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Thursday, October 08, 2015

Pawlowski in Hot Water With FEC Over Campaign Finances

Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski may have suspended his campaign for the U.S. Senate, but is still obliged to file reports. His next one is due on October 15.

His last report, which covered the period between April 1 and June 30, reported $383,717 in contributions and $41,856.01 in expenses.

But it was wrong.

What was not generally known, at least until now, is that he amended his report on August 19, to claim that his contributions were actually $421,367.88 and that his expenses were really $45,426.68.

Who did he forget? Well believe it or not, Abe Atiyeh gave him $5,400, not the $1,000 he reported. He also completely forgot to report the $5,400 he received from Abe's wife Nimita, as well as another $5,400 from Priya Atiyeh.

Must have slipped his mind.

He also completely forgot to mention:
* $1,000 received from the City's Managing Director, Francis Dougherty.
* $1,500 from Mary Ellen Hausman, VP of Planning at Junior League.
* $5,400 picked up from former Fuller Co. owner Gopal Kapoor.
* $2,000 from electrician Munhel Makouhl.
* $1000 from Allentown property owner George Sam.
* $500 from Hellertown businessman John Schneider.

There are more.

Despite the Amended Report, the FEC now wants a full explanation from Fed Ed explaining why this was not included in the original report. They also believe he may have received illegal corporate and union contributions, as well as contributions from PACs not registered with the FEC, like nearly every PAC that contributed to him. He must respond by October 27.

74 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mike Sclossberg sure has been a good friend.
A man needs good friends.

Anonymous said...

Will these be the counts that are plea'd out when all is said and done in the court of law?

Lord, have no mercy on this corrupt politician for all the evil he has put forth.

Anonymous said...

I hope the rubber stamping bobble heads received a little share of that $16 K from the Atiyehs, after all they approved the lucrative land swap.

Anonymous said...

Oh Ed (6:49), go back to bed for a few hours so you can be bright eyed when you sign the no bid ordinance passed by your puppet council.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the Polish Express really went off the tracks?

Anonymous said...

It's appalling that city employees are contributing to the mayor's political aspirations.

Anonymous said...

First, I don't understand what Rep. Schlossberg has to do with this (comment above).

Second, I believe Mr. Schneider owns Schneider metals recycling in Allentown. That is on land on Sumner Av. under the 7th St. bridge that could be a prime piece for redevelopment.

I believe Mr. Sam owns properties in East Allentown.

Anonymous said...

LOL - Ed's playing with the really big boys now, the feds. Big mistake.

Anonymous said...

@6:49AM - where did you lose your brain? Go get it - it's necessary for thinking. Stop hating on Bernie, who is doing excellent investigative reporting while you're sitting around masturbating with your mouth.

Bernie O'Hare said...

i deleted 6:49,whm I believe was Mezzacappa. She posted them same comment several times last night and was deleted. I delete her, not bc what she says has any meaning, but bc her rants detract from real conversation.

Anonymous said...

what does it mean that some of the PACs are "unregistered"?

Bernie O'Hare said...

It means that these PACs are not registered with the FEC. It seems they are all registered with the state or county, but not with the federal government.

Anonymous said...

@9:55AM It must be Whacky's day off from window sales or whatever she is doing these days. Or maybe she is back to being unemployed. She's burning up the LVL pages with posts this morning.

Anonymous said...

What's the maiden name?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Kapoor.

Anonymous said...

So if I had to guess what the real reason of the additional federal scrutiny on the campaign reports is, it might be to remind Ed "I've done nothing wrong" Pawlowski that his campaign treasurer could be in trouble.

Who was his campaign treasurer again?

Anonymous said...

just to be clear and make sure I understand...is it the case that it's technically okay for the PACs to be unregistered federally but campaigns accepting funds from them are then expected to take on the burden of scrutinizing the sources of funds more thoroughly? And be able to show that they've done so?

Bernie, do you think this is a squeeze play or part of the larger issue or both?

Anonymous said...

