February 2: "Do we really want to re-elect ed??? Did he make Allentown great again?? In my opinion, he has not. I have decided to start telling anyone who wants to listen that in my opinion ed is a terrible mayor. I intend to explain why I have this opinion in future posts. I worked as the Director of Community and Economic Development from July 2006 until I resigned in disgust in June 2007. I saw corruption and the beginnings of the reign of terror that has decimated the ranks of Allentown city government. That is why I quit despite being in my "dream job". So please people vote for anyone but ed in the primary."
Yes I personally witnessed corruption that was ordered by ed. That and other things drove me to resign before I was a party to the corruption reign of terror. and He and Fran Dougherty had a hit list of all the bureau managers in the department of community and economic development. I began working for the City in 1989. At that point, Allentown was run by professionals. I worked for 3 mayors before ed. They respected the department heads and bureau managers. Not ed. In my opinion ed brought Chicago style corruption and Fran Dougherty brought Philly money and corruption to Allentown. They fired Eric Weiss the head of Building Standards in February 2007 because he would not bend the rules for their developer friends. That was one of the last straws for me!! Eric Weiss was the consummate housing professional. Since Eric left ed has decimated the city's housing programs. The percentage of rental housing has increased dramatically under ed and enforcement has declined. I think ed will eventually be indicted but maybe not before the democratic primary in Allentown which ed could win. That is why I am finally speaking out. I feel that four terms of a corrupt and hitleresque regime is enough Ralph.
February 5: About 10 years ago I saw Fran [Dougherty] tell a building inspector to lay off of a certain developer who owned a building with multicolored window frames at Jordan and Tilghman Streets. I was new in the job as director of community development after 17 years running the bureau of recycling and solid waste. Ed and Fran were trying to get me to fire Eric Weiss who ran the bureau of building standards and reported to me. Eric is an honest, knowledgeable and dedicated housing professional. Being new in the job, I asked the inspectors who were trying to do their jobs, to take me to the building. It was like going to a third world country. Or back to 1865 in the US before laws were passed to protect us from greedy capitalists. OMG I saw families living in the building with small children!!! They were working with chemicals and blow torches making who knows what?? There were sheets hung for privacy for the families living there. They were cooking over propane rice cookers. Buckets instead of bathrooms, no sprinklers, multiple violations. An appalling and shocking sight. I should have taken photos. Back in city hall one of the inspectors said to Fran, after being told not to file the citations, "I don't work for you Mr Dougherty I work for the state." Apparently the building inspectors are professionals with state licenses. Eric was finally fired by ed and Fran in February 2007. They told him they were taking the bureau in a different direction!!!! Yes they have!! I started writing resignation letters and filing them away. I was in my dream job. Kids in college. I needed and loved my job. I resigned without another job in hand in June 2007. I have kept quiet for 10 years. Not anymore. I feel that we who care about Allentown can't wait for the FBI to indict ed before the democratic primary in May. I feel that 12 years of this regime is enough. And so do many former city employees!!! Just ask one. Have a great day!! Go team. I am putting my soap box away. For now.
33 comments:
I have deleted four comments that come from the same IP address. Someone is working overtime trying to protect Fed Ed.
I have known Betsy for well over 25 years. Integrity is her mainstay.
Sadly, this man has a young family, that if he had any regard for, he would have done the honorable thing and resigned a long time ago. I can't imagine what it's like to live in that pressure cooker of a household right now for them. Of course all the people he has abused and ruined also have families. While Ed may have facilitated some good things for Allentown his time has come to step aside, either with an air of dignity for his loved ones or eventually in handcuffs.
Yes Betsy's statements are true Ed and Fran cleared house those first 2 years a lot of good people. Other outstanding employees were bounced over the subsequent years if they did not play their political game. Eric was a big loss for the city as Ed assembled his yes men/women in DECD
Here is a woman who worked for 11 month, 11 Months and she has this kind of story to tell from 10 years ago.
bit of a statutes of limitations problem, no?
@5:45 Two elections have passed since she worked for the city. Why now ?
Bernie can you delete comments about other candidates?
Unfortunately and regretful I worked for that slob's campaign in 2005. I remember having a spiritual encounter with him when I told him he can't lie to the public like this. He responded, "I can tell them anything I want, it's a campaign". Well of course, this carried over to his administration and thus, the rest is history. The shrewd least transparent mayor Allentown ever had has been running this town on the backs of the employees at city hall. His way or the highway! Therefore, I do believe Ms.Levin's story is real and accurate; to bad it didn't come out years ago.
It seems that Mayor Pawlowski must be running an effective campaign, as all of these political insiders who had nary a word to say against him in 2009 and 2013 are now saying what a horrible person he is. If the voters felt they way, there would be nary a word against him.
7:41, why didn't she come out years ago ?
There are thousands of Betsy Levin stories. I wholeheartedly believe Levin. The fact remains that the rules are in place to enable corruption. Elected officials can not be fired - unless convicted of a crime - and we know how long that can take. For someone like Levin to speak up while employed, she would lose everything. Her salary, her career, she would be labeled a troublemaker, and would have to fund any action by herself. If she's lucky, which is less than 10% of the time, she might get some settlement, often valued at less than $20K, of which 33% would go to her attorney. Her action against her employer would be public record (and most probably publicly reported), ensuring another future employer would never hire her.
