Reilly's NIZ Party Ending

J.B. Reilly is starting to turn off the lights, the party is ending. The plans for the mega-project with towers at 7th and Walnut and 8th and Hamilton, with an internal park connecting them, is on hold. Instead, he's developing a condo office project at 6th and Hamilton. Although his reporter at the Morning Call spun it as positively as he could, there's no way to hide the downsizing of the plans. Selling condo offices means that in spite of beating the bushes, the supply of commercial rental tenants is drying up.

It must be discouraging for Jaindl's waterfront plans, and I can't see Harrisburg sweetening the pot.

I do give his apartment tenants in the Strata Lofts credit for energy conservation. I never see any lights when I drive by.

Weighing In On 1948

1948 was a good year for Allentown and the Lehigh Valley. Mack Trucks, Lehigh Structural Steel, General Electric and almost all factories were going full steam. President Truman stopped by to give a speech. The Allentown Cardinals played the first game in their new ballpark, Breadon Field. The baby boom was going full tilt:



The school district unveiled Lehigh Parkway and Midway Manor Elementary Schools and the new professional style football stadium. Donald Hock was Mayor, and although the last beer was being brewed on Lawrence Street at Daeufer Brewery, the Paddock joined many new restaurants opening that year. Photo's from Dorney Park in 1948.

reprinted from 2009


ADDENDUM: Assuming a photograph on the Morning Call website is color balanced correctly, the wooden coaster at Dorney is no longer Dorney Coaster Yellow. Painting the coaster the same shade of yellow was an important tradition at the park, even when ownership changed hands. They don't make Lehigh Valley traditions like they used to.

Pawlowski's Taste Of The Arena

People ask me all the time about the corruption in Allentown. On Sunday, the Morning Call had an excellent exposé by Emily Opilo on contributions to Pawlowski, being investigated by the FBI. A consultant on parking matters from Philadelphia contributed $26 thousand dollars to Pawlowski, while making proposals for private management, regarding the arena garage.While details can be found in the Morning Call's article, allow me to present a Readers Digest version of Pawlowski's legal problems. 

While Mayor Ed sat in his office at 5th and Hamilton, he saw a $Billion dollars worth of development two blocks north. While Ed wasn't directly in the Arena/NIZ loop, opportunity may have presented itself, especially in the currency of campaign contributions. Although Ed isn't shy in his own right, mix in his aggressive campaign manager, and you can imagine a Soprano style collection agency.

Ed's Philadelphia criminal lawyer insists that he did nothing illegal. That burden of proof will apparently fall to the FBI. What concerns me, as a small town political blogger, is our government by default. People want to limit their involvement to a vote once a year. Then, they're willing to base that vote on mailers and robo calls.

The Second Battle For Wehr's Dam

Regular readers of this blog know that two years ago I started a prolonged battle to save Wehr's Dam. Joined by several energized people, including the descendants of Wehr's Mill, we prevailed on the South Whitehall Commissioners to halt plans by the Wildlands Conservancy to demolish the iconic dam. Unfortunately, that turned out to be only a reprieve. The Wildlands and Commissioners have now conspired to put the dam issue to referendum, linking preserving the dam with approving higher taxes. Time has marched on, and some of the veterans of the last battle are now dealing with issues of aging. I will not allow the referendum go forward without noting its devious intent. I will not permit the beauty and magic of that place to be destroyed, without identifying the true motives in play. Those interested in saving this icon of our past can stroll down to my recent posts on the dam. For more background, use the search engine on the right sidebar with Wehr's Dam.

photocredit: K Mary Hess

Morning Coffee With Molovinsky and Pawlowski

In my post yesterday, I showed this selfie with my early morning coffee. A reader noticed that I have lost weight; Thank you for that, but the picture is flattering. What really amazes me in the morning is Pawlowski's facebook posts. Here is a man who marches forward, despite those damn indictments. Talk about cherry picking, every piece of good news about Allentown is shared on his page,  even including pictures of actual  cherry blossoms.  Someone, from out of town, reading his feed would have no idea about the cloud hanging over him, and subsequently Allentown. Yesterday, he had about ten postings, including one by the Urban Land Institute, praising Allentown as a success for it's innovative private/public use of funds for development. Considering that over $70 million of state taxes went for that private/public debt service last year,  it's certainly a success for J.B. Reilly's portfolio.  Apparently, these urban planning bureaucrats, delusional as Pawlowski, don't know the difference between real development,  fairy dust and tax dollars.

Political Blogging In Allentown

Blogging in Allentown isn't as easy as it may seem. It requires rising early and usually having the post ready by 5:00AM. In the case of this blog, it is fueled by caffeine. molovinsky on allentown is a non-monetized political blog, also featuring local history and advocacy for the iconic park system. Although, the suburban turnout was large because of the presidential primary, the election reveals that locals are not so interested in state politics.  Someone with no experience or knowledge of state government can win a state rep nomination, by sending out four mailers. The candidate doesn't even have to know about the issues mentioned on his own mailers. While one candidate for United States Senator can literally walk across the state to meet and listen to the voters, someone else can win by simply having ads on television,  a few days before the election.  In the city itself, Pawlowski could still influence an election.  I suppose I should be grateful that at least I don't have to print this on paper, and deliver it to houses in the morning.

Julie Harhart's Revenge

When Julie Harhart decided to act out on her resentment toward Cindy Miller running for the 183rd, the only place to put her support and money was on Zach Mako. Marc Grammes had been put off the ballot for not properly filing a document, and I had decided not to circulate a petition as a Republican.*    What Mako lacked in knowledge of issues pertinent to the job, he made up for in campaign money from Harhart. I have never seen a primary candidate spend so much. He sent out four full size mailers, and seven robo calls, including one at 4:30 pm on election day. When you overlay Harhart's promotion with the candidate's unpreparedness, she should be ashamed of herself.  Let us hope that in the coming months Mako can learn about the issues referred to on his mailers. Although, not very accomplished for 22 years in Harrisburg, Harhart should have ended her career on a higher note.
*Allowing me the option to still run as an independent

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