Allentown Picks Winner, Then Announces Contest Rules

In what could only happen in Allentown, the City announced the contest rules, after the winner was picked. The Morning Call dutifully reported on the murky guidelines the City will use to allow property owners use of NIZ tax funds for development. The rules come after developer J.B. Reilly had his plans approved, and even before anybody else knew such a tax incentive was available to private owners. If that wasn't enough favoritism, the City loaned Reilly $20million to do the project. As the kids now say, everything about the deal is sketchy. First of all, what I call the City is called ACIDA. This is handpicked Pawlowski Authority, used as handmaiden of convenience. The Morning Call article kindly refers to the guidelines as flexible, having wiggle room and not cast in stone. Missing from the article is that the CocaCola Park promoters complained that they never were given a chance to bid on arena management. The displaced merchants, despite two meetings with the City, were never informed that the NIZ could be used by private property owners, and the unions have already protested initial renovations by Reilly. Most glaringly missing from the article is no mention of these Bizarro sequence of events; The City will now allow public input after all the decisions were made. The City will now explain how to enter the contest, after the brass ring has been won. The article does mention that The Morning Call building is in the NIZ zone.

Saving The Queen City Airport

When I grew up on Liberator Ave., I would walk up Catalina Ave. toward school, which was at the end of Coronado. The streets were named for the Vultee-Consolidated WW2 planes, and the neighborhood was next to the airport built as part of the war effort. Vultee Street was built to connect the hangers with the Mack 5C plant, which was given over to Vultee-Consolidated for plane part manufacturing. Today this small airport is known as Queen City, and is threatened by Mayor Ed Pawlowski.

1944 was the first full year of the operation for the company's Allentown, Pennsylvania factory. Consolidated Vultee handled over $100M in wartime contracts at their Allentown plant where they produced TBY-2 Sea Wolves, components parts for B-24 Liberator bombers and other essential armaments and products for the war effort.

Pawlowski covets this unique part of our history to expand the tax base. What he doesn't understand is that more housing or commercial space is not in Allentown's best long term interest. Unfortunately, long term interest is not a term understood by our current leadership. There is a whole development of started houses off S. 12th St. and Mack Blvd. which were never completed. There are filled in foundations on 8th Street, also never completed. More housing is the last thing both the real estate market and school system need. Likewise, the existing commercial sector has been struggling to maintain an acceptable occupancy rate. Queen City airport is an unique asset to Allentown. If LVIA does successfully expand, a separate airport for small planes is very desirable for safety. Considering Pawlowski's predetermined objective, I question whether he should have been appointed to the LVIA Board.

Dennis Pearson, long time community activist from the East Side Rittersville area, reports last night(Sept. 23, 2010) that a portion of the State Hospital grounds had been given to the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Corporation. Just last week, Dennis requested that the City inform him of any plans concerning that land. Although representatives of the Administration were present, nobody had the consideration to response to Pearson's statement. These open spaces in Allentown, both Queen City and the State Hospital, are too important to let Pawlowski and Cunningham squander them for a short term, politically expedient, tax fix.

Malcolm Gross, an associate of Pawlowski, was just appointed by the court to overseer the $16million dollar payment due to the Fuller family by the Lehigh Valley Airport. The Airport Authority should sell the Fuller land that it never used, and retain Queen City.

UPDATE: Since a version of this post first appeared in September of 2010, LVIA is under court order to raise $16 million, as noted above. The airport (LVIA) is currently without it's former Executive Director. The Morning Call reports an offer for $18 million for the Queen City. Although such a sale would be incredibly shortsighted, that's a prominent local eye and mental condition.

What Is It?

What is it columns seem to be popular, and popularity is all I want for Christmas. The first person to identify what the object in the picture does, wins the contest. The winner gets his choice of a one month subscription to The Morning Call, or cleaning the Porta-John for a week at the Allentown Arena construction site. Contest entries must be submitted by 12:00pm, Oct. 26, 2011.

No Jews of Libya

Despite having settled there hundreds of years before Christ, there are no Jews in Libya.

I left Libya more than 42 years ago when the mobs were roaming the streets. They were not chanting for democracy or yearning for freedom — they were looking for Jews.

Gina Waldman.

This community, that goes back 2,500 years, has obliterated their oldest minority...They drink anti-semitism with their mother's milk.

