Allentown Comes To Macungie

When the shots rang out last week in Macungie, welcome to Allentown. Chief Roca just released neighborhood crime statistics, but who cares about them with the music blaring? 

The question in tomorrow's election is, will Tuerk's pandering pay him a dividend? Will all those flag raisings buy him another term?  Unfortunately for Tuerk, he probably won't know the answer until November. Even if he wins the primary tomorrow, he may still face Zucal in the general election, if Zucal gets enough Republican write-in votes.

Tuerk says that Zucal can't have it both ways, he can't be both a Democrat and a Republican. Zucal says he is an Allentonian, first and foremost. Allentown's minority-majority communities are maturing. They're less faltered by the pandering and more concerned with the quality of their lives. Nobody is fooled by these new initiatives just announced last week by the Tuerk administration.

SPECIAL EDITION, TUERK OBSCURES THE TRUTH

Matt Tuerk sent a mailer claiming that there was no tax increase under his administration. His opponent, Ed Zucal, took him to task for that distortion.

 "Most people received a mailer from Matt Tuerk claiming to have not raised taxes during his first term as Mayor. What he forgot to tell you is he wanted to raise taxes 5.4% in 2023. Remember when he threatened to take away Lights in the Parkway if he didn't get his way. Council shot his 5.4% down. Then he came back with a 2% raise. Council shot that down to. So the real truth is Mayor Tuerk would have raised your taxes. If you also remember Council had a vote of "No Confidence" as a direct result of this caous. Thank Council for no tax increases not Matt Tuerk."

As we approach Tuesday's election, my support goes to Ed Zucal. I believe that an emphasis on public safety and quality of life issues will benefit all our citizens, more than raising flags and having festivals.

ADDENDUM: Zucal press release Friday Evening 

                  Mayor Matt sends in the Machine ALLENTOWN — 

In the final days of Allentown’s mayoral primary, the Ed Zucal campaign is responding to a wave of anonymous attack ads with a warning: voters are witnessing a coordinated, last-ditch effort by entrenched political insiders to prop up Mayor Matt Tuerk and silence opposition. As reported by the Morning Call, the ads in question are funded by shadowy PACs, including the Civic Growth Initiative, a group tied to former mayoral candidate Charlie Thiel—a longtime ally of the political class surrounding Mayor Tuerk. The group has ads attacking Zucal and other candidates while boosting allies of the current administration. “Despite trying to hide his involvement, it’s clear that Tuerk is behind these shady efforts, ” said Zucal. “The individual who has attached his name to this effort —Ray Lahoud— has also donated thousands of dollars to Tuerk. He wants voters distracted from the outsiders and special interests that are bankrolling his campaign. ” “Voters will see through Matt’s dirty tricks and dark money. On May 20th, they will vote for truth and transparency.

A Personal Memoir

I'm not sure memoir is a good title, rather than facts and records, I have hazy recollections. Assuming my memory will not improve at this stage of the game, let me put to print that which I can still recall. In about 1958 my father built Flaggs Drive-In. McDonalds had opened on Lehigh Street, and pretty much proved that people were willing to sit in their cars and eat fast food at bargain prices. For my father, who was in the meat business, this seemed a natural. As a rehearsal he rented space at the Allentown Fair for a food stand, and learned you cannot sell hotdogs near Yocco's. He purchased some land across from a corn field on Hamilton Blvd. and built the fast food stand. In addition to hamburgers, he decided to sell fried chicken. The chicken was cooked in a high pressure fryer called a broaster, which looked somewhat like the Russian satellite Sputnik. The stand did alright, but the business was not to my father's liking, seems he didn't have the personality to smile at the customers. He sold the business several years later to a family which enlarged and enclosed the walk up window. Subsequent owners further enlarged the location several times. The corn field later turned into a Water Park, and you know Flaggs as Ice Cream World.

I'm grateful to a kind reader who sent me this picture of Flaggs

reprinted from March 12, 2009

When Republicans Ruled Allentown

I remember 1955 pretty well. I was nine years old, and Hurricane Diane roared through Allentown.  I remember the sound of the metal trash cans blowing around the neighborhood, hitting houses and cars. Living in Little Lehigh Manor, my neighbor's large willow tree blew over. The creek was way over its banks. My father had spent the night moving meat from the first floor cooler to a second floor cooler, with his market being next to the Lehigh River. What I don't remember is that Republicans ruled the city back then.