Bernie there is one teenieweenie campaign contribution that was a massive misteak for both the giver and taker in the NIZ ponzie scheem of mental masterbation and all involved claiming ignorance along with the Brown Hole Law creation as well as said LLC landholdings and LIEsense holders¿!($ We all know Brown has no chance in hell of writting the NIZ Law put to print in his lifelong drunken stupoor, that said will the great and powerful OZ and its sorcery imps be indicted too or will they skate¿!($

Maybe it was bill white and many of team gag's advertisemental tools turned massive media masters¿!($

redd
patent panding

Anonymous said...

Again I ask... how many hours, days or weeks will it be before local media picks up on this major news story? This is the Federal Elections Commission in Washington D.C. asking questions we're talking about. THIS IS A BIG DEAL!

This letter was sent out almost 3 weeks ago. Plenty of time for local so-called reporter hacks to sniff this out. There's simply no excuse for this. I bet if J. Renshaw was still on the beat we'd have this and far more information. Is this why he was left go? Will R. Kraft (if he's still at WFMZ)?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 9:01 am said... First, I don't understand what Rep. Schlossberg has to do with this

Check on the link Bernie provided to the FEC letter.. "Contributions From Unregistered Organizations: Friends Of Mike Schlossberg (06/24/2015)- $1,000"

Anonymous said...

can't wait to see which of ed's cronies city council will rubber stamp into the newly open niz board seat.

Anonymous said...

Fran is from Phlly, no?

Bernie O'Hare said...

"just to be clear and make sure I understand...is it the case that it's technically okay for the PACs to be unregistered federally but campaigns accepting funds from them are then expected to take on the burden of scrutinizing the sources of funds more thoroughly? And be able to show that they've done so?

Bernie, do you think this is a squeeze play or part of the larger issue or both?"


Lewt me be a little more clear. The FEC is concerned about three things.

First, they are unhappy that he did not have this information in the report he filed at the end of June and want a better explanation than the one he provided. I suspect that losing a casmpaign manager and all the other drama is a good enough reason.

Second, they appear to be concerned about illegal corporate or labor donations. That can probably be answered fairly easily.

Third, and this is a problem, are the contributions from the state PACs like Schlossberg's and several others. These are not registered with the FEC. Though they can make contributions, thery can't make contributions that will permit someone like Abe Atiyeh or JB Reilly to dive more than he legally can give. I believe that probably happened, and that ALL od the state PAC money will be returned.

From what I understand, the FEC does not send out inquiries like the one it did unless the candidate is not being responsive. I believe they are likely having a failure to communicate problem with Fed Ed, like he has with everyone who refuses to kiss his ass.

Anonymous said...

A bright and shining light has been extinguished on the NIZ board.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Fran is from Phlly, no? "

He is, but I don't follow him around.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"A bright and shining light has been extinguished on the NIZ board."

I like Alan and think he is a great man, a pioneer. But he has been no bright or shining light on the NIZ Board. He has been more like a flickering candle. But he was the only source of light there.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"This is the Federal Elections Commission in Washington D.C. asking questions we're talking about. THIS IS A BIG DEAL!"

I agree and think I should have picke up on it sooner. I can't wait to see how he is spending his money.

Unknown said...

I'm still trying to figure out who Francis X. Dougherty really is.

School district whistle-blower finally has date in court

So he was a whistleblower in Philly but he remains silent in Allentown.

Did he just blow the whistle on the "other team" in Philly?

Now I find this...

"A federal judge has awarded $318,520 to a former Philadelphia School District administrator who jurors said was wrongfully suspended and later fired in retaliation for talking to The Inquirer about a $7.5 million no-bid contract for security cameras."

"Judge Juan R. Sanchez ruled Monday that Francis X. Dougherty was entitled to the money to compensate for wages he lost after he was fired from his job as the district's acting chief of operations by the School Reform Commission in April 2011."

Judge awards $318,520 to whistle-blower

How soon until Dougherty resigns? He was absent last night at Council.

The Mayor and Dougherty did not even attend the City Council meeting last night. The Pay-to-Play legislation was voted on and these guys sent the City Grants Manager to represent the Administration.

Anonymous said...

Fran still lives in Philly, he has a token address in Allentown.
The fact that he is a gay man from Philadelphia should have no bearing on the FBI investigation.
Plenty of heterosexuals are being investigated.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure the FBI knows exactly where Francis lives.

