Saving Allentown From Right Wing Extremists

One by one, the oversized slick cards from the Pawlowski Political Machine, Citizens for a Better Allentown, reached the voter's mailboxes. They were sent to all voters, regardless of party affiliation. Each card, separately promoting a candidate for Allentown School Board, also had Pawlowski's picture and message, "We are committed to Allentown's progress. Over the last few years we have achieved so much, safer communities, job creation, and community development. Working together we can continue moving Allentown forward." While Pawlowski tries to associate his chosen slate to J.B. Reilly's new buildings, those living in his Dreamtown know that the community is no safer. If he were more honest, he would have said, "We are committed to now completely dominating Allentown's politics."

The four cards were followed by a fifth, picturing and promoting all four candidates. While the card stated that they would restore fiscal responsibility, the two candidates running for re-election, Martinez and Thiel, grandstanded by voting to hire back 20% more teachers than budgeted for.

If those five mailings were not enough, the sixth was a scare and hit piece against some incumbents. 4 years ago, we were fooled into electing right-wing extremists to the Allentown School Board. Our school board needs true-blue Democrats. The card concludes by saying that our schools should never be used as a political tool... Unless Pawlowski is holding the screw driver.

Pandering Politicians And The Pawlowski Effect

The Morning Call reports that last night school board members running for re-election gave the voters more than they expected, or perhaps can really afford. The candidates voted for both a zero tax hike, and adding more positions than sought by the school administration. Also running, but certainly not pandering, Scott Armstrong addresses the decision by his fellow board members.

Pandering politicians and the Pawlowski effect

At tonight’s ASD board meeting politics was on full display. Directors who never saw a tax hike they didn’t like ignored the administration’s recommendation for a 3.6% increase and embraced with full vigor a zero tax increase for next year’s budget. Then with total abandon they engaged in bidding war on how many positions to restore until finally agreeing on the number of 30. So after four years of a fiscal crisis that involved tax increases of $500.00 on the average household and staff reductions of over 20% just to balance budgets, tonight, four days before a primary, prudence was put aside. This evening priorities were more personal. To get their names in the paper as advocates for the taxpayers and the children these directors took the leap of faith that zero tax increases and 30 new hires will not put the ASD right back into the dire position that previous responsible choices had just extricated the district from. In short it was a very depressing night. Can one draw from this that the mayor’s influence is not already being felt ?

Scott Armstrong

A Pawlowski School Board Will Have Consequences

Taxpayers should know that a School Board, cherry picked by Ed Pawlowski, will have dire consequences. Presently, he has endorsed a plan to convert a former large factory into 158 apartment. Although the developer states that most will be studio apartments that discourage children, the real market speaks differently. In the real market, studios are less rent, and attract an endless stream of single mothers with children. Allentown has no shortage of that demographic, and the school district suffers from poverty and under parenting. Two years ago, another developer approached the school board seeking a tax free KOZ status, actively represented by the Pawlowski Administration. Those apartments would have resulted in more students with a smaller tax base. The School Board wisely turned down the proposal. What will happen when Pawlowski's Puppets dominate the board? They will be able to approve Pawlowski promoted projects, while separating Pawlowski from the taxpayer cost involved. Mayors always tell you that they have no control over school taxes. The voters would be wise to keep that disclaimer a reality.

Zimmerman's Battle With The School Administration

While twelve people battle to get, or stay on, the Allentown School Board, Director David Zimmerman, who isn't up for re-election this term, battles within the school administration. Zimmerman is a statistician and numbers guy, who doesn't abide by the Administrations use of arbitrary figures. Originally disturbed by discrepancies between the preliminary and adopted budget, his frustrations have only grown with the administration's dismissive attitude toward his inquires. He actually filed a Right To Know request with the district, which was denied. In addition to his concerns about the budget, whose fund balance has fluctuated as much as $12 million under different reports, he wants solid revenue projections from redeveloped NIZ parcels. He cannot in good conscience approach a tax increase without knowing how much money is on hand, or how much increased property tax revenue The Pawlowski and Reilly Company Renaissance, is actually producing.

