About six months ago, I surveyed all municipal web sites in Lehigh County. Little Emmaus Borough was King of the Mountain, but Allentown was still rated second best. There were links to city council minutes, agendas and an online newsletter located on the home page. A "lost and found" section, online billpay and a link for kids made this site one of the best in the Lehigh Valley.What the hell has happened?
Most of those features have vanished. I am now unable to view minutes, agendas, or even a council calendar. Most links fail. I just go round and round in circles. Online bill payment feature? Poof! "Lost and found" section? Lost.
Take a gander at Bethlehem's home page. It features a Christmas tree. Easton's focus is its center square civil war memorial.
In contrast to the Lehigh Valley's other cities, Allentown home page emphasizes Mayor Pawlowski himself, with two very nice photographs. In the biggest one at the top, he fades in and out, kind of like a Cheshire Cat. Near the smaller picture, you'll find a link to the Mayor's office. That one works just fine.
City council minutes? We don't need no steenkin' city council minutes.
Once you get inside the Mayor's Internet office, you'll find a third picture of smiling Ed. This city-funded website tells us Ed is a "leader with skills honed by experience." Wow! And when Ed first got here from Chicago, he hit the road running because of his "already impressive resume." Oh, yeah, he's also helped "thousands of people" live that American dream.
You go, girl!
Maybe Mayor Ed should wear a cape, too.
Not only has Allentown's web page gone considerably downhill, it now contains a feature I've never seen on any other municipal website. Amazingly, the city actually wants people to register and log in. It's not even a blog! I played along, but am still unable to view any of the items that were readily accessible in July. And now that Allentown knows I've been looking at its site, I will have to change my virus detection settings in a hurry.
Sadly, Allentown's web page is no longer being used to make government transparent and accountable. It's obviously being used instead to promote its mayor's bid for a second term. It's little wonder that his own campaign website is MIA. Why should he pay to promote himself when he can get the same thing from Allentown taxpayers? Perhaps the city should register as a PAC.
27 comments:
The blog is accurate. I just tried out the city web site to experience my tax dollars at work.
The site works just like the movie, Groundhog Day, no matter where you try to go, it takes you back to the beginning.
How proud we can be of the machinations of our administration!
What an arrogant jerk. If Ed wants to encourage people to visit 'his' city, the pictures that appear at thet top of the page should be of the city - ALL OF THEM. Instead, we have to look at his smarmy face.
Making people register to VISIT the site is a further detriment.
This is a DISGRACE to the concept of open government. FOR SHAME, ED. FOR SHAME!!!
The websites are a work in process and are not finished yet.
I like the Honorable Mayor Pawlowski and his work ethic.
Mr. Maniatty,
You like Mayor Pawlowski? There's a shocker. You're an A-town Dem committeeman.
The site is entirely too political. Compare with the home sites of Lehigh County, Northampton County, Easton and Allentown. You won't see a picture of a mayor or county exec on any of their home pages. On the Northampton County site, you won't find a picture of a single elected official anywhere, even on the section of the web site that deals with their respective offices. On the DA's portion of the site, Morganelli does not even have his own name listed as the DA.
Allentown has two pictures of its mayor on its home page alone.
The one link that does work is the link to his office. There you get a third picture and a campaign speech.
Taxpayers should not be forced to fund Pawlowski's campaign site.
What happened to the billpay feature? I could understand a nonworking link, but that feature appears to have been removed completely.
I understand the "work in progress" bit, but the way it is set up is all wrong.
Excuse me, Mr. Maniatty. WHAT WORK ETHIC? His JOB is to run Allentown properly. Instead,he's hijacked the city's website and made it a commercial about him.
It's disgusting and you're too busy toeing the party line to object to this inappropriate behavior.
YOU, sir, are exactly the problem with the Democratic party. Get your head out of Ed's ass and start representing the true Dems who wish to see the party behave in an appropriate manner.
Hey George,
Since you are so chummy with Folino, why don't you take down his sign from Route 22 at Cedar Crest Blvd.? The election has been over for a few months now and his sign is still there.
The only thing I can say is - - if you're trying to attract more visits to a website, multiple pictures of this guy are to be avoided at all costs. In the words of my wife - "not if he were the last man on earth!"
Yeah, but she says that about me, too.
What an Ego!! I reviewed the City's web site and was shocked by this guy's shameless self promotion. I think the site and it's personal manipulation by Pawlowski go a long way to describe his personal flaws.
I heard the Iron Pigs were going to replace their current logo with Ed wearing a baseball cap.
Any truth? I wonder...
per Bernie O'Hare's blog, Commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete anonymous personal attacks.
Stop attacking the Honorable Mayor Pawlowski.
Did you miss Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham's picture on the Lehigh County website?
http://lehighcounty.org/elect/elect.cfm?doc=exe1.htm
Mr. Maniatty,
My criticism of Pawlowski is neither personl nor anonymous. I am attacking his use of the city's taxpayer-funded website to promote himself.
