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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Pawlowski's Senate Quarterly, Finally OnLine, Shows $383,717 in Contributions

Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski's expense report for the U.S. Senate, which was due on July 15, has finally appeared online. Because he mailed this report, instead of e-filing it, it caused nearly a week's delay in having the report posted so it can be inspected by the public. It also might violate FEC rules that require any report with more than $50,000 in contributions or expenditures, to be e-filed, although thattule may not apply to U.S. Senate candidates.

Pawlowski reports having received $383,717.for the period between April 1 and June 30. Contributions to candidates for state or local office in Pennsylvania are unlimited, but federal law limits contributions to $2,700.  He also lists $41,856.01 in expenses.

His supporters include some names that are familiar to federal investigators and that are specifically mentioned in subpoenas directed at Allentown City Hall. They include Abe Atiyeh ($500), Abe Atiyeh ($500), Sean Boyle ($5,400) (beneficiary of no-bid contract for parking garage in Allentown); Oldrich Foucek ($5,400 - Norris McLaughlin law firm tied into NIZ six ways to Sunday); Troy Geanopolus ($1,000 from TEN); Patrick Regan ($1,000); Richard Somach ($5,400 from Norris Mclaughlin lawyer); and Matt Sorrentino ($3,800 from Norris McLaughlin lawyer);

Contributors also include political wannabes and those seeking an inside track to business deals, like Candida Affa ($500); Michael Albarell ($500); Richard Barnhardt (He does not identify himself, but he just happens to be the CEO at national real estate developer Pennrose. He gave $2,700 for the primary and $1,900 for the general); Mark Dambly ($4,600 from another Pennrose employee); Vinay Barthwal ($2700)(Holiday Inn owner in Allentown who just happens to be looking for NIZ money);  Sam Bennett ($2,600) (She'd like to be Allentown's next mayor); Anna Boni ($5,000) (commercial developer at Parkway); Jim Brooks ($5,400 - He is the public face of LV Phantoms hockey); Robert Brooks  ($5,400 - He is the other half of LV Phantoms hockey); Butz construction family ($12,900 - How sweet it Niz); Pete Ciarrocchi  ($1,000 Chickie and Pete's, inside NIZ) Louis Costanzo ($5,400 - His Scranton based construction company was drawn into the 2011 public corruption trial of Lackawanna County Comm'rs); Nelson Diaz ($5,400 from NIZ Board member); Michael Dunn ($2500 from NIZ waterfront beneficiary); Robert Dunn ($2700 from NIZ waterfront beneficiary); Ryan S Dunn ($1,250  from NIZ waterfront beneficiary); Charles Everett ($500 - would like to keep his job at airport); Lou and Michael Fromm ($3,000 -There's money to be made by electricians inside the NIZ); Sara Hailstone ($1,000 from the ANIZDA Ezec Director and Allentown DCED Director); Barry Isett ($1,000 - NIZ always looking for a good engineer); Zachary Jaindl ($5,400 - NIZ waterfront); Kostas Kalogeropoulos ($2,700 - hotel business); Billy Konoupis ($500 - Billy's Downtown Diner); Alexander and Patricia Maggitti ($10,800 - He is the president of Diefenderfer Electric, which is doing the bulk of the no-bid electrical work inside the NIZ); Ruth Marcon ($5,400 - Her husband's construction company has a lot of work inside the NIZ): Sal Panto ($1,000 - because he'd like a NIZ, too, where he can fly flags at half-mast); Mark Pepitone ($5,400 - Is he looking to expand inside the NIZ?); Rosen Partners ($25,400 from a NYC-based real estate investment firm); Stephen Schoch ($5,400 from an architect, quelle surprise!); Anthony Stellar ($1,000 from Stellar Construction); Garret Strathearn ($1,000 from yet another City employee); Sy Traub ($1,000 from the ANIZDA Chair, who identifies himself as a seller of kids' books); Andrew Twiggar ($1,250 from NIZ waterfront developer); Herbert and John Wssmer ($5,400 from architects); Susan Ellis Wild ($500 from the City Solicitor); Julio Guridy ($500); Lisa Boscola ($1,000);and Lehigh County Exec Tom Muller ($1,000)

Jenn Mann contributed $500 and also spent $750 out of her disingenuously-named "For the People" PAC. The Fleck-created Citizens for a Better Reading kicked in $1000.

Pawlowski spent $30,000 with Dynamic RSG to do fundraising. He also spent $3,000 on Mike Fleck.

10:50 AM Update: The full report is here.

11:20 am Update: The Morning Call has picked up on this story,and includes a few names I was unaware are connected to the subpoena list.

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

A who's who of people interested in good government.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Indeed.

Anonymous said...

So can he keep all the contributions and use as he see's fit?

Anonymous said...

Any chance the cost of these donations were covered using padded billing to ANIZDA? I'd say, most likely, for some of those contributors.

