This morning, I told you I'd be Dr. Steve Thode's tag team partner in the Great NIZ Debate, which will be taped for Business Matters tomorrow. But in the span of a few short hours, I've been disinvited.
Pro-NIZ Michael Fleck a paid union trades consultant and campaign manager to Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski, is one of the combatants. He has called Business Matters to say that if I'm there, he won't be.
He knows that I'd certainly point out who butters his toast.
His tag team partner, Sara Hailstone, would presumably refuse to appear as well. At least that's what the folks at Business Matters seem to think.
So rather than have no show at all, or a one-sided NIZ debate, I was disinvited.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
I suggested Michael Molovinsky as a replacement, but Fleck might have the same objection to him. He's a bottom-feeding blogger, too.
Updated 1:52 PM: Michael Molovinsky has agreed to take my place.
58 comments:
Once again I have to place blame on the media (Business Matters & WFMZ).
They are the biggest pussies when it comes to free speech, if not in their favor!
Perhaps they'd rather have people knowledgeable on this issues and not just spreading fear and loathing.
Ah, so WFMZ is now in the bag with secret cloaked junta.
The allentown boys are so full of themselves, this is unbelievable. Why not have a spirited discussion on both sides of the issue and let the facts and statements speak for themselves. Anyway it really is a moot point because the NIZ is going down. I suspect this week the shit will hit the fan.
"Perhaps they'd rather have people knowledgeable on this issues and not just spreading fear and loathing."
Yeah, a Pawlowski campaign manager and paid union lobbyist.
This is ridiculous. At this point, nobody seems to know more about the NIZ than you do, Bernie. I'm calling WFMZ right now to voice my displeasure with their pandering.
I hear the magnificent Palace of Sport is now up to $ 220.0 million dollars of the taxpayers' hard-earned money.
Is that $ 220.0 million worth of fear ... or loathing?
Let's talk about the additional $ 600 million dollars on top of the $ 220.0 million dollars being spent on a hotel and who knows whatever else ...
JUST SAY NO TO THE NIZ
Bernie, This is actually a left-handed compliment. Fleck and Hailstone must be afraid of you. They should be afraid of Thode.
Bernie doesn't even understand the basic basic economics of how the tax district works. He regularly alternates between calling it a subsidy to developers and a rent subsidy (which would flow to business tenants) and does not show any sign of understanding the contradiction between those two claims. He tried to get all armchair economist on us by posting a model of how it works, which was great, but since then his commentary has strayed wildly from his own model. He's just throwing whatever crap he can at the thing, hoping anything will stick. It's sad.
Say What-Am-I-Gettings-From-Big-Government? :
I remember when you said Anthony Weiner needs to "stick it out".
So does everyone else.
How is the weather in New York City today?
Should you not be dancing on the grave of a dead guy you disagree with politically today, or what?
This Fleck playa' must be really frightened that his team would get completely wiped out on TV!
In the sport of ice hockey, my team's eyes always light up when we have an opponent on the schedule whom we seriously consider to be of inferior skill.
We get excited and can hardly wait because we think we will score lots of goals and look good on TV.
We certainly do not refuse to show up and play the game!
Ha ha.
VIKTOR TIKHONOV
Mike Fleck is afraid of opposition. He is afraid of Bernie. I'm not sure what Ianelli is thinking. It's 2 against 1. Not really fair. I wonder what right wing Griffin thinks about the tax grab. One thing about the NIZ.....I've never seen so many Democrats fighting so hard to make republican developers rich.
Retired ASD teacher here.
Hmmmm, and here I thought the proponents of this funding scheme finally felt confident enough to face questions from anyone. If this thing ever does get to court, this side must be better prepared.
Even if your invitation was made by someone without authority to create the guest list, this development comes across poorly for Allentown. It will be interesting to see who paid for the advertising during the program.
Assuming Dr. Thode gets much chance to speak, he now needs to be more pointed with his concerns.