I applaud Ms. Levin. I feel for the many municipal employees who have no other choice than to be subject to such actions, with no where to turn but financial and career ruin.
8:16 Just imagine if Ms Levin had to work in the private sector. Layoffs, no raises, outsourcing.. What would she do, have to work for a difficult boss?
Why did this woman wait 10 years to speak out? If this is all true, which it probably is, why don't you say something to somebody instead of looking the other way? Reading through what she wrote, her grammar and sentence structure needs a lot to be desired and it's a little less than professional. Having said that, I can't wait for Fed Ed and his minions to pay for what they've done to this city.
"Here is a woman who worked for 11 month, 11 Months and she has this kind of story to tell from 10 years ago"
Fed Ed shill,she worked for 18 years, not 11 months. Yes,she should have spoken out ten years ago, but no one would have believed her. I spoke out ten years ago and very few believed me.
Bernie,
I will try to be coherant in this STATEment, there is one that has no statue of limitations from the very begining of his reign of terror as a circus carnival prop that he is a main party too!
Come to think of it the fed ed shills and minionZ are now over on MM's blog terroriZing the unsuspecting peerZ!
REpublican redd
humanist by design
Eric and Betsey were the very best the City of Allentown had to offer.
Ed will leave in disgrace if he goes to jail or not. Fran was a piece of shit, he will skate, but everybody already knows that.
It's times like this when what is really needed is a GOP sweep in the election and cleaning out all of the Democratic hacks in City Hall, including the Mayor. Unfortunately we have to live in the real world and the crop of Democrats are all severely lacking.
Sans indictments, Fed Ed waltzes to an easy re-election. If he were to lose a third of his votes, he'd still win with 55%. Allentown's voters richly deserve his re-election.
2:31
Yes, they will deserve what they get.
I have known both Betsy Levin and Eric Weiss for many years and know they are both people of integrity. When releasing a statement as Betsy has done here, timing is everything. She waited until it would serve a purpose and do the most good.
I was unaware that Pawlowski worked for the city employees. The mayor works for the people of the City of Allentown. All this really sounds like is sour grapes and innuendo and office gossip. If she has a blue dress type of evidence, she should have gone to the FBI, not to a local blog to bitch about Pawlowski.
I know Betsy Levin and believe every word she said.
At the same time, it was her silence and the silence of others like her that allowed Allentown City Hall to become what it has. I can't forgive that.
Don't know if this is an attempt to clear her conscience, or if it's an attempt to help another candidate. I do know that her waiting to speak out was a disservice to the residents who paid her salary.
The disservice here is a Pawlowski not bowing out.
Cedar Beach Pool- multiple conflicts of interest. Contractor was paid an additional $680,000 on the word of a man who was collecting money from that same contractor. Had to get rid of everyone else in their way.
I am amused by the Ed P. supporters who are aghast at the fact that this woman waited ten years to come forward. These same liberals were delighted when NBC released an eleven-year old tape of Donald Trump's private locker-room conversation with Billy Bush. Notice the network didn't release the tape when Trump was bringing them millions of dollars as their biggest star with Celebrity Apprentice.
Those are Ed P supporters. Call them that with justification.but you have no basis for calling them liberals. For all you know, they are crony capitalists and conservatives. Michael Donovan was a liberal. Bob Trottner is a liberal. Fed Ed is a crony capitalist, and both parties have them.
The building with the multi-colored window sills at Jordan & Tilghman Streets at the time was owned by then Ed Pawlowski supporter Nate Hyman. This is the same person that has recently announced to run for Mayor.
It still is. I was waiting for someone to catch that. I have reached out to Levin, but am still waiting.
Second hand, I've heard complaints from tenants about extremely high heating bills in some of Hyman's buildings. It makes it you wonder if the buildings complied with State Construction Code requirements for energy conservation when they went through a change of use to apartments.
http://articles.mcall.com/2006-12-16/news/3694777_1_code-violations-buildings-warehouses
The city tried to crack down on a Hyman building in December 2006. In March 2007, the city's highly respected chief of code enforcement, Eric Weiss, was fired by Pawlowski. At the time, the Morning Call did not report his firing, but Bernie did. I follow Allentown news closely, and knew Eric left, but I had no idea he was forced out.
https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2007/03/something-stinks-in-allentown.html
Bernie, Try reaching out to Eric Weiss also. It ties in because the Mayor did fire him over Hyman's building conversions from manufacturing to apartments.
I tried reaching out to him numerous times and he ignored me. Ask Scott Armstrong.
Bernie,
are you talking about the said property owner or the property owner Lehigh landholdings LLC's liquidation procedures now in effect as current implementors as rent chaserZ?
No one will talk as fear for ones life and the lives of there loved ones is the reel issue!
I hope that is a portable comment because the sales advertisements will not stop the asset sale selloff of the triboro it now infectZ!
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