An Independent Comes Home

My voter registration has changed back and forth between Republican and independent for several decades. Although most of the candidates I have voted for have been Republicans, independent reflects my mindset. Periodically, I became frustrated at being disenfranchised in the primary elections, and then re-registered as a Republican. As previously noted on this blog, I have decided to run for the State House, against long time incumbent Julie Harhart. She is being opposed in the primary by Marc Grammes, and is also opposed in the general election by Democrat Terri Powell. Pennsylvania has become a mess. It is for that reason that current Governor Corbett faces a stiff challenge this fall. Our legislators are now scrambling to fix the electric deregulation mess that they had created. It should be no surprise that these new electric companies, in name only, which have no generation or transmission infrastructure, raised their rates. They are only gloried post office boxes, with fancy literature. The take away lesson from this electric fiasco is to leave the State Store liquor system in tact, rather than to need more regulations and bureaucrats, to deal with new problems created by another privatization.

To Whom Do The Park Features Belong

There are those of us who remember the greenhouse in Trexler Park, but that does not include the current mayor, the park director or his predecessor. Unfortunately, there's a tradition in Allentown of park directors making unilateral decisions, which effect generations to come. The Trexler greenhouse was understandably the pride of Mrs. Trexler. It was a lush tropical paradise, complete with a full grown banana tree. About 30 years ago, the park director decided that it should go, as part of a cost saving measure. A couple years later, the same director planted the wetland area by the intersection of Cedar Crest Blvd. and Cetronia Rd.. That planting cost $750,000. I recall the price, because Longwood Gardens built a new greenhouse for that same amount, and we had just lost our greenhouse and only had some new creek weeds to show instead; Even back then, I was an advocate for the traditional park system. Recently, visitors to Trexler Park have noticed that this Wetland area has been cut down, although very few know that they had also lost a beautiful greenhouse.

The current issue of the park magazine mentions that an engineer has been hired to plan some restoration on the stonework at Fountain Park. I take pride in knowing that my efforts and this blog are behind that long overdue attention to the WPA structures.

Allentown's Reality Show

On Friday afternoon there was a collision between political spin and reality in downtown Allentown. As  Governor Corbett and Mayor Pawlowski toasted The miracle that is Allentown, a police cruiser crashed right outside their gilded tent, while chasing a drug suspect. Pawlowski had said "I want to thank the state, this unique tool has created unprecedented investment in the City of Allentown." What he should have said is that he wanted to thank the taxpayers of surrounding communities, who are subsidizing Allentown's miracle. Although the state income tax rate may not increase, that money is being made up one way or another. If it's more tax on gasoline, or higher fees on renewing their driver's license, the state budget reaches out in many ways to make up for this unprecedented investment in Allentown. Allentown's State Representative wasted no time spinning the fiasco by restricting his comment to the Allentown police. Although the police acted heroically, the representative should have also thought about the residents in his district. While they were not invited to the banquet tent, every day they live with the drug violence. If I'm fortunate enough to be elected to represent the citizens of the 183rd District, I will not be attending such banquets of self praise, but will be out in the district, fighting for a better everyday quality of life.

photocredit:The Morning Call

The 183rd Legislative District

The new Pennsylvania Legislative Districts were postponed for a year, while modifications were made to the map. The final map going into effect for the upcoming election is never-the-less still convoluted. The 183rd District resembles a question mark. The primary change between the current and former map effect the southwest and northeast sectors. While the district loses the north Allentown neighborhood south of Rt.22, north of Tilghman Street and east of Cedar Crest Blvd., it gains the South Whitehall neighborhood west of the Cedar Crest, between Rt.22 and the municipal golf course. The northeastern sector extends closer to, but not including, the town of Bath. It is my intention to provide the residents of the 183rd District a new independent voice in Harrisburg, not mired in convoluted partisan politics.

