UpDate: Mayor Pawlowski cruised to reelection w/ a whopping 74% popular vote mandate. Congrats, Mr. Mayor!
The Mayor of Allentown's salary has not been increased since 1996. It's hard to believe that the mayor of the third largest city in Pennsylvania is paid only $61,493.00. Several years ago, there was concern that the salary was too low compared to the salaries of other PA Mayors, so a group was formed to study the issue. The group determined that in 2010 the Mayor of Allentown's salary should increase to $95,000.00 and City Council approved this increase.
Currently, because of economic hard times the Obama Administration is well on its way to reversing (and making it look easy), there are some people who think Mayor Pawlowski should not take his approved salary increase. That's dumb. But consider the source(s).
Ray O'Connell (D), a former ASD middle school principal who is running for City Council supports a pay increase for Mayor Pawlowski so Ray's got our vote. O'Connell understands that in order to attract highly qualified mayoral candidates to Allentown, the mayor's salary should reflect the importance of the position. Educators like O'Connell understand this concept, likely because they have first-hand experience with being undervalued, see: the unfairly low salary most teacher's make compared to the very valuable job they do. Ditto Ed Pawlowski.
Here at Lehigh Valley Somebody, the #1 Most Influential Political Blog in Pennsylvania most weeks in Liberal Influence, we believe that Mayor Pawlowski has accomplished a lot for Allentown. No real estate tax increase in 5 yrs, crime is down 12% overall, surveillance cameras have been installed, new businesses are sprouting up like flowers downtown, our parks are being improved despite rabidly racist opposition from a lunatic fringe "3%,", and slumlords are being held accountable. Sure, we have a long way to go, but we think Ed Pawlowski is making a hugely positive difference. Plus, anyone who works so hard for Allentown as Ed Pawlowski does, and for so little pay, has gotta have his heart and soul into it and care very deeply about our, and his, city.
On November 3, VOTE TO REELECT ED PAWLOWSKI MAYOR OF ALLENTOWN.
And then let's start paying Ed $95K annually ASAP so he keeps running Allentown and keeps running for reelection and winning.
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43 comments:
Read the much envied and frequently imitated LVS Interview w/ Mayor Pawlowski ...
Who's the doll standing next to Pawlowski :)
What's incredible to me is that, according to the NYT, 23 presidents of private colleges and universities made at least $1 million in 2007-8. Mayors, who have to deal with real crime and unemployment and whose decisions affect a lot more people, are paid so much less than that.
Sure, those 23 presidents aren't the average and it depends on the tax base, but the difference is mind-boggling. Mayors' policies have a much bigger impact on residents' lives, safety, job prospects, and so on.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/education/02college.html?hp
Merci, "JT" ;D
11:37, excellent point and article, here's linkage ...
Ed's Campaign Website
Mea Culpa and Merci.
Kudos on being the #1 Best Blog in the Lehigh Valley again and for the 45th week in a row on average.
(Merci) we're #1 (week after week after week) only b/c our thousands of readers are #1 ;D xx
Ed's Record
* Safer Streets
Increased Police on the Street: Mayor Pawlowski added police officers to the budget, helping the department recover from an unprecedented wave of retirements.
* Initiated Hi-Tech Security Network: Ed secured state and federal grants to implement a state-of-the-art security surveillance network with over 70 cameras watching city streets.
* Decreased Crime: City crime statistics have dropped for the third year in a row according to the FBI and state police.
* Tackled Quality-of-Life Issues: Ed cleaned up crime hotspots and targeted graffiti vandals, irresponsible landlords and nuisance crimes, such as excessive noise.
* Strong Fiscal Management
Reversed Allentown’s Financial Future: Ed transformed an inherited 8-million-dollar deficit into a 14-million-dollar cash reserve. He took a city drowning in red ink into the black, helping Allentown weather the nation’s economic downturn.
* Accumulated Surpluses: Ed beat budget expectations without raising taxes, in 2006 by $5.5 million, and in 2007 by $3.5 million. In 2008 Ed turned a projected deficit into a surplus despite a sharp decrease in expected revenues by cutting expenses and finding new sources of revenue.
* Enhanced Fiscal Position: Ed turned Allentown’s negative bond rating into a positive one rated by both Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investor Services.
* Streamlined Government Spending: Ed converted traffic signals to LED technology, reducing electrical consumption and saving more than $120,000 annually. He reduced Allentown’s vehicle fleet and consolidated EMS billing services to create a more efficient department.
* Economic Development
Increased Investment: Ed brought over a half-billion dollars in new investment and hundreds of new jobs to the city since assuming office in 2006.
