The Transfiguration of Ed Pawlowski

I've written before how Pawlowski is trying to re-image himself. On his facebook page he can be seen cultivating the little people,  who will be important supporters, if he can beat the coming criminal storm.
He is also trying to tidy up and explain away some dirty deals that may or may not factor into the investigation of his administration.

One of those shenanigans factored into the recent announcement of unlimited bicycling in Trexler Park.   Pawlowski purchased two distressed real estate parcels from Abe Atiyeh, at a 400% gain for the developer.

The Park Department will shortly announce an ambitious bicycle trail,  extending from the useless Basin Street parcel purchased from Atiyeh,  through Atiyeh's distressed former fertilizer plant parcel, all the way to Trexler Park.  The spandex yuppies will applaud, and Pawlowski will have transformed a sleazy deal into an accomplishment.

As a defender of the traditional park system,  I am particularly appalled at this scheme.  Precious resources will be alloted to construct this path,  while the irreplaceable WPA structures crumble away.  We are in the process of losing the iconic double stairway in Lehigh Parkway.  The landings are breaking up,  allowing rushing water from the roadway to steep through the steps below.

There is no less than three parties who must stand silently by to enable such misappropriation.  That would be the Park Director, the Trexler Trust and City Council.

photocredit: molovinsky

The Dinosaurs Of Sumner Avenue

Up to the early 1950's, Allentown was heated by coal, and much of it came from Sumner Avenue. Sumner was a unique street, because it was served by the West End Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The spur route ran along Sumner, until it crossed Tilghman at 17th Street, and then looped back East along Liberty Street, ending at 12th. Coal trucks would elevate up, and the coal would be pushed down chutes into the basement coal bins, usually under the front porches of the row houses. Several times a day coal would need to be shoveled into the boiler or furnace. By the early 1970's, although most of the coal yards were closed for over a decade, the machines of that industry still stood on Sumner Avenue. Eventually, they took a short trip to one of the scrap yards, which are still on the avenue, but not before I photographed them.

reprinted from 2016

Trump Wins Debate

Recently, I did a post on the liberal hysteria about Donald Trump.  I put the piece on social media, and the group went crazy.  Rather than discuss the media phenomena to which I was referring,  they went right after Trump, as on cue.  I believe that this hysteria is fueled by their perception that indeed Trump may win the White House.  In another recent post,  I questioned the validity of the local college poll, which had Mrs. Clinton ahead by 9 points.  One week later, they report that the lead has shrunk to 3 points.  I believe that one week later, they realized what fools they had made of themselves, and decided to be more honest in their new tally.

We then learned that Mrs. Clinton will be prepared for the debate.  Two months ago, they considered the debate a joke,  after all, Clinton went to law school, was a senator and Secretary of State. Then, we learn that she will be prepared.  In other words,  they lowered the expectations about her performance.

Last night, after the 90 minute rumble, the pundits agreed in unison that Hillary had won. They found her more presidential, and felt that Trump went down too many rabbit holes.  They are wrong. Who won is who moves up and down in the polls. I believe that the upward move will be by Trump.  The public is not satisfied with the status quo, and has lost faith in damn statistics.  The case to be made was for change,  and Hillary failed to convince that she could bring any.

Pawlowski Puts Facts On The Ground

Pawlowski went ahead and had his nominee for Community Development Director start work, although the majority of Council indicated that they wouldn't approve him.  Meanwhile, back at the council chambers, council said that they couldn't fit the vote in until mid October.   Will they have the fortitude to send someone packing after he has already been working almost a month?

To me, the delay of the vote already indicates acceptance by council.  I have often seen things put on the schedule at the last moment to accommodate one agenda or person.  Another irony of this situation is that the administration is justifying the pre-approval hiring based on an opinion from a previous solictor, who of course served at Pawlowski's pleasure.  Council voted for no confidence in Pawlowski,  and I have little confidence that council will assert itself in this matter.

Trump In The White House

I'm so amused at the liberals and their fear of Trump. They actually equate a victory by him with the end of the Earth. Let me assure them that we will all still be here for the 2020 election, when they can again let their hysteria go wild.

It would be incorrect to interpret this post as pro-Trump, rather I remain amazed at the hostility towards him by the Clinton supporters.  I see otherwise rational people pulling their hair out about his candidacy.

It is my intention to vote for Mr. Johnson.  However, I will remain in the United States after whoever wins.

Obama's Gift To Trump

While another immigrant terrorized NYC with bombs this past weekend, Obama told the United Nations that walls only imprison us. He is so in love with the sound of  his own voice, that he doesn't understand how out of touch his words actually are.  While his words didn't even electrify the choir to which  he was preaching,  outside that building, his words were totally off-key.  He doesn't understand that Lady Liberty didn't mean to welcome blood hungry terrorists with meat cleavers. Pictured above a NYC cop, several days after being attacked by another terrorist just last week.

Obama is actively campaigning for Hillary Clinton.  He did her no good with his UN speech.

The Exoneration of Edwin Pawlowski

The Supreme Court decision (reversing the conviction) in the Virginia Governor corruption matter, U.S. vs. McDonnell, has made it impossible to convict politicians of bribery in the absence of EXPLICIT evidence of written or oral testimony that supports a DIRECT quid pro quo. The evidence has to rise to the level of actual statements between the parties that "when I give you the money, it is for the specific purpose of giving me the XYZ contract." And the politician has to reply, "Yes, I will do that because you are giving me the money." The mere fact that a party gives money & other expensive gifts & favors to the politician and the politician subsequently later takes favorable action in matters of interest, concern & direct benefit to the giver is now NOT considered a bribe, but, rather, under the Supreme Court's new understandings, mere custome & usage and political courtesy extended between politicians and their constitutents/donors/benefactors. To have decided otherwise, the Court felt would be to "criminalize" the normal social/commercial discourse between politicians and their friends & financial supporters.

So, the Mayor probably can't be prosecuted. I suspect law enforcement was waiting for the decision in McDonnell to come down before proceeding to indict him. The tapes undoubtedly record aides or even donors talking to the Mayor or his top aides about soliciting/giving/receiving funds and the Mayor saying he understands their needs & wants, is sympathetic and agrees to help, yadda yadda, but, presumably no one was dumb enough, or felt the need to even be as blunt to say or put in writing, "I am giving you XXXX dollars, and you agree to give me that zoning exemption for the YYY site, correct? "Yes, I agree if you give me the money I will rubber stamp the YYY site tomorrow." No one says, "I hereby announce I am bribing you.....I hereby accept a bribe."

Get use to Mayor for Life Ed Pawlowski.

                                   

The above brief is from the molovinsky on allentown legal staff. I have heard back channel about some of the emails pertinent to this case.  Although, I do not believe that they rise to the criminal threshold as described above, there is a twist to the Allentown case.  Supposedly, Pawlowski/Fleck reached out in soliciting contributions.  Rumor has it that here will be at least one other indictment before Pawlowski.

ADDENDUM: Bernie O'Hare also chose to address the Pawlowski topic today.  He contends that there will be an upcoming RICO prosecution,  making the McDonnell decision less relevant in Pawlowski's case.