Confession Of An Independent Candidate

I have been driving and walking in the towns and villages of the 183rd District, but have not been introducing myself very often. Although I'm known as a tenacious advocate in front of councils and commissions, glad-handing and smiling are not my strong points. You are very nice people. You have allowed someone to represent you for twenty years, who has done virtually nothing for you at all. I know she attends your picnics and gives out certificates, but she has brought nothing of your taxes back to your communities. You deserve a State Representative who will fight for you in Harrisburg. Everybody in Pennsylvania pays the same income tax. Why should all your taxes be going to pay for an arena in Allentown, while nothing comes back to Danielsville, Egypt, Cementon, and Neffs? If you're happy with just a handshake and smile, keep Harhart. If you want your just share for your hard earned taxes, put me to work for you in Harrisburg.

Editor's Notes: Some abbreviated posts from this blog have become insertions on my campaign site, Mr. Molovinsky Goes To Harrisburg. This is the first insertion which became a blog post. The State distribution and benefit of taxpayer money is a most unlevel, unfair playing field. Some towns, like Cementon, look virtually like they did 50 years ago. Although Harhart may have brought a few dollars back to Northampton and Slatington over two decades, the remainder of the large district received nothing. Today kicks off a more visible campaign on my part, my first radio spots begin. I ask all my readers to please consider a contribution to my unique campaign. Although the public gives lip service to the concept of a non-partisan and issue orientated campaign, getting the message to voters, especially in such a large district, is expensive. Although most of you do not reside in the 183rd District, I assure you that my efforts in Harrisburg will benefit everybody. I ask you to think independently, and contribute through the paypal button on the sidebar. Thank You.

Checks or money orders payable to Michael Molovinsky, designated account, can be sent to Michael Molovinsky, 1636 N. Cedar Crest Blvd., PMB 145, Allentown, Pa. 18104

Where's The Creek?

The young man seemed proud to be at the Old Fashioned Garden with his wife and child. I got the feeling that it was a rite of passage that he had enjoyed years earlier with his parents. He approached me with a quizzical look and asked Where's the creek? I assured him that it was still here, but hidden behind all that underbrush. When he asked me why they did that, I just shrugged my shoulders and walked away. I don't think he really wanted to hear a rant.

The Wildlands Conservancy had no resistance convincing the past two park directors to allow them to plant riparian buffers along the streams in the park system. Both directors were from out of town, trained in recreation at Penn State, and had no feeling or knowledge of the park's history and traditions. To add absurdity to the situation, the storm sewer systems in Allentown are piped directly into the streams, bypassing the buffers, making them useless to their stated purpose. To add further irony to the absurdity, the park department must now spray insecticide on the underbrush to control the invasive species. Worse than blocking access and view of the streams, the recent director endorsed the Conservancy demolishing two small historic dams, after being here only six weeks, and never actually having seen the dams himself.

Why do I dwell on water over the dam? The Wildlands Conservancy is now pitching the dam demolition and riparian buffer agenda to South Whitehall Township. If they get their way, the beautiful picnic vista overlooking Wehr's Dam will be replaced with a wall of weeds. I'm on a mission to make sure that beauty and history survive at Covered Bridge Park.

Allentown's National Searches

Allentown doesn't hire the mediocre by chance, they use consultants and do national searches. It's second from Out Of Town park director has resigned. Years ago we had local directors, but nationally known parks. The depreciation of the park system is a sore spot with me. I will do a separate post on that subject this week. I mention the park directors as a lead in to the other prize selected by national search, the police chief.

The search consultants found the former Philadelphia policeman in Texas, working as a chief there. As mentioned in a previous post, I will not comment on the specifics of his son's arrest, that remains for a court to sort out. I am concerned with comments made by the chief and his Philadelphia lawyer, concerning racial profiling. If Pawlowski thought that the police chase, which almost ran into his tent of dignitaries this summer, was a disaster, wait until Al Sharpton starts marching on Hamilton Street. In light of the recent tension in Missouri, it was ill advised for Fitzgerald and his attorney to make such an accusation. Although the chief is a father wanting to defend his son, he was hired as a professional, to lead Allentown's police force. As Pawlowski begins to look for a new park director, he might also want  to consider a new police chief.

Walking With The New Park Director

I had respectfully requested, through the City Clerk, that City Council visit Robin Hood before any decision, to both see and hear the dam. Furthermore, I volunteered to take them, at their convenience, on a quick tour of the park's remaining WPA structures. Several days later, the clerk contacted me to confirm a time for me to show two council members the sites. I was delighted to hear that the new park director, John Mikowychok, would be joining us. Yesterday was the appointment, and John and I were the first to arrive. As we stood on the bridge, John told me that only 90% of the dam was being removed, and the portion near the water monitoring station would remain. I was shocked, I didn't know that the decision to remove the dam had already been determined. He then informed me that the Wildland's Conservancy was coming, and after learning the details from them on Robin Hood, we would proceed to the dams near the fish hatchery, also scheduled to be removed. The Conservancy crew arrived, with plans and documents in hand. Also by then, Council members Cynthia Mota and Jeff Glazier arrived, but my delight was gone. John explained the agenda, that first Wildland's would brief them about Robin Hood, then they would move on to the Fish Hatchery. I reminded the council members that they were there at my invitation, to see the dam, and then tour the WPA sites. To their credit, Glazier and Mota told Mikowychok that before going to the fish hatchery dams, they would take the tour with me. I wanted them to see how many park features previous park directors had arbitrarily destroyed, and perhaps be more inclined to preserve the dam.