* Attracted Development: Ed helped spearhead efforts to bring the Iron Pigs to Allentown and build Coca-Cola Park, the new PPL Building, and the Butz Building.
* Redeveloped Abandoned Properties: Ed led the transformation of the former Exide Battery plant from an EPA brownfield into a $22 million investment by Bennett Toyota. Forced the sale of blighted downtown buildings, such as Sal’s Spaghetti House, the Colonial Theater and the Americus Centre hotel, for redevelopment.
* Parks and Recreation Improvement
Revitalizing Parks: Ed is working to refurbish the city's parks system, including creating a playground at Cedar Beach that will be one of the first handicapped-accessible playgrounds in the Northeast. Ed also plans to rebuild Keck Park and implement other improvements to the parks system.
* Improved Inner City Recreation: Ed helped provide new playgrounds at Central Elementary and McKinley schools.
* Preserving South Mountain: Ed plans to conserve the South Mountain Reserve, assuring this urban forest remains a healthy and vital asset to Allentown.
* Community Development
Re-created Communities: Ed organized the redevelopment of the crime-ridden Hanover Acres Housing Development into a new mixed-income community called Overlook Park.
* Deconverted Blighted Properties:
Ed initiated the Old Allentown Neighborhood Redevelopment Project to purchase blighted multi-unit properties and convert them into single-family homes. The project also includes building new homes downtown.
VERY impressive, as are these endorsements for Mayor Pawlowski:
Pennsylvania Leaders
Ed Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania
Bob Casey, United States Senator
Arlen Specter, United States Senator
Dan Onorato, Allegheny County Executive
Michael Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia
Thomas McMahon, Mayor of Reading
Chris Dougherty, Mayor of Scranton
Tom Leighton, Mayor of Wilkes-Barre
Jennifer Mann, State Representative (PA-132)
Joe Brennan, State Representative (PA-133)
Bob Freeman, State Representative (PA-136)
Josh Shapiro, State Representative (PA-153)
T.J. Rooney, Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Fadia Halma, Political Director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Marcel Groen, Chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee
John Cordisco, Chair of the Bucks County Democratic Committee
Lehigh Valley Leaders
Don Cunning-Ham, Lehigh County Executive
Thomas Slonacker, Lehigh County Controller
Andrea Naugle, Lehigh County Clerk of Judicial Records
Gloria Hamm, Lehigh County Commissioner
David Jones Sr., Lehigh County Commissioner
Daniel McCarthy, Lehigh County Commissioner
Bill Leiner Jr., Lehigh County Commissioner
Charles Dertringer, Northampton County Council
John Callahan, Mayor of Bethlehem
Sal Panto, Mayor of Easton
Rick Daugherty, Chair of the Lehigh County Democratic Committee
John Stoffa, Northampton County Executive
Allentown Government Leaders
Michael D’Amore, City Council President
Michael Donovan, City Council Vice-President
Jeanette Eichenwald, City Council
Julio Guridy, City Council
Pete Schweyer, City Council
David Howells Sr., City Council
Andrew Weiss, Vice-President School Board
Joanne Jackson, School Board Director
Todd Lamar, School Board Director
Ann Daddona, Former Allentown First Lady
Gail Hoover, Former City Councilwoman
Labor Organizations
Lehigh Valley Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Lehigh Valley Building & Construction Trades Council
United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local #600
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 375
United Auto Workers Local 677
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1
Laborers Local Union 1174
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 21
Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 19
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 773
United Steelworkers of America Local Union 2599
Ironworkers Union Local 36
Steamfitters Union Local 420
Community Leaders
Latinos Lounge Inc.
Muhlenberg College Democrats
Heidi Unterberg, President of Muhlenberg Elementary Area Block Watch
Media
Stephen Crocket, Democratic Talk Radio
Atrévete! Magazine
El Torero
Pittsburgh Mayor gets paid > $96,500
Philadelphia (home of the 2009 World Series losers)
Mayor gets paid > $186K
Pawlowsky gets my vote!
Why we should not vote to re-elect The current mayor of Allentown!!
No matter how many glossy flyers and newsletters Mayor Ed Pawlowski mails or blasts out from the 5th floor of Allentown City Hall , somebody better start asking some serious questions about his administration or Allentown will be even worse off a year from now and beyond.
are some questions to ask before November 3rd
Are you safer than you were four years ago?
Are there more jobs in the city of Allentown than there were four years ago?
Has the Riverfront project even started yet(the one Mayor Pawlowski held 3 press conferences about) ?
Why are so many businesses Leaving the city ?..and what's the total so far?
