Pawlowski Buys Democracy In Allentown

Pawlowski's PAC, Citizens For A Better Allentown, according to pre Primary filings, has raised over $63,000, and spent $43,000 thus far subverting democracy in Allentown. Allentown voters are having their mail boxes filled this week with oversized mailers, promoting Pawlowski's candidates of choice. Most of the contributions are cloaked in separate candidate reports, not yet analyzed by our Harrisburg staff. For instance, Citizens For A Better Allentown received a contribution from Friends of Ed Pawlowski for $23,000, and $10,000 from Friends Of Charlie Thiel. Direct contributions of note include local labor unions for $8,000, and Abe Atiyeh for $2,500. Friends of Schlossberg and Schweyer, combined, contributed $3,500. Please understand that all these Friends Of, are no real friends of democracy in Allentown.

School Director Questions Pawlowski's Slate

School Board member Mike Welsh, not up for re-election this year, feels that the candidates not compromised by Pawlowski's PAC money, could best guide the school district.

This year’s Allentown school board race features a large field of candidates and I for one couldn’t be happier that so many have expressed interest and put themselves forward for consideration. Eight candidates have chosen to run independently while 4 have chosen to compete as a slate with the endorsement and fundraising efforts of Mayor Ed Pawlowski.

The Allentown School District has faced many difficult challenges the last few years and I believe better days could be on the horizon. Thanks to real fiscal discipline by our board and the administration of the school district, we are positioned to eliminate the need for layoffs in the coming year and will be offering full day kindergarten in even more of our schools. In the ensuing weeks there will be discussions regarding the possibility of restoring programs previously eliminated in cost savings initiatives by the district, with priorities put on the restoration of arts and music programs, library and physical education. These will be just discussions, however, and it will be important to remember that in possibly rehiring staff in these areas we must we prudent as we do not want to face the challenges of laying staff off again because of rash decisions this year.

Regrettably, while many of us see prospects for a better financial horizon for the school district, Allentown’s economic realities will continue to weigh on our children for years to come. Despite the renaissance that is happening downtown, many of our children live in poverty as demonstrated by the fact that 88% of students receive subsidized breakfast and lunch. Many of our children come from broken and/or disruptive homes and enter school without a basic knowledge of colors and numbers. These are the children we are charged to educate, and the teachers, administrators, and the board itself have maintained a commitment to providing the best education possible under these difficult circumstances. In this election, I want to encourage voters to consider candidates who have a proven track record of fiscal prudence and will be independent in their voting. I am pleased that 8 of our candidates have chosen to seek office independent of any slate out of a concern that those within a slate may be compromised in their voting as a result of monies provided in funding their candidacy. While this may be the standard in most political races, I believe it inappropriate in a school board race.

In my short time on the board I have come to respect the professionals and many volunteers of the Allentown School District. I am humbled by their dedication to the mission of public education. Let there be no doubt that from top to bottom the people of the Allentown School District are here for the right reasons and could make more money in less stressful environments in surrounding wealthier districts. With their continued dedication, and with continued financial progress, I believe there can be better times ahead for the Allentown School District and the children and families it serves.
Mike Welsh 
Allentown School Board Director

Allentown School Directors In Dark About Assault

A decade after a student on student indecent assault at Central Elementary School, this past week news broke that another alleged assault occurred at Jefferson Elementary, and parents are again suing the school district. Although I had no intention about posting on this incident, today I received a pertinent comment from a school board member on the lack of communication, between the administration and board members. The comment was submitted to another post, but I made an editorial decision to run it as a separate post.

On Wednesday the board received an email concerning the incident referred to. I know nothing about this event since it seems it did not filter down, to at least this board member, when it occurred. I cannot comment on it. I can comment on ASD administration communications. Often information seems not to make it to the board and when it does, well there is always some logical reason why these issues are never the fault or responsibility of the ASD administration, a statistical impossibility. Personally I find the level of communication and the ability to get information from the administration sadly and woefully inadequate, as a board member and as a parent. Adjust your expectations and be realistic about transparency coming from the ASD administration. At least, to me, they seem to ascribe to the theory legal liability trumps truthfulness. As co-chair of the finance and budget committee they will not discuss $3 million in revenue projections for the current year's budget that never materialized or how they conjure up their doom and gloom projections of the imminent dire depletion of the fund balance of the ASD that has not materialized as well. Maybe they think if they keep silent long enough it will all go away.

