She likes to call herself Allentown's First Lady, but I prefer to call her Lady MacBeth. Last Summer, she blamed "inner city" (black) volunteers every time something went wrong at her husband's campaign headquarters, like dirty bathrooms or overloaded trashcans. When somebody wrote "SKATE OR DIE" on a restroom wall, that was the final straw. Inner city campaign manager Jude Denis was dumped, although she was offered a job as a cleaning lady.Lady MacBeth and her husband, King Edwin, were punished by God on June 1, when he inflicted a flood on them. Fortunately, it was restricted to their basement. No locusts.
Apparently, this was just the excuse Lady MacBeth needed for major renovations to the family's basement. On her Facebook page, she chirps that finally, she can build a real "mancave" for the King. But this is no ordinary mancave. It required several visits from contractors armed with hammers and drills, instead of spears and knives. Throughout June and July, she kept them busy.
Here are a few excerpts of her ordeal.
June 25: "Next week my basement is going to be full of contractors again. I dread it, but am looking forward to the work getting done and getting my basement back. Also, no air conditioning once the work starts on Tuesday."
July 8: "We had a very busy June, as you can see by all the posted pictures and video on my profile. The month began with my basement flooding on the 1st. Then travel to the shore ... and now construction on the basement. Whew, no wonder I'm glad July is slower for us."
July 9: "I thought my contractors were coming at 7:30 am... I hate when I get up earlier than I had to on a summer day."
Lady MacBeth and King Edwin forgot just one thing. Building permits. Even mancaves must have them.
Yesterday, I asked City Hall to produce the building permits, and was told I had to first complete a "Right to Know" request and take it to the Solicitor's office. Now this is kinda' like being asked to fill out a "Right to Know" request every time I look at a Will or Deed, other public records that are routinely examined by members of the public. But I did it, and took it up to the 5th Floor, where the Solicitor is protected from the unwashed masses by double locked doors. You have to ring a speaker phone and state your business.
Instead of allowing me into this inner sanctum, a scared secretary came out to accept my request.
"This is kinda' routine, can't you just get this approved now," I asked.
Nope. They have five business days and will use every one of them as she described a process consisting of emails, committees, reviews, etc. The secretary did say she was sorry.
As I left City Hall empty-handed, it suddenly dawned on me that Lehigh County assessors would know if there were any recent permits. After all, that's what triggers their visits for possible re-assessment.At Lehigh County's Assessment office, the last thing they had for King Edwin's property was a re-roofing job in 1997. I then spoke to an assessor, who told me the types of improvements being done should trigger a visit, but "we have not seen any permits for that property." I was also told that for work that started in June, the County should have had the permits by now. The County also has access to a City database listing permits, and there are none for King Edwin's castle.
I then visited King Edwin's nice home, making sure to stay on the public right of way. I saw no permit signs anywhere, either at his front door or the rear of his property.
Apparently, Allentown's laws have no application to the King or Lady MacBeth.
33 comments:
Is that a picture of the Mayors home? If so that is a mean thing to do Mr. Ohare. Are you trying to get some kind of senseless act of vandalism or hate generated.
Shame on you.
Ed is part of the “ruling class”, therefore he doesn’t need a permit. Little people(non ruling class) are the ones who must obey government strictures.
Scott Armstrong
Do you ned a permit if it is a freebe.
depending on the work, he may not have needed permits. slapping up drywall alone doesn't require permits unless you are building new walls. electric work requires permits. plumbing may require a permit if it is relocating fixtures (replacing a toilet doesn't require a permit... I checked). Redoing flooring doesn't require a permit... I checked. Knocking down a wall requires a permit, but they were surprised when I stopped in to get one b/c nobody else seems to. I think the city doesn't require permits for most menial home improvement projects. Still, if it was required, when I hire contractors, I tell them and make sure it is in our agreement, that they are required to get all permits requird by law. If you hire a contractor, you hire somebody to do that stuff. If they were required to get permits, they will look silly.
But seriously, showing up at their house? that's kind of creepy.
When many in Allentown struggle to get by and worry about the next month's mortgage payment with so few new jobs in town, this woman charged a $200 Kohl's purchased tablecloth to her husband's campaign-funded account.
I bet the secretary was scared to lose her job.
Bernie,
We too think you should remove that house photo even if it is not the mayor's real home. There's no need to have a photo unless you use
something so outrageously glamorous everyone would know you were
exaggerating.
Did Lady M really used the term "mancave"?
Did Lady M really used the term "mancave"?
.
I thought the correct term is "person's cave".
Being fair, the mayor may have thought his contractor acquired proper permits.
I would have sat on this one Bernie. You now spent some social capital on a really trivial issue. Why would anyone talk to you if all you do is throw stones? ...just sayin
There is even a pretty good possibility you are wrong, and if you're not, who cares.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Wow. The blogger is really on a witch hunt for the mayors of our two cities. You'd think he'd go after the yokels in the slate belt. What a nasty person.
"Is that a picture of the Mayors home? If so that is a mean thing to do Mr. Ohare."
Um, nowhere in my post do I identify the Mayor's address. I consciously avoid listing it, even though it is a matter of public record. I kept that information to myself. I shot that picture to demonstrate that there was no permit affixed to his door, in case one of his sycophants would want to claim there was. I also visited his address to see if there were any contractor trucks (I saw none).
Had I posted his address and made it clear, that would indeed be creepy. But I would not do that to him unless it were absolutely necessary to the story.
So we have a Mayor doing major work to his basement and who fails to get the required permits. I do not consider this a "trivial" issue since the Mayor has had businesses shut down dfor the same thing. Those who downplay this are obviously enablers, excusing his trangressions because you think you'll get something out of it.
