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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Friday, August 12, 2011

In Allentown, It's Who You Know

My Nazareth Estate
Back in 2009, Allentown blogger Michael Molovinsky and I both visited with Joanne, proud owner of a home on the 300 block of Tilghman Street. After years of hard work at menial jobs, she finally was a homeowner. She installed carpets, ceramic tile in the bathroom and kitchen and mentioned several times that she has a finished basement. Even Molovinsky, who has a critical eye when it comes to ... everything, called it the "gem of the block."

None of that made any difference to Allentown housing inspectors, who scheduled it for one of their "systematic home inspections," something never done in Bethlehem or Easton. In order to accommodate them, she was required to take a day off from work. She also was required to produce her latest bank statement and mortgage payment, although that has nothing to do with her home.

Now, Allentown would never dare try a "systematic home inspection" on the West end. Too many campaign contributors. So they pretty much target the downtown peasants, who never vote. They certainly conducted no inspection when King Edwin installed his mancave last Summer. And Molovinsky has just published the second installment of a three-part series about the uneven enforcement of housing code violations in the Queen City.

In Part One, City Hall Insults the Neighborhood, Molovinsky chronicles a housing inspector's refusal to do anything about a squatter (the bank foreclosed on the property) whose south side property is plagued by noise, police calls and garbage. Instead, the City cleaned the property and cut the grass.

In his second installment, Molovinsky identifies the housing inspector who is playing favorites - Lonnie Glase. Ironically, Glase is considered one of the City's toughest housing inspectors.

Molovinsky promises a Part 3, in which he'll include his correspondence with what he calls the "chain of command."

9 comments:

Zorn said...

don't say bethlum won't do it. if they can find a way to screw the public they will

Anonymous said...

wait a minute.....you mean Allentown just inspects owner occupied properties without reason? There's no reason for that and it's uunconscionable if it's true.

Does that happen anywhere else?

That is absurd and I have never heard of such a thing. Rentals, sure, but never owner-ocuppied

Bernie O'Hare said...

That's exactly what I mean. They target the peasants. But saty away from affluent areas and, as MM has established, play favorites.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, but what on earth gives the government the right to go into a private residence to "inspect?"

What an abuse of authority.

Next thing you know they'll be randomly stopping cars to check for DUI's and imposing restrictions on firearms......

Anonymous said...

Living in Allentown really sucks.

Yours,

Everyone who lives here

Anonymous said...

It's a slippery slope. One day, they call an area an historic district and dictate colors of paint. The next, some power hungry career goldbrick who's going to repay the world for being picked on in high school barges into your residence with jackboots and a clipboard.

Anonymous said...

This is completely unconstitutional and violates the 4th Amendment. The government has no right to enter your property without a search warrant (subject to exigent circumstances) unless the residents give them permission. To give them bank statements and mortgage statements further violates the 4th Amendment against search and seizure. All these residents have to do is tell them no. And the lawyers should be lining up for the class action lawsuit filed against the City.

Anonymous said...

entering a property for cause is one thing but making someone show their mortgage payments is unconstitutional.

Anonymous said...

I don't think the City is exempting the West End property owners because they doante money to campaigns. Ed Pawlowski gets up to 90% of his campaign money from outside the City and the days of big shot campaign donors living in the West End are pretty much history anyway.