Anonymous said...

Let's be careful about the unjustified attacks on Rep. Schlossberg. It is common for politicians to attend each other's fundraisers, and therefore to trade some campaign contributions.

I don't think the comment above about him is true. "Not that there is anything wrong with it."

Bernie O'Hare said...

I would agree that the donation from his PAC is no evidence of wrongdoing on his part. But there is still plenty of room to criticize him, and I have done so in other stories.

Bernie O'Hare said...

In most instances, a person's sexual orientation is irrelevant. Please save your homophobia for some other forum.theseare serious issues and if you can't address them without getting nasty, I will delete you.

Anonymous said...

Francis X is philly machine point guard in allentown in exile, trace all palowski philly union $$ to him

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
It's appalling that city employees are contributing to the mayor's political aspirations.

8:58 AM

DID THEY HAVE A CHOICE, everything is in play, you want to keep your job, you have to "kick up" to the boss, a nice old rule brought in from Chicago

Anonymous said...

Bernie - what happened at Allentown council last night? I heard there was a call for resignations?

Bernie O'Hare said...

There was. I watched the video, but was not there in person.

Anonymous said...

The Boy Representative, Sclossberg, is in this up to his NewvJersey eye teeth.
He's a toads toady.
The complete boot licker.
An empty suit par excellence.
A rubber stamp party hack.
Let's be clear.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Let's be real clear. This post is NOT about him. You diminish this story when you attempt to deflect and I will delete you if you continue.

Anonymous said...

The Mayor is a good Christian man with an outstanding track record of helping the poor and underprivileged classes. Pawlowski is the rising tide that lifts all boats. He is the vehicle that allows once dilapidated downtowns to access the road to wealth and prosperity for all.

I'm sure this was all a harmless oversight because Democrats always have good intentions and that's the only thing that counts. This little misunderstanding could all even perhaps boil down to just a simple human clerical error. Surely, the much maligned Mayor, who has not even been charged with anything, to speak nothing of convicted, will be exonerated in short order and then these shameless hit pieces chock full of innuendo unsubstantiated speculation can finally cease.

One day, Pawlowski's true greatness will finally be appreciated. Fabulously expensive statues will be commissioned at public expense and moving songs of heroism will be sung by the general public at large. Until then, the haters will just have to keep on hating.

Anonymous said...

@11:49PM Doesn't it get boring coming here almost daily and moaning about haters, revealing that you are a hypocrite? Are these the limits of your life?

Anonymous said...

Is Pat Brown a Democrat?
Who knew?

Dennis P said...

U.S. Rep. Daniel J. Flood (D-Pa.) was among the last of the movers and shakers of the old school on Capitol Hill. As chairman of the Health, Education and Welfare Appropriations Committee and vice-chairman of the Defense Appropriations Committee, he wielded near veto power over the $300 billion federal budget and was instrumental in funding the Cold War as well as the "Great Society" social reforms of the 1960s.

the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission dedicated a blue-and-gold state historical marker to commemorate the late congressman in 2010. The marker reads:

DANIEL J. FLOOD

(1903-1994)

"U.S. Congressman from Pa. 11th District, 1944 to 1980. His seniority on the House Appropriations Committee and mastery of the legislative process enabled him to play a key role in national programs such as Medicare, Appalachian urban economic development, the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act. He promoted the strength of U.S. military forces and proliferation of nuclear arms during the Cold War. He resigned from Congress amid controversy in 1980."

The dedication ceremony took place on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre

Thirty-FIVE YEARS ago, Daniel J. Flood resigned from Congress pleading guilty to a federal prosecutor's charge that he had taken bribes in exchange for his influence on Capitol Hill. Judge Oliver Gasch, called a prison sentence "inappropriate" for a 76-year-old man in precarious health, gave him a year's probation.

Flood later insisted he was innocent and that he pleaded guilty only to spare himself the rigors of a trial

, As it happened it was Flood's great misfortune to be caught in the chasm between the old Machiavellian politics that once dominated Capitol Hill and the era of public cynicism that immediately followed Watergate. Congress had been forced to discover "morality." Not surprisingly, Flood's case was among the very first to come before the House Ethics Committee shortly after it was established. He was to be made an example.