Bernie O'Hare said...

10:08, he has not ended his Senate race. He has suspended it. If he does drop out, he can make no personal use of those funds, but can pay a lawyer.

Anonymous said...

its perfectly legal for those who do business with the city to contribute to campaigns for those who run it. happens everywhere....nothing to see here...next

Anonymous said...

Perfectly legit.
In a few weeks it all blows over and it's back to business as usual.....nothing to see here...next.

Concerned Allentonian said...

Gee nothing from anyone outside of the local area.

Big Ed must not be liked in Oil City or Pittsburgh.

Or perhaps this entire Senate run was a fraud in order to have a slush fund ?

Anonymous said...

300 K plus!
Good hunka change to cover legal costs.

Concerned Allentonian said...

10:20 AM: It's called showing respect to the Godfather.

Anonymous said...

Where can we see the full list of contributions?

Bernie O'Hare said...

For the full list, go to fec.gov

Anonymous said...

It is nice to see Ed putting together a real grassroots campaign supported and funded by the common man.

Bernie O'Hare said...

http://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/525/201507200200211525/201507200200211525.pdf#navpanes=0

Anonymous said...

It's very troubling to see city employees contributing such large sums of money to his campaign.

It's ironic to see Everett's name on that list considering Ed wants to develop Queen City airport.

Why is the Reading Royals owner donating so much to his campaign?

Anonymous said...

So something I noticed in the reports are the donation from the families of Rosen and Parkway Corporation. Rosen I have no clue on but I could make the assumption that the Parkway donation s could be similar to the water authority fiasco. Phase out the parking authority and sell/lease it to Parkway.

I am going to do some research on Rosen.

Anonymous said...

So how much revenue have the digital billboards generated for the City?

The deal was that they were going to create thousands of dollars for the City. Does the City get any revenue from the advertisement by owner? Always some flashy add for the Manor living facilities and a few politicos. The owner committed advertisement for the Charter School as part of a business deal. Are all these revenue generating opportunities factored in to the revenue the city receives?

Since the Morning Call is a broker with offices located in the NIZ, are taxes on the advertising part of NIZ revenue?

Anonymous said...

Abe and his digital billboard company have the best of both worlds, he can charge ad space when he needs money and when he has ad space available, he can say he donated it and run tax free.

M. Dierdre Fleck said...

Sorry for the delay Bernie. Turns out US Mail from Georgia takes more than a few days.

Anonymous said...

Quite unbelievable.
Well, there's the prison band, they can always use another drummer.

Anonymous said...

You may not like Ed Pawlowski, but it's the same thing everybody does. Chris Christie, George Bush (as Governor), Ed Rendell, Corzine... the list goes on and on...look at their government contracts vs. their finance reports and it is the same story always. Whether or not someone wore a wire or who had the discussion is not really relevant. The money all still ends up in the same pockets and the contracts end up in the same hands.

Until campaigns for public office are 100 percent publicly funded, we will always have this problem because it is disingenuous to ask politicians to spend all of their time raising money to run for their offices and not expect them to get it from those who they have helped. hen St. Lukes of LVHN has a fundraiser, who writes a check? Doctors and other vendors of the hospital among others. The same is true for politicians.

Notably absent from pay-to-play discussions are people like Tom Wolf and Elliott Spitzer---because they are multi-millionaires and don't need their campaigns financed.

So unless we want public office to be the sole province of independently wealthy people or bought and sold politicians, campaigns in the US need to be one hundred percent publicly funded with zero private or special interest money at all.

Anonymous said...

We see there are no snide remarks behind the names of Boscola and Muller who gave handsomely.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Nor is there a snide remark aside Julio Guridy. None is needed. But for the others, it is important to explain who many of them are.

Bernie O'Hare said...

3:15, I support clean election laws. ZYou must collect a certain number of $5 donations.If you do, then your campaign will e publicly financed so long as you agree to take no money from PCs or corporations. If someone refuses, to this limitation asnd reaises money, the candidate who ppledges to clean elections gets more.

Anonymous said...

Wow, those lawyers at Norris McGloughlin sure like Pawlowski. One has to wonder how much they're making off the taxpayers and the NIZ.

Of course, Oldrich Foucek just happens to be the Chair of the Allentown Planning Commission.

And the Allentown Planning Commission coincidentally is in charge of rubber stamping, I mean reviewing, all the NIZ projects.

My, my, my, it's just one big happy family.

Anonymous said...

John Freund ($1,000) who I believe is the solicitor for the Allentown School District

Nat Hyman ($2,700) + someone else at his address for another $2,700: Hyman has been the beneficiary of several KOZ designations, as well as some lenient zoning enforcement for his low-income, I mean luxury, apartments.

Scott Lipson ($2,700), another Norris McGlaughlin attorney

Bruce Loch ($2,700), another NIZ builder


But where was the Hillary donation? Didn't that come out of here?

