Allentown Business Journal

We learned last week that the NIZ board gave preliminary approval to J.B. Reilly's plan for Tower 6, his office condo at 6th and Walnut. How they can go through the charade of such procedures, and the Morning Call can report it as news, is beyond me. I don't suffer nonsense well. Also, in last weeks news we learned that J.B. purchased the Morning Call building. In that article, even the newspaper acknowledged the obvious, that he now essentially owns the NIZ district.

The Talen sale to a private energy firm headquartered in NYC could throw a wrench in Janidl's Waterfront project.  Although, he stated that they're not dependent upon one particular tenant,  we know from uptown in Reillyville, that tenants are not growing on trees.  If Allentown loses Talen at the end of the Plaza lease in 2018, it will indeed be a loss.   I for one, was sorry to see PPL spin off Talen in the first place, despite the fluctuations of that sector. Somehow, a PPL which no longer produces electricity,  seems far removed from the company that built that ionic tower in 1928.

Muhammad Ali and King Levinsky

In 1964, a young Cassius Clay trained in south Miami Beach for his first fight against Sonny Liston. At that time, this section of the city was home to mostly retired Jews on fixed income. The hotels, decades after their prime, became pension rooming houses. Decades later, these same buildings would be restored to their art deco splendor, creating today's South Beach. As Clay trained, a middle aged punch drunk necktie peddler told him, "After Liston punches your head, you'll be selling ties with me." The street peddler was a fixture in Miami Beach. He didn't ask, he told people they were going to buy a tie. The future champ probably didn't realize that the heckler was none other than King Levinsky, legend of the 1930's, and veteran of over 118 heavyweight fights. Levinsky was born Harris Krakow in Chicago, and worked at his parent's fish market on Maxwell Street, the Jewish section during the roaring twenties. Although he never got a title shot, and weighed only 185, he fought all the leading heavyweights of his time, including the 265lb. giant, Primo Carnera. Managed by his sister Lena, he was known never to turn down a fight, including those against Max Baer.
copy reprinted from Jan. 23, 2010
photo shows Levinsky with sister/manager Lena in 1932

retitled and reprinted in memory of The Greatest, Muhammad Ali

Fisherman Robbed By Fit Man At Jordan Park

While Mayor Pawlowski and his compliant park director brag about catalog equipment which won't last 3 years, a fisherman was thrown to the ground and robbed at gunpoint early Thursday morning in Jordan Park. While the Allentown Police are too short manned to properly patrol our existing parks, Mayor Pawlowski and his compliant park director are seeking a grant to develop another park, at the former incinerator plant near Basin Street. Who is going to maintain an additional park after the grant runs out in year one? Who is going to provide safety at such an out of the way place? It's time for our park director, Linday Taylor, to seek the counsel of people familiar with Allentown and the parks. For her information, that would not include Ed Pawlowski.

I'm sure that Ms. Taylor saw a recent letter to the paper criticizing the grow zones along our park creeks.  She should realize that the next mayor will most likely have more familiarity with the traditional park system, which does not include weed zones, that block both access and view of the streams.  Allentown parks were created along the streams to add to the park experience, not to be a science experiment for the Wildlands Conservancy.  Although the mayor may praise the new park signs, even they are symbolic of the new superficiality,  which is not appreciated by most Allentonians.  Ms. Taylor would do well to realize that soon  there will be a new mayor, with an appreciation of Allentown's iconic park system.  By that criterion, there will be a lot to mow and repair.

An Allentown School Primer

While Morning Call readers learned yesterday that Allentown School superintendent Russ Mayo would not be seeking another contract, molovinsky readers already knew that since early last week. However, today's post is a lesson in recent history. Before Mayo, the superintendent was John Zahorchak. The board that hired him thought very highly of themselves for that choice. Zahorchak was former Secretary of Education under Rendell. What the board didn't realize was that while the Rendell administration was a case study in cronyism, it was not concerned with expertise. Zahorchak came to town and turned the school system inside out, and upside down. He instituted every new concept ever written in the education magazines. Among one bad move after another, he transfered Allen High's very effective principal to desk job on Penn Street. In wake of the mess, the board was then glad to hire Mayo, who was familiar with the system before the chaotic changes.

Allentown School System has been suffering from the same problems which affect all urban systems with high poverty rates.  Why the board thinks that a new superintendent will change the parameters of that reality escapes me.  The district just announced that there will be another year with no tax increase, which would be considered welcome news in most communities.

Now some older history;  Shown above is Dorothy Taliaferro, as pictured in the 1920 Allentown High School yearbook.  Dorothy was a vocal supporter for woman suffrage, and hoped to become a doctor. She was the first black girl to graduate from Allentown.  Although Dorothy did not fulfill that career ambition,  she had two younger brothers who did become physicians.  The family lived at 450 Union Street, which was later demolished in one of Allentown's misguided urban renew projects.