I showed Mikowychok the abandoned island and the boat landing, things that he never saw before, or even knew existed. I found his indifference to the demise of these wonderful constructions astounding. When I criticized the tall thin weed wall blocking the entire creek view, he replied that a row of single tall weeds was better than none. He actually told Mota that the creek was more enticing when you could only get a glimpse of it here and there. It made me think of an old arcade peep show machine. It's too bad that the city hired another lobbyist for the Wildland's Conservancy as Park Director, instead of a defender of our unique park system, however, it's no surprise.  Both the out of town park directors were hired by the same out of town city manager. All three of them, four including the mayor, have no knowledge or appreciation of the formerly nationally recognized park system, in the former All American City. Wildland's was spouting voodoo science. They actually said that there's no fecal count in the creek, despite my photographs of creek shores filled with toilet paper. In order for them to harvest the current grant they must demolish the dam by the end of September. From the grant they also harvest administrative fees. The dam dates from the early 1940's, and has delighted five generations with it's sight and sound. The hard press is on City Council to approve this latest destruction with virtually no deliberation. I ask those who appreciate beauty and ambience to help me save our history.

UPDATE: The post above is reprinted from August 17, 2013.  John Mikowychok, the new park director referred to above,  has resigned.   Less than three months after being hired, Mikowychok recommended to City Council that the Wildlands Conservancy be allowed to destroy two picturesque historic dams on the Little Lehigh.  The Wildlands Conservancy deposited the demolished WPA Robin Hood Dam rubble around the Robin Hood Bridge,  ruining the visual effect of the iconic stone piers.  The demolished Trout Nursery Dam contributed to the recent record fish kill.  We have lost 75 years of history to a person who was here for 15 months.  I will have more to say about park directors with no knowledge of the park system  and the Wildlands Conservancy's self serving agenda in subsequent posts.  Let us hope that South Whitehall has more respect for Wehr's Dam and it's history.

LVCI also covers Mikowychok's departure

Party Above Principle

A Republican member of a local school board yesterday linked to a pension reform site, on a social network. In some strictly blue municipalities, such as Allentown, the only Republicans elected in a decade have been to school boards, and only then because they're crossed registered. As a school board member, this person is well aware that pension reform is by far the most pressing issue in Pennsylvania. Although both chambers of the State House are controlled by Republicans, they managed to avoid the issue, despite Corbett exerting pressure to pass reform. This particular board member even supported the Republican incumbent's unsuccessful opponent in the primary. So, we have a Republican school board member, in a Democratic town, who doesn't support the incumbent State Representative in a neighboring district, but still won't openly endorse an Independent. It is this sort of counterproductive partisanship which has given the voters our current paralyzed Harrisburg.

Building Allentown's Urban Homeowner

Allentown will once again try to induce the middle-class to live downtown. It is not a new experiment; Over forty years ago the Leh family renovated the 400 block of Walnut Street for the same purpose. Of course that was also the goal of the oversized Old Allentown Historic District. The latest plan, being financed by the local corporate heavy hitters, will concentrate on the area north of Linden Street. The plan is modeled on similar programs by Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and U of P in Philadelphia. Those are large urban area's, where gentrification is a natural development. Alan Jennings, although an implementor of such programs, realistically summed it up;  When the target group is the middle-class, that demographic has the means to live in a more suburban area. Again in the real world, Allentown has lost some of it's most committed urbanists because of the school system. I suppose if we're subsidizing the commercial real estate development, we can also pay some middle class looking folks to live and walk around downtown.

Charlie Tuna and Allentown Crime

When Charlie Tuna was introduced in 1961 he looked good, but he didn't taste good. The punch line was Sorry Charlie, and he was rejected for the tuna can. Charlie's still the mascot, but now he's a beloved figure, who helps mom plan an easy dinner. Allentown's fighting it's crime perception problem with additional surveillance cameras. J.B. Reilly is footing most of the bill, and the cameras will also feed into his private security force. An article in the Morning Call says that "If a crime has already occurred, the camera footage becomes an invaluable tool for identifying potential suspects and assisting in locating crucial evidence." There-in lies the problem. Knowing that your mugger will be apprehended isn't much consolation when you're sitting on the curb with your head bleeding. Like the early Charlie Tuna advertisements, visitors don't want a city that looks safe, they want a city that is safe.  Before you apologists foam at the mouth, I believe that Allentown is safe. The new cameras are being sold and installed by Charlie Thiel, who is being groomed as the next mayor.

Editor's Notes: When I read the article on mcall about the surveillance cameras, I immediately thought about Charlie Tuna from the early 1960's. When I wrote the above piece earlier this morning, I had no idea that there was an article in today's paper about canned tuna fish, headlined, Sorry Charlie, just a literary coincidence. Also a coincidence, is any name similarity between Charlie Tuna and Charlie Thiel.  I've known Thiel for years, and believe that Allentown will benefit from any political ambition on his part.

Candidate Molovinsky Banned By NPR

WDIY, the NPR affiliate in Bethlehem, refused to make my interview available by pod-cast on their website. The show, Lehigh Valley Discourse, aired on July 10th, and featured host Alan Jennings interviewing both myself and Bernie O'Hare. To his credit, Alan Jennings has quit the station in protest to the censorship. Who would guess that an NPR station would succumb to political pressure, but then again, it's no accident that there isn't one independent in the State House. With help from your contributions, I will begin buying spots on commercial radio.