Why does Ed Pawlowski keep saying serious crime is down ?
Why does the Mayor Pawlowski say he created a surplus ?
Do Ed Pawlowski's Campaign donor's get special treatment or has Ed's Chicago Political model just become the new Allentown model(see below)?
And here are some more facts to discuss with your fellow voters:
We don't have enough Police officers for the size of our city. Ed Pawlowski needs to stop saying that we do and that he's rebuilt the police department with state of the art technology when he won't even get them the tasers they've been asking for for the last 2 years. There are less than 203 sworn police officers in Allentown a city of 108,000 people- the FBI and Police Chief's association say there should be 300.
42 empty store fronts in just the 8 blocks along Hamilton Street(from 4th-12th)
and that's just on street level-take a ride in any direction from downtown and count the empty houses-more now than at any other time in history- Why do YOU think that is?
27 % of the city of Allentown is tax excempt. 4% of that is Keystone Opportunity Zones(KOZs) also Tax free. Almost everyone in a KOZ is a campaign donor of Ed Pawlowski
There are over 100 cameras that monitor the "people" and "streets" of Allentown at a cost $20,000 each .They together cost Over $300,000.00 per year to maintain.
Rape is up 300%, armed Robbery is up 46% there are currently 25 unsolved homicides in the city and there have been more murders under the Pawlowski administration than the previous one. Serious crime is up.
Most city pension plans are 88-90% funded. Allentown's is funded only about 65% . Mayor Pawlowski has not attended over 40 pension fund meetings. What is the pension money being used for ?
There is $4.6 million dollars of uncollected fines and fees in the city's computer collection system. And possibly millions more if Councilman Phillips is allowed to continue to search for those funds. That's just from 3 years of fiscal mismanagement. When Councilman Phillips tried to document and catalog these funds as part of his budget recovery plan, the mayor collected all the councilperson's computers the next day for an "update". Wow-crazy timing on that one. Maybe there's another Blue Ribbon committee in the works. But wait-any Chicago politician will tell you it's easier to throw one person than an entire committee under a bus.
Ed Pawlowski has never created a budget surplus. He did however BORROW 10 million dollars in 2006 (councilman Phillips was the only council member to vote against that-warning that it would lead to a deficit-which the city now has again).We're still trying to figure out where Mr. Pawlowski came up with the surplus line but there hasn't been a balanced budget since Mayor Bill Heydt in 2000....and Mayor Afflerbach got rid of that surplus forever, then hired Ed Pawlowski to be Community Development Director and the rest is DEFICIT HISTORY.
One Ed Pawlowski campaign contributer received 11 million dollars in taxpayer grants and loans to stay on Hamilton Mall and a spot on the city's golf course. Another campaign contributer-developer was sold a $ 100,000.00 piece of property for $1 dollar. Another developer(Ed donor) was sold an $250,000.00 piece of land for $5,000.00.
And Ed Pawlowski says he wants to sell city property as part of his budget recovery plan? Maybe it's time for a Blue Ribbon Math committee.
If you dont think a Chicago politician running the 3rd largest city in PA doesn't hurt the entire Lehigh Valley- think again. In 2005 Mayor Pawlowski took office with a 100 person transition team-the largest ever. He remodeled his office for $25,000.00(keep in mind..the city was bleeding money at the time from the Afflerbach administration). Mayor Pawlowski then went on to create over 30 new administrative positions including the managing director position.
Everywhere he goes, Pawlowki tells the huddled masses, "Don't worry. Be happy." He confidently tells them crime is down 20%. He glosses over all those pesky unsolved murders.
Here's what he's failed to tell them; during his four years in office, the number of unsolved crimes has steadily risen. Would you even bother reporting a criminal act if you knew it would be ignored by the police?
Using the same Pennsylvania State Police data relied on by Allentown leaders, it's clear that law enforcement is increasingly unable to investigate or prosecute criminal activity. Let's look at the facts since 2000, when state police started collecting data.
2000: 13,205 of 17,445 reported crimes are solved (76% success rate)
2001: 13,035 of 17,277 reported crimes are solved (75% success rate)
2002: 13,385 of 17,297 reported crimes are solved (77% success rate)
2003: 12,587 of 18.025 reported crimes are solved (70% success rate)
2004: 7,194 of 18,304 reported crimes are solved (39% success rate)
2005: 6,487 of 18,366 reported crimes are solved (35% success rate)
2006: 6,123 of 19,072 reported crimes are solved (32% success rate)
2007: 5,822 of 17,383 reported crimes are solved (33% success rate)
2008: 5,361 of 16,794 reported crimes are solved (31.9% success rate).
