Earlier this month, I told you the federal investigation into Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski, aka Fed Ed, is no witch hunt. One if the many reasons for this is Fed Ed's s connections to political power broker Marcel Groen. Their relationship was detailed by Morning Call investigative reporter Jarrett Renshaw.
At that time, Democrats Groen and Pawlowski were both pushing a $28 million waste-to-energy plant at Kline's Island. Despite a complete lack of emission monitors for air quality in a heavily polluted Lehigh Valley, Pawlowski's rubber stamps on City Council approved the deal.
Fracking bad, air pollution good.
The only green that Groen and Fed Ed were interested in was the kind they could use to buy elections.
According to Renshaw, this poorly advised scheme arose from "Groen's personal and professional relationship with Pawlowski, who has enjoyed Groen's financial support during his two mayoral campaigns. Groen hadn't considered the city as a possible site for the plant until a chance lunch in 2009 with the mayor, whom Groen calls a friend and a 'visionary.'"
Pawlowski is so "visionary" that he had Allentown pay Groen's firm $350,000 between 2006 and 2010 for legal work that Fed Ed's legal team in the Solicitor's office was somehow unable to handle.
Might help him in the governor's race.
Fortunately, this project, like Pawlowski's gubernatorial campaign, never got off the ground because no bank was idiotic enough to front $49 million for a business idea that made little sense.
Then Lehigh County Exec Don Cunningham bluntly stated that with Green, "it's about money and business." He does not stop there, but added this. "So anyone that wants to run statewide must go through Montgomery County if they want to advance themselves. ... Clearly Pawlowski has developed that type of business and political relationship with Marcel."
If this is so, the feds should be quite interested in Grown. Since former political consultant was reportedly wired for 90 days before suddenly leaving town, it is entirely conceivable that one of the persons he spoke to was Pawlowski ally Marcel Groen.
Tom Wolf is trying to inject a new brand of ethics into politics. No gifts. He refuses to even live in the Executive Mansion. If he really wants to reform our broken system, Groen is the last person he should select.
34 comments:
Groen helped engineer the deal that led to the people of Allentown having their water rights sold out from under them.
Pawlowski couldn't have done it without him.
Thanks Bernie. I was the one who commented last week as to when we'll see Marcel Groen name appear somewhere in this quagmire. Next up Tom Wolf. Is it out of the realm of possibility that be got himself mixed, up with this gang that couldn't shoot straight?
O
From what I understand, there is little love lost between Pawlowski and Governor Wolf.
Marcel was one of Fed Ed's mentors.
Make no mistake about it, he's a power player,
like Hailstone's father.
Big $ power players.
Wolf doesn't need OPM.
Let us have some full disclosure. The big Donny Cham is all sour grapes because Groen saw DC as not a viable gubernatorial candidate when he wanted to run. To the LV's most fawned upon politico that was an insult, even if true. That is at the root of the snide comments by the DCED cheese.
Uh huh. I love when an anon demands full disclosure.
You actually just hate that your mancrush Don Cunningham got called out on some BS.
Don is a punk but at least he's not going to jail.
Oh give it up, you are trying to convict a man who as not even been charged yet. When and if the man is charged then your commentary becomes more relevant... but even then the man is still innocent until proven guilty. Every disbarred lawyer knows that!
anon 2:02 is right. Cunningham has always been shrewd enough to build safe firewalls between himself and his donated money. Remember when he bought a car with campaign money but apparently pulled it off. The guy is sharp.
Some may say this attack on Groen is anti-Semitic in nature. Be prepared for that charge.
Bernie
Of all the scandals, the sale of Allentown's water to outsiders will be felt for decades. Wait till prices start to rise.
Bernie
Please try to write about Auditor General's probe into ASD contract.
Last week a few questioned vacation homes at the New Jersey beaches and Pawlowski. Atlantic County New Jersey Clerk of Records shows Marcel wheeling and dealing properties using his Bensalem Law Firm that he founded along with his wife Bernice as Grantor and Grantee on many of the properties. Marcel is very powerful and connected. Bernie, you could make more sense of the information listed in Atlantic County better than myself. He may just like to purchase properties by the shore, but if anyone can understand his dealings it is you.
http://24.246.110.8/ClerkSearch/
"Please try to write about Auditor General's probe into ASD contract."
I don't do school boards.
y comments have nothing to dowith Groen's religious beliefs, of which i was unaware until you posted them. It has everything to do with his fundraising and his crony capitalism, in which he leverages himself to use his political connections to benefit personally.
I'm astounded Marcel was on the initial FBI list.
"the sale of Allentown's water to outsiders will be felt for decades."
It was a lease, not a sale but that back room deal should be looked at. Some of Fed Ed's contributors may have been involved.
"It was a lease not a sale...."
Call that boondoggle anything you want.
From the day that disastrous police pension was funded until now the entire thing has been a disaster for every man woman and child in Allentown.
"If anyone is capable of dragging the state Democratic party into an ethical quagmire that already includes three Democratic Mayors and one former state treasurer..."
I know it's difficult to keep track of all the corruption among state democrats, but shouldn't Attorney General Kathleen Kane also be included in this list?
Pat Brown is a Democrat?
7:37
Pretty much.
Is Riley a Democrat?
Taxpayer abuse knows no party. Deal with these matters with this perspective and something might change.
Pawlowski the Democrat is not a crook.
No Democrats have been convicted.
The Democrats have made it clear that the NIZ is too big to fail.
Please make notes and spread the disinformation.
Apologist at 7:37 and 7:50 -
When they search Pat Browne's office, or Reilly runs for office, I'll be there to speak out against them. Bernie's reference was to Democrats currently in office who are already charged, indicted or under investigation.
8:23 -
Totally agree that no party is immune from wrongdoing.
However, Bernie's post was about the Democrat Governor considering who should be the next Democrat State Party Chair. Considering the Democrat elected officials already named, I think it's fair to say the Democrats have a problem. Selecting someone to be state party Chair who is closely aligned with many of those same elected officials is something that state Democrats need to rise up about and stop.
I don't think the Governor's looking for Republican input on this issue.
http://claytonjennings.com/video.html
Pat Brown is a problem solver.
The governor should set aside his differences and give Pat a call.
"shouldn't Attorney General Kathleen Kane also be included in this list? "
She slipped mymind, nut i understand the MontCo DA is close to making a decision.
Guy is a train wreck.
He helped derail Fed Ed.
Groen escapes this investigation, he's light years smarter than Fed Ed.
I recall an Allentown City Council session when Groen was dismissing critics of the Mayor as "tree huggers".
I wonder what Ed paid this hired guy to come up to Allentown regularly and throw his weight around back then.
.....hired gun....
Just another Democrat slob stuffing his pockets.
If you really want to play partisan games,
@ 5:16, tally up a list of individuals from both parties and the ratio of actual dollars they received and let's see how it all plays out. My guess is the loot is spread evenly around.
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