Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski would be very proud.
Before I get into that, let me tell you a little about her scholarship to DeSales University. It is part of the ACCESS program, designed for people who are already in the workforce. Classes are held only one night per work, with the rest of the course work being done online. NIZ developer City Center Investment Corporation (J.B. Reilly) is footing part of the bill with table crumbs from at least $54 million in state taxes that has gone into its coffers. In fact, Me-Me is probably a lot cheaper than community organizer Alan Jennings, who relies on contributions from City Center for CACLV.
Alan admits he's a prostitute, but he's more expensive and has an ulterior motive. He's actually interested in the poor instead of himself.
There's another big difference, too. Unlike Me-Me, Jennings has no conflict of interest.
Under our state Ethics Act, a public official like Gerlach has a conflict of interest when she votes in a matter in which she has a private pecuniary interest.
This brings us to Allentown School District's lawsuit against the NIZ Board, challenging the tax exempt status of properties owned by the NIZ, but under which City Center [J.B. Reilly] runs a risk of being held liable if loans are not repaid. According to a Morning Call story by Matt Assad, the Allentown School Board had a back-room meeting last week in which it decided against appealing Judge Doug Reichley's opinion dismissing the lawsuit. School Board Solicitor John Freund, whose law firm represents the NIZ Authority, is obviously unable to file a suit on behalf of the school district. He is conflicted, so an outside gunslinger was hired. But amazingly, he conveniently advised the Board that it's time to fold and forget about an appeal in the very matter in which he is conflicted.
Having suddenly developed amnesia about his own conflict of interest, it's no surprise that Me-Me participated in the back room discussion and was all for dropping the appeal instead of recusing herself in a matter in which she has a pecuniary interest.
It gets better. This meeting in the back room is a Sunshine Act violation. A vote on ending the case needs to be made in an open meeting, not behind closed doors. A school board can certainly discuss litigation out of the public eye, but the votes need to be public.
So she got a scholarship. What's the big deal?
Ask State Senator Larry Farnese. He's just been indicted for offering scholarships to a political rival's daughter.
The feds call this bribery.
31 comments:
Boy, do you have a bug up your ass about nothing. You have found another woman to torment. Your character assassinations have reached a new low. Ce-Ce has done nothing wrong. She is trying to better herself in order to give back to her community. But that concept is alien to someone like you who has never contributed to society. You are lower than the slime on a snail's belly, O'Hare.
Ce-Ce we the people support your pursuit of higher education, a more deserving candidate is unlikely and the venom directed at you by the author of this blog and his troll army is appalling, luckily the WPA savior and Allentown stalwart Mikey Molovinsky has defended you admirably.
Best of luck in all your future endeavors, rise above the volcanic vortex of mudslinging.
"Boy, do you have a bug up your ass about nothing. "
I see. A conflict of interest, violation of the Suunshine Act and selling out are nothing.
Besides being a community organizer, what does Ce-Ce Gerlach actually do that earns her grocery paycheck ?
According to LinkedIn, she is a teacher at the Children's Home of Easton. Not sure if she is certified, but if she is, then she has a Bachelor's degree and is being subsidized to snag another.
As political pundits like to say . . . "The optics here are bad." True, I think, for giver and receiver.
Fred Windish
With all of her community activism here in Allentown, when in the world does Ce-Ce have the time to teach in Easton?
Ms Gerlach seems to be the designated "objector" to the NIZ, but, of course, her objections are usually ignored without much of a problem. Yes, we know there are other students that obtained scholarships from DeSales, however those who issued the scholarships may have had guidance from those really footing the bill.
when dealing with corruption, always follow the money trail.
School Board Solicitor John Freund appears to have cost many school districts lots of money over the years with his opinions of which his law firm benefitted more than the school district
My point is tht if he was too conflicted to represent the ASD in a lawsuit over the NIZ, he is too conflicted to advise them to drop it. I happen to agree with Reichley's ruling, but I'd take it up unless outside counsel advises it is frivolous. There is a lot of money on the table, and good stewardship dictates an appeal.
Alan Jennings is THE voice of the poor, they need no other.
Bernie,
12:16 am makes some accusation about snails corralating wi it h you?! It is the one that is simalar and like snails snot left behind covering for circus act committed by those that perform and partake of allentowns back midway advertisementalists or in this case now a room behind closed doors¿¡
Re:publican redd
lol @12:16am . so the issue is with the guy who reported this, not the person using her position to take away an asset for the People? Trying to better herself for the community? Really? That's like a kid getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar and when what they are doing , they say..im getting this cookie for you.
let her better herself on her own dime.
Is this the same Ce Ce Gerlach Who voted for Abe Atiyeh's charter schools as reported by the Morning Call last week ?
Please come up with another way of phrasing your comments. My suspicion is that you purposely posted a sexist comment, hoping for a backlash. I won't tolerate it here.
