Here's what he posted as a comment. Since many of you steer clear of them, I decided to republish it here.
I'll do my best to make sure that Allentown's water system is not given away to a private entity. No matter how you look at water privatization the citizens will always lose. Private=Profit. I run a privately owned brewery. I run it to make a profit. The City and Citizens own the water system. Our water system makes BIG profits for the City and Citizens.
Umm. Mr. Mayor, if you would like to ask me AGAIN if you are "stupid and you don't know what you are doing", in this case I say, "YES" you are stupid and what you do know is that what you are trying to do is WRONG for the citizens of Allentown.
If I'm wrong, PROVE IT! The shit financial analysis that was presented to City Council and the citizens was filtered so Council and the citizens would be somehow convinced that privitization was OUR ONLY OPTION. PFM pointed out that "more white space on the graph was good"! WTF? Seriously. No explanation of what was good about it. Why was it good? WAKE UP PEOPLE! They are not lying but they are not showing us the whole picture.
This financial presentation was just like the trash and sludge incinerator presentation. When I asked Scott Shearer why City Council was only given the "safe and best case" incinerator projections they were given, he told ALL OF US that "this was what Mayor Pawlowski asked us to present to Council". No one really looked at the missing data and graphs that I provided.
I'M CALLING BULLISHIT! Just like I did in Council chambers last week at 11pm when, unfortunately, most people had left.
If the Mayor wants us to trust his financial decisions, WE the citizens need proper financial analysis of this proposed leased.
In the end, the City Administration will NEVER be able to show us how selling or leasing the water system is beneficial to the citizens of Allentown.
Also, I don't think I really want to sit on Council until I know that there are more people out there paying attention. Maybe I just don't feel like working with power-crazy Julio. (He is starting to scare me up there as president)
Finally, I'm glad Mr. O'Hare and Molovinsky provide these blogs. I just wish there were less anonymous "trolls", but that's the internet.
If anyone has anything to say, put your name behind your words. Otherwise, your words don't have REAL POWER with people.
I've been highly critical of Fegley, and am taking nothing back. But it's one thing for me to take potshots at Pawlowski from Nazareth. It's quite another to do that when you live in the City and are operating a small business there, as is Fegley.
Perhaps there's hope for Allentown after all.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE !!!
ReplyDeleteAlfonso Todd
www.alfonsotodd.com
So now we see why city hall removed the beer guys from the golf course.
ReplyDeleteGood for Rich Fegley! He is a businessman and an environmentalist and he has the courage to just come out and speak the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor has lots of supporters who are not supporting this idea. If he has any sense he will abandon the idea and stand with his base.
If, in the end, he stands with the developers of the arena and the water company and their lobbyists, we will know that he has sold his soul for power.
The city of Allentown needs Ed Pawlowski to come back from the dark side and renounce this water deal.
Come on, Ed, you can do it! It takes a big man to admit he is wrong. You are a big man. Just step away from this idea.
fegley's relationship with the mayor soured before this. i don't trust either's motivations, when it comes to the other
ReplyDeletethe mayor is dead wrong on this idea just as he was on the WTE project and the big hole in the ground. Pawlowski and his puppets on council are wrong for Allentown and the surrounding communities. Wake up Allentown.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see Fegley and others opposing the water deal, but it's a shame it took years of Pawlowski before they got here.
ReplyDeleteWhat they have to realize is that this is nothing new. Incomplete and limited information is what Pawlowski has been using from Day 1. In many cases the. same people now opposing Pawlowski were used to blindly pack rooms to give the appearance of support for whatever the issue of the day was.
The big difference now is that the monster they created is working against them.
Hopefully they will also come to realize the lack of scrutiny given to Allentown by the local press. It's fun to read a City Hall press release regurgitated as a news article when you support something. Not so much when you realize the consequences.
5:51 -
ReplyDeleteHe's not coming back from the dark side - he's been there from the beginning. It's just that you're finally seeing it.
Welcome aboard!
Public utilities should not be "for profit". The Mayor is wrong here. Water and sewage are a major health issue best dealt with on the municipality management level. Cutting corners to make a profit for a private entity should never be a consideration. Keep the system in the public hands.
ReplyDeleteNotice how there are no comments supporting this boondoggle .
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr Fegly.
ReplyDeleteHow nice to hear from a public person with principles and courage.
I do hope you will reconsider and apply for the open council seat.
Allentown would certainly be a better place with you on City Council.