  My concern over these issues arises out of my interpretation of the responsibility imposed upon me by my elected position to fairly and accurately represent the interests of the tax payers and students of the ASD.
David Zimmerman
Allentown School Board

Pawlowski Buys Democracy In Allentown

Pawlowski's PAC, Citizens For A Better Allentown, according to pre Primary filings, has raised over $63,000, and spent $43,000 thus far subverting democracy in Allentown. Allentown voters are having their mail boxes filled this week with oversized mailers, promoting Pawlowski's candidates of choice. Most of the contributions are cloaked in separate candidate reports, not yet analyzed by our Harrisburg staff. For instance, Citizens For A Better Allentown received a contribution from Friends of Ed Pawlowski for $23,000, and $10,000 from Friends Of Charlie Thiel. Direct contributions of note include local labor unions for $8,000, and Abe Atiyeh for $2,500. Friends of Schlossberg and Schweyer, combined, contributed $3,500. Please understand that all these Friends Of, are no real friends of democracy in Allentown.

School Director Questions Pawlowski's Slate

School Board member Mike Welsh, not up for re-election this year, feels that the candidates not compromised by Pawlowski's PAC money, could best guide the school district.

This year’s Allentown school board race features a large field of candidates and I for one couldn’t be happier that so many have expressed interest and put themselves forward for consideration. Eight candidates have chosen to run independently while 4 have chosen to compete as a slate with the endorsement and fundraising efforts of Mayor Ed Pawlowski.

The Allentown School District has faced many difficult challenges the last few years and I believe better days could be on the horizon. Thanks to real fiscal discipline by our board and the administration of the school district, we are positioned to eliminate the need for layoffs in the coming year and will be offering full day kindergarten in even more of our schools. In the ensuing weeks there will be discussions regarding the possibility of restoring programs previously eliminated in cost savings initiatives by the district, with priorities put on the restoration of arts and music programs, library and physical education. These will be just discussions, however, and it will be important to remember that in possibly rehiring staff in these areas we must we prudent as we do not want to face the challenges of laying staff off again because of rash decisions this year.

Regrettably, while many of us see prospects for a better financial horizon for the school district, Allentown’s economic realities will continue to weigh on our children for years to come. Despite the renaissance that is happening downtown, many of our children live in poverty as demonstrated by the fact that 88% of students receive subsidized breakfast and lunch. Many of our children come from broken and/or disruptive homes and enter school without a basic knowledge of colors and numbers. These are the children we are charged to educate, and the teachers, administrators, and the board itself have maintained a commitment to providing the best education possible under these difficult circumstances. In this election, I want to encourage voters to consider candidates who have a proven track record of fiscal prudence and will be independent in their voting. I am pleased that 8 of our candidates have chosen to seek office independent of any slate out of a concern that those within a slate may be compromised in their voting as a result of monies provided in funding their candidacy. While this may be the standard in most political races, I believe it inappropriate in a school board race.

In my short time on the board I have come to respect the professionals and many volunteers of the Allentown School District. I am humbled by their dedication to the mission of public education. Let there be no doubt that from top to bottom the people of the Allentown School District are here for the right reasons and could make more money in less stressful environments in surrounding wealthier districts. With their continued dedication, and with continued financial progress, I believe there can be better times ahead for the Allentown School District and the children and families it serves.
Mike Welsh 
Allentown School Board Director

Allentown School Directors In Dark About Assault

A decade after a student on student indecent assault at Central Elementary School, this past week news broke that another alleged assault occurred at Jefferson Elementary, and parents are again suing the school district. Although I had no intention about posting on this incident, today I received a pertinent comment from a school board member on the lack of communication, between the administration and board members. The comment was submitted to another post, but I made an editorial decision to run it as a separate post.

On Wednesday the board received an email concerning the incident referred to. I know nothing about this event since it seems it did not filter down, to at least this board member, when it occurred. I cannot comment on it. I can comment on ASD administration communications. Often information seems not to make it to the board and when it does, well there is always some logical reason why these issues are never the fault or responsibility of the ASD administration, a statistical impossibility. Personally I find the level of communication and the ability to get information from the administration sadly and woefully inadequate, as a board member and as a parent. Adjust your expectations and be realistic about transparency coming from the ASD administration. At least, to me, they seem to ascribe to the theory legal liability trumps truthfulness. As co-chair of the finance and budget committee they will not discuss $3 million in revenue projections for the current year's budget that never materialized or how they conjure up their doom and gloom projections of the imminent dire depletion of the fund balance of the ASD that has not materialized as well. Maybe they think if they keep silent long enough it will all go away.

David Fehr Zimmerman