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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Monday, February 06, 2012

Where Will Mann Be Working Next Year?

Schlossberg refused to recuse himself from  Mann vote
In November, State Rep. Jennifer Mann announced she would NOT be seeking another term in the state house. Some say she's moving down South. Others insist she'll manage to snag a high-paying job in Allentown's new arena. She claims, "There's more than one way to serve your community."

That's what bothers me.

In her time in the state House, Mann has been identified as a legislator who always has her hands out. In addition to last year's SuperBowl, she's a regular at Phillies games. She moonlighted as a state legislator, doing consulting work for Vitetta, a heavy-hitting architectural and engineering firm involved in numerous state Department of General Services projects.

No conflict of interest there.

Her recent appointment to the NIZ Board is for a term that extends to 2016, so I doubt she intends to leave the area anytime soon. In her application for appointment to the NIZ Board, Mann states:
"As State Representative, I helped craft the language that created the Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) and was instrumental in its passing in the State Legislature. The arena project and surrounding development will be funded almost exclusively by state revenues. As a member of this authority, I believe I can help protect the Commonwealth's investment while helping to ensure a smooth transition."
Since she'll no longer be a state rep., what possible interest could she have in protecting the Commonwealth's investment? I suspect something is going on just underneath the surface here.

I'm sure that whatever job she takes, there'll be no conflict of interest. The self-policing NIZ Board, comprised of property investors like Nelson Diaz and nearby Cosmopolitan owner Bill Grube, will ensure everything is above board.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is no question that the new "Mann", Schlossberg will ensure she is taken care of.

this is part of the stinking insider game that has taken over Lehigh Valley politics.

It has become a self perpetuating system devoted to self-enrichment and power.

If you are not aligned with one of the political camps( Callahan, Cunningham, Pawlowski,etc.) you are out in the cold.

Time for people not in camps to run for office, even if they may lose. Please don't let the Valley be bought lock, stock and barrel.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, Stay on top of this and keep updating this story. This could affect the state race of Schlossburg and Schweyer.

Anonymous said...

I nominate me, myself and I. I'm the best. No one is better.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,
Stay on top of this. It's a huge scandal.

Anonymous said...

All of this is public knowledge...wow, what a scandal.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Are Mann's future plans public knowledge? Do you know whether she will personally benefit from her involvement in the NIZ?

Anonymous said...

I find it interesting that Toomey voted against the bill that would in effect eliminate or curtail the intent or perception of insider trading by members of Congress.

Anonymous said...

Are Mann's future plans any of your business?

Bernie O'Hare said...

When she is a member of the NIZ Board, absolutely.

Anonymous said...

She's biding her time until the bridge commission beckons. Right now, Dowd's got the hammock.

Anonymous said...

Any old street corner would do just fine.

Or, maybe, the Sands. There are six openings, I think, I read here.

But, who would pay for THAT?!

Besides developers, of course.

-Clem

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Are Mann's future plans any of your business?

1:40 PM
Blogger Bernie O'Hare said...

When she is a member of the NIZ Board, absolutely.

2:58 PM

Ditto.

Anonymous said...

"Where will Mann be working next year?"

Ice hockey Auxiliary at Chairman Pawlowski's magnificent $ 160.0 million dollar Palace of Sport.

John L. Micek's headline moaning about the Commonwealth of PA being $ 500.0 million in the red was just an early April Fool's Joke.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what Bernie O'Hare will do? Will Bernie run for Mayor of Allentown, don a groundhog outfit and double as Punxsutawney Phil or move to Tahiti?

Seriously, Bernie, we love you but you can do better than this. Looking into your crystal ball and hypothesizing about public figures is not your finest hour. And it's unkind. If you're honest with yourself, you'd have to admit that you probably don't need the negative karma.

Jenn Mann has been a tireless supporter of Allentown and for this we should always be grateful. It's a dirty job and we should be happy that someone of her caliber has wanted to do it. She has served the city she loves in that cesspool they call our state government. With representative government, one never loves their representatives 100%, but I think she deserves more respect than you are giving her here.

Maybe she will become a Girl Scout leader, join the Marines or climb Mount Everest. We can play the guessing game forever. It's not journalism, even for a bottom-feeding blogger.