor Matt Tuerk is actually on board with this absurdity.  A man who supposedly had the inside track on economic development has been relegated to the third wheel of the Browne-Reilly bicycle. Councilperson Ce-Ce Gerlach is expressing concern about gentrification, that is the least of Allentown's problems. State rep wannabe Josh Siegel excuses this breach of fiduciary duty to the taxpayer with the hollow argument that at least the property will return to the tax  rolls, but will it? Given the state's penchant for corporate handouts and the reality of the NIZ, that seems highly unlightly. State Rep Mike Schlossberg thinks you're either stupid or that you have forgotten his previous claim that demolition of the hospital grounds would make them more attractive.

As bloggers during the Pawlowski regime, we were amazed by the former mayor's audacity. However, seeing Browne and Schlossberg in action, we realize what an amateur Pawlowski really was.

above post is a collaboration between Michael Molovinsky and Bernie O'Hare

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER 20, 2022: The Morning Call is currently headlining a column by Paul Muschick, essentially copying the issues above, but with no attribution to this blog post.

Gentrification, A Problem Allentown Needs

It's adorable that people worry that the new development in Allentown, especially that anticipated by the river, will lead to gentrification, and rents rising beyond the reach of existing residents.

Rents have risen in Allentown and everywhere else since the pandemic. However, this increase has nothing to do with gentrification, and has occurred everywhere, even in areas with no new development.

When I go to our new NIZTOWN, formally known as the Allentown business district, one thing I can't find is gentrification. I see endless new publicly financed, privately owned J.C. Reilly buildings, but no new demographic. I suppose that they must be there, hiding in their Strata Lofts, but nobody could confuse or accuse the street scene as gentrified.  

As matter of fact, I find the lack of ambience rather amazing. Who could have imagined that with so many new buildings,  and with over a $Billion of our money given to a private owner, there would be no signs of life, and certainly no signs of an improved new street life.

photocredit:molovinsky/NIZ preparing to destroy Allentown's mercantile history and architecture

The Neuweiler Story

Allentown's NIZ was a boutique legislation that allows private property to be publicly financed.  On the up side, for the most part, the beneficiaries have been local boys. That is about to change. 

The Morning Call had an excellent report on a New Jersey firm muscling in on our tax dollar giveaway. They learned their lesson well from the first interloper, Ruckus Brewery.  Ruckus was set up with the Neuweiler Brewery by Mike Fleck, before he went to the pokey with Pawlowski.  Ruckus managed to raise money from their NIZ approval and get possession of the brewery without actually spending any of their own money. For that fund raising, they changed their name to Brewers Hill.  Previously they never even had experience with actual brewing or real estate...Never underestimate the value of a political connection.

Like Ruckus/Brewers Hill, the new player promises to relocate their office here to Allentown. Sprinkle in a promise of affordable housing, and the Allentown welcome mat is out.  They have agreements now with Brewers Hill, and options on neighborhood properties. 

Personally, I preferred my tax dollars benefiting the local boys, like Reilly and Jaindl.

photocredit: Robert Walker

above reprinted from February of 2021

UPDATE MAY 18, 2022: With the recent news about Neuweilers, I decided to revisit the brewery posts. The post above is just one of dozens I have written on the brewery since 2008. I may have somewhat more knowledge about the topic than the Morning Call's changing cast of reporters, because I had actually sat down with the last private owner. In 2007 Pawlowski said that "We have to get it out of the hands of this guy," It was also the last time that any property taxes were paid on the property. While the city took procession supposedly because no improvements were made, likewise nothing has been done since, fifteen years later. Actually, the property now is in considerably worse condition. But in addition to no taxes being paid in all these years, we have been paying the salaries of the bureaucrats in the various controlling agencies since the property was confiscated.

Whether demolished or restored, or a combination of both, we all want to see change at the property. But understand that we as taxpayers will be paying for that change with our diverted state income taxes. Understand that although the project will be publicly financed, it will be privately owned.

Those interested in an account of the situation from 2007 until now, can use the search engine of this blog's sidebar... simply type in Neuweiler brewery.

