Back in 1996, Allentown had a charter commission to recommend new guidelines. The issue then was deciding if we wanted a Managing Director or a Mayor. The blue ribbon panel decided on a strong mayor format.
City Hall continued as such, until Ed Pawlowski hired a managing director to help him. Matt Tuerk has followed suit, and also hired a managing director.
Ed and Matt had similar motivations. Ed wanted to be free to run for higher office. Matt wants to be free to go on junkets. One common denominator is this long term blogger. In Ed's case, I just started the blog in 2007.....I'm still here, now on Matt's case.
shown above blogger phoning out from his underground bunker during Pawlowski indictment
Abe's Allentown Truth has become the no#1 naysayer in today's political sananagons.
ReplyDeleteMr. Molovinsky’s blog.has provided an invaluable public service to the people of Allentown that no amount of accolades could ever do justice to.
ReplyDeleteMM may not have changed the world but he certainly has made our community a better, more decent and honest place.
Michael, you have provided an outlet for truth and integrity without peer.
Thank you, sir.
mj adams
I was talking to someone the other day who hadn’t been to downtown Allentown in years, but went to a concert at the PPL Center.
ReplyDeleteWere they impressed with all the new buildings and restaurants? Nope, all they could talk about was the homeless people they saw laying on the sidewalks, when they drove into town and then were walking to/from their parking deck.
And this is what everyone, from Tuerk to Reilly to any of their supporters have to realize: Even if you have a diamond in the rough in the middle of the city, but people from the outside won’t visit unless they feel safe. People notice the rot surrounding it.
Yes, they might quickly drive in for an event and they leave just as quickly, but they aren’t going to linger to dine or shop here. They can get that outside the city and feel safe while doing so.
The neglect promoted as policy by Tuerk and City Council has a cost. It’s not easily measured, but it’s very expensive.
There's a plan for that. You see, the problem is the one-way streets. It's too easy to quickly drive in and out, so the evil geniuses have it all figured...eliminate the one-way streets (and whatever timing might be left in the archaic system of traffic lights originally designed to smooth traffic flow), then while the visitors are idling in traffic, they will suddenly be smitten by all the glorious attractions of Allentown's urban life. They will then happily find a parking space and merrily prance around all the very attractive businesses that line the streets. I wish I was making this up, but I'm not that creative. https://www.lehighvalleypublicmedia.org/news/local/two-way-traffic-could-return-to-downtown-allentown-as-officials-consider-street-conversion-projects/
DeleteI’m not sure that Tuerk actually does or cares about ANYTHING.
ReplyDeleteAs I drive around the City, I’m running over the same potholes that I’ve been hitting for the last four years, looking at the same litter problem, seeing the same neglect in our parks, the same traffic lights (stop lights and crossing signals) that have been out since Christmas, and the same areas of the city that I would avoid even if I was armed.
Not only is there a continuing decline in what I see, but there is nothing aspirational coming from Tuerk or city council. I suppose that’s by design, since a statement of actual goals for improvement might give us something to use as a scorecard and lead to actual accountability, but there is ZERO as far as an actual vision.
I’d like to think that when Tuerk is here he’s actually working on some of the basic problems (streets, litter, crime, etc), but I honestly see no difference. In fact, he’s failing on the basics.
For a guy that’s always posting about how he runs and bikes around the city, he apparently doesn’t SEE a lot when he’s out there.
Not an Allentown resident, but can see how the clowns running that city can easily pick-up and adopt communist theories now being enacted in New York City. I think we already see Democrat/Socialist influence here. Not good for the entire area.
ReplyDeleteTuerk is more of an LGBTQ Libertarian.
DeleteTuerk is a character actor. He’s a bad actor working off a pathetic script.
Delete