Now he's taking a powder from his elected job on City Council. He's told The Morning Call he wants his replacement to get familiar with the budget, but he could stay in office himself until the budget is adopted. That's why he was elected.
Schlossberg is leaving City Council early, as Michael Molovisnky has noted, because he wants to back as far away as possible from controversial issues like the budget and a looming sale or long-term lease of Allentown's water and sewer systems.
Pawlowski will finally be able to stick it to communities outside of Allentown, like Whitehall and South Whitehall Townships, who will see their own water rates go up. But Schlossberg will allow some hand-picked successor make the decision.
No profile in courage there.
Schlossberg's successor will be the third Allentown City Council member to be selected by a group that takes its marching orders from King Edwiin, and not by the people.
Back in May, I told you democracy is dead in Allentown. This is just further proof.
Enjoy your frickin' hockey rink.
58 comments:
People should learn that there are consequences to electing carpet baggers to represent their communities.
Any guess how Julio will vote?
Yo no soy!
A wee bit homophobic on the attacks.
Thank Gawd Allentown is in Lehigh County!
New state reps can start in their office the first day of december, meaning schlossberg would have been forced to resign by the end of november and city council would have been down to 6 people heading into the budget season. In addition to passing a budget w six people, the group would have also been forced to fill a vacancy at the same time. This was a reasonable decision by schlossberg. Whether he resigned now or in november, he wasnt going to be part of the budget process in december.
Look, His term does not start until January. I don't give a shit about him moving into his new office. He was elected to be a member of City Council and he owed it to Allentown to stay until the end of the year.
What he is now doing is screwing u City Council, detracting from the time they should take to study the sale of water and sewer and the time they should take on the budget, so they can appoint someone to replace him. It's nonsense. It's cowardly.
Should Schlossberg decide to run for anything outside that seat, I will remind voters of this act of political cowardice.
He can start working in his office dec 1. Nice to know you want somebody to hold 2 offices at the same time. While it is convenient bc your buddy angle thought it was a good idea, it is a bad idea to have a city councilman who is working in his new office as state rep. He was smart to do it now. It would habe been convenient and easy to leave in dec. Perhaps, allentown should do what lehigh county does and move the budget approval o before election day.
He will NOT be holding two offices at the same time. He does not have to assume the new office until completing the budget in Allentown, which will be in early or mid December. That's what he would do if he were interested in actually representing people. Now, in addition to the sale of water and the budget, Council has to waste more time picking his successor (after getting the word from King Edwin). Democrac is dead in Allentown, thanks in large part to people like Schlossberg, who lacks the intestinal fortitude to stick around for a tough call.
This excuse is disgusting! Mike doesn't want to take a stand on either the water sale or the budget so this is a way out. No Vote Mike
folks can call him.
Pennsylvania Constitution
Election of Members; Vacancies.
Article 2, Section 2.
Members of the General Assembly shall be chosen at the general election every second year. Their term of service shall begin on the first day of December next after their election. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in either House, the presiding officer thereof shall issue a writ of election to fill such vacancy for the remainder of the term.
Can't recall last time West End Allentown voted in a Republican. Perhaps Mr. Lovett.
Bernie
Not on topic but please don't forget that digital billboard south Bethlehem issue. Who signed off on the permit? Who asked for the permit? Two interesting questions.
8:05, I am well aware what the Pa Constitution says. It does not change the fact that he could stay on until the budget is adopted If anything, he could ask City Council to make sure it happens in early instead of mid-December. Instead, he's ducking out ans sticking them with appointing the body's third unelected member to sell the City's water system.
I think the last republican elected in Allentown was Bausch (Lovett never got elected). Check the voting records, I think even Dent loses the city in his elections.
8:07 I intend to work on that question.
8:05 here. First, you are clearly not aware of what the Constitution says. Your post after 7:19: "Look, His term does not start until January"
Second, the Mayor doesn't have to introduce a budget in Allentown until November, as I recall. You really want them to rush through an important process in a month, just to make his life easier him? That sounds a hell of a lot more selfish than just resigning early.
His term does not start in January bc the legislature will NOT be in session. Actually, this is a good reason why he should have resigned from City Council the moment he decided to run for the state house. Instead, he collected money from the taxpayers for a job he has no intention of finishing. And he is the one sticking it to taxpayers. He is leaving early and dropping the budget headache on someone else. He is leaving early and dropping the water and sewer sale on someone else. He is leaving early and making Council even more busy bc it will have to appoint his successor.