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 15, 2022: A recent headline in the Morning Call put this money pit back on this blog's front burner. It referred to investment coming to the river. It all these years of NIZ promoting, the Morning Call has never clarified that the investment is our money, our diverted state taxes. Perhaps the new crop of young reporters don't fully understand that. I can appreciate that it's hard to understand how privately owned buildings can be completely publicly paid for....Credit outgoing state senator Pat Browne for that grab of the century. As for Neuweilers, before the recent owners signed over to the current owners, they were given a couple $mil in seed money by the public authority. An enterprising reporter or investigator, might want to track where those dollars went.

Down the road, when some local cheerleader strolls up to the new bar at Neuweilers, and orders the first brewski,  he'll have no idea how many $millions and $millions it really cost the taxpayers.

Allentown Alternative News

As a long standing local blogger, I'd like to think that the news presented here is that which is underreported elsewhere in this town. *

I was amused by a recent editorial in the Morning Call. The editor thinks that their news sources are too establishment and white. This from a paper which has used the same three old white opinion writers for the last 20 years, Jennings, Iannelli and Cummingham. Myself, and other alternative opiners, haven't been given space on their page for many years. But, the reason for this post is the silence concerning the tragic accident on Irving Street. 

Although it has been over a week since the accident, the name of the driver has not been revealed. This wall of silence has produced a stream of rampant speculation.  One rumor is that a city truck and employee was involved. Rather than the administration and/or police department being accused of a coverup, they should release a statement. Perhaps the driver was a juvenile, and it would be inappropriate to name him/her... But then they should release that information.

At any rate, this is a most sad story. I'd much rather be reporting about some financial corruption.

* Yesterday, the Morning Call reported that former chief Fitzgerald was hired in Denver. That story made this blog back on August 25th.

ADDENDUM 3:00PM: Since writing this post early this morning, I have learned of a case in Vermont, where the police determined that the driver had no fault, and that releasing his/her name would only create another victim. The facts in the Allentown tragedy remain to be learned.

photocredit:molovinskyonallentown/knocking down mercantile history for arena

Sideshow At City Hall

Last Saturday night I was offered two free tickets for the documentary Broke(n), shown at the Civic Theater. The film makers appreciated my institutional knowledge of Allentown, and subsequently mentioned me in the credits.  This post is about free tickets, and an issue with the mayor.

I was contacted during the fair by an offended, long term former employee of Allentown.  It was a long standing tradition that the free fair tickets, given to the city by the fair association, were then distributed to the city's retired workers.  This year, for the first time in memory, Mayor Tuerk changed the rules. Instead, he decided to give the tickets to his beloved diversity organizations. Although I don't doubt his genuine feelings for these groups, I suppose it's also good politics for an elected official in his first term.

The retirees, in mass, were not happy campers. For damage control, he invited any of them to stop by his house and receive some tickets and a glad-hand.  Several took him up on the offer.

So far, he hasn't invited me to stop by.

photocredit:molovinsky

Allentown Verite

On Saturday night, the proverbial red carpet was out in front of the 19th Street Theatre, and the well-heeled, after kissing cheeks, were invited for a photo-op in front of a special backdrop. They were there to witness the premiere of Broke(n), a documentary on the problems of the poor, struggling in Allentown or anywhere else in America. 

At the same time Saturday evening, vendors on Hamilton Street were wrapping up from the afternoon Beerfest held there. Mayor Matt Tuerk, in another one of his at the event videos, reminded his social media friends that Allentown would be cracking down on speeding, after the tragedy earlier in the week.

Also on Saturday, Nazareth held a gathering promoted as Kindness and Inclusivity. Announcement signs were distributed to merchants, and Allentown's Ce-Ce Gerlach, among others, was invited to speak. Despite the title of the event, there was tension between two groups, and even accusations of hidden agendas. There is too much Stimuli money floating around, and too many popular platitudes for eager grant writers chasing that money.

Matt Tuerk's Wake Up Call

After the tragic accident on Irving Street, a member of the victim's extended family blasted Matt Tuerk for too many photo ops, and not enough substantive action against those who lower the quality of life in Allentown.  While the comment didn't last long on Tuerk's facebook page, the mayor apparently got the message.

On a posting on Wednesday, Tuerk used the F-word to emphasize that Allentown would be cracking down on speeders.  I hope that he and Police Chief Roca take that pledge to heart.  Celebrating  diversity is good, enjoying public safety is better.  We don't need another heritage flag raising, we need basic policing, and plenty of it.  We don't need a promise neighborhood, we need a safe neighborhood.

