A Campaign For Change

In six weeks from now you will hopefully be going to the polls to elect those whom you have decided can best represent you. Although I'm in need of neither a job or career, I decided this past April to offer my advocacy to the voters. Redistricting has put my neighborhood in the 183rd District, which is an enormous geographical area, stretching from Slatington east to north of Bath. The current incumbent there, running for her 21st year in office, concentrates her efforts in getting reelected every two years. She sends birthday cards by the thousands, and gives out certificates by the hundreds. She has brought back very little in state benefits to her constituents, who have now been short-changed for two decades. While the party machines campaign to perpetuate the status quo, I'm an Independent for change. I benefit from no party fundraisers. My fundraiser is that paypal button on the sidebar of this blog. Although most of you do not live in the 183rd, I ask you to consider a donation to my campaign. You are living in a state where out of 253 representatives and senators, not one is an independent or from a third party. It's time for the voters of the Lehigh Valley to say that they had enough with politics as usual.  I need some financial help to get my message out to the voters. I'm not looking for a few large donations from party fatcats, I want modest contributions from the people, who want change in Harrisburg. Thank you.

The Wehr's Dam Conspiracy

Recent articles concerning Wehr's Dam have been headlined Dam's Days May Be Numbered, Trying To Save The Dam, etc. This past week the dam was inspected by gentlemen who only identified themselves as being from Harrisburg. I can only assume it's the DEP, accommodating the Wildlands Conservancy, with whose cooperation and grants 9 dams have already been demolished in the Valley. My problem is that the dam was inspected a couple of years ago, and rated low hazard, which is the best rating this dam hating state gives. Such dams are scheduled to be inspected every five years, so some influence was used to have this recent inspection. In June, when South Whitehall Commissioner President Christina Morgan asked the Wildlands how to handle potential objectors to demolishing the dam, the Wildlands recommended an informational meeting to educate the public about the damn dams. This meeting will soon be announced by South Whitehall. Although the dam was low hazard two years ago, I fully expect a new, much more dire report. Anybody who has visited the dam realizes that the concrete wall, complete with buttresses, would stand unattended for another 100 years. I'm fed up with the concept that thousands of local residents must defend our dam. It's time for Morgan to tell the Wildlands to move on. It's time for Morgan to include the dam in the recently enacted Historical Overlay District. Covered Bridge Park was not meant to be a workshop for the Wildlands Conservancy. Christina Morgan was not elected to do their bidding. Enough is enough.

It's Getting Dam Interesting

I learned early this morning, ironically from an anonymous comment, that there is most likely an impropriety occurring in South Whitehall, in regard to the Wehr's Dam. The very engineer that sits on South Whitehall's dais with the Commissioners, has the Wildlands Conservancy as a client.

Here is a tidbit about the south whitehall dam situation. The engineer for the township lists the wildlands conservancy as a client.... http://www.pidcockcompany.com/clients                                              

On Wednesday evening, when I stated that the engineer was stonewalling the opponents, I had no idea about the conflict of interest.  In light of this revelation, it appears that the public's interest in preserving the dam might have to seek intervention through the court.

ADDENDUM: In the course of the last several Township Commissioner meetings, there has been some hesitation about engineering studies on the dam which would advise the commissioners. Although some Commissioners had previously directed the Administration to prepare an independent report on the dam's condition,  that directive was not implemented. Never once did the township's engineer, Ralph Russek, or Commission President Christina Morgan,  disclose that Russek's primary employer, Pidcock Engineering,  also represents the Wildlands.  Although this explains the hedging on the independent report, it shows a lack of candour toward the public effort to retain the dam.  Furthermore, out of the blue, Morgan now favors bringing the issue forward.  Morgan is said to support the Wildlands, which last October demolished the dams in Lehigh Parkway,  immediately after obtaining Allentown City Council permission.

UPDATE: I have deleted the portion of the anonymous comment alleging to arrangements between Wildlands and Jaindl Land Company.  A spokesperson for Jaindl categorically denies that any such arrangements ever existed.

The Anonymous Comment

For those of us who produce a blog, the anonymous comment has always been a problem. Although those using that handle can have a legitimate reason, for others it can be a mask to make incendiary statements with no accountability. Worse, it can be used as a subversive weapon to taint a blog or it's writer. Here in the Lehigh Valley, one well known cyber-stalker actually brags about the blogs that he has sabotaged. The remaining blog producers in the Valley have adopted different policies about comments. Here on molovinsky, the comments are reviewed before being published. Please don't be offended if your anonymous comment does not appear.  You can always resubmit it with your verifiable real name, and I may then decide to print the comment.

Disenfranchising An Independent

Early this spring the local media did several stories on the candidates for the primary, then reported the results after the May 20th primary. Residents of the 183rd District know that the Republican incumbent Julie Harhart is being challenged by Democrat Terri Powells. However, my candidacy as an Independent was never duly reported. Although I gave a press conference, none of the media attended. The Express Times announced my candidacy on their website, but never included it in their hardcopy edition. Likewise, neither the Morning Call or WFMZ has informed the public that there is a third candidate on the ballot. As of early September, even the Northampton branch of the League of Women Voters didn't know that it was a three way election. If such an informed group was unaware of my candidacy, the local media has under-served both me and the public.

Allentown, Get A Grip

Mayor Pawlowski has declared today Tom Petty Appreciation Day. Apparently, we appreciate that Mr. Petty is willing to come to Allentown for his normal large fee. I have no doubt that a group like the Eagles, which normally plays bigger venues, was compensated for the difference. In his column today, Bill White is gloating that Pawlowski proved the naysayers wrong. Would that be those who feel that using the cigarette tax, originally designated for children's health insurance, to pay for private office buildings is a misappropriation of taxes? Let us hope that for $700 million of taxpayer dollars that the NIZ is indeed a success. Despite one gushing article after another by The Morning Call, even Bill must know that it's somewhat premature to evaluate success after the opening night venue. More inappropriate is Petty Appreciation Day. There's a nameless man who has been picking up litter in the West Park neighborhood every day for twenty years. I think that he should be ahead of Petty in getting that certificate.

Branding Candidate Molovinsky

An article on Wehr's Dam referred to me as a blogger running for State Representative. Before that label sticks,  please allow me to identify myself. I'm a long time community advocate, who in recent years has used a blog to help shine light on issues. Long before I had a blog, or even a computer, I was a contributor to the community dialogue. Although a life long proponent of historical preservation, in the late 90's I organized homeowners who felt an unnecessary proposed historic district infringed upon their property rights. Among many other issues in recent years, I turned my attention to the preservation of the WPA structures gracing our communities. Although the article referred to me as a member of the group defending Wehr's Dam, I actually started that effort. Even though Allentown is not part of the 183rd District, I continue to publish molovinsky on allentown, because it is an archive on my activism during the last decade. However, that activism started long before the blog.