Shortchanging The Neighbors

The arena machine was held up for several months two years ago, when the smaller municipalities balked at giving up their share of the earned income tax to further support Allentown's mega-project. Rather than endure the time delay of a court case on that attempt to overreach, Allentown backed off, and the neighbors still got their earned income tax share. But do the neighbors get their share of benefits from state taxes? That's a rhetorical question, because the answer has always been a clear no. When Allentown's NIZ is completely built out in several years, the small neighbors like Slatington and Northampton will be subsidizing a $billion dollars of development, but what do they get? Their current Harrisburg representatives will tell them that Allentown endures the problems of a the low income transient population, and then say something about rising tides and all ships. The residents of Slatington and Northampton know better. It's not the life of Mayberry there anymore. Although the tax dollar benefits seldom come their way, Allentown's problems of poverty and crime found their way up route 309. It will be my honor to advocate for their fair share.

photograph by K Mary Hess

Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?

On the entire square block of the arena complex, only two former buildings were spared, the Farr Building and The Dime Bank. The former Farr Shoe building, currently loft apartments, has been continuously occupied since being constructed. The Dime Bank has spend most of it's 90 years vacant. The bank closed in 1931, only six years after being built. It remained mostly vacant until the early 1990's, when the monumental 1st floor room was restored, and housed an antique market for a few years. Since then, ownership changed hands several times, but the building remained vacant. Because of a leaking facade, the arena owners decided to strip the brick off, down to it's steel structural skeleton. Lost was the iconic attic story, in classic art deco style. Also lost was the beautiful ornate ceiling in the monumental banking chamber.

As I begin the mission to provide residents of northern Lehigh and Northampton Counties with a new kind of representation in Harrisburg, this blog will continue to scrutinize the Allentown area. Please follow the campaign on my Facebook page,  Mr. Molovinsky Goes To Harrisburg.  If you live anywhere in the 183rd District, from now on,  I'll be looking out for you.

Mr. Molovinsky Goes To Harrisburg

Actually, the title should be Mr. Molovinsky wants to serve your interests in Harrisburg. Early this morning I decided to enter the race for the 183rd Legislative District, as an independent. The district, covering Northampton and Slatington, has been extended by the new redistricting map to include a section of South Whitehall. Although there is not one independent in the state house, and the incumbent has held the seat for 18 years, Pennsylvania is in dire need of remedy. We are victimized by ingrained partisan politics, always putting special interests ahead of that of the citizen. We keep adding new revenue streams; lottery, casino, fracking, but never providing the homeowner with the promised tax relief. I have established a facebook page, Mr. Molovinsky Goes To Harrisburg, which will be dedicated to the campaign.

The Sunday Drive

My family wasn't much for recreation.  My father worked six days a week, from early morning till early evening.  We did go for a long car ride on Sundays.  Back then gasoline was cheap, and having no destination wasn't thought of as wasteful.  Children were more content to sit in back seat and look out the window, now they want a video screen in the vehicle.



Even children's play then involved more imagination and interaction.  Howdy Doody was just a puppet on strings,who spend most of his time talking to an adult, Buffalo Bob, can you imagine?

 Sitting in that back seat in the mid fifties, I might well had



my "coonskin" hat with me.  Fess Parker was a genuine American hero.  It mattered little if he played both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, both were king of the wild frontier.  The ride probably lasted for two hours and then we would go to a restaurant to eat dinner.  Compared to now, there were very few restaurants.



My mother would cook all the other meals that week, and we probably ate out more than most.  Supermarkets were the new rage in food shopping, but the butcher, baker and candle stick maker were still going strong.  If my father headed west or south, chances are we ended up at Shankweiler's Hotel, famous for chicken and waffles.   They were at the intersection of Old 22 and Route 100.  The building still exists and currently is a bank.  The family also owned another hotel on Route 309.  Both locations also operated adjoining Drive-In movies.



If my father headed north or east,  we would end up at Walp's, which was on the corner of Union Blvd. and Airport Road.  Walp's was a much more urban place.   While Shankweiler's was an old country inn,  Walp's was built as a modern restaurant.  I enjoyed those rides, they were a learning experience.

reprinted from February 2013