Take all Stimuli Money from Washington and hire as many police as possible, we need them.  After the streets calm down, then we can celebrate different cultures. Right now things are way too rough on those streets to concern ourselves with lesser issues.

The Local Races For Harrisburg, 2022

After 28 years in office, Pat Browne's loss in the spring primary was a surprise upset. As the main critic of his brainchild, the NIZ, I have mixed feelings. Although I criticized him as recently as yesterday(about Rt. 22 funding), I always found him accessible.  As a longtime blogger and scrutinizer of local politics, I never felt resentment or hostility from him, as I have from many others in local government.

This election has two state senate seats in contention. Browne's former seat has victor Jarrett Coleman(R) against Democrat Mark Pinsley. Considering that Pinsley did well against the formally entrenched Browne,  I may have to refer to him as Senator Elect after November 8th. The second senate race is a new district for the area, featuring Dean Browning(R) against Nick Miller(D).

The newish 22nd state house seat pits Josh Siegal(D) against Robert Smith(R).  Coleman, Miller and Smith all cut their political teeth on school boards. The 22nd was added several cycles ago to accommodate the growing Latino population.  Matt Tuerk has promised to teach the victor, either Siegal or Smith, Spanish after the election.

photo: In 2014 I ran as an independent against eleven term Julie Harhart(R) and a Democrat

Rt. 22 Is A Crime

Although I no longer attend public meetings and functions, I do venture out on excursions.  Early Tuesday morning I decided to check out Rt. 22...Glad I got back in one piece.  Traffic was heavy heading east, and heading west it was even worse, at 5 in the morning no less!  Those warehouses need to be kept filled, and emptied, by an endless stream of tractor-trailers.

When State Senator Pat Browne endorsed that Rt. 22 widening money instead be used for Rt. 78 improvements, including making a new exit for Jaindl land interest warehouses, I complained about it here on this blog. When Browne lost the primary this past May,  I could shed no tears. Under his direction too much of our state taxes have gone to enrich J.B. Reilly, and too much of new federal infrastructure money to benefit Jaindl Land interests. I don't think of Browne as corrupt, just too preoccupied with privately owned development, instead of the public good.

Next time you're on Rt. 22, wedged between speeding trucks, think about the Rt. 22 widening plans being again postponed.

photo/graphic:NYT

Almost A Howdy Doody Bottle

When I was a young man in Allentown, for a few years I operated a small antique store on N. 7th Street. In between waiting for an occasional customer, I would set up shop at one flea market or another.  At some point in those years I packed away the inventory, and went on to another interest, photography.

Move ahead fifty years, and I'm now faced with the proverbial downsizing. I billed my yard sale this past weekend as antiques, curios and collectables.  I believe that the few attendees thought that they stumbled upon their great grandfather's attic, and that what I really needed was a dumpster. 

In the process of setting up the sale, I unpacked a box of old bottles from the long ago store on 7th Street. Inside I found a Howdy Doody Bottle in great condition. None of my few customers noticed the bottle, and if they had, none would had any idea of who or what was Howdy Doody. On closer inspection, it wasn't even Howdy Doody after all, but rather an embossed Howdy soda bottle from Lehighton, Pa.

Although I can't yet bring myself to rent the dumpster,  now there is a Howdy Soda bottle squeezed onto an overcrowded shelf, in one of my overcrowded rooms.

Is Allentown Fair Also A Victim Of Shootings?

While the local news told us that there were two shooting victims last Wednesday night in Allentown, was there actually a third victim, The Great Allentown Fair?

Although I personally no longer attend the fair, I heard of people reluctant to take their children. The shooting incident at Musikfest offered them no encouragment. Pictures from the Fair's first night, and subsequent nights, both from social media and news sources, show the midways less than packed, compared to years ago. However, both fear of Covid, and inversely a pent up demand for entertainment from it, are also factors affecting attendance.  