"There's another big difference, too. Unlike Me-Me, Jennings has no conflict of interest."
Bullshit! Why do you keep whitewashing this guy? He has made a comfy living off the poor and shilling for the powers. A true token liberal for hire. Or as they say, a "limousine liberal". You even hide the fact he broke Northampton County law by hiring a County Director that had done contracts with his agency. That is an ethical violation as well as breaking county law. You let it pass because it happened under your pal Stoffa and he was OK with breaking the law. That is shameful. It is even more shameful to cherry pick who is unethical and who is not based on who you like and don't like
I think that it's important for your readers to understand that ce-ce applied for, and was accepted for a one class stipend (total value $1,600) from desales. 85% of the total cost of these very limited scholarships was funded by the trexler trust, and 15% by J.B. Reilly. gerlach herself acknowledged receiving the stipend on facebook, and also disclosed reilly's small connection to it. without her post on facebook, i doubt that anybody would have known about this. the school district lawsuit was against the ANIZDA's portion of the arena, not reilly's, which is taxable. readers here are entitled to condemn whomever they so choose, but should understand the facts.
And you don't. The scholarship is $1600 per class, but is not limited to one class. It's limited by the attainment of a degree. It is a scholarship, not a stipend limited to one class. As for the amount paid by Reilly and the trust, I have no information but think Reilly is paying more than 15% especially since his City Center website bragged about it.
bernie@5:25, according to the morning call article about the program, trexler trust contributed 50K and Reilly's city center 10k. according to the college webpage, the total $60K will be divided into 40 scholarships.
More then one long term observer has used the term "poverty pimp" in connection with Jennings.
Bernie,
Just maybe administration ally she is preparing to replace Mayo to cover for the statue trusts that have somehow up and vanished like a fart in the wind?! Than again who and what Allentown administration knew of such profiteer perpanderance professionally?!
Said banking institution now up and flopped too, I have redd?!
Re:publican redd
MM, I read the MC article you mention, along with news releases by City Center and DeSales. Over the weekend, I also spoke to some people knowledgeable about ACCESS. Their understanding (and mine) is that 40 scholarships will be made available for as many classes as it takes for a student to graduate. The program does not end when the $60k dries up, but continues so that, ideally, about $60k is spent for each session. I doubt there will ever be 40 students simultaneously, but that is the commitment as I and others have read it.
Let me add, while we're at it, that I am not offended by your crucifixion analogy, but think it would be more appropriate for you to cast Gerlach in the role of Judas, collecting her 30 pieces of silver. It was incredibly tone deaf for Gerlach, an elected official, to take anything from Reilly, especially since it's just for her.
Also your contention that the scholarship recipients are selected by DeSales is baloney. To think that Reilly or Trexler has no say in how their money is spent is Pollyanish to the extreme.
And right after she gets word that she has a sugar daddy to pick uo her college bill, she loses interest in litigation that could have an adverse impact on Reilly, if successful. And then she participates in a Sunshine Act violation on top of it.
And we're supposed to be grateful?
I'll leave that to you.
"We're all living here in Allentown....."
bernie@9:49, you wrote one post blurring the facts about ce-cee, then doubled down, and wrote another. you refer to "understandings," but the fact is the program only received one $50k grant from trexler, and $10 from reilly, nothing more. putting aside insinuations, doubts and speculation, she received a small scholarship chosen by desales, and mostly funded by trexler trust, which you have painted as taking a bribe from j.b. reilly. furthermore, the school district lawsuit was against the public portion of the arena, not against reilly's part of that complex. sorry that these truths don't serve your purpose.
I am not going to go back and forth with you. I spoke with people knowledgeable about the program and they have a better understanding than you. It is not $60k total and that's it. As for the litigation, it actually does attack the public portion of the NIZ if you read it. Even if only the private attack were to succeed, it would have a very negative impact on Reilly. It clearly creates a conflict.
But we should be grateful.
bernie, actually,you seem to be going back and forth with me. phrases like "better understanding", "that's it" are just diversions from facts, as was "baloney and pollyanish" in your previous comment. my comment of 5:41 correctly states that the suit was against the public portion, not related to reilly's portion. the facts do not even support a conflict, much less a clear one, despite your two posts.
like I said, I have no intention of going back and forth with you. Bray away elsewhere.
Don't confuse Bernie with the facts, MM.
This is a conflict of interest plain and simple. if anyone tries to justify this issue in defense of the school board member , they are simply refusing to understand what a conflict of interest is and how bad it looks. But as usual, we will have a little bit of an investigation, to say it was done, and yes, we will be told the optics look bad, but she will get her gift from the developer and the trust. disgusting. some of the same people who are defending this lady , were the same ones bitching and moaning about city council and their kids getting jobs in the city of Allentown..
Me Me Gerlach is the poster child of today's contemporary Democrat Party
Post a Comment