Issue With Morning Call Editor

On Friday afternoon Mike Miorelli, editor of the Morning Call, clarified for their readers that although the paper is giving up their work space, the paper will continue on, with the staff working from home. He wrote, "Our commitment to the Lehigh Valley and our readers is as strong as ever."

Well, I'm not sure about that. I do know that Mike Miorelli feels no commitment to the residents of South Whitehall, at least in regard to Wehr's Dam.  Although he knows that the Wildlands Conservancy interacted directly with the Pennsylvania DEP to complicate the status of Wehr's Dam, he will not allow my opinion piece on the impropriety of such ex-parte communications.

Mike Miorelli knows that the director of public works in South Whitehall, Randy Cope, is the son of a former Wildlands official, and that the Wildlands is determined to demolish the dam. Cope has made no good faith effort to defend the structure.  Although Miorelli knows that the voters of South Whitehall approved a referendum to keep their cherished dam, he ignores a commissioner wondering aloud how the township can get out from under that obligation?

Miorelli is apparently committed to what he deems important.  For other topics, seemingly, not so much. Not only doesn't his staff have a work place, the public doesn't have a voice. While he has positioned himself as the gatekeeper of opinion in the valley, truth has suffered. Whether you're the CEO of St. Lukes, or just a citizen advocate for a dam,  democracy needs an open opinion page.

ADDENDUM: Because of censorship at the Morning Call opinion page, I will reinstate a blog feature from years ago, OPEN MIKE. For this alternative public square on any subject of concern,  label your submission Open Mike, and submit through the comment windows. They will be collected and printed periodically as a special post. All Open Mike submissions must contain your name and phone number for verification.

photocredit:Wehr's Dam by Jason Fink

Smoking The Morning Call

This post concludes my trilogy on Donald Miller's legacy; a former newspaper is now a cigarette tax dodge, allow me to elaborate.  Under Miller's leadership the paper grew in its physical plant,  circulation and influence.

My post on Wednesday explained how Miller's influence continued after his death through the Century Fund, which after 25 years is ending.

My post yesterday explained how the Morning Call has compromised its journalistic credentials with nonsense stories, glorifying anybody with a bullhorn shouting profanities.  Worse yet, are the stories that the paper refused to print over the last decade.  The improprieties of former Mayor Pawlowski were first covered by me,  until fellow blogger Bernie O'Hare joined in. It took years later, only after Pawlowski was indicted, for the Morning Call to report on the crimes.  The current construction under the Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) is not without controversy.  Only I sat with the former merchants in city hall, when the city was using straw buyers and intimidation to force them out of their properties and livelihood. Only this blog reported on the deception being used. Not only didn't the Morning Call report on what was happening, they were part of the deal. The newspaper building was included in the zone,  even though it was across the street from the district.

Yesterday, it was announced that the paper is vacating its building at 6th and Linden. For the last several years they actually have been a tenant there, with Reilly's City Center Realty being their landlord. It was also revealed that Reilly filed suit against the paper, which has not paid rent since April. Their departure will not hurt Reilly, because most of the building is used as a cigarette warehouse and distribution center. The NIZ allows Reilly to use all state taxes generated by all his different buildings' tenants for his debt service. Under this insanely lucrative arrangement, he has been able to build $1 billion dollars of new construction at the taxpayer's expense.  Not only has the Morning Call failed to report on the details of this legislation, they actually promoted each new building with a news article.  In addition to this taxpayer funded money tree arrangement,  the NIZ law also allows Reilly to use the cigarette tax, previously designated for children's health purposes. He purchased a cigarette wholesaler, and relocated it to the now former Morning Call building.

You might say that Miller's legacy is now being smoked on the corners of downtown Allentown.

The Morning Call As Justice Warrior

As is my style, yesterday's post on the Century Fund was brief. In however brief a style I care to post on this blog,  the topics are nevertheless extensively researched.  While others may have chosen to list all the beneficiaries of the fund and the amounts received, I preferred to present a condensed version, hopefully distilling the essence. While that post concerned Donald P. Miller's legacy,  today we dissect the remains of his Morning Call.