While the mayor, fair society and media are concerned with positive spin, that sort of consideration doesn't occur to this blunt, politically incorrect blogger. 

photo by molovinsky taken in 2000

The King Has Abdicated

In 1958 my father had a food stand at the fair. It took him about an hour to realize you cannot sell hot dogs in the King's back yard, that is Yocco the hot dog king. When Yocco's claimed last year(2006) they were not at the fair because their canvas ripped, I was skeptical. This year it's official, they have abdicated their spot. Tonight the fair was jammed. In Ag Hall the granges still compete in vegetable canning. A wiseguy still incites you to dunk him. The world's smallest horse hasn't grown. Maybe Yocco's is gone, but the fair is still much more like 1958 than any other aspect of Allentown.

reprinted annually since 2007 

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER 2, 2022: While another Allentown icon, The Brass Rail, recently closed on Lehigh Street, they have announced that a curtain call will be held at this year's fair... Last chance for a Brass Rail cheesesteak.

Hootchy Nights At The Allentown Fair

Morning Call columnist Bill White had a piece earlier in the week where he lamented that  Bobo the dunking clown was no longer at the fair. Although that's about as funky as it got for Bill in his era,  we older Allentonians remember much hotter nights at the fairgrounds. Up to the late sixties the fair had girly shows. I'm going back to the era of Gooding's Million Dollar Midway and Benny's Bingo. I'm going back to three midways packed between the Farmer's Market and Chew Street. I'm going back to when the fair only started after Labor Day.

I mentioned in one of my previous fair posts that Fred Schoenk and I made and sold printed t-shirts at the fairs during high School. At the Kutztown Fair we were hired by the burlesque show owner to letter a new banner for his show tent...as high school boys we would have paid him for the experience.

reprinted from September of 2018

photocredit:molovinsky...Black rock and roll review with strippers, 1969 Allentown Fair

The Great Allentown Fair

The Morning Call website is hosting an archive of Fair Pictures from over the years. Being a fan both of fair pictures and black and white photography, looking at the 111 photos presented was a treat.

The photo shown above, which I will get back to, reminded me of one of my unique fair experiences. In previous posts, I have discussed that both my father and myself had stands at the fair. While my father learned that you couldn't sell hotdogs near Yocco's, I learned that drunks leaving the beer garden loved to buy printed T-shirts.

But today's post has to with George Kistler, long time City Clerk during the 1950's and 60's. George loved the fair, and loved sharing his fascination with a large group of people. I was fortunate enough to be invited several times. The routine was always the same; Dinner at a local stand on the eastern side of the fairgrounds, followed by the wrestling show. I remember photographing Andre The Giant.

The Morning Call fair picture above is none other than Jim "Super Fly" Snuka, who was recently back in Allentown, for a most regrettable reason.

reprinted from September of 2016

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

Fetterman Push Poll

This weekend I had a surplus of patience, and participated in a 20 minute push poll for John Fetterman.  While the poll and interview questions started out somewhat neutral, toward the end each question wanted to know how I felt about some crime against humanity supposedly committed by Mehmet Oz, and if that information lowered my opinion of him.

The script seemed somewhat more sophisticated than the interviewer, who sometimes struggled reading it. While Oz was portrayed as the super-rich carpetbagger, in my limited exposure* Fetterman is outspending him.

In an apparent attempt to camouflage the push, there were a few other questions about other races. I was asked about Shapiro vs. Mastriano, and to rate Biden.

On the other election of local interest, Wild/Scheller, there were no questions. In that race, Wild has been filling up my mailbox with an endless barrage of expensive mailers, complaining about how much money Scheller has to spend.

*my select television stations do not air political ads

Art In The Park

Art In The Park formally refers to an annual art show in West Park. For those of us with gray hair, it also references the monumental sculptures Phil Berman had placed in Cedar Creek Parkway.

For me personally, it is the iconic WPA stonework throughout the park system. For many others, memories of MayFair come to mind. One summer about forty years ago, the late Greg Weaver had one of his sculptures in a pond at the Rose Garden. 

The hand-painted trash can shown above was the trigger for this post. I saw it at the storage barn by the park department office.  Painted by Tonya Romig, it may have graced a former Romper Day celebration in one of the parks. If and when more details become known, I will amend this post.

UPDATE: The can was illustrated by Ms. Romig in 2000, while still in high school. It was done for Mayfair, when that event was still held at Cedar Beach.  She assumed that the can was long gone by now.