Allentown's finest had a remarkable record between 2000 and 2003. That suddenly changed in 2004, and has continued throughout King Edwin's four years in office. It's what happens when police officers are stretched too thin, and officials rely on goofy blue surveillance cameras instead of boots on the ground.
Do you want a Mayor who will allow this terrible record to continue?
The mayor of Allentown is not forthright with the City's citizens. Primarily with respect to his plans for the park system in the city and I am sure on many other matters.
It seems the mayor has decided to focus the majority of his efforts on growing restaurants in the city. Apparently the ultimate destination of multiple KOZ dollars. Also a rather non robust industry to engage in especially due to it's high sensitivity to economic cycles.
The inability for many of the city's lower income residents to find quality self esteem enhancing employment where they can support at least half a family on, assuming two incomes are in the home, is absolutely appalling. Not much attention is paid to the levels of crime that exist in the city either.
Almost every day nearly 10% of the cities police force has to baby sit a select group of highly immature violently inclined youth who traverse center city to meet up at Allen High School for maybe half a day, the truants. When is something going to be done about this?
If crime has decreased in the city, which I do not think it has, it is probably due more to less people coming into Allentown out of fear of crime than anything else. Or perhaps people have just come to accept the level of crime in the city as being normal and not worthy of police intervention since they do not feel anything would be done even if they did call. It has gotten worse.
And given the recent pronouncements by certain churches in the area that all individuals who oppose the playground are racists, it is evident the mayor has crossed the already fragile church / state boundaries. His religious affiliations appear to be nothing more than some quasi spiritual PAC held under the delusion of being saved and a member of the group.
What really has the mayor done? Perhaps we can look at Hanover Acres. Personally I felt it was much more efficient the way it was. More people had housing and crime was in a known location. Now, many many dispossessed individuals and crime has spread to the West End. Wake up friends of Donovan who are rich and white and have their copper spouting stolen daily. Now we have this real estate aberration, what has HA, that is just absolutely bazaar not only in it's concept but even more so in it's pseudo "Old Allentown" aesthetic execution. Other than these few inconsequential aberrations of economic development, they mayor has not really done that much. So on and on it goes. Where it stops nobody really knows. We need a change. We need someone in as mayor who knows the city and has a passion for it's people.
It is time for a change. Palowski is not a team player when it comes to working with the citizens of Allentown. He insists on being the team leader with a totalitarian mentality. No one else can have a voice, he is King Edwin.
10:13/10:14/10:15,
we're not convinced.
We're voting to reelect Ed Pawlowski.
I second that.
Lots of hateful sour grapes opinion spewing from 10:13/10:14/10/15 (a.k.a. Mike Molovinsky) but few facts...and while I don't always agree w/ Mike I do hope he gets the help he needs to eventually move on w/ his life after having suffered an albeit humiliating and mentally debilitating 59% to 3% thumping by Pawlowski in the '05 A-Town Mayoral race. Let it go Mike, it's time....
Well said, as was this post that really tells it like it is ...
Screw them if they can't see the forest for all the trees. I may not agree with you, but to paraphrase a great patriot whose name escapes me at the moment, "I will fight to the death to protect your right to say it."
Merci.
lately molivinskli has been cyber stalking former MC reporter Darril Neryl on the blogs and blaming her for his 2005 loss
That's nutz.
Villas, IMHO that pre-fab (and totally nutz) diatribe against Ed is way too spelled correctly (exception being "bazaar"), "data driven" (as in manipulating the data), and spooky religious to be dunce "MM." The writer also seems to live near Allen High School. Let's say a little squirrel tells me it's someone from Scott Armstrong's overtly racist (and proud of it) Allentown Commentator blog and likely one of the Allentown School Board members (or nominees) who hangs out there w/ his "fellow commentator members" in white sheet and hood.
P.S. No mention of all the new business on 7th street in that squirrelly diatribe against Pawlowski. I suppose new businesses from "outsiders" don't count w/ this klan.
Very astute deductions 9:33 and we agree. There are so many Allentown Commentator "signature" dead giveaways (not a threat) in that squirrelly and carefully pre-prepared propaganda. Like how they want "boots on the ground."
Anyways (yawn), gotta go vote now, for Ed Pawlowski.
They sure like Tony Phillips.
(That's Michael Steele, point taken though :)
We like Tony Phillips too, he's a good man who went to bat for us early in our Justice Mission. We just believe that Tony can serve Allentown better on City Council than in the Mayor's office, right now.
Readers, Robert E. Smith, Jr.
is President of the Allentown School District Board of Education.