3 of 7 Council members will now be there by appointment instead of election. That is not democracy.
You dont like what the constitution says. He will cast votes for leadership in december, ergo, he will vote. And yes, 3 of 7 members will be elected according to the provisions in the charter, drafted and pushed by pat toomey. The very basis of our democracy is that we follow the rule of law. Schlossberg cant hold state house seat and city council. Those are the rules. Council appoints people to vacancies bc these are the rules.
We constantly hear moaning from the tea party about following the constitution. Well, here the rules are being followed very closely and you proclaim democracy dead! When did democracy die bc we follow the rule of law.
Now you are giving us song and dance about how hw should gave resigned bc he had not intention of completing his term. Using that loguc, any candidate to ever hold one office and run for another should resign bc they have intention of leaving. Que: charlie dent, pat browne, ron angle, john calahan, doug reichly, craig dally, bob freeman..
Your bias is showing badly
As far as bias goes, I happen to be someone who supported Schlossberg. But a coward is a coward.
The City Home Rule Charter does make provision for appointments in the event of a vacancy but i doubt the framers envisioned that nearly half the membership would end up being appointed. That is not democracy. It is a charade.
As for resign to run laws, I'd be more than willing to give them a hard look. Let the chips fall where they may. Abuses like the one perpetrated by Schlossberg, which will leave Allentown with no democratic representation, should be corrected.
And spare me the bullshit about this being democracy bc the charter is being followed. Following the rules and democracy are two different things. The rules (Charters, Constitutions) were created to protect the minority from a tyranny by the majority. You are perverting those rules to perpetuate a tyranny of the minority.
It is a poor decision by an arrogant, cocky City Council member who will eventually learn the hard way that what he did was wrong. He deprived the peple who elected him of a say in the budget, a say in the sale of the water assets and God knows what else. He has screwed Council, too, forcing them to name a successor when they need to be focused on other matters.
He should have delayed his resignation until December, but chose the coward's way out.
if the new redistricting map hadn't been thrown out by the court, schweyer would also be running for state house and likely winning. in that scenario, we would then have four out of seven members of council appointed.
He left because he was afraid of the Water & Sewer sell off vote. Period.
Smart move.
A golden opportunity for voters committed to protecting Allentown's WATER SYSTEM if they are conscientious and smart enough to effectively organize.
A big if.
Julio and Pete are boopin bricks. The heats on!
Can the water sell off be voted on by 6 City Council members? If they need 7 City Council members how long is the water vote delayed?
948 do you mean council should POOPING bricks.
If so,I agree.
What a wuss.
What is it with Lehigh County and wimp elected officials leaving their jobs early?
Don't forget to wave to heroic Comrade Slopsburg sitting with all the other Big Shots in the VIP Box at the luxurious $ 179.5 million dollar Pawlowski Palace of Sport!
I HEART ICE HOCKEY AND SILLY DEMOCRAT VOTERS WHO THINK EVERYTHING IS FREE
Talk about rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic...
The rats always jump ship first.
With his announcement, Mike is officially a ship-jumping rat.
Talk of the town is a DRAFT RICH FEGLEY FOR COUNCIL movement.
This could still get interesting.
Fegley for all-Democrat Rubber Stamp Council of Apparatchiks in the City With No Spending Limits?
I love the possibilities here --- Vote for a Democrat, get a free beer!
Vote a straight Democrat Party ticket, punch YOUR ticket for a free keg party!!!
PAID PAWLOWSKI (EXPENSIVE) CONSULTANT
How about Rolf for council.
Why not a real moron?
First, there is no reason to resign early. He really does his constituents a disservice by permitting important budget legislation to be considered by a new person. Second, council knows he is going to resign. They can begin the process early and name the replacement and the replacement can sit in chambers and be up to speed on all issues at the time of the needed resignation which is January 1. It seems that Harrisburg mentality is contagious. A do nothing legislature means a do nothing councilman.
1025 Tom Goldsmith? Mayors Smith and Cunningham?
Like I said, it is time for a good, hard look at Resign-to-Run laws.
When is Bob Freeman's seat going to be filled? He apparently passed away a decade ago and his seat remains empty.
Schlossberg is also one of Iannelli's lapboys.