In Miller's era, reporters stayed on a beat for decades, and knew the back stories; they had institutional knowledge of Allentown.  We are now two media conglomerates away from Miller's family owned paper. The current editor in the front office assigns politically correct topics to the reporters, for a dwindling audience who could care less.

In yesterday's paper, we learn that people who live in center city own fewer houses than those in the suburbs. The article concludes that hispanics must have less opportunity here in the valley.

“It is absolutely systemic racism. Whatever the power in control decides what they want to do, they can exert their power onto others,” said Becky Bradley, executive director of the commission.

I will not comment on the article or the organizations quoted in it, or those who work in what I refer to as the poverty industry, but I will throw an insight on the fire they try to ignite.

From working in center city real estate, I can tell you that these oppressed victims are very glad to be here. They consider both the housing and quality of life immensely better than from where they came. 

Lengthwise this blog post exceeds my preferred template by far. In conclusion, I ask the paper for whom they are writing? The victims referred to in the article don't read the paper, and the suburban home owners who do, are tired of hearing endless renditions of the same drumbeat.

photocredit:Stacy Wescoe

End Of A Century

When Donald P. Miller owned and operated the Morning Call, he and a few associates more or less ran Allentown.  Fortunately, they were a benevolent oligarchy.

When he passed away, his fortune funded a trust, which has been one of the wizards behind Allentown's curtain. There are several such trusts or foundations in the valley.  They are very much a closed society.

Miller's trust, The Century Fund,  was specified to end in 25 years, which will be reached this coming year.

The Fund is contributing about a third of its remaining assets  ($20mil) to established local cultural institutions,  such as the symphony, library, art museum, theaters and colleges.  A third will be contributed to the Allentown School System, and the remaining third to another fund, the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation.

A Crime By The Wildlands Conservancy

photo by Tami Quigley

REPRINTED FROM JULY 2018

The top photo shows the Robin Hood Bridge, before the Wildlands Conservancy demolished the little  Robin Hood Dam, just downstream beyond the bridge. The dam was only about 10 inches high, and was built as a visual effect to accompany the bridge in 1941. It was the last WPA project in Allentown, and considered the final touch for Lehigh Parkway. Several years ago, the Wildlands told the Allentown Park Director and City Council that it wanted to demolish the dam. The only thing that stood between their bulldozer and the dam was yours truly. I managed to hold up the demolition for a couple weeks, during which time I tried to educate city council about the park, but to no avail. If demolishing the dam wasn't bad enough, The Wildlands Conservancy piled the broken dam rubble around the stone bridge piers, as seen in the bottom photo. I'm sad to report that the situation is now even worse. All that rubble collected silt, and now weeds and brush is growing around the stone bridge piers. I suppose the Wildlands Conservancy considers it an extension of its riparian buffer.

The Wildlands Conservancy should be made to remove, piece by piece, all the rubble that they piled around the bridge piers, despoiling the bridge's beauty. City Council should refrain from ever again permitting The Wildlands Conservancy to alter our park designs.

JULY 9, 2018: It has been five years since the dam's destruction in 2013, and the bridge piers look more disgusting than ever.

UPDATE AUGUST 11, 2020: Last week's storm Isaias caused unprecedented damage to the iconic bridge. The top of one of the stone piers was battered off, and now lies on the bridge deck. The rubble placed around the piers in 2013 narrows the channel between the piers, and raised the water level... neither of which helps the bridge in high water events.

Lehigh Parkway Bridge Decimated In Storm

The crowning glory of Lehigh Parkway was completed in 1941, the Robin Hood Bridge. Its curved stone end piers, and its two oval middle piers, were designed to compliment and mirror the long stone entrance wall into the park.

As a boy in 1955, living in the housing development above the park, I remember marveling about how high the water arose the morning after Hurricane Diane.

As an advocate for the WPA in 2020, I'm saddened to see the damage that Isaias inflicted upon the bridge last week. The stone top of one the stone piers, which serves as a wall and railing anchor, was smashed off and lies on the bridge, which itself is full of debris. With perhaps record high water, I speculate that a tree trunk or limb battered the stone buttress loose.

The main park entrance wall is in the process of a long overdue stone repointing. We now have an extra, unexpected repair which must be made.  I am optimistic that both the city and Trexler Trust will meet the challenge.