It is remarkable to learn that the people of the 11th Congressional District rewarded Flood with his widest margin of victory in his last election because of their love for the man. They could not believe that their Congressman who done so much for them was corrupt.

I suppose many past supporters of Ed Pawlowski feel the same way about the Mayor in Allentown as Flood's constituents in the Wilkes-Barre did... Then again, maybe not.

The question is can Ed Pawlowski effectively continue as Mayor. If not, he should resign. But if a weakened Mayor allows Council to cut its puppets strings and effectively undertake the people's business, then maybe the time is not now for the Mayor to depart. But that time is surely coming. There is no doubt, whether the Mayor is indicted or not, the Mayor will run for a fourth consecutive term.

If the Mayor resigns before January 2016, Ray O'Connell will become Interim Mayor ... After January 2016, should Julio Guridy return to the Presidency of Council, he would become interim Mayor ... But as things work out, maybe the interim Mayor might turn out be Daryl Hendricks, Jeff Glazier if he wins re-election, or even Cynthia Moto, an incredibly hard thought to imagine. I don't think that Democrats Roger Mclean or Candida Alfa or Republican Lou Hershman should they be elected would step up to the plate immediately to become President of Council, and immediately become eligible to become interim Mayor.



Anonymous said...

Believe Kapoor is Abe's father-in-law. Interesting.

Anonymous said...

Mota for Mayor!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Believe Kapoor is Abe's father-in-law. Interesting.

6:56 AM

Think so.

Anonymous said...

The alleged drunk Pat Browne is a RINO (a de facto Democrat) of the highest order and even the dumbest of the dumb know it!

Don't forget to support Citizens For A Better Allentown candidates.

Anonymous said...

Morning Call Nov 4, 2015

ALLENTOWN RETURNS ALL ITS PAY TO PLAY INCUMBENTS to CITY HALL

In spite of having their pockets filled with Palowski pay to play cash, Allentownians showed their kind and forgiving nature by returning Controller Koval and Councilman Glazier to City Hall! One observer and voter noted, "In spite of doing nothing and being rubber stamps for the Mayor, these are very nice people. Maybe the next 4 years they can rise above the corruption and start doing the work we elect them to do!

Anonymous said...

PAt Browne is GOP, remember he and Palow made deal that Palow would not support a demo senate candidate against him!

Anonymous said...

There was a nasty split among some Lehigh County Democratic activists that made it hard to unite behind the Dem candidate for State Senate in the last election. Also, as long as the Legislature is strongly in Republican control, Pat Browne and other Repub Senators from the Philadelphia suburbs play vital roles in controlling the ultraconservative wackos.

A Dem Senator from Lehigh County at this point in time would just get locked out of the room while all of the decisions are made.

Also, Pat Browne has been important in reducing the severity of the state funding cuts to the Allentown School District.

Anonymous said...

Pat Brown is a Democrat?
Who knew???

Anonymous said...

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-fbi-jack-rosen-contract-20151009-story.html

Latest Pawlowski news from the Morning Call.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link 2:33. go figure . more corruption in a NIZ area with unions , democrats and billionaire developers, all in bed together , breaking every single law under the sun. When does it stop.
Had enough of this pathetic govt Allentown ?
Had enough of these criminals running the show ?
Yet, people will continue to defend this, as "that is the way business is conducted". WTF happened to our city ?
Hey you council hacks who also took cash from the corrupt mayor. Feel like it is time to hand back the cash?
Hey council lets talk about how Paws, gave each one of your family members/kids jobs in the city. It is time they step down as well.

Hey council, I heard only one lady talking about an ethics investigation.

It might be time for the council to be investigated as well . Some on this same city council not only had their kids employed by the city, they received 30,000 or more from the criminal mayor.

Keep turning over the stones. Council will be implicated. It is a matter of time and they all know that including the President and Vice President.

And this same city council wants to sit back and watch the show while the city burns. So freaking sad .

Anonymous said...

Pat Browne is a de facto Democrat.

