Allentown's Crossing Guard Controversy

This morning we learn from facebook that Pawlowski tried to bully the Allentown School District into paying for the crossing guards. This story, like an onion, has many layers. First, let's look at Bob Smith's statement on his election facebook page. 

I have been a school board director for 12 years. President of the board the last 4 years. And I have always worked hard for the tax payers of Allentown. Today I had a meeting with the mayor, city solicitor, assistant chief, city council president ,superintendent of Asd and school solicitor. The mayor wanted the school district to take over crossing guards and pay half the costs. They showed a statute that says school district must pay half if no other agreement could be reached. I heard too much talk about the school district taking over and said the school district will not take this over as this is public safety. This should be handled by the city not the school district. We would contribute toward costs but we do not know what we are getting from the state and I would need to talk to the whole board as well. Not to mention we already voted on our current budget. Mayor wanted us to open our budget. Then it happened, everything about pay to play came to my mind but in this case pay or lose your SRO officers in our school buildings. The mayor said if we did not pay he would pull all Sro officers from our school buildings. I blew my top and said do not threaten me or the school district. This was blackmail, a threat, strong arming and bullying. I will not be blackmailed, strong armed or bullied into making any deal that hurts our taxpayers, students or our staff. We offered 100,000. To start work on a plan to help hire crossing guards. We would need to wait and see what our state funding is and time to talk to the whole board on this.The mayor rejected this good faith offer, I'm very disappointed in him today. Now I see what contractors must have gone through. The mayor also threatened to sue us. We will continue to work with the city and help where we can but if the mayor wants to fight and blackmail us on the safety of our students and staff that is a fight I will gladly take defending with all my being to protect our students, teachers and all our taxpayers. I think we need to ask where all that money for water went that the city budget is so tight. I do not work for the mayor and he threatened the wrong person today. I will continue to defend the taxpayers and will not be bullied, blackmailed or threatened by him or anybody else. I post this so the public knows the truth. The school district will work together with the city despite what happened today but will not take over the crossing guards and will pay something we can afford not what the mayor demands.

I have no issue with Bob's reaction to the bully tactic by Pawlowski, but must note that other school board members were asked not to go public with this development. Another layer on this story is Pawlowski's attempt last spring to load the school board with his chosen picks, through the Citizens For A Better Allentown PAC. After the FBI raid, those endorsed tried to separate themselves from the taint, but that dye still sticks. Another layer is that the Allentown budget supposedly has a $9 million dollar fund gap, which precipitated Pawlowski's strong arming of the school board. So much for the water and sewage lease being a silver bullet.

This story is also being covered by Bernie O'Hare at Ramblings.

Another Department of Parks and Recreation Failure

Ever since Pawlowski's first term, when the Park and the Recreation Departments were merged, our parks have been administered by those with a background in recreation, who have little regard for the parks in themselves. The consequence of this emphasis has been a disaster on the iconic park system. They are just seen as a venue to hold one event after another. Up to this year, not one dollar had been spend on the WPA structures, which anchor every park. Even the traditional recreational assets have been neglected, such as the swimming pools. In 2004, the Trexler Trust commissioned a masterplan for the park system. One of the main conclusions of that expensive report (over $100,000.00) was that Cedar Park was being overused. Unfortunately, we're on our third park director since Mr. Ed's arrival, and that report has been ignored.

This week and weekend the west side of Cedar Park is fenced off to accommodate the Allentown ArtsFest, the alternative kind. Among the alternatives are graffiti, which was left behind on park facilities after last year's event. The park really doesn't need another event. It should have been scheduled for Hamilton Street, which is a ghost town on weekends anyway. It's placement in the park is a failure of both the park department and planning at city hall. Hopefully, when Pawlowski is finally carted away, a new mayor with local roots, will insist on a park department policy more considerate of the traditional park system.

ADDENDUM: Friday Sept.11th. Although I felt that this event should not have been scheduled in the park, the organizers are now dealing with some misfortune. Yesterday's rain flooded the section of the park where they are set up. That may well be another consequence a new park director from out of town, and her staff not familiar with the park system. The area selected for the ArtsFest is the low ground, which always floods in heavy rain.