"it a subsidy to developers and a rent subsidy (which would flow to business tenants) and does not show any sign of understanding the contradiction between those two claims"
Jonathan Geeting, What is sad is your own misunderstanding of this issue. It is BOTH a subsidey to developers and a rent subsidy. It is a subsidy to developers bc they will be able to divert state income taxes, sales taxes and EIT to fund the cost of their development. It is a subsidy to tenants because they will be lured to the NIZ with lower rents made possible by the diversion of state taxes and EIT.
This is not throwing crap against the wall, but is actually what will happen.
Give me a P..."P!"
Give me an A..."A!"
Give me a W..."W!"
Give me an N..."N!"
What that spell?..."PAWN!"
YES! YES! YES!...kill the NIZ...Pawn Shops, massage parlors, and payday lenders for all!!!!
So what is the over/under on how long it will take Molovinsky to mention the WPA? I say about 90 seconds. He is going to be chewed up and spit out by Fleck and Hailstone.
Bernie, remember the last city council both of you were at together and MM spoke? He had to be stopped and corrected twice because he was incorrectly stating things about the NIZ. Like how property taxes were going to be taken. Which Schweyer had to correct him on.
This is going to be a blood bath!
Bernie,
Sure Mike is a smart guy and is up on the subject but can't hold a candle to you in the looks department.This is TV after all.
Scott Armstrong
Wow your ego must be so inflated, that the Mayor of a City with a population between 106,000 and 107,000 in the 2010 Census will tell his agents to take their toys and go home if you are there! In other words, I can't control what that blogger says so I refuse to participate. This is the very same attitude that has led to the loss of public trust over the NIZ and which threatens the City's credibility when negotiating settlements with the Townships.
Geeting crawl back under the rock from which you were hatched, you have no clue!!
Fleck is afraid you'll ridicule his status as a paperboy (remember when he said this was "marketing?"), a scofflaw, and a documented dumpster diver.
Geeting will attend in case, by chance, a tea bag is dangled.
Tony Iannelli is a tubby and dishonest coward. He steals his paycheck.
Is that the best routine you've got, Cheerleader 2:09?
STOP SPENDING TAXPAYER MONEY LIKE A MANIAC, PLEASE
Exactly how much of their own money do the Brooks Brothers have invested in Chairman Pawlowski's magnificent $ 220.0 million dollar Palace of Sport?
Can you say Crony Capitalism? How about Transparency?
Yes, a bloodbath, indeed.
JUST SAY NO TO THE NIZ
I'm trying to think of something positive to say to Jon Geeting, but he so ignorant and so off-base...perhaps he believes he is supplying comic relief? Hey, we can pat him on the back for admitting in public how dumb he is.
Bernie, you have done a good job on keeping us informed on this issue. I try to get my husband to read your blog, so he will have a better grasp of what is going on, but he seems to fear you. Since you're both Irish, I don't understand, but men can be weird.
Yes, people fear O'Hare. Sane people fear O'Hare just as you fear a rabid dog. This was a good call on the part of Business Matters.
Even if Schlossbererger wants to kiss O'Hares ass, he is not good for this debate.
Knowledgeable sane people are needed who really understand the complexities of the law, O'Hare does not.
O'Hare throws hate against the wall and sees what sticks. He is an overly emotional egomaniac that thinks he is a poor man's Ron Angle. He also thinks that's a good thing.
Yes, debate the issue if you want but no credible individual wants to share the platform with this whack job.
You tinfoil hat types can have an alternative debate in one of the abandoned State Hospital buildings, more fitting. Be sure to wear your teabags.
The similarity between Mike Fleck and Sara Hailstone:
Both receive generous benefits from failed leadership in failed cities.
Reading. Scranton. Allentown.
Getting paid to continue being the problem with zero track record of any success.
Mike, Sara, step away from the coffee.
Yours,
Coffee is for closers
Wow!!! It goes to show that this is all purely political and not based on need or the rule of law. What a bunch of cry babies... Fleck and Hailstone that is.
Say NO to the NIZ.
Sounds like a tee-shirt slogan. I think we should get some printed up. Doesnt your buddy Joe Cap make shirts?
