The Producer

The Allentown Parking Authority Officer shown here is by far the most productive person they have, he may well be the most productive city worker period. I estimate he easily writes over a $half million dollars a year by himself. He spends the day hoping from one fertile hot zone to another. You can see him everyday, several times working Chew Street, between 16th and West. That block, because of the hospital, has time restricted parking. He's like a fisherman, a very good one, who knows the good spots. For those less familiar with this blog, please use the search engine on the upper right; type in parking authority. Along with taking them to task numerous times, I documented fictitious data they provided to City Council to justify doubling the meter rate and fine structure. I also

"They're acting like a vampire sucking the blood out of downtown," Molovinsky said of the authority.

conducted a news conference, covered by Channel 69, on unnecessary parking meters as far out as 10th and Chew. Those meters were finally removed, only this year. Some comments on the previous post suggest that there is justification for the Authority and their policies. As a student of this bureaucracy for years, I can tell you that it has actually had a negative affect on center city commerce. It's simply a back door tax, mostly on those who can least afford it. The cars shown are being ticketed for not moving for street sweeping, despite the snow.*

*photographs from 2007, Parking Authority supposedly no longer gives "sweep tickets" during snow storms.

From the Belly of the Beast

The following letter was sent to Michael Donovan from a center city resident. Although I am reproducing the letter with permission from the writer, he wishes to remain anonymous. He lives in the roughest part of town, in the belly of the beast.

I am writing to express my surprise and dismay upon receiving yet another citation from the City of Allentown.
This time a street cleaning ticket. THIS ONE IS FOR 50.00!! It states repeat offender.
I have lived in this city for more than twenty years. I pay plenty of taxes.
I also pay a man to sweep the area in front of my house every single day.
This is unbelievable - I work an all night and come home to no available parking on the non-sweeping side of the street.
By the time I get up I have a ticket on each of my vehicles, one labeled repeat offender.
Michael, I believe you are probably the most reasonable and approachable member of our city council as well as being on the board of the APA.
So I am asking you, just who thought this was a good idea?
People get sick, meetings run long, stuff happens.
Is this really how to construct a GOOD neighborhood?
Now I am in the pool for the city to collect fifty dollars at a time?
This policy is unbelievable and unconscionable.
I realize that the city is hurting for money, but this is not the way to raise revenue.
Sweep tickets, APA tickets, all kinds of inspections, fees to visit fish, and what else?
I really wanted to have a good experience living in this city.
I have done my civic duty.
I fought for years to close down Trinkles bar.
The results of that closing were immediate and positive.
We almost have a real neighborhood here now.
You must not allow the city to tax/fine/extort this kind of money from cash strapped intercity residents.
I will not pay 50.00 for a street sweeping ticket.
The insult is further compounded because there is no redress to these matters prior to the escalation of the fine fee.
No good will come from the City of Allentown continually stepping on the very citizens that stabilize our neighborhoods.
Respectfully,

Michael (molovinsky)
You may absolutely use my post.
I would much appreciate this on your blog.
Mr. Donovan also stated that a 10% tax increase would be preferable to the nickel diming that is occurring across the spectrum here in the city.
So far the city has gotten me this year for much more than a 10% tax hike would have cost.
If instead of hiring more people to issue more citations - producing an endlessly growing circle of pain, maybe we should end the sweep program, disband the parking authority, the redevelopment authority - hell, anything ending with the word authority..... and not stop there.

Saving the Queen

When I grew up on Liberator Ave., I would walk up Catalina Ave. toward school, which was at the end of Coronado. The streets were named for the Vultee-Consolidated WW2 planes, and the neighborhood was next to the airport built as part of the war effort. Vultee Street was built to connect the hangers with the Mack 5C plant, which was given over to Vultee-Consolidated for plane part manufacturing. Today this small airport is known as Queen City, and is threatened by Mayor Ed Pawlowski.

