Allentown Urban Archeology

This blog over the years, and this weekend was the 18th year, has worn several hats. First and foremost, it has supplied local political scrutiny. I started scrutinizing the Pawlowski administration from day one. At first even fellow bloggers assumed that I had sour grapes, as an independent candidate who fared poorly in 2005.

I defended the former merchants of Hamilton Street against the real estate scheme called the NIZ, which to this day has avoided accountability.(Jarrett Coleman is working for an audit) I appeared as an opponent against the NIZ on Iannelli's Business Matters, and consequently was described as dour and misguided in a column by Bill White. 

I have campaigned against the Wildlands Conservancy using our iconic parks as a science fair project, and for the preservation of our WPA structures.

I have written pieces on our local history based on my experiences, rather than wikipedia pasteups. I've managed to save a few structures, notably among them Wehr's Dam and the Reading Road Bridge.

At this point in the endeavor, urban archeology gives me the greatest pleasure. Over the years I've turned my camera on things which are either now gone, or soon will be. Shown above is a railroad bridge used by the former Barber Quarry line, which ran west along the Little Lehigh.

The Morning Call, A Useful Tool

Yesterday's post about Emma Tropiano generated some expected replies. When I referred to an agenda at the Morning Call back in the day, people piped in with a 2020's point of view. Now we hear about left vs right, CNN vs Fox, fake news, etc.. Back then papers had local agendas, this mayor, that developer and this or that project.

The consolidation of the newspaper industry has certainly affected the Morning Call. Now a Tribune paper, it no longer has a building, office space or presses. The paper is composed in Chicago, printed in Jersey City and distributed in Allentown. The local reporters are, for the most part, young and new to the area. The editor's background is in digital production, which is not inappropriate in 2025.

In yesterday's post, I refer to a Bill White quote about Emma not having a new idea in forty years. Ironically, Bill is still the paper's columnist, and he's reprinting posts from forty years ago. The opinion page still has editorials from the same non-profit heads, writing about business in the valley. What they have in common is that none of them ever had a real job, and they're all gray now. However, the paper is a useful tool for the current local establishment, printing what they're given, with few, if any questions asked.

The only local thing I enjoy reading is this blog, because by the morning, I forgot what I wrote the night before :)

Back To The Future With Emma

Although the Progressives, who campaigned against the waste to energy plant and the water lease this year, didn't like Emma Tropiano back in the day, or now, here's a history lesson they may find interesting. Shown above is Emma camping out by the entrance to Kline's Island on October 13, 1989. Her statement to the press. "The deal with the Lehigh County Authority to open Kline's Island to outside sewage sources has promoted massive development in western Lehigh County, drawing potential commercial and industrial development away from Allentown and resulting in higher taxes for city property owners." She was running against The First Mayor For Life Joe Daddona's fourth term. His reply. "It's obvious once again that Emma, because of her lack of knowledge and understanding of a problem, is shooting from the hip and hitting herself in the foot." She was also outspoken about the direction the city was heading in: Is Allentown in an ugly decline, with drugs, crime, filth and mismanagement rotting away the core of the Queen City, as challenger Emma D. Tropiano insists? Or is it squarely facing its problems and coming up with sound, creative solutions, as Mayor Joseph S. Daddona says?" The Morning Call, Nov. 5, 1989.

reprinted from November of 2013

ADDENDUM May of 2017: On Tuesday Bill White repeated his quote about Emma from 2001; I like Emma, but she wouldn't know fresh ideas and positive leadership if they were driving down Hamilton Street in a blue Cadillac. Bill has made Emma one of the symbols of his Hall Of Shame. Bill White protests against this designation, coined by yours truly years ago, and cites the philanthropic Cipko Brothers as proof that the Hall isn't limited to shame. However, I remember back when, and the gag about them was their ridiculous toupees, which White featured in photographs. Philanthropic or not, their toupees put them in the Hall, not their charity. Anyway, I digress. Bill White has been wrong about Emma for over 40 years. The problem is that now a whole generation of people disparage her, based on  Morning Call distortions.

ADDENDUM JUNE 5, 2025: Emma passed away in January of 2002. Many people who still disparage her, didn't even know her. Many of those from that era were fed misinformation. Back then some reporters and the paper had agendas, about both certain people and certain topics.

Kline's Island, An Environmental Frankenstein

Today, Kline's Island is synonymous with the sewer plant. It wasn't always that way. Originally, like Adam's Island, it was owned by a family, and had houses. It was the location of the first bridges across the Lehigh, being the narrowest point. Allentown doesn't have a good history with the environment. Besides allowing the Wildland's Conservancy to actually defile our park system with their inappropriate, token science fair projects, we're not much for islands. The sewer plant on Kline's will soon be transferred to the Lehigh County Authority. Far worse for the previous island, we are allowing a company to build a trash to energy plant, which will mix imported garbage and sewage into pellets to burn. This project isn't energy driven, but rather motivated by tax credits and finance. Allentown is the only community which was receptive to such such an environmental frankenstein. The top photo shows Kline's Island in 1939, when it was still an island. Allentown decided that Kline's would be a good spot to use as a fill dump, and filled in the entire western channel of the former island. Please join me in my efforts to save the small historic Robin Hood dam on the Little Lehigh. Believe me, Allentown City Hall doesn't know best. 




above reprinted from June 5, 2013

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 15, 2018. 

The public trash to private cash plant on the island was never built. If it was, it may have been part of the Pawlowski corruption trial. Unfortunately, the small Robin Hood Dam was demolished by the Wildlands Conservancy, and its rubble piled around the formally picturesque stone bridge piers.  It's five years later, and this blog continues to fight against the sacred cows, and for the traditional park system.

ADDENDUM JUNE 4, 2025: Although I remain an outlaw at City Hall, I still get back channel calls when some official needs to know something about the parks or city history. That arrangement is OK by me, and I keep their privacy. I still patrol the streets and parks, and don't hesitate to speak out on this blog.

Trump's Kindergarten Cabinet

Subscribers to this blog know that I don't think much of Trump's nominations to his cabinet and other posts. There was one exception, local wiz Jared Isaacman's appointment to NASA. Isaacman, in addition to being a business genius, is a space geek. Trump has withdrawn Isaacman's nomination, because apparently the geek has described himself as a moderate, and has contributed to candidates from both parties. 

Trump's obsession with those that kiss his ring has cast his presidency as flawed since before day one. Trump is to be given credit for closing the border, but everything since has been way too impulsive for my liking, and for good governance.

Trump will be studied in the future not by political scientists, but by psychology majors, studying narcissism.

County Executives Stammer

Our social studies teacher turned county executive has failed the federal test on sanctuary cities. He's now complaining that Lehigh County shouldn't be on the Fed study hall detention list, because we're not a full blown sanctuary conspirator.  Although we don't cooperate fully with ICE, we thought we cooperated enough.

Apparently, ICE and the Trump administration see it differently than Lehigh's Armstrong and Northampton's McClure. They both  thought that they could play it both ways, not cooperate, but not actively interfere. I witnessed a Lehigh County commissioner encourage Allentown City Council to adopt the Welcoming City ordinance, in which a city does not collaborate with ICE.

The fly in their ointment is that the Trump administration controls the funding that bleeding hearts depend upon. They will now complain about MAGA, and have their legal departments spin their wheels in reverse, hoping to get back to the starting line.

ADDENDUM: The Department of Homeland Security has removed the list of sanctuary locales from its website, responding to pushback from the Association of Sheriffs.