Joe Cap does not make T shirts but it is a catchy slogan. Bernie..you deserved this TV spot and the fact that Atown blinked is a testament to your knowledge of this whole "taxation without representation" cash grab by the greedy moguls of Lehigh County. I'm sure Mike will do an admirable job in your place. Keep up the fine expose reporting.
"Bernie, remember the last city council both of you were at together and MM spoke? He had to be stopped and corrected twice because he was incorrectly stating things about the NIZ. Like how property taxes were going to be taken. Which Schweyer had to correct him on."
I remember that evening. At that time, there was considerable confusion among many of us whether real estate taxes would be used to pay the bond. We had only recently discovered that EIT could be used, and Senator Browne stated that was obvious.
MM did not want to hear, a year from now, that it was "obvious" that real estate taxes could be used. So he got Schweyer to state, on the record, that they would not be used.
Now you might call this dumb, but I thought it was pretty clever.
No one "deserves" anything especially O'Hare. One reaps what they sow. if O'Hare wants to be the crazy, zany, angry blogger out on the fringes of reality, fine. Then he is handled in that way.
"Tony Iannelli is a tubby and dishonest coward."
Actually, Tony is one of the most down-to-earth people i know. He does not have a mean bone in his body.
"Say NO to the NIZ.
Sounds like a tee-shirt slogan. I think we should get some printed up. Doesnt your buddy Joe Cap make shirts?"
well several members of the occupy movement locally have shirts that say stop eminent domain abuse with a picture of the phantoms logo looming over the monument at 7th and Hamilton. we also have put out quite a few "JUST SAY NO TO NIZ" flyers. infact if you go back and look at the buisness matters episode where two occupiers were on there was a few mentions of the arena (and TI repeatedly saying he didn't want to talk about it when we brought it up) you can even look up video of the city council meeting where they voted to steal peoples livelyhood by eminent domain last year and see Occupy Allentown member JTC holding up a banner at one point (while then city council president and former "militant union man" mike d'amore tells him to put it away)
once we were called crazy because from the very first we noticed the insider trading, the corruption, the corporate ties, the lack of transparency, in the NIZ. now were are still being called crazy by the likes of john geeting and FDAA and the other NIZ cheer squad members but they are becoming the minority. after a year of work we still get people asking "what is the NIZ" so we have been going around the city handing out flyers that tell people exactly what the NIZ is, how it's being financed, and who is getting that financing. and it's working. more and more, the people of Allentown, those who Pawlowski and co want to get rid of, the lower class, not drug dealers and prostitutes like the cheerleaders would have you believe, but hard working men and women who are struggling to get by are waking up to pawlowskis "new allentown" and how they don't fit in. what with the new school tax increase to cover lost funds from the NIZ (both directly to the school district from EIT and lost funds from that state that they don't have to give back to the district because the NIZ has taken all the state taxes) to the landlords that have started telling residents that "once the arena goes in your rent is going to have to go up" as we found out has been going on at the CUNA meeting. people know they will be forced out of allentown as the NIZ develops more. our own money is being used to force us out so allentown can become a playground for the rich, but it wont work, the rich already have plenty of places to play. no one wants to pay $1200 a month to live in a NYC style loft in allentown, and no one wants to own a home in a city with a 5.2% school property tax.
I hate to see a giant hole in a downtown that was once a thriving shopping district, but better a $50 million dollar hole for the taxpayers to pay for then a $220 million dollar sinkhole that will never be payed for because once we pay off the $220 million to build it we will have to either rebuild it or knock it down as in 30 years it will be obsolete.
".I've never seen so many Democrats fighting so hard to make republican developers rich"
I love this line.