Pennsylvania legislators' terms officially begin on December 1 the year of their election. However, legislators take the oath of office the first Tuesday in January.
To me the time the state legislator creates his or her office in December but no legislative action is officially taken until after they recieve the oath of office.
Agreed. That is my point. The legislature does not even meet in December, so Schlossberg should have stayed in A-town. His decision to resign is nothing less than an act of political cowardice.
I think less cowardice than naked craven political calculation.
Yeah this will hurt him some, but less than screwing his constituents on WATER PRIVATIZATION and difficult decisions on the budget.
Craven,but smart. I bet his buddies still on council wish they could have bailed out.
What a total whimp and I guess this is what we can expect when he votes or not in H-Burg!
He's also in it for the money, $78+k vs Chamber of Commerce salary of ??? If I were a member of the chamber, I would demand he refund his pay for the last 3 months of do nothing...
Schlossberg was always a coward and a non-factor concerning the budget.
A few years ago, he voted against the EIT hike (a good thing). However, he didn't offer any cuts to balance the budget and fill the hole from the EIT hike he was voting against. He then actually voted for the budget containing the tax hike he was supposedly against (I think Schweyer did the same thing).
His purpose was obvious - to avoid directly voting for a tax hike.
Bill White even wrote a column about his actions at the time. I think Bill also promised to remind voters about the incident the next time Schlossberg was running for office. I hope Bill is saving that column for when Schlossberg actually has an opponent.
The reality of Schlossberg's effect on the budget would have been minimal, as it would have been approved by only six of rubber-stampers instead of seven. That excuse is obviously bogus.
The reason he is bailing is to avoid being on the record as voting for the water and sewer sell off. I hope the voters - particularly Democrats - remember this when Schlossberg is up for re-election in two years and hopefully has an opponent.
The facts are obvious - when Schlossberg had a chance to stand up and save the water assets of the city, he ran.
I wish I was in the dictionary printing business, as I'd put Schlossberg's picture under "weasel".
People will soon be getting quarterly reminders of how Schlossberg bailed on them.
By the way, I find it interesting that the darlings of the Progressive Left in Allentown City Hall are more than willing to sell out minorities in favor of corporate cronies(the NIZ), unions (water & sewer privatization), environmentalists (water lease), and working families (EIT hike; OPT hike; trash fee increases beyond actual cost; major increases of water and sewer rates with water lease; etc, etc. etc.)
So much for looking out for the "little guy".
Blind allegiance to one party is killing the city. If the democrats in City Hall haven't screwed you yet, they just haven't gotten around to you yet.
A Fegley council bid is an interesting prospect.
BULLSHIT AND BULLSHIT BERNIE AND YOU DAMN WELL KNOW IT.
TOO BAD. IT'S QUITE DISILLUSIONING TO UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S ALL SUCH BULLSHIT IN THE VALLEY. ALL OF IT.
How is he any different from what we already have? He openly admits that he doesn't understand the pension issue.
And do we really need a corporate crony in city hall? While I'm glad he's speaking out recently, he was more than willing to keep quiet when it was his palm being greased.
Bernie,
I have to agree with you here. Schlossberg could have and should have stayed on to do the job he was elected to do. He PREMATURELY ejaculated from office in Allentown. He also is in way over his head and is avoiding key votes like the next flu. What a waste of time and money for the taxpayers of Allentown. Soon he will be a State Rep? Total joke as the cycle continues of freeloaders, know nothings, and party liners in govt.
Allegheny County (PA) Council has a resign-to-run rule, Bernie.
The Dem's will forget all this and blindly support him. Look at Callahan. He has bailed on the Dem's and unions many times, yet they will blindly push him for county execuitve.
Simple solution for Callahan, don't vote for him for County Executive then.
"Yesterday, after over two and a half years of service, I resigned from Allentown City Council in preparation of the November election."
Mike Schlossberg
(Facebook posting Saying Goodbye)
But Mike, nobody is running against you?
Frogly I can see as the proper choice he is smart and knows what he's talking about but need someone who is more in touch with the average person on the streets not Hamilton I mean center city where the biggest effort to clean up is needed
Wow. He's really a mess, what election?
This again is why every educated citizen needs to get educated for the people they are voting for regardless of what party they attach themselves too
Wow. He's really a mess, what election?
