Iron Lady Explains Need For Ethical Inquiry in Allentown

The Iron Lady

Not long ago, The Morning Call's Bill White penned a petulant as opposed to pensive column defending his newspaper's subpar Allentown coverage as thorough and fair. "[M]isrepresentations" to the contrary were dismissed as "hogwash." Since that time, the paper has failed to write a word about Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski's bungled quarterly senate expense report, which somehow missed about $38,000 in contributions, and has drawn a rare letter of inquiry from the FEC. Most recently, he himself has suggested that an Allentown City Council investigation into unethical behavior by its elected officials is a "bad idea." He's told Allentown's very own Iron Lady, Jeanette Eichenwald, to "butt out."

Here's what the Iron Lady says.

Dear Mr. White

In reference to your column dated 10/13/15, it is the responsibility of Allentown City Council according to the charter in section 210 to hold an investigation, open to the public and with subpoena power, if there is suspected unethical behavior by city elected officials. Obviously, it is the responsibility of the FBI to investigate illegal activity but it falls to City Council to investigate unethical behavior not rising to the status of illegality. This process is meant to provide the citizens of Allentown with good government.

It has come to the attention of city council members that city funds were allegedly spent to sweep the office of the mayor in a quest to locate hidden FBI listening devices; that taxpayer funds were allegedly used to purchase burner phones; that employees in City Hall were allegedly ordered to erase emails after the first FBI raid of City Hall, that employees were allegedly threatened with dismissal from their jobs if they did not respond to questioning by authorities in a manner deemed appropriate by the administration; that employees were allegedly ordered to participate in campaign activities during work hours and other alleged issues. I repeat, these issues are not under the auspices of the FBI investigation but do compromise the integrity of the government of the City of Allentown. It is a wrong assertion that investigating these issues will interfere with the FBI investigation.

If you do not take the time or have the interest to do your own thorough investigation into how this proposed inquiry differs from that of the FBI, rather than create a fiasco, butt out.

Jeanette Eichenwald

Jeanette is obviously correct. Her real problem is that she's the only member of that Council who is an independent thinker. Those rubber stamps aren't going to investigate themselves anymore than Bethlehem City officials will recognize that they are just as heavily involved in pay-to-play as those in Allentown.