Thanks to Dan Doyle, for loan of the 1920 Comus.  

The Damn Dam and Damn Blogger

When I made my presentation to the County Commissions on Wehr's Dam, I was preceded by Farmland Preservation advocates.  I knew that farmland preservation is a fashionable topic, and even referenced it in my speech.  In addition to being met with silence at that time, I have heard since, that the commissioners are not taken with the idea of adopting the dam.  But,  I have just learned that while they want to dwell on the farmland topic,  Lehigh County has already preserved 22,000 acres, at up to $5,000 an acre. It's hard for me to imagine spending so many millions of dollars preserving land that may not be developed anyway, but not caring about preserving an irreplaceable historic structure of beauty, which has been treasured by generations of people from Lehigh County.

For those new to this blog, I'm no diplomat.  I tend to become somewhat blunt when it comes our historical structures which cannot be replaced, once gone.  Readers may be surprised, especially the ones who comment with a pseudonym,  that I see and talk to the officials that I criticize.  Yes, it can be awkward, but along the way I saved a couple of structures, and caused a few more to be repaired. Could I have done it more diplomatically, perhaps, but I'm an old dog.

The Wildlands Conservancy are hypocrites, who harvest state dam demolition grants because they're allowed to keep 15% for administrative fees.  The South Whitehall Commissioners are reneging on their 2014 vote to keep the dam, and are disingenuously greatly inflating the repair cost,  to accommodate the Wildlands and justify a referendum.  Let us hope that the County Commissioners show more respect for the things that matter to the residents of Lehigh County, and save the dam.

An Extra Inning For The Establishment

When you're fighting the establishment in Lehigh Valley, you better get your P's and Q's in line before the deadline,  because there are no extensions. However, for the establishment, deadlines are just the beginning.

When Chris Kocher of the Wildlands Conservancy said two years ago that if the South Whitehall Commissioners voted to keep Wehr's Dam, that would be the end of the issue, he must have given himself a good chuckle.

When Lehigh County reached the deadline for farmland preservation, they simply reset the clock. Their goal is to preserve 25% of all the land in the county, so far, they have only 10%. Now, of course that doesn't mean that the remainder is being developed, most of it will remain farmland. Those figures pertain to land officially preserved. It doesn't count in their eyes unless the development rights are paid for with our tax dollars. What these advocates really know about farming or land, you could stuff in one organic tomato.

Last week, when Allentown's Shark Tank business subsidy plan failed to attract enough applicants, they extended the deadline. On the other hand, when a local judge ruled against taxing the arena, the Allentown School District decided not to file an appeal. While there is a limit on trying to save the taxpayer some money,  there's no limit on how much of our money can be spent.  We learned that the NIZ board will be able to keep their full annual $million dollar budget, which they need to scrutinize project applications. As if they really scrutinize Reilly, Butz and Jaindl, or would ever deny them.

The King Has Abdicated

In 1958 my father had a food stand at the fair. It took him about an hour to realize you cannot sell hot dogs in the King's back yard; Yocco, the Hot Dog King. When Yocco's claimed last year they were not at the fair because their canvas ripped, I was skeptical. This year it's official, they have abdicated their spot. Tonight the fair was jammed. In Ag Hall the granges still compete in vegetable canning. A wiseguy still incites you to dunk him. The world's smallest horse hasn't grown. Maybe Yocco's is gone, but the fair is still much more like 1958 than any other aspect of Allentown.

REPRINTED FROM AUG.28, 2007

UPDATE 2016: Yocco's has announced that they have closed their original location in the 600 block of Liberty Street.

The Crucifixion of Ce-Ce Gerlach

While Jesus of Nazareth was killed in Jerusalem,  Ce-Ce was crucified in Nazareth.  One anonymous commenter after another cast stones. The mob found Ce-Ce guilty,  because she accepted a scholarship from DeSales for NIZ residents,  which was underwritten by the Trexler Trust and City Center Real Estate.  Although, she took no direct assistance from J.B. Reilly,  over 80 comments condemned her. The recipients were chosen by the college.  I must confess I may be somewhat responsible for the lynching.  I found some irony in Ce-Ce mentioning the scholarship on her facebook page,  considering she has been portrayed as the advocate for community benefit by the NIZ.  I mentioned this thought to an acquaintance,  who in turned mentioned it to blogger Bernie O'Hare.

After imagining her hanging on the cross,  and feeling somewhat responsible,  I come to her defense.  Comments on Ramblings suggest that the scholarships are not intended for people of means who already have a college degree.  I personally have no knowledge of Ce-Ce's finances, or the criterion used in selecting applicants,  but neither do those condemning her.   Ce-Ce remains one of the more sincere people offering her time and energy to serve the city.  If she is willing to drive to Center Valley one night a week to further her education,  perhaps we should be grateful.