Anonymous said...

And the bottom line is that he didn't come close to Toomey, or what he'd need to run a credible campaign.

Yet his running for Senate at taxpayer expense (while he is supposedly a full-time employee of the city) allows him to go around and buy influence with the money he collects.

Of course now he'll be using at least part of it for legal fees.

By the way, what happens to the money if he's convicted of any wrongdoing? Don't tell me he's allowed to keep it.

Anonymous said...

Nothing from Reilly?

Bernie O'Hare said...

No. Neither Reilly nor Topper.

Bernie O'Hare said...

4:15, Thanks for your observations. The Hillary donation came out of his state PAC.

Anonymous said...

Pawlowski is not a crook.

No one has been convicted of anything.

The NIZ is immune from corruption.

Most importantly, only Democrats care about poor people.

Anonymous said...

Foucek has the stink of corruption wafting about him in this whole affair that no amount of showers will ever wash off. His connection to the spreading cancer cannot be over estimated.

Anonymous said...

This is nothing more than good American citizens supporting good American candidates. Nothing more .....nothing less.....there is no law in Allentown that states a contractor may not make donations to good appreciative candidates. All of your faces will be bright red when the FBI goes home with their tail between their legs because there is nothing illegal here. This is a cheap trick to bring embarrassment to good outstanding citizens and office holders. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
P.S.
Just because I got a contract for all the refrigeration work doesn't mean anything. I would have wrote this letter anyway.

Anonymous said...

@ 7:00 PM: Pawloski or Fleck or maybe even the nincumpoop Schlossberg, whoever you are, you got it wrong. These fuckers are guilty as the sun setting in the west and oh what a beautiful sunset it is right now. I hear that the federal prisons aren't as bad as the county or state and most men enjoy the white collar sex in the shower.Can't wait to see the mayor kiss his wife and kids goodbye...

Anonymous said...

Poor Sam Bennett, she invested $2,600 on a longshot that Ed would win the primary and then ride Hillary's coattails and the PA Polish vote to Congress where she would get a nice cushy job in government or as a legislative aide.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm..... Is "Latinos for a New Lehigh Valley" conspicuous for its absence?

Anonymous said...

@!7:54
You've made your point again and again, it's starting to get old.

Anonymous said...

@ 7:06 some people never get the joke.
@ 7:22 Bennett wants to be mayor, make no mistake about it.

Charlie Sc said...

Rosen and Penrose were two of the competitors for rights to build on land next to the new parking deck on 6th St.

Bernie O'Hare said...

You are correct, sir. I believe Parkway and Reilly were interested, too. i don't know if this was a real bid.

Anonymous said...

One thing you can count on in the city without limits, nothing is as it seems.

Anonymous said...

The sooner Ed waddles off to the Federal Minimum Security Penitentiary, the sooner this sorry place can attempt to clean itself up a little and move on.

Anonymous said...

This is a very informative video about federal prison.

Prison Talk Episode 7: Differences between Federa…: http://youtu.be/eHWlXDQDLXg

Stiffed Campaign Coordinator said...

Funny how Fleck was paid just $3,000 and King Sal donated $1,000. Meaning that King Sal nearly paid half of the Fleckster's fee. It makes me laugh knowing how much they really don't get along. They have "worked" together over the years on things because they had to as both well known Democrats and due to being elected in Easton at the same time. But I can assure you--they both hate each others guts behind the scenes. What the public saw was a great act.

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:15, also Matt Cartwright is not connected to "Pay to play"--since he too is far too wealthy to need that money to run for office. When he beat Holden I think he spent something like $450,000 of which, $440,000 was from his personal bank account. (The numbers may be off, but the concept is clear).

Bernie O'Hare said...

There are numerous $500 contributions on this report that I chose not to list, mostly because they come from bit players who had no involvement in the city. A troll issuing this list to embarrass people who once worked with John Stoffa. If there was a legitimate point to be made, I would allow it. And I did allow comment. But this troll then started added more comments with ridiculous insinuations and an attempt at personal embarrassment. So those comments are deleted, and I will delete additional comments from this troll.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,
is that humtydumty playing for his party consessionar competetors 50/50 recidivism fundinng grant grab get to give church on the run¿ Just a thought for his concert in there parish, did they have a pyrotecnigs show to go along with the over. Inflated positive ego boost before going to help some impoverished third world country while on the city's time clock¿

Than there is the all important waterwar question who and what entity paid for the libosuction vote via whan satilite phone under heavey sedation not even on American soil¿

Another one what happened to the half million to turn into a quarter mil still never meterialized¿
There is also a matter of a nine million dollar tranportation fee and the local girl state RePresentative Recieving a half million multiple time handled by penn nation bank downtown from civil war heroesq trust never to be making it to its intended destination¿

redd
patent pending

klinik raphael said...

This is a very informative video about federal prison.