Racial Profiling In Allentown

Christopher Fitzgerald, who was acquitted of brandishing a gun at detectives in 2014,  is now suing the county for false arrest.  In an earlier suit which was dismissed,  he also accused the detectives of racial profiling.  Readers may remember that the victim/defendant is the son of the former police chief in Allentown.  The chief was hired after a nationwide search.  The chief's son was then hired by Lehigh County Prison as a guard.  He slammed on his brakes on 7th Street with a car behind him,  and then displayed a gun when the car behind him came alongside.  The car happen to be occupied by detectives, and Fritzgerald was arrested by Whitehall Police in the parking lot of the Lehigh Valley Mall.

In a well covered trial, young Fitzgerald was acquitted of charges stemming from the incident.  He was defended by high power Philadelphia lawyer Jack McMahon,  who would later defend Pawlowski, who had hired Fitzgerald's dad as police chief.

The Fitzgerald's had no problem with racial profiling when the father was hired as police chief.  They had no problem with profiling when junior was given a job at the prison. That only happened when the Hispanic detective in the car behind him got annoyed at him waving a Glock handgun. 

above reprinted from September of 2018

ADDENDUM AUGUST 25, 2022:Since Fitzgerald's* departure, Allentown went through several chiefs, more less depleting its inventory of former homegrown brass in the department. Its current chief, Charles Roca**, is also homegrown, and Hispanic to boot. It is not an easy job, but Roca appears popular, with both the public and administration. 

* Being an experienced minority chief is very marketable in current times, and Fitzgerald was always willing to travel for for bigger and better. He most recently was hired as chief of Denver's large transportation system.

**Allentown now has a young department. It is my hope for Allentown that Roca stays in place long enough to gray on the job, and mentor future brass for the department.

The Mad Men Of Allentown

Back in the day, the titans of Allentown would fill the five barberchairs of the Colonial Barbershop, 538 Hamilton Street. That was when the town had three department stores. That was when Wetherhold and Metzger had two shoe stores on Hamilton Street. That was when Harvey Farr would meet Donald Miller and John Leh at the Livingston Club for lunch, and discuss acquiring more lots for Park & Shop. By 1995 all that was gone, but Frank Gallucci, 82, would still give some old timers a trim. The Colonial Barbershop property, closed for many years, has been purchased by J.B. Reilly. It is my pleasure to present this previously unseen portrait of Gallucci, toward the end of his career.

photocredit:molovinsky

reprinted since 2013

The (Former) Corruption Of Allentown Pennsylvania

Whether Mayor Edwin Pawlowski is convicted or not, nobody can have any doubt about the corruption this city has experienced over the last decade. Every contract was negotiated not for the taxpayer's sake, but rather the position of the mayor. These distorted criterion infected every department. Those who follow this blog realize that while both local politics and history are my topics of choice, the park system is my passion.

Although the Cedar Beach Pool contract was investigated as corrupt, it was not the only questionable decision made by the park department under Pawlowski. First and foremost,  two new parcels should have never been purchased; This is the land by Basin Street, and the former fertilizer plant land along Martin Luther King Drive. The existing park system has been neglected since Pawlowski was elected in 2005, with the iconic WPA Stone Structures literally crumbling.

If the administration and city council had taken suggestions made on this blog to heart, the entrance wall of Lehigh Parkway would have never collapsed. I do not possess unique insight, but rather the simple understanding that Allentown has a magnificent park system which needs only to be maintained.

blogger surveying  entrance road wall after it collapsed in Lehigh Parkway 

photo courtesy of Michael Adams

above, with title (revision), reprinted from February of 2018 

ADDENDUM AUGUST 28, 2022: This blog and I remain outsiders in the town of our birth. Nobody in either City Hall or The Morning Call wants to be reminded of the corrupt years, or their acquiescence to them. The new administration wants to think that the Pawlowski corruption was ancient history, and that they're a shiny clean new face. The mayor is a clean new face, but there remain remnants of the Pawlowski era in city hall.  

While the paper now occasionally promotes itself as a watchdog, their new young staff has no institutional knowledge of what and who is behind the curtains.

Needless to say I'm invited nowhere, but this blog is monitored by those concerned with revelations of previous and current shenanigans.

