The Morning Call Excludes Molovinsky

Today, the Morning Call published their guide to the state house election, but forgot to mention one of their critics, yours truly. Voters in the 183rd District are told, with accompanying photographs, that they only have two choices for their state representative. 

I've been at war with the editor/publisher, Mike Miorelli, over his repression of the news...Mainly that South Whitehall is attempting to subvert the Wehr's Dam referendum. 

While the paper sponsors an election poll with Muhlenberg College, they actively repress democracy. 

While the guide is attributed to staff, I feel bad for the reporters, who know that their journalism and careers are being compromised by inept leadership.

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 31, 2020: Today, the Morning Call features a story about Enid Santiago's challenge to the primary election, mentions that she is now a write-in candidate, and links to the voter's guide referenced above.  The paper's pre-election coverage now includes every candidacy except mine. 

The Mohican Markets

Once, before the malls, there were three thriving cities in the Lehigh Valley, and some merchants would have a store in each of the downtowns. Some of the buildings still exist, and have been reused; The Allentown Farr (shoe) Building is now loft apartments. Two of three Mohican Market buildings, famous for baked goods, no longer exist. The Easton location, on S. 4th St., was victim to fire. The Allentown store became a bingo hall and then a parking lot.  Butz's newest office building now occupies the space.

The Mohican Markets were owned and operated by Bernard Molovinsky, who purchased the three Lehigh Valley stores from a small chain located in New York and Pennsylvania.

revised and reprinted from September of 2007

Send Your Message Down Ballot

Although Voter Registration is in the basement of Lehigh County Government Center, yesterday the line stretched out the first floor building entrance and up 7th Street, toward Center Square.  

The Election Office reports that most of the new registrants are Democrats.  While news reports speculate on a 70% turnout, including mail-in votes,  I expect it to be higher.  I know that 100% of those standing in that line yesterday will vote.

I've never seen a more polarized, energized electorate.  As  an independent write-in candidate, it is my hope that voters will refrain from straight ticket voting. While I know that the inclination is to send a message,  I'm hoping that at the bottom of the ballot,  I will be their message in the 183rd State House District.

While I have no connection to the Biden/Trump contest,  I'm well connected to the issues facing citizens of the Lehigh Valley. While I have no connection to either the Democratic or Republican Party, my commitment to better government has spanned decades of involvement. 

Write-In Michael Molovinsky

Jennie Molovinsky Was A Quiet Neighbor

For nearly a hundred years the Wenz Memorial Company had a tombstone factory at 20th and Hamilton.  Their parcel extended from Hamilton Street back to Walnut Street, across from the home of former mayor Joe Daddona.   Years ago, large granite slabs would be delivered by railroad, using the the Barber Quarry spur route.  During the Phil Berman era,  the facilities were also used to produce large stone sculptures.  Behind the office and production building, most of the property was used for storage of tombstones.  Some of the stones were samples of their handiwork, and others were old stones that had been replaced with new ones, by family members.  Such was the case with my great grandmother's first stone, which has laid at Wenz's for several decades.  The row houses and their front porches on S. Lafayette Street faced this portion of Wenz's, and it was very quiet, indeed.

Some readers may have noticed that Wenz's has been demolished, and the parcel will now contain a bank,  Dunkin Donut, and Woody's Sport Bar.  The residents of Lafayette Street,  experiencing complete quietness for all these years, attended the zoning hearing as objectors.  Their previous view, a dark, quiet lot, would now be replaced with a lit parking lot, with bar patrons coming and going.  Although I will not comment on the zoning issues,  residents were supposedly told by the zoners that the development would improve their quality of life.  It's one thing to have the quality of your life degraded,  it's another to have your intelligence insulted, to boot.  Perhaps the zoners need some training in sensitivity.

reprinted from May of 2016

My Challenge For The State House

Recently, I decided that the voters in the 183rd District needed a better option, and entered the race as a write-in candidate.  The Democratic candidate, Jason Ruff, was complaining how disengaged the Republican incumbent, Zach Mako, was from Harrisburg.

Ruff himself, and several of his surrogates, have asked questions on my facebook promotions.  I have yet to see an insightful comment or idea from that camp.  He heralds the usual union endorsements, and supports the party positions, which would all require more taxes to implement. Of course, at the same time, he wants property tax reform.

I can assure voters that with Mako or Ruff, there would be no changes coming your way from Harrisburg. They both need the job, and the security that the old incumbent system provides.

While the primary function of a state representative is to make sure that the state returns proportional benefits to those communities within the district,  I have objectives beyond the obvious.  If elected,  I would work to eliminate some representatives,  there are far too many districts in Pennsylvania.  I would work to eliminate pensions for representatives,  there are too many long term incumbents,  preoccupied by being re-elected.  I would work to eliminate most of the commissions, many unnecessary, stuffed with patronage jobs. 

I would vote on each bill with quality government being the only criterion, not a party platform.

I understand that voters are passionate about the national election,  and some think that by voting straight ticket that they're sending more of a message.  If you live in the 183rd, make your message at the top of your ballot, but improve your state government by writing-in my name for State Representative...Michael Molovinsky    

The Corner Market

Although I doubt that there will ever be a show at the Historical Society, or brochures at the Visitors Bureau, perhaps nothing encapsulates the history of Allentown more than the corner grocery stores. Allentown proper, is mostly comprised of rowhouses built between 1870 and 1920, long before the era of automobiles and suburban supermarkets. Most of the corner markets were built as stores, and over the years many were converted into apartments. Up until the late 1940's, there may have been well over a hundred operating in Allentown. Some specialized in ethnic food. The bodega at 9th and Liberty was formally an Italian market. Live and fresh killed chickens were sold at 8th and Linden, currently H & R Block Tax Service. A kosher meat market is now a hair salon on 19th Street. The original era for these markets died with the advent of the supermarket. In the early 50's some corner stores attempted to "brand" themselves as a "chain", as shown in the Economy Store sign above. That market is at 4th and Turner, and has been continually operating since the turn of the last century. Ironically, as the social-economic level of center city has decreased, the corner stores have seen a revival. Most of these new merchants, many Hispanic and some Asian, know little of the former history of their stores, but like their predecessors, work long, hard hours.

ADDENDUM: The first supermarket's in Allentown were the A&P. In addition to occupying a former corner store near 2nd and Hamilton, they operated the super store on 19th St, home later to the Shanty Restaurant.  

ADDENDUM 2: Although there was an attempt to brand the corner stores to appear as a chain, the Economy Stores sign shown, apparently came from an early A&P format in 1912 when they leased small stores. If this particular store was such an A&P, or just dressed later with a reused sign, I have yet to determine.

reprinted from previous years