"MM did not want to hear, a year from now, that it was "obvious" that real estate taxes could be used. So he got Schweyer to state, on the record, that they would not be used."
a very good tactic well used. I brought up, at the NIZ meetings in November/December that the news reports were unsure if it would be real estate taxes or property taxes used (one is city tax on your house, the other is city and school taxes) no one was able to give me a decent answer. they promised me it was in the legislation and sent me to the city site (www.allentownpa.gov/niz) telling me the legislation was there and I could see for my self that school taxes would not be affected. guess what, there is no copy of the legislation there and no guarantee it wont take school taxes. when I told them that the second night I was promised they would send me a copy of the legislation, they didn't. you know what it took for me to find the actual legislation? thats right, time to give credit where it is due, Bernie you were where I had to go to get links to the actual NIZ legislation, Sara Hailstone could not help me, nor any of the cities "NIZ experts" If the city doesn't seem to even know the legislation nor have a copy of it anywhere for people to read what does that say? Thanks Bernie for being part of the investigation into all this, your tireless work is appreciated by not just the blog-o-verse but by the activists and people in the community who, without the activists in the streets, wouldn't even know what the NIZ is, nor why their rent is going up.
Elijah, Very well said.
"So what is the over/under on how long it will take Molovinsky to mention the WPA?"
Gotta' admit. This one is funny. Now that MM has read your comment, I'll take your bet.
" nobody seems to know more about the NIZ than you do, Bernie"
Monkey Momma, Thanks, but I can name a few people more knowledgeable than I am concerning the NIZ. One of them is Steve Thode. Another is MM, who is the first person to call attention to what was going on. A few others, like Paul Weiss or Jay Finnigan, are unable to speak publicly bc of the litigation.
Jay Finnegan would be great for TI's debate but he's bound by Hanover's no comment policy. When it's all said and done, he's the one that has been relentless lobbying municipalities to fight an illegal act. I've heard he's still working the phones daily.
Fleck amd Hailstone, dumb and dumber. Wait, what's that make Ed, an IDIOT because only an idiot would think people would accept his scheme to steal from other municipalities to clean up Allentown. Keep fighting municipalities.
Ladies and Gentlemen let me introduce you to Elijah LoPinto the De Facto of the local Occupy movement. If that does not say a millions words what does. A guy who sleeps on urinated mattress' and in tents on the streets. How is that Occupy Movement going? HAHAHA!! Shut down!!
Bernie O'Hare said...
"Tony Iannelli is a tubby and dishonest coward."
Actually, Tony is one of the most down-to-earth people i know. He does not have a mean bone in his body.
8:21 PM
It is entirely possible, as this move proves, to be both down-to-earth, without a mean bone in his body, and a tubby coward.
-Clem
De Facto what anon 10:50? I'm guessing your implying I'm the De Facto leader of the local occupy movement. They do have a habit of putting me in front of the camera and reporters as I tend to be able to speak a bit better then others, I've been an activist for over a decade so that's to be expected. and since you used De Facto I assume you mean "in practice or actuality, but not officially established" but you would be wrong, occupy has no leaders and what that translates out to is no one makes decisions by themselves. instead of being a leader I teach others to lead themselves. within the movement that means I do my damnedest to get others to take on responsibility both for themselves and others as we are the stewards of this planet and we should behave as such. I know many of the ins and outs of organizing and pass my knowledge on to others as often as I'm able, and I make sure no one makes themselves a leader against the will of the whole. I'm kind of a De Facto foil for government if you will. I point out mistakes so we can do our best not to step in them over and over.
now aside from your not adding a proper noun lets talk about what you did say.
"A guy who sleeps on urinated mattress' and in tents on the streets."
okay, so I know our assistant chief of police Joe Hanna did his best to smear us after he came in the dead of night and threw our belongings into the city landfill. Quite simply this was libel and if I had the time, energy, and money, perhaps I would pull an Atiyeh and sue over it. he did claim he threw our stuff out because it was "covered in urine and feces" this was completely untrue and was just a cover for the fact that the police (one officer in particular) went around destroying things, cutting tents, breaking tent poles and shelves, just causing as much damage as they could. Why? because they didn't like having to be out in the cold dealing with a bunch of protesters who had every right to be there given to them by the constitution of these great united states. The facist regime of pawlowski knew they were breaking the law by coming in under the cover of night despite city council saying we not only had a right to be there but had also done what the council and other government bodies had fail to do, connect with the people in the streets, the actual citizens of allentown who are completely apathetic to their government. with no time to remove our belongings, contact those who were not their that night, or speak with either our lawyer or the city solicitor. so no, I never slept on a urine soaked mattress.