This again is why every educated citizen needs to get educated for the people they are voting for regardless of what party they attach themselves too
I like Mike and all who attack him are shamless homophobes and you know it.
The problem isn't that one member of council is appointed but there will be three!
In addition, the process of selecting appointees looks like an attempt to do what the electorate won't/ hasn't done. By appointment, council members from key diverse political groups are being given positions they might not get in an election. The hope is once in they won't be voted out.
@ 2:36 - no were not, obviously you are one of the west end rear end supporters who fail to see the wrong he has done to the residents of the city of Allentown of which I am one, or am I?
I'll do my best to make sure that Allentown's water system is not given away to a private entity. No matter how you look at water privatization the citizens will always lose. Private=Profit. I run a privately owned brewery. I run it to make a profit. The City and Citizens own the water system. Our water system makes BIG profits for the City and Citizens.
Umm. Mr. Mayor, if you would like to ask me AGAIN if you are "stupid and you don't know what you are doing", in this case I say, "YES" you are stupid and what you do know is that what you are trying to do is WRONG for the citizens of Allentown.
If I'm wrong, PROVE IT! The shit financial analysis that was presented to City Council and the citizens was filtered so Council and the citizens would be somehow convinced that privitization was OUR ONLY OPTION. PFM pointed out that "more white space on the graph was good"! WTF? Seriously. No explanation of what was good about it. Why was it good? WAKE UP PEOPLE! They are not lying but they are not showing us the whole picture.
This financial presentation was just like the trash and sludge incinerator presentation. When I asked Scott Shearer why City Council was only given the "safe and best case" incinerator projections they were given, he told ALL OF US that "this was what Mayor Pawlowski asked us to present to Council". No one really looked at the missing data and graphs that I provided.
I'M CALLING BULLISHIT! Just like I did in Council chambers last week at 11pm when, unfortunately, most people had left.
If the Mayor wants us to trust his financial decisions, WE the citizens need proper financial analysis of this proposed leased.
In the end, the City Administration will NEVER be able to show us how selling or leasing the water system is beneficial to the citizens of Allentown.
Also, I don't think I really want to sit on Council until I know that there are more people out there paying attention. Maybe I just don't feel like working with power-crazy Julio. (He is starting to scare me up there as president)
Finally, I'm glad Mr. O'Hare and Molovinski provide these blogs. I just wish there were less anonymous "trolls", but that's the internet.
If anyone has anything to say, put your name behind your words. Otherwise, your words don't have REAL POWER with people.
I'll do my best to make sure that Allentown's water system is not given away to a private entity. No matter how you look at water privatization the citizens will always lose. Private=Profit. I run a privately owned brewery. I run it to make a profit. The City and Citizens own the water system. Our water system makes BIG profits for the City and Citizens.
Umm. Mr. Mayor, if you would like to ask me AGAIN if you are "stupid and you don't know what you are doing", in this case I say, "YES" you are stupid and what you do know is that what you are trying to do is WRONG for the citizens of Allentown.
If I'm wrong, PROVE IT! The shit financial analysis that was presented to City Council and the citizens was filtered so Council and the citizens would be somehow convinced that privitization was OUR ONLY OPTION. PFM pointed out that "more white space on the graph was good"! WTF? Seriously. No explanation of what was good about it. Why was it good? WAKE UP PEOPLE! They are not lying but they are not showing us the whole picture.
This financial presentation was just like the trash and sludge incinerator presentation. When I asked Scott Shearer why City Council was only given the "safe and best case" incinerator projections they were given, he told ALL OF US that "this was what Mayor Pawlowski asked us to present to Council". No one really looked at the missing data and graphs that I provided.
I'M CALLING BULLISHIT! Just like I did in Council chambers last week at 11pm when, unfortunately, most people had left.
If the Mayor wants us to trust his financial decisions, WE the citizens need proper financial analysis of this proposed leased.
In the end, the City Administration will NEVER be able to show us how selling or leasing the water system is beneficial to the citizens of Allentown.
Also, I don't think I really want to sit on Council until I know that there are more people out there paying attention. Maybe I just don't feel like working with power-crazy Julio. (He is starting to scare me up there as president)
Finally, I'm glad Mr. O'Hare and Molovinski provide these blogs. I just wish there were less anonymous "trolls", but that's the internet.
If anyone has anything to say, put your name behind your words. Otherwise, your words don't have REAL POWER with people.
Post a Comment