poster by Steven Leibensperger

Sitting Down With Alan Jennings

I sat down with Alan Jennings yesterday, to discuss some of the criticism coming his way from comments on this blog. He wanted to elaborate on his proposed Inclusionary Housing Policy for the Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Generally, it's the hubris of people of influence to think that if you don't agree with their proposal, you must not fully understand it.  As if on cue,  Jennings started out by handing me a printout of his proposal; Introduction-The Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority is dedicated to vibrant, diverse communities where parents can spend time with their children...blah, blah,blah.   In the proposal's details, in addition to making a percentage of the units affordable (5 to 10%), the developer can opt-out, by creating the affordable units elsewhere in the city. These would have to be either through  the Allentown Housing Authority, or any non-profit organization selected by ANIZDA, which is the NIZ board. An obvious question would be if this non-profit would happen to also be Alan's organization? I upped the ante on Alan, and suggested my own molovinsky opt-out recommendation for future apartments in Allentown. As one of my readers recently noted, and I had stated in previous posts,  Allentown apparently already has too much affordable housing.  I believe that Allentown could really improve itself by insisting that builders can only develop new units, by eliminating an equal number of distressed existing units. In a city where many row houses sell for only $20 thousand and less, that would not be an unrealistic burden. After all, if the new units are going to be truly upscale, what's 20K more? Anyway, enough Molovinsky, back to Jennings.

Even though I put aside his printout without looking at it,  Jennings was very open to my questions.   He thinks that people who criticize him for being so corporate, don't understand his strategy for successfully helping people.  He believes that he must interact with the movers and shakers, if he and his organization are going to have the ways and means  to benefit the community.  He defended his falling out with CUNA as having offered that organization his inside status, to achieve the same goals for Allentown's less fortunate. He had requested to be on the NIZ board, through his friendship and rapport with Ed Pawlowski. He claims that his real concern is not the NIZ district itself, but how it affects the greater surrounding neighborhood. He sees himself not as another human services guy, but as an economic developer, for the underclass. He believe that the best way to improve poor intercity neighborhoods is to help the most ambitious of those residents achieve ownership, so that they stay there, and help improve the area, instead of just moving up and out. He seems introspective and somewhat realistic about the NIZ and Allentown. Realism is a relative term, needless to say, he doesn't have my view on things. On the other hand, he is willing to submit himself to a critical blogger like myself,  he called me,  albeit with an agenda.  He offered that I should call him if I have further concerns about anything,  I won't.  He will have to read about them here, just like everybody else.

Small Town Pizza Blogger

The comment was sent yesterday to an older blog post from July; Pennsylvania, A State Of Corruption. The comment, sent through a second person, details alleged corruption by a local police officer, with a background story spanning two decades. After reading the allegation, I forwarded it to Bernie at Ramblings. He claims to be a genuine reporter, award winning, no less. Me, I'm just a small town pizza blogger. Now, I don't mind trying to save a dam or wall, and calling a few officials irresponsible in the process. Hell, I'll even suggest that the mayor and the police chief should leave Dodge. But, when it comes to a specific incident of corruption against an individual, I'll leave that to others, who purport to tackle such issues. In addition to the other blogger, I forwarded the comment to several reporters with local news outlets. If you also have such an allegation, please send it somewhere else, I'm just a small town pizza blogger.

small town pizza blogger trying to save WPA wall in 2013

Pawlowski and the Little People

Lately, I noticed on facebook, that Ed Pawlowski has started attending littler events, such as a small hispanic church picnic. Understand that if Mayor Ed had his choice, he still would be a candidate for the United States Senate, and not the object of an FBI investigation. He still might had,  under the prior scenario, attended a mega congregation picnic, but previously he didn't have interest in the small fry stuff. Why now is Ed showing up at the munchkin events? Does he want to say he got religion as part of his future defense? Naw, he always had big church religion. Beyond the obvious, that his personal cache has depreciated, he might be trying to cultivate a Marion Barry constituency. When the Washington mayor got popped for cocaine, his followers still elected him. I think that the taint from the Raid On City Hall has made bigger office, or big appointments, on the state or federal level, a goal no longer attainable. Perhaps Ed sees being Mayor For Life now as his best shot, supported by the little people, more tolerant of legal scrapes.

A Blogging Dilemma

Sometimes Bernie and I wonder who is the bigger bastard, him or me? I suppose it depends on the story. Neither of us pulls punches, but we operate differently. Bernie has some pets, me, I don't like anybody. On the other hand, I don't go to court or send anybody to prison. Another difference is how we handle comments. On Ramblings, comments appear instantly, often encouraging chatting between his readers. Here, because I must first approve the comment, they often sit overnight, from early evening to early morning. This morning, there was over a dozen comments waiting, which bashed Alan Jennings, none of which will appear. Now, I don't mind anybody being blunt and insulting, but doing it anonymously, that's just too easy. Another issue with anonymous comments are their accuracy. On another subject, I opened a comment this morning about the Trexler Trust. It began explaining that the General didn't particularly like the WPA structures. Trexler was killed in an automobile accident in 1933, the WPA construction began in 1935. If you're going to send a vicious comment, light on fact, send it to Bernie.

Molovinsky receiving license to blog, currently valid in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, District Of Columbia, and Florida