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Thursday, March 19, 2009

Pawlowski's Solution to Fiscal Crisis - A Secret Committee

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.


After spending much of the last three years bragging that he's solved Allentown's financial woes, Mayor Ed Pawlowski will have to revise his power point presentations. Allentown is in the red, and Hizzoner tells Morning Call reporter Jarrett Renshaw ''[n]o one saw this tsunami that has taken over the country, that has affected the state and us at the local level.''

Actually, someone did foresee this perfect storm, and he used to work for Allentown. In a well-written op-ed published last October in The Inky, Bethlehem Township Manager Jon Hammer joined Lehigh County Commissioner Dean Browning and Northampton County Council member Ron Angle in warning us that local governments were facing dark times. Hammer, incidentally, was an Assistant to one of Allentown's former mayors, Bill Heydt.

Rising costs to defined-benefit pension plans, soaring utility rates, stagnant revenue, crumbling infrastructure, increased personnel costs, and reductions in state and federal pass through money, have all combined to create that perfect storm.

Pawlowski ignored the warning signs, which included a $51 million deficit in the city's three pension funds, noted by The Morning Call (this article is only available in paid archives) during budget deliberations. City Controller Bill Hoffman told city council to prepare for two decades of contributing at least $4 million more to the city's ailing pension funds, but Pawlowski dismissed those concerns as "speculation," huffing, "No one knows which way the market is going."

Blogger extraordinaire and occasional Morning Call columnist Pam Varkony noted Hammer's chilling, and accurate, prophesy. She even connected the dots. "As one of the lone voices in the wilderness, who has been saying for two years that the city of Allentown's finances is a game of smoke and mirrors, I shudder to think of what the financial future is going to look like for the city's taxpayers when the full impact of this financial crisis comes home to roost."

Cock-a-doodle do!

The excrement has flown into Allentown's HVAC systems. After initially hiding his head in the sand, King Edwin has emerged, flanked by Council Prez D'Amore, to announce his solution.

A committee. All the king's horses and all the king's men.

Now before you start laughing, let me tell you this is no ordinary committee. These are "outside experts" who will hunker down behind closed doors so they can decide who they're going to screw without any worrisome interference from affected workers or the public.

So much for transparency in local government.

OK, now you can start laughing. Or crying. Michael Molovinsky tells us these supposed "experts" are really just salesmen. "[O]ur taxes are now being used to bail out the advice they passed on from their esteemed analysts." LVCI points out the hypocrisy of appointing a committee of finance mavens to come up with solutions while simultaneously adding 40 parcels to Allentown's tax free zone.

And as it happens, these "outside experts" are really insiders. They've been identified on the city's barely navigable web page. Let's look at a few.

Bruce Loch - contributed $1,575 to Pawlowski between 2006 & 2008.
David Olson - $75 to Pawlowski in 2008.
Paul Marin – Marin's wife, Joyce, is Allentown's Director of Community & Economic Development. She contributed $1,150 to Pawlowski in 2008.
Sandra O’Neill – contributed $500 to Pawlowski between 2006 & 2008.
Jim Steffy – Retired VP Planning and Administration, Interim President Muhlenberg College (Two Honorary Doctorates), which reportedly is in the process of buying property from Allentown.
Ibi Balog – contributed $425 to Pawlowski between 2006 & 2008.
Joel Gilley – contributed $225 to Pawlowski in 2008.
Tim Falon – contributed $200 to Pawlowski in 2007.

These are all the King's horses and all the King's men. They are Pawlowski sycophants, named to give him some political cover while he scrambles to put Humpty Dumpty together again.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have these people gone to Moody Bible College? Do you know that our mayor graduated from Moody Bible College. I read all about it in the Morning Call.
If everyone believes that everything is getting better it will won't it?

Allentown Democrat Voter

Anonymous said...

Wondering why Jon Hammer does not run for mayor? The salary was increased and it is attractive. Hold on, I know why, Ed has run the city into the ground with debt why would anyone in their right mind want that job?

Anonymous said...

Bernie -

My observation about committees set up during the Pawlowski regime has been that they are set up for political motives and not for any real input. This includes council committees as well during that time (Remember Council's "cost-cutting committee? What ever happened to that?).

I guarantee you that Ed knows exactly what he wants to do, will steer committee members to recommend to whatever Ed wants, and then use the committee as political cover when Ed implements what Ed wants to do (the committee made me do it).

Plus, it will buy him a few months on the campaign trail to say that he has a committee of "experts" working on the problem.

He knows Allentown, where too many Democrat voters are willing to overlook results and be fooled by whatever you say your intentions are.

michael molovinsky said...

i'm confused by the quotes and links, although varkony says she was the voice in the wilderness, it was joe hilliard who attended the meetings and spoke against the bond issues.

dick nepon said...

please join my "green ribbon committee" at http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=9732&uid=57740191481#/group.php?gid=57740191481

to add public comment to the mix. All ideas are welcome, Off-topic responses are not. Ed's Blue Ribbon Committee is just a political expedient to push the problem past the date of the Primary Election. This is worse than doing nothing.

Anonymous said...