however I did sleep in a tent (and sometimes a hammock) on a street corner in allentown. after over three months on the streets you know what I learned? I learned Allentown isn't as dangerous as people make it out to be. there are allot of problems though. I found out about the cities hidden problem, the homeless rate. people are up all night walking around that area because it's too cold to sleep outside at night (in the winter) so they walk to keep warm and then sleep once the sun comes up. I learned that since state hospital was closed many mentally ill have been forced out into the streets and the police do not know what to do about them. they are mostly harmless but still need care and supervision, something no longer provided to them by anyone, church groups, the state, philanthropists, no one helps these people.
I also learned allot about myself. That despite all the conditioning our society puts us through I still care about the human race. that I still want to help anyone and everyone I can in any way I can. that we can come together and change things. that just giving a person a cup of coffee can change their life. That feeding the homeless on thanksgiving was, to my children, the best thanksgiving ever (and more then this father could ever wish for from his kids) That over one hundred years ago, when income inequality was almost as bad as it is now, people listened to the "crazy anarchist" soapboxing on the street and they want to listen to us again now as well because unlike the establishment we actually care, about the city, the country, the working class, and the future.
as to shut down, the hundred of so who attended yesterdays May Day event in Bucky Boyle park would care to differ with you. just because we are not sleeping in the streets does not mean Allentown is not "occupied"
sorry to go off topic Bernie, but I'm unwilling to let someone imply activism is worthless. If no one has the courage or the moral fortitude to stand up against the evils of the world then we all lose.
Wow, the real Elijah never even talked this much.
Hundred or so? Your Facebook invite only had 32 people showing up. Once again the occupy movement is inflating their numbers to look bigger and more relevant to what they are.
BTW why the movement had a huge division. Adam Santo who started the local movement left the group in which he describes as "people who live on Elijah couch"
There is more people who show up for a trivia night at most bars.... your movement is dead in the water. No one gives a damn about you and your hot topic couch riders. The occupy movement has not accomplished one thing outside of generating revenue through the fines that they pay for violating the law.
I just deleted a comment concerning a name I won't allow on this blog. By=ut to answer your question, yes.
anon 12:36
only 32 people said they were coming on facebook, half of them were no shows (armchair activists) the people who came out were those from the local community that had been given flyers, seen them posted in the community, or otherwise had been informed by activists who are actually active.
Elijah LoPinto and Bernie:
Can anyone find in the City of Allemtown Ordinances where the boundaries of the NIZ is defined. It is another well hidden document. Please post on your website Mr. O'Hare.
You can see a map here.
Shocking that pro-business anti-union show host would cave. Also shocking a station like WFMZ (who had Dick Dean & Donald Barnhouse talking every weeknight at 10:25 PM from 2009-2011, how Obama was really a Muslim born in Kenya) would cave to Democrat, Fleckster.
I guess Fleck must have dirt on Tony Baloney. He must have found it while dumpster diving in Palmer Township. Or maybe he promised to pay Tony. Ask Fleckster's ex-girlfriend, and Spike Rogan among others how that will turn out.
here's a good one for you Bernie, the 09 and 11 legislation talk about a 130 acre or less zone, singular. look at NIZ map and what do you see? four zones. not sure how legal those 4 zones are. Lets call them 1 (downtown) 2 (hospital) 3 (train station) and 4 (riverfront) I'll get back to 1 in a bit, we know the most about it and I have a few things to say about it. but first 2.
zone 2 is the entirety of sacred heart hospital on 4th and chew. why the hospital? to get the EIT from everyone the hospital employees as well as the taxes on all services provided at the hospital. so zone 2 is a tax zone added to the greater NIZ just as a source of revenue.