Pawlowski covets this unique part of our history to expand the tax base. What he doesn't understand is that more housing or commercial space is not in Allentown's best long term interest. Unfortunately, long term interest is not a term understood by our current leadership. There is a whole development of started houses off S. 12th St. and Mack Blvd. which were never completed. There are filled in foundations on 8th Street, also never completed. More housing is the last thing both the real estate market and school system need. Likewise, the existing commercial sector has been struggling to maintain an acceptable occupancy rate. Queen City airport is an unique asset to Allentown. If LVIA does successfully expand, a separate airport for small planes is very desirable for safety. Considering Pawlowski's predetermined objective, I question whether he should have been appointed to the LVIA Board.

Dennis Pearson, long time community activist from the East Side Rittersville area, reports last night that a portion of the State Hospital grounds had been given to the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Corporation. Just last week, Dennis requested that the City inform him of any plans concerning that land. Although representatives of the Administration were present, nobody had the consideration to response to Pearson's statement. These open spaces in Allentown, both Queen City and the State Hospital, are too important to let Pawlowski and Cunningham squander them for a short term, politically expedient, tax fix.

Hardest Working Blogger

The hardest working journalist in the Lehigh Valley, hands down, is Bernie O'Hare. This week, The Morning Call's Bill White tried to split hairs about the difference between bloggers and trained reporters; Could have been a argument years ago, but the multiple layoffs at the paper has taken the ink out of that bottle. Purchaser's of the hard copy paper are submitted to large photographs of White, Carpenter, Hartzell and the other columnists. They are made to wear costumes and pose like boxers. Did they teach that in journalism?

O'Hare attends no less than two governmental meetings each week, pesters the participants in between, and writes at least 10 posts a week. He still genuflects to the professional reporters with his canned testimonials; "They can find out more in a day than I can in a week.." White raised the issue of objectivity and editors, but again, I think he was being reminiscent of days past. I'm afraid the newspaper has turned into a 9 to 5 business; Monday's paper always looks like a flyer. Although the actual Bill White is shown above, Bernie O'Hare is portrayed by James Brown, who was another hard working guy.

New Sheriff in Town

This past Wednesday evening, Bob Romancheck asked Allentown City Council who actually reads the legal notices in The Morning Call? Actually Bob, I do! As a matter of fact I'm concerned that there is an effort under way to allow municipalities to forgo the notices in favor of publishing them on their website; But that's a topic for another day, today's flavor of the week is Upper Saucon Zoning Officer Trent Sear. A recent post of mine took Trent to task for forcing Independent Candidate for the 15th Congressional District, Jake Towne, out of his campaign office in Center Valley. Today's newspaper legal public notice are dominated by Upper Saucon Zoning, four and half columns worth. Trent has prepared 92 revisions to the general 2009 Zoning Regulations, and 17 more to the Village Commercial Overlay Zone, one specially for temporary signs. (Revision 2 to Section 322.D for Tables 1 and 2 and a new Table 5). Now, I'm not sure if Jake was hammered under the old regulations or the new revisions, but I am sure that the citizens of Upper Saucon are having their property rights grossly impeded.

molovinsky on eyewear fashion

This week I bought my first pair of prescription glasses. I had been using readers from the drug store, and it worked out well for both of us; I could see, and the store counted on my continuous purchases. The problem was my shirt pocket, it became too small to carry all the pairs I now need; Close-up, intermediate and distance. I went to the small optical store at the eye doctor's office, where I had the choice of about three pairs. Had I been willing to buy the kind with the nose pads, my selection would have been considerably larger. However, since nose pads may require adjustments, and once, forty years ago, a nose pad made a temporary indentation on my nose, that option was out. The woman and I sat down at a small table with the three plastic pairs without nose pads. There was a woman's makeup mirror on the table, and she asked which pair I liked. No way was I going to try on those glasses, and stare in that little mirror, with her staring at me. One pair had black temple ear pieces, but they were white on the inside, that's out. The second pair had a very narrow nose opening. That pair was from this decade, but Bobby Edwards used my nose as a punching bag all through 5th grade. If you see a guy walking around looking like an old, small Clark Kent, say hello, I'd like to meet you.