Gina Zanzur
After the creation of Israel in 1948, anti-Jewish riots and killings forced 30,000 Jews to flee. After the 1967 Israeli war, the remaining 6,000 were expelled, each allowed one suitcase and $20.
historic photo of the Jewish Quarter in Tripoli

reprinted from March 14, 2011

UPDATE: An envoy from the displaced Libyan Jewish community now living in Italy, was told that there would be no place for Jews in the new Libya.

Future Downtown Arena Attendee

Regular readers of this blog are familiar with the commentator who identifies himself as Future Downtown Arena Attendee. He first appeared months ago, when I began posting about this misguided project and it's mistreatment of our long standing merchants. He is a staunch defender of the project, with no use for the current merchants or their clientele. Beyond being an apologists for the Administration, some readers have speculated that he actually works for the City or has another interest in the project. I generally appreciated his participation in the dialogue; It provided an insight into the arrogance by those who govern us. On my recent post, questioning which branch of our local government considered us dumber, Future made this comment.

Why do you think that you are entitled to public comment on this? The people elected the officials to speak on their behalf. The officials are speaking. If you don't like what they are saying do not vote for them in their reelection bids.

The blogger known as LVCI made an excellent reply. Below are excerpts from his comment.

Voting for a public official is nothing more then hiring someone to do a job on our behalf. We are the owners and city hall officials are our employees, we aren't theirs. Not one official running for office mentioned in their campaign they were going to seize over 30 private properties downtown, bulldoze an entire square block and risk advancing over $160 million of the taxpayers' dollars to do it. They didn't mention the new, sometimes expen$ive, pre-sale inspections before one sells their home. Nor was there any mention in their campaigns while they were running for office that they were going to put in miles of bike trails, a playground or install asphalt roadways in a park either. A lot of changes affect us for many years long after their time in office. The police & fire pensions are a fine example of that. According to your way of thinking why bother having public meetings after elections. Our civic responsibilities are completely done after we elect them, right? Citizens should only concern themselves every 4 years after the $'s are spent and the changes are already done that affect them. Is that the way you want it?
Come to think of it, that pretty much seems the way we're being dealt with already.

I suppose that Future Attendee and LVCI both have a point. As voters we don't seem to learn from our mistakes. Although a previous City Council lamented about the Police Pension they approved, many of the lamenters were re-elected. Currently, members are awaking to the lack of public and Council input concerning the Transformational arena. Will there be consequences come election day next month? Last night I drove past the Sangria Restaurant. Although I wish this business and all others well, I must report that they were virtually empty. This attempt at a restaurant row was subsidized by the Administration to the tune of half a $million of taxpayer dollars. If the new restaurants are struggling with easy available parking, how will they fare with congestion caused by the hockey fans? After two hotdogs and a beer, will the hockey fans patronize Sangria after the game? A failure of the arena and adjoining event center will put the taxpayers on the hook for over $200 million; Now that's a transformation! I hope that Future Downtown Arena Attendee at least actually attends.

A Step Daughter

The young bride pictured is not my step daughter, but she is a daughter of the steps. In addition to choosing the steps at Fountain Park for her wedding pictures, she also helped to dig out and recover the steps at the Boat Landing, in Lehigh Parkway. Although it is wonderful that a young person appreciates the WPA structures, I wish that the Mayor, Park Director and Trexler Trust shared her love of Allentown history and values. Next week, the Park Department, funded by the Trexler Trust, moves forward with their Path Plan. The money they spend on new, unnecessary macadam paths could restore the irreplaceable WPA icons.

Who Thinks You're Dumber?

According to The Morning Call, Allentown City Hall will now conduct a series of public meetings on the arena. Although all arrangements are a done deal, public comment will be sought. Although the Mayor preferred to first make the presentations to civic groups and other selected voter groups, City Council insisted that John Q get the presentations first; Council wants to credit themselves for insisting on this sequence, for the upcoming meaningless meetings. In truth, a more responsible City Council would have postponed the Administration's request for Eminent Domain, insisting on public input. They would have asserted themselves when it counted. Council members may pose now, in election season, as concerned about public opinion, but in addition to being too little, it's too late. One of them actually said, Better late than never.

Republican Halloween

They say all politics is local. I thought about that last night as I covered a City Republican Halloween Party. While the Republicans fare well in Lehigh County, David Bausch was the last one to win a seat on Allentown City Council, and that was back in 2003. This year, among a good slate of candidates, that Party has put up Eric Weiss for City Council. Weiss spend a career at City Hall, working his way up to head of Code Enforcement and Building Standards. In a city where one of the biggest problems comes from inter-city apartments, his experience should make him a hot ticket.