Jostling With Windmills

I had a chance encounter with an opponent of the water lease plan in the grocery store. The person mentioned how tiring the battle has been, and how difficult it will be to succeed with keeping the water system in the citizen's hands. I know a little bit about this exhaustion, I have been fighting City Hall for well over a decade, as an army of one. The last group I belonged to was the Cub Scouts. I ran as an independent for office. I think my visits to City Hall inspired some of the security buffers now in place. There are few reporters, or editors, at The Morning Call that I haven't had words with, at one time or another. I could list a few victories here, but I won't risk jinxing my limited success. Blogging has been a fortunate vehicle for me. My detractors would be shocked to see a who's who of my readership. I thank you for that.                                                                     Michael Molovinsky

The Selling Of Allentown

Ed Pawlowski & Company has been selling off Allentown the past several years. He sold center city to the Hammes, Brooks, and J.B. Reilly groups without much public resistance. The former merchants and their supporters virtually had no influence. When he sold the city air rights to the Trash To Cash&Energy Company, it raised a few eyebrows. A chamber full of outside union members, and a few motorcycles, intimidated the Council into staying with the Administration's yard sale on that deal. It was reported last night that the public's right to referendum was mentioned, that may well be the card to play. Although City Council can issue a referendum on their own, on their own, they don't have the will. The water opponents will have to do it the old fashioned way, the hard way. The procedure requires 2000 signatures. If a successful restaurateur, and a former successful merchant, combine energy, that should be a doable feat.

Perilous Times

The Radiation Mystery: Wetherhold & Metzger

The Shoe giant Wetherhold & Metzger started in 1908 on Hamilton street's south side. When business began to prosper, they moved across to the more prominent north side of Hamilton Street. Their store at 719 Hamilton was recently demolished, along with most of Allentown's mercantile history. It was a two story store, with the children's department on the lower level. This post originally was scheduled for sometime in the future, and was to include a Buster Brown poster. Today's Morning Call has a story on the mystery radium 226 found in the debris of the former buildings, and I thought perhaps the molovinsky on allentown historical division could help. Wetherhold & Metzer's downtown store was quite the adventure for a kid. In addition to your mother's money being transported away in a tube system like the bank drive-ups use today, you could look inside your shoes and see your feet.

Needless to say, eventually these shoe fluoroscopes were banned, but for many years one stood in the lower level of 719 Hamilton Street. Many a child, including myself, saw our foot bones in our new Buster Browns. Wetherhold & Metzger also had an uptown store in the 900 block of Hamilton Street.

Betraying General Trexler

This evening many former supporters of the administration will gather in the Council Chamber to try and persuade City Council to reject the administration's water lease plan. These former supporters were on board when the mayor paved Cedar Park, and sent the merchants packing. Don't know if you have been on Hamilton Street lately? We have solved the seedy customer problem, there are no more customers. Things started going bad between the mayor and the supporters back with the Trash to Energy contract. Supporters or not, seems that they're particular about the air they breath and the water they drink. Bless them for thinking that democracy is in play this evening, or in Allentown. What they should be doing is speaking to an outside attorney about an injunction against the lease. Around 1900, General Trexler donated hundreds of acres along the Little Lehigh to protect the watershed for the benefit of Allentown's citizens. They should be petitioning the Trexler Trust to protect the intentions of the General.

The Morning Call Idea Contest

The Morning Call is in desperate need of ideas, especially for it's columnists. Ideas can be submitted as letters to the editor. Your intellectual property will be deleted from your letter, but reappear without credit or attribution, as a headline by one of their writers. Blogger Michael Molovinsky has won the contest several times. Only one submission per week will be accepted.