If you look at the home pages for Lehigh County, Northampton County, Bethlehem or Easton, you won't find a picture of the top elected official on the home page.
Sure, Cunningham is featured ... once ... and in the section of the web site that deals specifically with his office and his agenda. I have no problem with that.
I do have a problem with a mayor who uses a public website to post three pictures of himself, two of which are on the home page. I do have a problem with his ridiculously egotistical message about himself.
If I were calling him ugly or something, you'd have a point.
As an Allentown Democratic committeeman, I urge you to do all in your power to prevent the Democratic party from being abused to promote classism.
Unfortunately, you've become an unwitting tool of the people who do that, and they will discard you when they are done, as they have done to others.
Why not become an advocate for the weak and disadvantaged instead of the pawn of the powerful?
How much is the mayor paying you to "attack" those who criticize him?
By the way, if you are referring to me, Mr. Maniatty, I am not anonymous. My name is displayed just like yours.
Actually, if you wait long enough for the pictures on the "scenes from Lehigh county" to cycle through, Don's picture does show up on the main page. But it is not the first or even second one in the series.
You're right. I had not noticed that. It is one of 13 pictures that scroll along the home page. It is nothing like Allentown's, where the first thing you see are two pictures of Allentown Mayor Pawlowski. The top picture is placed where it gets the maximum amount of exposure, and it only fades out after about 45 seconds.
I must agree with George I want all citizens to see the face of the Penguin. All people must be aware. Be not frightened citizens, I am on patrol.
I'm BATMAN
I'm shining the beacon from the outskirts of Nazareth, Batman!
I agree there is no excuse for a lame website. The pic of the mayor is pretty big. But c'mon. It took about 2 minutes to come up with a bunch of city websites with mayor pics on the homepage. It's not uncommon at all.
Toldeo
Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
Rochester
Buffalo
Charleston, SC
NYC
Wilmington
Columbus
Memphis
Providence
Albuquerque
Hayshaker -
I think I used a similar excuse in my early childhood ("well, the other kids did it first...").
Let's face it, it's a big country and I'm sure there are other self-promoting tyrants running other cities. I only have the energy to deal with the one in our area.
Just because others are doing it doesn't make it right.
The only places in PA are Pittsburgh and Philly, which have problems that may be worse than A-town.
Th P-burgh site contains scrolling pictures of the mayor and his council pledging to improve the quality of governance. He is alone in noine of them. It does not contain two pictures of the mayor on the home page. Even in the link to his own office, the site includes the mayor with others around him. There is no braggadacio, but instead a committment to good government.
The Philly site contains one picture of its mayor on the home page, not two. The link to the mayor's office does contain one small photograph of the mayor of the largest city in the state. Once again there is none of the over the top bragging about a "finely honed leadership style."
And as I mentioned earlier, this is the LV. Just because Pawkowski is from Chicago-style politics, that does not mean that chicago-style politics should be used in the LV.
That site needs to be toned down. one picture. No bragging. It is not a campaign site. it is a taxpayer-funded city services site, and its undue emphasis on the mayor is political.
Hayshaker -
Those cities you listed are not among cities in need of more attention. Allentown should be focusing very much on its Web site to help increase tourism.
Those pictures of the mayor do nothing for the good of Allentown.
The only places in PA are Pittsburgh and Philly, which have problems that may be worse than A-town.
Those are the only ones I bothered to google. The point is taken but some of the commenters make it sound like it's egregious to have any picture at all. It's the mayor and like it or not, they are the face of the city to many.
HAYSHAKER - What makes the pictures egregious is that the mayor made sure his photograph was on the front page twice and put that as a priority over access to the city council meeting minutes.
I don't disagree with you. But I'd have to buy the premise that the mayor has a Batphone directly to the city web designer. Judging by the website, it seems the city could give a rat's ass about the website. Judging by the article, most of these cities and township websites suck because the leadership just doesn't get it. It's that older generation thing again.
Hayshaker,
I rated all the web sites in the LV in July. I used a point system to keep it objective. LC came it at #2, right behind Emmaus, which lievestreams its borough council meetings.
The website had many features, fro a cost and founfd to all codified ordinances. It even had a link for the kids.
The changes being made are a step in the wrong direction.
What stands out to me about the website is that there are no people in the photos. Just buildings, statues, and gardens. The downtown looks "sanitized for your protection." Where are the people? After the "welcome to Allentown" pops up it says:
Historic
Cultural
Refined
Character
The focus seems to be on statues rather than people, with the exception of the mayor's head.
I think use of the word "refined" here is a little much. How about "neighborhoods" or "community?" Do we care more about being "refined" than being a community of diverse people? Maybe they will be adding more pictures of some real people.
Mr. Maniatty,
Why didn't the city wait until the website was complete before launching it? Info I could get on the old website would still be avaiable in the meantime.
Poor planning as usual, just like the streets department.
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