1953 In Allentown

In 1953 you could escape the crowds on Hamilton Street by walking down beyond the third department store, Zollinger Harned, to the 500 Block. The malls in Whitehall were still two decades away, and Hamilton Street was where the Lehigh Valley shopped. Although the photograph above shows a trolley and a bus, the last trolly would run in June of that year. South side Allentown was bustling with Mack Truck and General Electric. The first supermarket, FoodFair, opened that year on Lehigh Street, now the Parkway Shopping center. In addition to the three department stores, downtown Allentown boasted three five and dimes and five movie theaters. Ike was our President, and Brighton Diefenderfer was our mayor. In the scene above, Man In The Dark is playing at the Colonial Theater. In that 3D movie, a criminal gets a second chance if he submits to an operation to excise the criminal portion of his brain. I wonder if we could give elected officials that option?

reprinted from May of 2012

The Trump Card

On Wednesday morning the New York Times proclaimed in headline, The Party Of Trump. Their premise, and the premise of much of the media, is that Republicans are weak minded cultists,  even willing to drink poisoned kool-aid. The antiquated primary system often does nominate lesser qualified candidates in both parties... And it can result in non-competitive elections come November.

While this primary system can throw away what should have been slam dunks, as in Pennsylvania's governor race, don't count out a Republican presidential victory in 2024, unless Trump is the nominee.  While Trump's influence can defeat Cheney in Wyoming, he's way too polarizing to win the presidency again.  

While the Times hopes to see Trump run and lose, he won't be at the top of the ticket in 2024, and that's their fear.  With  DeSantis or even Pence, the liberal media will have to work much harder to sway the election.

Molovinsky and The Morning Call

If anyone is wondering what the issue was with my rejected letter to the Morning Call about Wehr's Dam, the issue was me.  One of the consequences of having criticized the paper and various sacred cows over the last decade is that my letters are submitted to a much higher level of scrutiny. Almost all the letters that they print have assumptions and opinions.  It is, after all,  the Opinions Page.  My previous letter on Wehr's Dam, before the referendum, took over a month of negotiations to have printed.  In the end, it was only printed because Bill White declined to make corrections to his piece on Wehr's Dam, and suggested instead that I write an editorial.

One must understand that we live in the valley of sacred cows and denial.  Only here can the township manager of South Whitehall go to work for the townships largest property owner and developer, and not raise eyebrows. Only here can Allentown's biggest developer actually now own the newspaper building.

For the sake of journalism and access to news,  the Morning Call should be printing this blog as a daily column, instead of repressing my occasional letters.

above reprinted with minor revisions from February of 2017

ADDENDUM AUGUST 18, 2022: Although the editor of the Morning Call reads this blog every day, and even occasionally sends me a complaint about it, they never again printed a letter from me since 2016.  Although it took three editors and five years to get them to print an update on Wehr's Dam,  and the reporter even called me several times for information, they ended up white-washing the story and omitting any reference to me. 

I do have the satisfaction that the dam is being saved despite the conspiracy against it, and that the current commissioners realize the part I played in that long battle.

Allentown Not Much For History

Once you go a mile west beyond Bethlehem, there's not much interest in history.  There's also not much interest in art or architecture.  Boast as you will about Allentown's new NIZ buildings, but there won't be any awards given there for architecture.  The new waterfront NIZ district will remove the historic LVRR rail tracks.  The local historical society concentrates on shows about Abraham Lincoln, with no interest in local topics. The Allentown park department actually encourages the disregard to its original plans and structures.*  We're being led by people who seemed more concerned with their own future, be it in real estate or politics.

For years my efforts have concentrated on trying to save those historical structures unique to our area.  Although I may occasionally still succumb to that compulsion in the future,  hopefully, most of my protest will now be limited to posts on this blog.  I pleaded to no avail with too many commissions with predetermined agendas.  Let the less disillusioned plead to the deaf ears behind those dais.

Shown above is the former LVRR railroad station on Hamilton Street, which was demolished in the early 1960's.  The existing train station was the New Jersey Central.  Allentown never met a unique older building that it couldn't wait to tear down.

* This post is reprinted from July of 2015. Allentown now has a new mayor and a new park director. I am encouraged that the new administration might be more sensitive to our history.