David Fehr Zimmerman

As Allentown Turns

Allentown's greatly touted NIZ should be named the ROA, Reilly Owns Allentown. While his state house boy recovers in the hospital, and his home boy tries to become a senator, J.B. Reilly said Let There Be Stores. These stores were duly announced this week by the local paper and TV, which will promote them as they open. As he did with the restaurants, J.B. will hand out special J.B. currency to the new office workers, which can be used in the stores. The Plywood Plaza Apartments for the workers, at 7th and Linden, will be completed this fall. The idea of company housing and stores isn't new, cement companies and mines did it back in the early 1900's.

While trying to escape Allentown, first to Harrisburg and now to Washington, Mayor For Life Pawlowski tells us who to elect to City Council and the school board. Meanwhile, the streets beyond the Reilly District are potholed and dirty. Existing residents are being double ding donged at the parking meters. The WPA structures in our parks are crumbling away. Don't despair, buy a ticket for the Classic Geriatric Concert Series at the J.B. Reilly Arena, and enjoy a night out.

Courting The Allentown Teachers

Back in my fathers day, students gave the teacher an apple to get in their good graces. In current Allentown, the teachers are courted by the school board candidates, who hope to get into the good graces and recommendation of their teacher's union. One teacher forwarded me this email from Charlie Thiel, which was sent through official school channels.
To All Teachers in the Allentown School District, Thank you for all that you do to change the lives of our students. By creating an attitude of lifelong learning for our students, you are profoundly impacting their lives. I am sure there are some days (perhaps more than you would like to admit) that you ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” Rest assured that you are changing the lives of young people every day. Do you remember the first time you helped a student have a revelation, where the lightbulb went on? Maybe they finally learned to tie their shoes, or they were able to solve an algebraic problem, or even understand Shakespeare…or you provided a snack when they had not eaten for the last day. The needs of our students are great. But our teachers are greater! Thank you for heeding the calling on your life and choosing the Allentown School District and our students. Happy Teachers Appreciation Week!
Charlie Thiel      School Board Director

 The image below by candidate Mark Smith appears on facebook

Once upon a time, school board candidates appealed to the public and parents, for an opportunity to speak for them on how the school district should be run. Now, it appears that some candidates are appealing directly to the teachers, who are already well represented by their strong union.

ADDENDUM: Mark Smith feels that this post mischaracterized his intent. His reply is contained within the comment section.

ADDENDUM 2: I'm closing comments on this post. Please direct any additional comments on the school board election to the newer school board post,  Allentown School Directors In Dark

The $66 Million Dollar Dinner

Yesterday, a couple from Slatington told me that they went to the Allentown Art Museum during the afternoon on Sunday, then walked up to the Hamilton Kitchen, where they ate outside on the terrace. Except for the traffic noise on 7th Street, they had an enjoyable experience, and think that Allentown has changed for the better. Then, he asked what I thought. I told him that his meal cost the taxpayers of Pennsylvania about $66 million last year, most of which was going to the debt service of one private individual. Never the less, he enjoyed his day, and I have heard this story from different people, numerous times. Most people really don't care what the new experience cost, or who is paying for it, or who owns it. Of course, most people don't care how poorly this state is run, and keep electing the same officials, election after election. Then, there are some people who concern themselves with such matters, welcome to molovinsky on allentown.

Gilding The Lily, The Allentown Arena

This past Sunday was a usual weekend for The Morning Call, gilding their lily, The Allentown Arena. One feature story told how the perception of center city Allentown has changed, the other dealt with tourism and the higher hotel occupancy in the valley. The center city story mentioned the new restaurants and shops. Although I spend a lot of time downtown, and have frequented many of the new eateries, I have yet to find one of the new shops. Never mentioned  is the arena schedule promoted two years ago; So far this year, by those projections, the venue is about 65 events short. The companion piece on the hotels had even a greater reality void. Neither center city hotel in Allentown was mentioned. The glaring unasked question, which would link both articles, is how is the new arena's Renaissance Hotel doing? Without that question and answer, neither article had any value.

Law By Mob Rules In Baltimore

Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore's prosecutor, apparently has decided that her real future is in politics, not the law. On Friday, when announcing charges against the police officers, she told the protestors, "To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America: I heard your call for `No justice, no peace.' In regard to the police, she went on to say that nobody is above the law. It appears however,  that the rioters who looted and torched the buildings, might be above the law in her town.  While she had the mob celebrating in the street, the message for the thugs of Baltimore and elsewhere is that rioting pays. Although the charges against some of the police may prove to be warranted,  their implementation was pure street theater,  not normal legal procedure.

ADDENDUM: Tension broke out again in Baltimore today, as police arrested a  gun carrying suspect.  Such problems will be the cost of that city's appeasement.