Allentown, the City Without Limits if there ever was one, is and has been controlled by Democrats forever, but lets talk about since 2008 (when the idea of a "transforamtive" NIZ was first floated).

How many non-Democrats are on City Council and/or have been in recent years past (i.e., since 2008)?

How many non-Democrats are on the School Board and/or have been in recent years past?

How many non-Democrats hold important jobs down at City Hall and/or have in recent years past?

Time confront reality. Only the Democrats could have stopped the NIZ Legislation but, instead, they openly supported it in the name of "progress". Only the Democrats could have seen to it that the Pawlowski Palace of Sport would not smash all existing records with its shocking $ 177.1 million dollar price tag but, then again, the more the arena cost, the more their union buddies could make and then, of course, the more their union buddies could donate to their favorite politicians' campaign war chests.

If there is no money for schools in Allentown (or anything else, such as the iconic park system), please address this complaint to the all powerful Democrats and their ever loyal patrons.

Okay, time to start hurling the tired, worn-out "Tea Bagger" term around. Please, by all means. Go for it.

Anonymous said...

If "conservative whacko" is permissible, it stands to logic & reason that "fruitcake progressive liberal democrat" is acceptable, too.

Anonymous said...

It's interesting how many kids of city council and city director's kids get jobs and internships with the city. Plus councils kids don't even have to perform well, they are "protected" because their dad is on council. Then there are good workers that are fired by poor managers to protect themselves, yet human resources will lie and cover up for the bad bosses. It's pathetic.

Human resources will change city policy every day depending on who the employee is that is in "trouble". If a council's kid is performing bad, they just move her to another bureau. If it's someone else, they are fired. It's all politics and current HR director Marchetto needs to go a well. Many of the managers that go to work and do nothing but collect a check need to go as well.

Then there are people, like council's kids, that are called 'must hires'. They are family members or friends of managers and the administration. They must be hired, whether they are qualified for the job or not. Most are not.

Also when the money came in from the water sale, all of a sudden city administration were getting brand new city vehicles, SUV's no less loaded with many unneeded options, navigation features, etc. Fed Ed was blowing right through the money.

Anonymous said...

Spending everybody else's hard-earned money is what Democrats do best, so back off.

Unknown said...

Spending everybody else's hard-earned money is what POLITICIANS do best. We should vote for politicians that represent the ALL of the people and therefore spend the money properly.

Anonymous said...

Rich, you hit the nail on the head. It makes me sick when I see politicians showing up , after a call to the media and delivering an over sized check to some one.
I makes me sick knowing we are literally paying the mortgage for billionaire developers aka niz /criz zones.

Anonymous said...

Nobody spends other people's money better than Democrats, period. Nobody twists people's arms and tugs at heart strings using terms like "fairness", etc., better than the Democrats, period. Nobody is better than pretending to represent "all of the people" than the phony Democrats, period.

Nobody here in the City Without Spending Limits has been bigger buddies with the billionaire developers than the righteous Democrats, period.

Republicans have been making me sick for quite a few years now, too, make no mistake --- but nowhere near as ill as the all-caring Democrats do, end of story.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Drop the partisanship. Who is funding Democrats? Republicans. It is not the party. It is crony capitalism, and both parties are guilty.

Anonymous said...

10:30 AM -both parties have let the people down and the people allowed to happen right under their noses. both parties are responsible for massive amounts of waste , fraud and corruption, not just on a federal/national level, but you can look at the state and local levels as well.
for 100 yeas, the idea of pay to play/corp cronyism or crony capitalism, destroyed this county.

a report from the GAO was ,stated that 100 billion(billion with a B) dollars of tax payer cash has been used by the feds to make payments to people that are not eligible for these payments. The Government Accountability Office says the federal bureaucracy wasted more than $100 billion on bogus payments last year, partially because it doesn't keep track of its spending programs.

Testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Wednesday, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro said the only way to get government spending under control would be to have the Obama administration show more leadership and for Congress to do more oversight in regards to waste fraud and corruption. Funny, I don't hear many politicians from either party banging the drum for this fix.


just think how that 100 billion could have helped kids, schools , hunger programs, housing programs, our beloved Vets, infrastructure, our elderly, our poor and so on.

instead the govt literally factors that waste fraud and corruption into the budget.

a recent Homeland Security Committee hearing on immigration uncovered that illegal immigrants with deferred status may be eligible to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit and could be able to file an amended tax return for up to the last three tax years, possibly receiving as much as $24,000 in tax credits

By offering illegal aliens new payments under the Earned Income Tax Credit, the IRS may encourage fraud from those claiming children living in other countries.

Non-U.S. citizens who qualify for President Obama's temporary deferred actions will now be eligible to receive permanent Social Security numbers. A Social Security number is the key that opens a whole treasure chest of benefits, including significant tax credits

this is how the govt thinks they can fill the social security coffers they have been stealing from over the last few decades or longer.

and this helps American and American workers how???

Sad and disgusting all at the same time. And the political elite and their media puppets cant figure out why so many have no faith or trust in their govt.

Anonymous said...

Yes, you're correct about George Sam. He also has a few small commercial properties on the west side of the river, including the office that the Fleckster rented when he first started out, before moving to the Butz Building

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:07
Thank you!! Speaking the truth!! Too many of us have been maligned for no reason other than speaking up.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:12 AM
You're welcome! Although I learned the hard way. I was fired from the city for speaking up!!! This is probably why more city workers will not speak up. Directors, managers and human resources find ways to get rid of people to protect themselves.

Unknown said...

How do we "safely" get the City workers to speak up without the fear of Pawlowski firing them?

City Council won't speak up. Only Jeanette Eichenwald has spoken up about the FBI and the Mayor. Nothing from the other members.

How do we make it safe for City workers to finally start blowing whistles? The Mayor is going to lease the damn golf course!? WTF?

Unknown said...

Anon: you're not the only one. There were plenty more before you. I'm guessing who you are, but I'm silent.
Rich: your family is hiring. Would you hire former city employees who do not want to get involved? We just want to work and not deal with the politics?

Unknown said...

Brew Works can only hire so many people. We are always looking for Chefs and experienced Cooks.

If I was Mayor, I wouldn't fire anyone.

If I was on City Council I would demand an investigation into the Mayor as Public Official #3. Where is the Ethics Committee?

Are there City workers that are saying that they will speak up if the Mayor is removed from power? Why wait? Why not just talk to the FBI right now?

Unknown said...

Oh sorry. My bad. I guess the jobs I saw for office asst and bookkeeper were for a different fegley enterprises.
It's irresponsible to say you would never fire anyone. But, if wishes were horses, we'd all ride, I guess.
People don't speak because of your attitude. We have to pay our bills, we have to work and support our children. And if people don't understand that, too bad. You'd like to can us all into keeping quiet because of his highness. We actually keep quiet because we just want to work and support our families.

Anonymous said...

Rich said Where is the Ethics Committee? the same people who are supposed of should have already launched an ethics investigation received up to 30,000 for campaign donations from the criminal they are to be investigating. in addition , many on council have their family members/kids employed by the same guy they are supposed to be investigating.
Rich, once the smoke clears we will see a few on the city council implicated as well. that could include the president and vice president as well as a few more, with the exception of one lady on that council, they all sit there with their heads down. this is a dysfunctional city govt who can not lead the people.
I watched a tape of the recent hearings and I can not believe there has been not ethic investigation. it appears the council claims to be waiting for the fbi to do their job , but in reality, the are running out the clock . this is the approach guilty people use to avoid the reality of the issue. wonder why fed ed has not been to any council meeting for almost 3 months.

keep up, the good fight rich . I appreciate your interactions with city council .
I only wish more would follow.

Anonymous said...

Fegly for mayor.

Anonymous said...

FEAR RUNS DEEP!
The reign of terror has not ended yet, not by a long shot.

Anonymous said...

@ Rich City workers should be talking to the FBI, and not anyone in City Hall because NOBODY can be trusted. However employees that were fired might be protected under whistle blower laws if they blew the whistle or were about to blow the whistle on the corruption going on downtown.

Anonymous said...

Nobody fired or terrorized so far has gotten any
protection.
These people are thugs.