zone 3 is interesting to me. why have a zone that is just the old passenger train station? if this really is a wall street west type of development then an influx of people from new york would be much easier if there was a passenger rail from nyc to here to philly. if you really wanted to do somthing good for allentown it would be re-open that station. perhaps the only part of the NIZ I support this zone, if done right, would be what I have from day one said we should be spending tax money on. infrastructure.
zone 4. some very interesting things going on here. first of all the riverfront development zone is bigger then the actual NIZ zone around the riverfront. the riverfront development plan are is shown on page 7 here http://lehighwaterfront.com/files/Public_Forum_2_Presentation_12-06-2011.pdf the format of this sight has changed allot and I've got to dig through the new stuff but it used to talk about things like moving bucky boyle park because it doesn't generate any taxes for the NIZ. there is more info here on zone 4 then anywhere else I've seen.
now onto zone 1. look at the NIZ map again. what do we see. two zones that are self inclusive (2 and 3) one that is, for the most part, a basic shape. it (4) mostly just follows the river and front. but zone 1 is all over the place. back in october the morning call published a map of properties that Reilly had purchased recently. now look at the niz map and compare those two maps, the weird shape of zone 1 and the property Reilly had purchased. the only block south of maple, Reilly either owns it now or is negotiating to purchase it giving him nearly the entire block from hamilton to walnut. the quarter block from church to 6th st, reilly owns property there, the weird shape on 9th just south of linden, Reilly. where it goes up 7th to turner, Reilly. now not every weird jump in the NIZ map is because of Reilly, but I'd wager there are a select few other developers who own properties in those other weird bumps that zone 1 makes.
now we have a good idea what they want to develop in zone 1 at this point. but what else is in the works for NiZ funding downtown? at the "public" NIZ meetings I asked them about page two of their master plan. http://www.allentownpa.gov/Portals/0/files/NIZ_Map_woKOZ.pdf they told me that the other buildings in the picture were just artistic licence. I called them on BS, there were both the planned city center developments south of the arena site and the butz building expansion on this, so the other changed buildings must also be planed to at least some extent or they wouldn't have ended up in that picture of the "new allentown" so now I look at it and see not only the butz building expansion and the four buildings city center wants to build on the block south of the arena (destroying everything there except LCCC) but it also shows city centers hotel of the northeast corner of 7th and hamilton. it shows the convention center the city has talked about located from 6th to 7th on the half block south of linden. it shows something new where the seven eleven is and also where the parking lot and drive through bank teller is next to ATC. it shows a large development on the empty lot next to the hess parking deck. and it shows two new buildings on the corners of 8th and 9th on walnut that are not in the NIZ. so in this picture we see the butz building expansion (unknown additional NIZ funding) plans for at least 5 buildings owned by Reilly of which two have received funding so far. the convention center that has been announced as "in planning" and has an unknown cost. and at least 5 other developments.
what are your thoughts? was this all planed out from the beginning so that no one is going to get any of that $800 other then those who will already get it? who owns the property for the other developments in this picture? is there anything I've missed as far as major developments you know of that are fast tracked to funding?
page 8 bullet point 12
12. A park inside the NIZ is not good.
Maybe move Buck Boyle outside
the NIZ.
looks like the format has changed but the same info is there.
http://lehighwaterfront.com/files/Task_Force_&_Public_Forum_2_Meeting_Summary_12-6to8-2011.pdf
Cuckoo!!!!!
"...only an idiot would think people would accept his scheme to steal from other municipalities to clean up Allentown. "
Actually, the scheme was Sen. Pat Browne's, not Pawlowski's. What did is it that all of the other municipalities have been doing over the last 50 years to Allentown? Stealing businesses and residents. Turn around is fair play.
Seriously, how does it help the region to have the life sucked out of Allentown? I give Browne and Pawlowski credit for a bold move to level the playing field.
Actually, the scheme was J.B. Reilly's. His attorney drafted the legislation, Senator Browne took it to the Rules Committee and Pawlowski took $20,000. This has nothing to do with making Allentown better. It has everything to do with turning J.B. Reilly from millionaire to billionaire. And you give Browne and Pawlowski credit?
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