"Birds of a feather, Flock together"

The Comments on this blog are the work of a pack of Loony Birds!

Cuckoo!

Anonymous said...

All the best to candidate Nepon. I predict he will beat Mike Molovinsky's 2005 mayoral election vote tally (3%!) by a point or two, easy! I'm not "OT" here am I, Bernie?

PA Iconoclast said...

Anon 6:58 has it EXACTLY right.

Anon 7:21 is an ass.

Anonymous said...

Boonie, Paylowski is about to sue you for slandering him.

Anonymous said...

I'm sensing much tension and jealously betwixt Morning Call apologist bloggers Mike ("3%") Molovinskli and Pam Varkony, I hope their blog war ends soon...it's really sad...neocons usually stick together no matter what (?)

Anonymous said...

Go home Willy, your "wife" (wink wink) needs you on her blog.

Anonymous said...

Do any of these 'experts' actually live in the city? Going through the list, it appears very few do.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Nonresidents giving A-town advice? I'll bet some of them live in the boonies, too.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Boonie, Paylowski is about to sue you for slandering him."

I deeply resent that. Slander is spoken. It's libel, damn it.

Anonymous said...

The last Mayor to rein in and hold the City's finances in check, with a (would you believe a real certifiable surplus of 2 Mil.) was (love him or hate him) Bill Heydt.
The Old Allentown Curmudgeon

LVCI said...

I am on the city's mailing list, well once a year anyway. I contributed well over $19,000. Do I get a say too? Seems like compared to these guys I should get at least a couple of dozen seats too!

Then again I suppose tax money doesn't hold this same kind leverage, eh?

Anonymous said...

Curmudgeon -

Your figures are a bit off.

Mayor Heydt left office with slightly more than a $6 million dollar surplus.

Anonymous said...

LVCI -

Those kind of "contributions" don't count since they're not voluntary.

Sanctifying Grace said...

Bernie,

You want to hide behind a mask? So can I! You are being shunned for slander. You slanderer!

SHUN!

Where are we going to lunch next week? Hopefully, in A-Town. Sounds like they need some of our economic stimulus. And I know we can eat!

Peace, ~~Alex

Anonymous said...

Pawlowski is a horrible mayor and is embezzling money from this city! So he is hiding behing his religion so all you fools believe he is a good man. Wake the fuck up! Why do you think the city lost 3 million dollars in 2008!!!

Anonymous said...

Fr. Alex, maybe that's your calling - "The Unknown Priest." It's got potential!

Steve, we can talk about what he's done right or wrong, but you're saying Pawlowski is an embezzler? That's pretty damn serious, what proof do you have?

The Banker

Anonymous said...

Bernie, thanks for the information on the pension issue that I've been asking about.

This is going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

The Banker

LVCI said...

It is a bit disturbing to find 8 of the 17 (half) of the committee has a connection in someway with the mayor. In addition headed up by a councilman who has publicly endorsed this mayor's re-election. Out of 100,000 people within the city limits.. I'm just saying... course on the other hand if they can make the mayor whole again, that would benefit all of us in the city as well.

Perhaps Michael will address this if he reads this here. If not I don't want to seem like I'm speaking behind his back and will ask him on his own blog. This isn't meant to be a snipe, but rather something that perhaps should be addressed.

LVCI said...

Oops.. "The committee will be co-chaired by the mayor and city council president". Michael has the "Ethics Committee". Sorry Michael. As Emily Litella once said, "NEVER MIND" . I should read my own blog more often! It's not just that I feel dumb, I am.

Anonymous said...

OOPS! Well there you go $6 Million it is.
Who will be the next Mayor to match, and or better that figure??. But first lets clean up the streets and properties, plus bring the A.P.D. up to strength (300 officers is the recommended number for the population)
Don't go telling me the money isn't there. Delete the 40 plus surplus positions in City Hall. That will attract real sustainable businesses returning (increasing the tax base)And don't "cook the books"!!
The Old Allentown Curmudgeon

Ken Matthews said...

Cut the Baloney Vote for Tony

Tony4Mayor.com


Thanks

TeamTony

IRONPIGPEN said...

"I deeply resent that. Slander is spoken. It's libel, damn it."

Rock on, man!

michael molovinsky said...

open message to ken matthews; your comment format on the tony blog is incompatible with the older version of apple safari which i and others use. tony should find a more constructive approach to the landlord problem than the one expressed on your blog, the bigger stick doesn't work.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Bernie, thanks for the information on the pension issue that I've been asking about."

Banker, that was in a MC news account. I just plagiarized it.

Anonymous said...

Well, thanks anyway - I can't stomach the MC anymore so I missed it.

The Banker

Anonymous said...

Thanks MM.

I, and a small group, have been watchdogs for the city. We pointed out many fiscal problems and were constantly ignored. And, even personally impugned by the Mayor and others.

We warned and warned and warned.

Now, not one of us was asked to be on this committee. I wonder why?

Here is the real question. Will this group just try to identify some miniscule cuts? Or will they analyze the real fiscal problems facing the city (they are much larger than the Morning Call reported) and determine how much spending MUST be cut?

Is this another PR stunt, like Pawlowski's first "Cost Cutting Committee"?