But I do remember the prosperity of Allentown. The factories were going full tilt, some with two and three shifts. More mothers were staying home, with the father's union wages being enough to support the family.  The southside was booming, with new factories between Lehigh Street and Emmaus Ave. Mack 5C was putting out an endless line of truck cabs.

I was about fifty years away from thinking about local politics. I couldn't tell you who the mayor was until Joe Daddona in the late 70's. We're learning that Ed Zucal is asking Republicans to write him in on May 20th, and that Matt Tuerk and Dems are in a huff about it. 

Although conservative, I'm a true independent. By that I mean that I vote for people, not a party. There hasn't been a Republican voted to any Allentown office this century, but a shakeup sure wouldn't hurt the town. When nobody from the Baum Art School, which just started building a new addition, doesn't complain about the Museum moving away to 10th Street, we have become mired in go along to get along. It is my contempt for that attitude which fuels this blog.

Allentown Has No Shame

As a long time critic of the NIZ, the newest article by the Morning Call is right up there as an infomercial. It involves placing an arch over the street by Reilly's new buildings, and installing a statue of, no less, a Greek g-d. The icing on the cake is that it is being promoted by none other than Pat Browne, patron saint of Reilly's good fortune.

The new Morning Call reporters are following a tradition at the Morning Call, writing good news about the NIZ, and skipping any unpleasant realities, like the 7th Street drug and gun bust at Strata #5, aka The Hive. The paper has also taken to using stories from former editors and reporters, who now have news letters and blogs.

I keep resolving to be nicer, but I just can't find any justification for it. Meanwhile, back at the upcoming election, Tuerk is claiming that Zucal lies!!!! That he can't be both a Democrat and Republican! Of course Zucal is entitled to ask Republicans to write him in on May 20th, and Allentonians are entitled to vote as they see fit come November.

shown above WW1 Victory Parade arch in 1919, 500 block of Hamilton St.

A Giant Among Midgets

Here's a story you will not read about on any official City of Allentown website. It's a story of private gumption, instead of the usual public subsidy. It's the late 1990's, and I stop in and visit infamous Allentown landlord Joe Clark. He's sitting at a desk in the middle of a large empty storefront at 7th and Turner, surrounded by landlord supplies and building materials. The phone rings and it's Mayor William Heydt. Heydt just learned that Clark purchased the vacant Eastern Light Building on Hamilton Street, and wants to know Clark's intentions. Clark tells him he's going to build the best nightclub Allentown has ever seen. Heydt doesn't offer any help, but tells him that he'll be under close scrutiny. Clark does go on to build the club, without a nickel of help from Allentown. Years later, when the BrewWorks would open with unlimited city subsidy, a public parking lot on 8th Street was given exclusively to the BrewWorks. A few weeks ago Clark asked if he could rent the Parking Authority lot behind the nightclub; Request Denied. This week, based on ticket sales, Crocodile Rock was rated the 60th most successful nightclub in the world for 2011. The midgets at City Hall pay for consultants, when there's a genius half a block away.

above reprinted from January of 2012

ADDENDUM February 8, 2023:What brings this decade old plus post back today is the news that J.B. Reilly's CityCenter Real Estate will build a band venue within their new projects in the 900 block of Hamilton Street. The Morning Call doesn't mention that Reilly purchased the old Croc Rock building and virtually all of Hamilton Street, except for a few holdouts who wouldn't sell. The Morning Call also doesn't mention that Croc Rock was run by Joe Clark, less, but still infamous. I can't tell you how much the current Call article amused me, but Joe got to laugh all the way to the bank.

ADDENDUM MAY 13, 2025: Joe Clark passed away last week. Recently in Allentown homelessness and affordable housing have been news items. I can tell you that there would have been considerably more homeless in Allentown without Clark...He took chances renting to tenants that other landlords wouldn't touch. Bill Heydt also recently passed away...He was the last Republican mayor in Allentown.