As a basic human need, water service should be a responsibility of governments. Transfer of control to a private entity that seeks to maximize profits reduces public accountability and can adversely affect the quality and equity of service.
ReplyDelete* Water privatization can negatively impact low-income and underserved communities by unfair rate increases and poor service to these communities.
* Water privatization may lead to lower quality service and higher rates. In cases where communities have tried to reclaim their water systems from private entities, poor water quality, unresponsiveness to customer complaints, and rate hikes have been the most frequent complaints.
* Private multinational companies don't have a stake in the community in which they operate. This can have negative effects on small communities when it results in firing city employees and hiring new staff or significantly cutting benefits to long-time employees.
* Many privatization agreements fail to include adequate public participation. In addition, many of these contracts do not include enough provisions for contract monitoring and accountability.
* Many privatization efforts ignore the impact on local ecosystems and downstream water users, and may have long-term negative effects on the environment.
* Private companies, which stand to make more money for the sale of more water, may neglect the potential for water use efficiency and conservation improvements.
Think ALlentown, THINK!
VOR
Just say NO to water privatization. Bad idea.
ReplyDeleteOne positive outcome will be the end of Julio's career as a political leader. The end won't come too soon.
ReplyDeleteMr Fegly, please run for Council. The people need a person with your intelligence and experience representing them.
ReplyDeleteIt will not always be much fun but you could make a real difference.
Think what you and Mrs Eichenwald could to provide leadership to that body.
And God bless Mrs Eichenwald. Thank you much Mrs Eichenwald for all you do.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Hasn't this guy been the recipient of literally millions of public dollars for his restaurant in Allentown through the Mayor's office?
ReplyDeleteAnd now we don't like the Mayor because the sale of the water system isn't in the best interests of the taxpayers.
I'm sure everyone buys that.
All of it.
ReplyDeleteJust like the $ 272.0 million dollars of bonds for the Pawlowski's hockey rink will be bought.
Fegley supported privatizing tax dollars for his business.
ReplyDeleteNow, he opposes privatizing public water when it doesn't benefit him.
At least he's consistent.
Run Rich ----Run!
ReplyDeleteDon't listen to the naysayers, they will always be with us.
Great Post - BTW PFM has got to go. A bunch of salesmen simply selling financing deals for a commission. They care shat about ATown.
ReplyDeleteOf course the Mayor is wrong here. And he knows many people know he knows it's wrong!
ReplyDelete( Same with the weak-willed Jennings.)
BUT HE'S GOING TO RAM IT THRU ANYWAY!
It's about his political future, not about what is best for the people of Allentown. And Jennings is along for the ride.
So Pawlowski will not run for mayor and Julio will. Then Pawlowski can blame everything on the next guy who gets in there. This is good!
ReplyDeleteRun Rich run,
ReplyDeletePlease!
Before we all decry the evil, private water company for trying to make a profit, let's remember that the price they set will be directly tied to how much our greedy Public officials are asking for.
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor and City Council are the ones who will be directly responsible for fleecing the public. Using the water system to do so is merely to avoid having a tax hike follow them for the rest of their political careers.
So let's remember that the bad guys here are our corrupt public officials - not a private company that merely tries to recoup their costs.
VOR, Excellent points!
ReplyDelete@7:16
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest we have two bad guys here.
The worst of both worlds.
I assume you can read. Might I suggest that you do a little reading, don't tax yourself, just a little reading to see how communities around the country and around the world who sold off the people's water to profit generating corporations have made out.
Maybe you could report back and share what you found out.
Just a suggestion.
Excellent post.
ReplyDeleteHats off to you both. This deal is an abomination, plan and simple.
On the City Council seat-----/GO FOR IT RICH!
One City Council person with guts and smarts isn't gonna make it.
Get in the game Rich and help J.E. out. She shouldnt have to carry the ball alone.
Ray and Peter----it's not too late for you guys to get off the bench. You know damn well this deal SUCKS. Come on guys! Your better than that. Do the right thing. It's the chance of a lifetime. Be BIG fellas.
Mr. Fegley: some of us must remain anonymous to avoid career-threatening reprecussions. Yes our voices should be heard.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rich.
ReplyDeleteYour family could lose the Golf Course contract and still prosper. Your courage is comendable, but surely you of all people now realize the mayors willingness to punish those who disagree with him, even once
ReplyDeleteSome of us. and our families couldn't survive the hit.
With several hundred MILLION $$$ on the table, peoples lives will be ruined if the mayor and his big money friends finds little people in their path .