The Outsiders

Julio Guridy had asked the city solicitor for an opinion about who could collect signatures. because he didn't want outsiders interfering with Allentown's water lease decision. Pawlowski had no trouble about outsiders working today to promote the water lease plan. At the mayor's request, crews from Philadelphia appeared at the two busiest polling spots to distribute literature on the advantages of private water systems, and monitor the activists collecting signatures against the lease. In addition to boots on the ground, Pawlowski has distributed a new YouTube promoting his proposal. The three gentleman shown above from Philadelphia were encouraging voters not to sign Dan Poresky's petition. Just joking about the photograph. Actually, the photograph is from the film classic, On The Waterfront. The three persuaders shown were former heavyweight boxers in real life, all of whom fought Joe Louis for the title.

UPDATE:  Emily Opilo of The Morning Call reports (an hour before me) that Pawlowski himself was at a polling site asking voters not to sign the petition.  The petition itself of course doesn't decide anything, but gives the citizens a voice on the issue in May. His energy would be better spend looking for alternatives to the lease.

Comforting The Comfortable

Never mind that Obama is comforting the owner of North Point Marina, a one percenter, this became the iconic image of the 2012 election. Never mind that as I write, the people of New Jersey are literally wrestling for gasoline. Never mind that although it was a worldwide viral photo opportunity for Obama, it became just another failed mission for FEMA. A version of the photo, with Chris Christie cut out, is featured on The White House Blog. Christie is not only cut out of the photograph, but likely out of future national Republican politics. Hopefully, there are no term limits on the New Jersey governorship.

Devastation At Cedar Creek Park

Scores of mature trees, on both sides of Ott Street, were blown over by Hurricane Sandy. A dozen or so trees around Muhlenberg Lake were lost. Mostly spruce and willow, the 75 year old trees with their large mass and shallow root systems, fell like bowling pins to the sustained wind. Another dozen or so were also lost on the rose garden side of the park. Shown above, one fallen tree destroyed the walk bridge, just west of the garden. Please join me, and donate for new trees to be planted this coming spring.

Scary Stuff

The committee to save the water system for the citizens of Allentown successfully gathered hundreds of signatures at the Halloween Parade. They will have a presence at many of the polling places this Tuesday. Signing the petition will assure that the citizens have the right to vote on this most important issue in the May primary elections.

photo provided by Dan Poresky

Michael Bloomberg and Marie Antoinette

When Mayor Bloomberg announced earlier in the week that the New York City Marathon would proceed this weekend as scheduled, all I could think of was Marie Antoinette. Although the entire lower part of Manhattan was still without electric, although sections of the city were decimated, although bodies were still be recovered, he thought the race would boost the spirits of New Yorkers. He thought that maybe some spandex suited yuppie in expensive sneakers would somehow console the residents of Staten Island's east shore, where a whole neighborhood was destroyed, and over twenty people perished. The citizens of Queens, where 80 houses were burned to the ground, could certainly "take pride in the resiliency of New York."  Canceling the race isn't good enough, he should visit Staten Island and apologize.

No Opposition Tolerated

Pawlowski has his way with City Council. Six of the seven members can't say yes fast or loud enough about selling our water system. Never the less, he resents the one dissenter, Jeanette Eichenwald. When she pointed out that the expert witnesses were only from communities happy with their private water companies, and none from the less delighted and actually unhappy, Pawlowski made a barely audible snide snark* at her. It was personal enough that she said that remark was uncalled for, and to his credit, Julio Guridy supported Eicenwald's protest. Later in the evening, Pawlowski accused Eicenwald of being against the privatization from the beginning of the process. Imagine a City Council member having the audacity to be against a mayor's proposal. Pawlowski's indignation shows how ineffectual City Council has become.

*If possible, this post will be updated with  Pawlowski's actual insult.

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