Yesterday's municipal players are cheering Ed Pawlowski's early release. Early might be a contested term, because his supporters think that he has already been incarcerated too long. Most ardent among his supporters has been Alan Jennings, who lobbied ceaselessly since Pawlowski was taken away.
Ed remains popular, because he empowered many people for his last election, while already indicted. These people were appointed to various committees for which their objective qualifications were questionable. Nevertheless, they became loyalists, even attending his trial daily.
Only prison loosened his grip on the city, and Matt Tuerk has since garnered the populist crown. Tuerk has likewise empowered people, but in a more qualified less Chicago fashion. A few things remain the same...a now older blogger continues to annoy the establishment with his institutional memory of an Allentown more and more forgotten.
I've had mixed feelings about Ed for many years. He treated my mother very nicely each year when the St Patrick's day parades were held on Liberty Street by Muhlenburg College. He saw her home was decorated for the holiday and he would note what she did and greet her warmly. Later, when she became disabled in an auto accident, he authorized her a disabled parking place in front of her home on Liberty Street. She passed in 2019, and the last time I visited the parking spot is still there, the blue paint on the cub is faded but the space is still signed. Ed is still also on my Linked-in. A four-term mayor of my hometown was a good reference back in the day. Turek is on my linked-in as well, as Matt and I attended the same university. Him and I have different political views, but Matt is a good person and no reason politics shouldn't interfere with a friendship. I met him the last time I was in Allentown and we had a nice conversation.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand Ed was rightly convicted of being a crook and also you did not want to get on the wrong side of him, otherwise there would be hell to pay. Apparantley he served his time in prison without incident and the authorities felt he deserved to be released early.
Time has now passed, Allentown has had several mayors since he resigned in discrace and Ed has become a memory for many people. Technically, he can run for mayor again next time as Turek is term limited. Ed is not however. There are also no restrictions on convicted felons being Mayor of Allentown. I don't even know if Lisa and his family still live in Allentown.
I suspect if Ed remains in Allentown, he will wind up being what Daddona and other ex-mayors did after they were mayor. Become a political pundit. Or maybe work at a beer distributor. Who knows. I don't see him going back into elected office.
I doubt that Ed would be eligible to again run for mayor. However, with Jennings' connection, I expect him to be working at Community Action of LV.
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