Here's "Bob" addressing the klansmen at The Allentown Commentator blog w/ the warm and spooky greeting, "My fellow Commentator members ..." and clearly identifying himself as "Robert E smith Jr. The only Republican on school board at the current time.." and he even gives his (presumably) home email address, esmitty4@aol.com.
Among his "fellow commentator members," Bob is always most welcome (white hood optional) and he's also apparently something of a "card" and a "cut up" what w/ his anti-Obama political humor, which is fine, hey, it IS a free country and Bob IS a flaming NeoCon Republican ... as his dismaying endorsement of this yahoo raising "interesting points" reveals. Geez Bob, you're in EDUCATION for Christ's sake.
But when another "fellow commentator member" posted the racist crap called out here earlier, ASD Board President Bob Smith had nuthin' to say about it.
Not a word.
Of course none of Scotty and Bob's other "fellow commentator members" did either.
Finally at like 1:00 in the morning the next day, one brave soul, a a Ray Greenberg from Conshohocken weighed in and asked:
"Please tell me...what was the purpose of this post, if not overt racism? WELL??"
Here's what the host of lil Scotty's "Hate Hutch," Scott Armstrong, had to say to Ray Greenberg ...
"Let's be careful before we make the very serious charge of racism here."
Seriously, Scotty? You're not sure the comment was racist? Readers, notice how Scotty closes the comment by saying:
"I agree the point could have been drawn in a less derisive manner."
BUT ARMSTRONG KEEPS THE COMMENT UP THERE ... TO THIS DAY.
And shows us his true colors:
"The sad truth is that misguided efforts to help those who may be disadvantaged by demanding less of them has unfortunate results. If affirmative action was a solution to poor performance would anyone with a good heart be against it?" -Scott Armstrong
And Robert E. Smith, Jr., lil Scotty's "fellow commentator member," and President of the Allentown School District Board of Education ...
says nuthin'.
Same way nobody around here (except for LVS!) has the ca-hones to say anything about this hate hutch co-created by attorney (for now) David Najarian, Lynn Township Supervisor and evil sadist hate blogger Bernie O'Hare.
Get 'em, Villas!
It's our calling, and, our pleasure.
What stands out to me in all the anonymous anti Pawlowski spew is the commenter's negative view of "outsiders" moving to Allentown. The anonymous commenter repeats the phrase "Chicago style politics" and concludes that Pawlowski is corrupt because he is from Chicago, is an out of towner, and that he is out of touch with needs of long time Allentown residents. The commenter fails to acknowledge the new Hispanic businesses on 7th St. This negative POV regarding Allentown's changing and growing community is what will hold Allentown back.
The mayor's wife, the "Queen" worked hard to get new playground equipment for inner city elementary school kids. To me, this is a very "noble" accomplishment and says a lot about her character. The mayor and his family attend many community and neighborhood events. They live downtown. To refer to them as royalty is really highly innacurate, but then again consider the source of the smears: our local neo-con blahgassmear.
My Take...
RE-ELECT ED PAWLOWSKI.
Over & Out...
Villas Angie and Bill you provide a great and courageous service to our community plaese keep up the good work.
Thank yo for your consistency.
We do "stay the course" (w/ no flip-flopping) don't we ;D (thanks)
You sure do, both of you.
All the weirdo "alliances of convenience" in this goofy blogosphere are driven by self-interest, access to the crooks in power, etc., etc., etc.
You two are driven by a sense of right and wrong, and civic duty.
Big Difference.
Thanks for noticing ...
It's so obvious.
Villas, racist hate-monger Scott Armstrong is special "guest poster" (or is that poser?) at the spelling- and grammatically-challenged puff blog "Molovinsky always On Allentown," a.k.a. "Mike's Memory Lane."
I posted a comment there (it's a "moderated" blog) asking "Mayor Mike" to ask lil Scottie about the rabidly racist comments at his Allentown Commentator blog that lil Scottie and Zimmy and Bob Smith keep up there to taunt Allentown's non-white citizens.
Predictably, Molovinsky is too pusillanimous to publish and address it.
Not like you Villas who publish everything and embrace the challenge.
Big Difference.
Not surprised, 3:25.
FYI, we moderate comments here only to block the anonymous and vile personal attacks on Sheena that are launched at us almost daily from Team O'Hare/Najarian/Casey/Molovinsky/Volvo Monkey Momma/Todd/Donovan/Father Alex Joseph.
Congrats to Ed Pawlowski! I am happy for Ray O'Connell too. Contrary to what our local factually challenged newspaper says about low voter turnout, I know that West End Youth Center in Allentown had close to 30% turnout, which is more than the normal 20%.
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