She is really hot. How did he land her>?
Lady Mac Beth did use the word "mancave" to describe what was going on.
Saw them at the mall last night. That's a good picture, is all I'm sayin'...
Still, she was the better half, no doubt.
He prolly didn't need a permit for repairing damage to existing structure, unless it was adding new structural features, required updates for code, electric or plumbing.
So your two big scoops this week are that the mayor of Bethlehem is hanging drywall in his basement POTENTIALLY without a permit (which you haven't demonstrated is needed) and the Mayor of Bethlhem's brother was in a car accident several years ago in which the police investigaton (or at least the avaialble documentation of such investigation) is spotty.
Next week will be a member of the the Bethlhem ZHB jay walking.
Why was the air conditioning going to be off? Sounds electrical to me.
In 2005 Lehigh Valley Living (magazine) had an article called “At Home with the Candidates” with a much better picture of the Pawlowski home, (inside and out) and contains a discussion of their neighborhood. Seems to me at the time the Pawlowski’s were very proud (and rightfully so) of their home. Bernie was not advertising the home’s location nearly as much as the Pawlowski’s have done already.
"So your two big scoops this week are that the mayor of Bethlehem is hanging drywall in his basement POTENTIALLY without a permit (which you haven't demonstrated is needed) "
He needed a permit. This is a major drywall job involving several appearances by contractors. Stay tuned.
And what's with adults who have the need to go on facebook and tell of every little detail in their lives?
Look at me, look at me.
You want to know what's wrong with kids these days? Maybe it's the adults they see living their lives like they're still in high school.
Sir.,
My father is a contractor and if my memory serves me right, it is the contractor's responsibility to pull permits if needed. Considering that they are repairing a flooded basement they would only be replacing what was already there. This would not require a permit.
I find is ridiculous that someone has so much time on their hands to do and write this mess.
I happen to know that when Lisa saw a need in her community, she gathered the community and spent countless hours meeting the need. I also know that her son visits a child sick with cancer in the hospital for hours at a time. This child is African American and her son's best friend. So, I really don't think she is prejudice. If the two of them were prejudice they would have their kids in private school.
I have witnessed on numerous occasions Lisa out sweeping the side walks a block down from her house before the street cleaners came.
What would people say about you Sir. I think maybe you should start evaluating your own life before ripping apart others and possibly even bring them in danger by posting senseless pictures. This is very unprofessional and the public probably doesn't believe a word you say anyway so pictures aren't really making a point.
So, how many kids do you have? Where do you live? What do you do for a living? What are YOUR flaws?
What goes around, comes around. You may want to stop and ponder that for a few minutes before you open your mouth about things that you really don't know at all.
Since when do you need a permit to replace what was already there. Maybe the air was being turned off to prevent the fumes and dust from traveling through the whole house.
He was doing more than that. His wife wanted a nice mancave for her husband. Contractors were there on several occasions, according to Lisa. A permit was clearly necessary. There is no doubt in my mind about that.
To be fair, he may have thought that the contractor obtained one, but he needed a permit.
Laws should apply to all of us, not just the unwashed masses.
I'll have more to say next week when the City grans my right to know request. I know he failed to obtain one before he started this job, and did not have one at the time I made my inquiry.
"My father is a contractor and if my memory serves me right, it is the contractor's responsibility to pull permits if needed. Considering that they are repairing a flooded basement they would only be replacing what was already there. This would not require a permit."
Your memory does not serve you right. The owner is responsible and is the person who will be cited if there is no permit. They do need a permit for the extensive repairs to that basement, which consisted of replacing all of the dry wall.
" I also know that her son visits a child sick with cancer in the hospital for hours at a time."
Good for him. I hope his young friend beats it, too.
But this has nothing to do with the Mayor's obligation to obtain a permit. He needed a permit and failed to get one.
" I think maybe you should start evaluating your own life before ripping apart others and possibly even bring them in danger by posting senseless pictures."
This portion of your comment is absolutely ridiculous. I would never knowingly endanger anyone. If you read my blog, you'll notice I never mention King Edwin's address. Not once. I avoided doing that, even though it is a matter of public record and has been written about in other publications. The reason I avoided doing that is precisely because I have respect for his privacy.
I do have a picture of his door, and the reason for that is to show there is no permit affixed. There is no way anyone could tell where Pawlowski lives by looking at that picture.
"the public probably doesn't believe a word you say anyway"
Then what are you worried about?
Stay tuned.
Nothing wrong with this post.
If procedure was not followed then procedure was not followed. We have a right to know. Public record is public record.
So I wonder how many people will recognize the door in all of Allentown? Like zero.
Seems to me there is a new platoon of pro Palowskites surfing the web.
Sounds like the infamous PA Dutch gestapo has been resurrected.
What is "creepy" is all of the social network posts. Ohh! who really cares anyway.
She is not that hot. Still, you have to wonder why she married the penguin.
Batman
Permits are required for the kind of work she is describing. They are required by STATE LAW !!! Not City Law. This needs to be investigated by the State Department of Labor and Industry because of obvious conflicts for interest. Someone should file a complaint on the L and I website. This is truly unbelievable. This man is sworn to uphold the law and he seems to be a SCOWFLAW him self.
Permits? They don't need no steenkin' permits. They have Jesus!
Ed Pawlowski went to Moody Bible College,that tells me he would have gotten a permit if he needed one. Why is everyone attacking these good people?
Allentown Democrat Voter
Bernie don't need to take a picture of Pawlumpski's house to generate hate, I think the mayor's action do that themselves .
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