A Sacred Cow

If there was ever a town that doesn't need Habitat For Humanity, its got to be Allentown. CAUTION, THOSE WITH INCURABLE POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, DO NOT CONTINUE READING. Allentown currently boasts the newest public housing in the nation, plus block after block of sub-prime defaults. Back in the mid 1990's, I opposed one of Habitats first projects in Allentown. They wanted to brick over one of the side windows of a property I managed, using one of their stock row house plans. At that time the Zoning Officer didn't even list that outrage as a needed variance. The Director of the Redevelopment Authority testified in their support. After I prevailed at the hearing, Habitat's Director told me "No one ever opposes us, we're such a sacred cow."

The "Cow" is currently at it again, pushing around the people of the St. Paul's Park Neighborhood Group. Over thirty of them showed up recently at a zoning hearing to protest Habitat's new proposed houses on a Walnut Street parking lot. The Allentown Planning Commission declined to schedule their meeting in the evening, to allow input from the working neighbors. Although the Redevelopment Authority owns houses that have been vacant for over a decade, Habitat is still encouraged to build more houses on needed parking lots. People would rather feel good about themselves, than do what's best for the city.

The Wage of Fame

As a young man in the mid 1930's, Abe Simon worked summers as a life guard at Coney Island. Girls would pretend to be drowning to meet the 6'5" hunk. The former high school star athlete was recruited to boxing by Jock Whitney, future Ambassador to Britain. Although amassing a winning record, absorbing punches from the likes of Buddy Bear, Jersey Joe Walcott and Joe Louis took their toll on Simon.

Simon's brother congratulates him after going 13 rounds with Louis in Detroit in March of 1941, earning a second shot at the Heavyweight Title.

The Apartment Myth

Over and over, people contribute Allentown's problems to center city houses being converted to apartments, as if this occurred recently. Many will be surprised to know that almost all the converted apartments existed for over 60 years. When the GI's returned from WW2, the trend was for small single family houses with small lawns, i.e. Levittowns. The mass conversion of the row houses took place in the late 40's and early 50's, and more less stopped by the early 60's. These "new" apartments were mostly occupied by either singles or childless couples. The tenants were buyers at Hess's and engineers at PPL. Because of them, Hamilton Street remained viable for twenty years beyond the main street in Bethlehem, Easton and Reading. Allentown was voted during this era the All American City. During those 50 years, 1940 to 1990, nobody complained about the apartments or the tenants. Ironically, more apartment inventory has been added recently, by creating "loft" apartments in former commercial buildings. The Urbanists think they can revitalize Hamilton Street with upper story housing. While the proponents mistakenly think that they will attract a middle class demographic, they are in fact just adding to the total inventory and thus the problem. Beside the urbanists, advocates for low income housing still demand more units. In reality, it's apparent we have an abundance of low income housing. Recently, there has been a trend to built new, center city single housing; attempting to attract a middle class with disposable income to bolster Hamilton Street. Neighborhood parking lots have been sacrificed for this concept. In fact, we are just building tomorrow's rental houses. Allentown, unlike larger cities, is a horizontal community. There is no reason, geographic or otherwise, which compels the middle class to move to center city.

Allentown would currently be better served with a moratorium on new housing of all sorts in center city. Considering that over 7000 units exist, owned by 5000 different owners, deconversion hopes are unrealistic. Strict enforcement of current zoning standards, concerning square footage, parking, etc. would suffice in reasonably curtailing additional living units. By limiting supply, demand can improve the quality of life for everybody.

The image shown is part of a watercolor by Karoline Schaub-Peeler

SmileBoy and the Christians

Yesterday, fellow blogger Bernie O'Hare patted the blogosphere on the back for it's election coverage. Bernie did provide much information, but some with much more bias than he may concede. I found his coverage of the Cunningham/Ott church housing situation so spinning, I got dizzy reading it. According to O'Hare, Cunningham may have been justified sicing the IRS on Ott, because a church was encouraging it's members to vote for the more spiritual person. My understanding of the sequence of events, was that Cunningham first questioned a church affiliated camp about providing housing to Ott, who was a former employee. The question asked if this indeed was a contribution in kind from a tax exempt church to a political candidate. (I wouldn't think so, because he was living there previously and it was part of a severance compensation) Bernie's spin on the story included humorous distractions, such as Mennonites throwing rocks at Cunningham's house from a horse buggy.

