A Blogger and Historian

The third time I came across the same site,
searching three different subjects; Bethlehem Steel, my mother's maiden name and the Fairview Cemetery, I realized Mr. Berghold was a remarkable person. A couple years ago he quickly returned my inquiry concerning Hungarian Jews during the war. Jerry Berghold was born here in Allentown in 1930, and passed away this past August in Virginia. You can enter his many enduring websites from this address;
http://www.burgenland-bunch.org/homepage.htm

UPDATE: The Burgenland refers to Eastern Austria and Western Hungary. Although Mr. Berghold started as a genealogist researching the multi-ethnic heritage of the immigrants to our area from that region, he became a humanist who grew a few emails into a worldwide, 1500 member interaction.

Merry Pawlowski

Last night, as I went to sleep concerned about the impropriety of The Morning Call featuring Pawlowski's picture on the city map, little did I know I would awake to another full page picture of the mayor on the cover of the Entertainment Section. It's time for me to get with the program. I wish you a Happy Pawlowski Day, and next month, when it beginning to look a lot like Pawlowski, may you have a Merry Pawlowski and Happy Pawlowski Year!

2009 Municipal Election

Today I received what I thought to be the first political brochure of the 2009 Mayoral campaign. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it was actually the municipal directory and map, sent to every property owner of record. Taxpayers received such a directory in 2005, but in that version, then Mayor Afflerbach limited himself to his name only, in small print. I have included a photo of the 2005 directory for

comparison. A disclaimer appears in small print near Pawlowski's huge photograph, "No tax payer funds were expended in the printing of this document". The combination campaign promotion/ city map was published by the Morning Call.

Easton Mayor a Retread

Easton is obsessed with the used hubcap business near Rt. 22, they should worry about the retread they elected for mayor. Sal Panto insists on supporting an unnecessary parking garage, in a flood plain, that will hurt the merchants of Easton by relocating the bus riders away from Center Square and Northampton Street. According to an article in the Morning Call by Michael Duck, he blew off critics for a second time by canceling a scheduled meeting. I drove to Easton and checked out the location of the proposed transportation hub. Without a doubt, the Easton location will be even more disastrous to their center-city merchants than the hub in Allentown. While Lanta serves the suburban malls with transfer bus stops, these remote parking garage/Lanta Terminals delete the center cities of foot traffic. Lanta doesn't care, Panto doesn't learn.

New Police Contract

Most premium pensions, such as public school teacher, are based upon 35 years of service and yield the retiree about 70 percent of their ending salary. The expiring police contract allowed officers to buy their military time, go out with 16 years and base their retirement upon their last 30 days, including overtime. As a citizen and candidate, I attended the contract hearings in 2005 and spoke with FOP officers. They estimated probably about 12 officers would retire under Afflerbachs' plan, no more than 20. I believe about 80 officers have left the force in the last 47 months, with many receiving way over their base pay in retirement. I've been told the most harmful element of that contract, for the taxpayers, was the 30 day clause. Most such contracts are based on the last 3 years, or at the very least, the last 90 days. The new contract STILL HAS THE 30 DAY CLAUSE, but with a cap of 10% above base. Regardless of any projections, the taxpayers must assume a large part of the existing force will retire with a pension of 110% of their base salary. New officers hired after Jan. 1, will conform to state standards in pension, and the 20 year rule without buyout has been reinstated. The administration will allow existing officers between now and the end of the current contract, Dec.31, to qualify for the no cap pension and still remain working until they decide to actually stop working. Would you continue working if you could retire and receive more? These observations are based upon a report in today's Morning Call by Jarrett Renshaw.

UPDATE: Scott Kraus, on the Morning Call's Queen City Blog, suggests that the last time City Council interfered with the police contract the result was a disaster. I agree about that result, but never the less, Council must always be willing to intercede if necessary, to protect the interest of the taxpayers.

They Don't Understand?

Every year the Realtors get a few phone calls from New York and New Jersey, their buyers don't understand why the investments aren't yielding the results they expected, or worse. Their frame of reference is New York, where a one bedroom apartment rents for $3200. Where they come from, it costs about 900 thousand to buy a one apartment unit. They don't understand, although it is only 90 miles and an hour and a half from Manhattan, it's a different world. The think if they give their tenants pre-addressed envelopes, the checks will come in the mail. They think if they convert a commercial building into lofts, yuppies will park their beamers outside, downtown. The Dime Bank Building, on 7th, off of Hamilton is going to be converted into upscale apartments; Expect to see Mayor Ed and his portable podium soon. The real estate market in NYC is recession proof. Here, the local builders know all about down markets. Shown in the photo, is what was to be the second phrase of the townhouses at 8th and Walnut. Despite tax free status from the Keystone Opportunity Zone, the builder has filled in the foundations and discontinued the project.

Growth Industry in Allentown

Yesterday I went to the Social Security Office, across from the prison, to discuss my retirement options. I was given number 199. In addition to retirement, Social Security also dispenses money for disability. I would say from the gray hair, there were
about three of us contemplating retirement, all the others were for disability. A few middle age men were carrying their fake canes. The canes aren't fake, it's the disabilities. I saw one such gentleman walk in from the parking lot, clearly the cane bore no weight, and was merely a prop. Most of the people waiting were quite young, in their twenties. Disability has been expanded to include mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, additive personality and anger management. I will say many of them did look angry to me. It was hard finding a parking space. Business also looked good at the prison. If Johnny Manana's had gotten these crowds....

School's Out

Many years ago, Lehigh Valley Child Care brought together a group of teachers and educators, to provide the inter-city children of Easton a special program for the summer. We called the program School's Out, it was centered in the YMCA. Activities included, but were not limited to, photography, drama, art, nature study and athletic instruction. The kids could learn basketball at the Wolfe School gym, how to build a set for a play, or how to swim the butterfly stroke in the Delaware. Although the experience may be lost in their memory, I know that fifty kids had a summer of both fun and learning.

Photocredit: molovinsky