The Truth In Lehigh County

The Executive race in Lehigh County seems to be the hottest item on the November 5th ticket. It seems that it's being waged mostly by mail, with large colors flyers arriving in your mailbox every few days. Tom Muller has both the upper hand in quantity sent, and the lower hand in negative advertising. He has portrayed his opponent as just an unqualified school bus driver and camp counselor. Although Ott and his fellow Commissioners approved all 15 bridge replacements except one, for historical preservation reasons, Muller and the two Democratic Commissioner candidates raced to bridge, and complained that Ott jeopardized public safety. Here in the blogosphere, Bernie O'Hare has been handling Muller's campaign. Shown above is the Truth Machine that O'Hare insists that Ott submit to. Although Bernie cannot guarantee that the human body can survive the current that the machine uses, he now calls Ott a liar for not submitting to the test. It's a tough year to be a candidate.

Lehigh County Business As Usual

I've never been to the Lehigh Country Club, it has always been the bastion of the local blue bloods. My blogging associate from Nazareth is in his final sprint to bloody the waters against Scott Ott. Although I don't have his affinity for promoting candidates, fairness requires some balance in the blogosphere. Tom Muller's fundraiser was held at the country club. His campaign contributor list is a who's who of Business As Usual in the valley. The big contractors/developers are all there; Butz, Boyle, Marcon, and Perucci. The law/accounting firms are there; McCarthy, Sorrentino and Portnoff. In this world, overlooking the golf course, donations are either $2,500 or $5,000. The voters next week will have a choice between accountability to the taxpayer, or business as usual.

Less Than a Thankless Job

Scott Armstrong has become the teacher's target on the Allentown School Board. He's conservative, vocal, articulate, and not afraid to write letters to the editor, or bloggers, for that matter. The budget game every year between the State and the school district was particularly harsh this year. Although the district always ends up with more than initially budgeted, it necessitates teacher layoffs and bad feelings, before some portion of the teachers are reinstated. Added to the mix this year was a schism between board members with teacher backgrounds, and the conservative members. There's even a Facebook page to vilify Armstrong and David Zimmerman. Further adding to the disharmony, that Facebook page was taken over by a couple who were targeting Armstrong on their infamous long enemy list, before he even considered running for the school board.

I was accosted today in a public venue by an acquaintance who happens to be a teacher. I have known this person for years and said hello as he is neighbor who lives around the corner from my home. While trying to remember his name he said it with the words “why do you hate teachers." I asked him to repeat and he complied. Surprised, I said I have many friends who are teachers and dislike none of them, however I do have a problem with the teachers union as its primary mission is that of a labor union. The conversation went south from there and he wouldn't leave me alone as I tried to purchase meat from a stand at the market. I had to explain to them why he was angry at me. I was on the school board and he was a teacher, I had been vocal about the damage defined payment pensions are doing to public schools. They gave him no sympathy. His attempted explanation that was met with only frowns. Seeing this, he retreated. I told the merchants that this happens to me all too often because I dare to speak for the taxpayers at school board meetings. While I completed my transaction he stood off at a distance, as I walked by him on my way to the exit, he said, “Scott, no one in the neighborhood likes you." This is a public school teacher.                                                                                                                                                             ScottArmstrong

I find the teacher's attitude toward Armstrong disturbing.  This first person account by Armstrong is not an isolated incident.  I have read similar sentiments by teachers who should know better.  Putting aside the Facebook page by the cyber/stalkers/Bullies,  some  rank and file teachers have indulged in the personal attacks.  The school board represents the public and taxpayers, who have not demeaned the members who are teachers.  Why should the teachers not extend the same tolerance toward the  conservative members?

Personnel Change Complicates Prediction

Last month, with assistance from my in house psychic, I claimed that Ted Kohuth would be Allentown's next police chief. Recently, it came to my attention that the psychic was also working for another local blogger, in violation of company policy. She has been suspended, pending a full investigation, and temporarily replaced by a well respected telepathist from the old world. Dr. Caligari tells me that Mayor Pawlowski has now been thinking about Joel Fitgerald, the police chief from Texas, with deep roots in Philadelphia. The blog regrets any inconvenience this change has caused the betting establishment in Las Vegas.

Allentown's NAACP Candidate's Night

Last time I was at a NAACP candidate's night, I was a candidate.  Unlike Michael Donovan,  I really was the independent third man on the ticket, not the relabeled second Democrat.  The evening was rather explosive, because the organization's president, Dan Bosket, asked me to prove that I wasn't a racist.  I had said earlier in the campaign that Allentown was becoming a poverty magnet.  That phrase has now become main stream,  even Alan Jennings uses it.  At the time, in 2005,  it was outspoken and controversial.  Ed Pawlowski was there, running for his first term as mayor, against previous Republican mayor Bill Heydt, and this outspoken independent.  Heydt lost and hasn't been heard of since,  but I've never stopped advocating for the Allentown that I believe in.  Pawlowski spent the night pandering. He looked around the room and said that if he was elected, there was a man who would be working at city hall,  there was a woman that he would hire.  I said that I would hire no black people,  nor would I hire any brown or white people.  Afflerbach, the current mayor in 2005, had just given the store away to the police union, and I thought an austerity program was in order. Pawlowski would get elected, and ignore the problem until this year,  then sell off the water we drink.

Flash ahead eight years, and the NAACP had a  candidate's night this week.  Although I didn't attend, I did sit down with Michael Donovan yesterday morning.  Dan Bosket is still the organization's president. Dan works for Alan Jennings in Allentown's growth industry, poverty.  In addition to Pawlowski and Donovan,  unopposed county commissioner David Jones and Julio Guridy were there.  Despite the campaign signs all over Allentown, the four City Council candidates are unopposed. Things don't change much in Allentown, and I'm still an outspoken independent.

The Morning Pawlowski

Although I subscribe to The Morning Call, yesterday they delivered The Morning Pawlowski. Had Pawlowski's campaign manager published the paper, it could not have been more favorable. Playing on the brand name of the hotel, the headline stated that a Renaissance was coming to Allentown. The subtitle was a Pawlowski quote about epic transformation. Anybody looking for balance or reason in the article would come up empty handed. Marriott hypes their Renaissance chain of hotels for guests interested in discovery. What there is to discover near 7th and Linden Streets is beyond me. Will their guests be visiting the 7/11 store of convenient shooting on the corner?

photocredit:Michael Kubel/The Morning Call/October21,2013