I don't relish the idea of questioning O'Hare's version of a story. We all get tired when Bernie and I go at it. But Bernie's version, spin or not, was about the only coverage on the subject.* BUT WHY BRING IT UP NOW? THE ELECTIONS OVER. Today, in The Morning Call, Brian Callaway analyzes the County Executive election, and Cunningham provides a DIFFERENT REASON for the IRS letter.

Cunningham defended the tactic, saying Ott had based most of his campaign on fears of a tax hike but doesn't pay property taxes of his own here.

This revelation raises several questions. If he really didn't believe the housing situation was a contribution in kind, the letter to the IRS really was vindictive and petty. Does Cunningham think that only voters who pay property taxes are entitled of having an opinion on County policy? SmileBoy should know that some of our Congressional Representatives and Senators are tenants.

* Bernie does link to Ken Petrini and his posts at Examiner.Com Apparently Mr. Petrini also covered the Cunningham/Ott/Church issue.

Brain Transplant Complete

The City of Allentown has successfully removed, through an innovative laparoscopic procedure, all brain tissue from it's voters. Any brain cells remaining from the previous election in 07, were removed via the ear canal at the designated voting stations. This success at the municipal level has allowed Donny Cunningham to remain smiling, despite being overwhelmingly rejected throughout the remainder of the county. A statue of Dave Bausch will be on display at the Historical Society, the last republican ever elected to Allentown City Council.

County Executive Race

WRITTEN BY SCOTT ARMSTRONG

If you are looking for a political contest that pits a crude political animal against a person of good intention the contest for Lehigh County executive is for you. Don Cunningham the incumbent, a career politician, is seeking re-election with a campaign based on half truths, distortions and exaggerations. All this is delivered to the voters through a completely phony Bethlehem Gomer Pyle persona. Running against Don is Scott Ott, a man of many talents who until recently never thought of running for public office. Scott, a family man and a person of deep faith feels the time is right for a candidacy that proclaims individual liberty over continued government expansion. To concentrate on the campaign Mr. Ott left his job as the director of a church affiliated camp. Apparently, as part of a severance package, his former employer allows Scott andhis family to remain in the house he was renting from the church rent free. Now Don Cunningham has decided to label Scott's family's living arrangement a violation of non-profit tax codes and has asked the IRS to investigate. IRS scrutiny can make even an honest person or institution's life a nightmare. This is an agency where one must prove innocence and that effort can take time and money.
Don Cunningham must think he is so clever, but in fact this act has revealed him as a man so consumed with himself that he seeks an IRS investigation into a church merely because they allow his election opponent to stay in a building they own.
There are plenty of unsavory facts about Don's life that have remained out of public purview. Scott Ott has never attacked Mr. Cunningham's personally or involved his family life in the campaign. That is the mark of his decency. Conversely, Don Cunningham's actions speak for themselves. By this action he has proven himself unworthy of any public office.

Scott Armstrong

Voters Needed

Although a mayoral year in Allentown, the turn out for Tuesday's election may be light. Are the voters dissatisfied with Pawlowski enough to come out and support Phillips? If their not motivated by the top of the ticket, will they come out for the bottom? In the local media, both main stream and the blogosphere, the drums have been beating, but is more than the choir listening? I took this photograph of Lou Hershman at one of his several press conferences. It's hard to imagine a more dedicated man offering his service to the city.

Media and Democracy

In 2005, mayoral candidate Ed Pawlowski gave a press conference at a house in the 400 block of Liberty Street. He praised the renovated house being occupied, as typifying his vision of Allentown moving forward. The Morning Call reporter, Daryl Nerl, wrote a glowing story. I decided to research the property. It turns out that the house was passed back and forth between two low income housing agencies for six years. (Pawlowski had been Director of the Alliance for Building Communities, a low income housing agency). After the six years it was "sold" to a low income couple who defaulted on the easy loan, but also destroyed the renovated house in the process. After six more years, two more agencies, and another renovation, Pawlowski gave his press conference.

At my press conference, also attended by the media, I spelled out the problem; Twelve years, no taxes, two renovations and two unqualified "buyers" attracted to Allentown by these give away programs at the expense of the tax paying homeowners. Channel 69 ran the story, but nothing in the Morning Call. I asked Daryl if he thought the story would resonate with the public? He replied that it certainly would. I asked if he was going to print the story before the election? The story never appeared.

photo: Channel 69, Liberty Street Press Conference