The Morning Call is reporting that Allentown Mayoral candidate Nat Hyman paid two law firms to challenge opponents Luiz Garcia and Christopher Pez in the primary. This was learned from reviewing Hyman's expense reports, so he has been transparent. Here's what I believe happened.Hyman grew up in Allentown. His father was a doctor. Though considered a real estate maven, he actually made his money with Landau, an Allentown-based jeweler with 60 stores in the US and Canada. He could leave as Allentown sunk. He stayed. He continued to live in Allentown, too. That says something about his loyalty to the Queen City. Hyman could see that the City was moving in the wrong direction under Fed Ed, and decided to run for Mayor himself. He invested $25,000 of his own money, too. Here's how he explains his decision on his campaign page.
state maven, he actually made his money with Landau, an Allentown-based jeweler with
Nat decided he had to run for Mayor in order to try and pull Allentown out from under the cloud of scandal that its current Mayor has put it in.
Allentown should be enjoying its finest hour of economic opportunity instead of waiting for its Mayor to be indicted and the city to slip back to where it was before the NIZ (Neighborhood Improvement Zone) was established, missing our chance to grow and be one of the greatest cities in the nation.You could dismiss all of this is pure ego. Or maybe, just maybe, this is the real guy who has been successful and wants to serve in a city that he obviously loves.
Now I support Ray O'Connell. Should Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawolwski be indicted, and should he resign, I will push hard for the former school administrator who understands that the City is only as healthy as its schools.
But Fed Ed has vowed to remain in office, even if indicted. He will have to be dragged out, kicking and screaming.
Several people have vowed to wage write-in campaigns or run as independents Unfortunately, that just guarantees Fed Ed's victory in the general election, just as the plethora of primary candidates insured Fed Ed's success there.
Hyman, who never ran for office before, had no shortage of advisers. One of the originals was Lehigh County's former GOP Chair, Wayne Woodman. He was Scott Ott's mentor, and must have thought he could control Hyman the way he was puppet master for Ott.
He eventually found out he was wrong, as evidenced by his failure to contribute to Hyman. But in those early days, when he thought he was calling the shots, my guess is that Woodman urged Hyman to finance challenges to Garcia and Pez
It was still a mistake, but one I can understand.
As the summer winds on, I'll have more to say about this race.
Vindictive, egotist, and a bully. Look at the buildings he owns, absolute shitholes. Mcall wrote an article about one of his buildings. The city shut it down after finding so many violations. HVAC system was pumping carbon monoxide in the building while people were living there. Sprinklers were off....no conscience. http://articles.mcall.com/2006-12-01/news/3697313_1_fire-and-building-code-apartments-four-story-brick-building
ReplyDeleteNone of this matters. Fed Ed wins in an overwhelming landslide. Remember: this is Allentown and party affiliation is far more important than the candidate - no matter how flawed.
ReplyDeleteI'd vote for the devil before Pawlowski, [his twin brother],. In essence, Nat financed his own campaign while "Fed Ed" relied on his buddies Bennett $10,000, Guzel $15,000, Halsey $6,000, Jaffer $2,500, Noel $2,000, Sciaktano $5,000, Bulgari $750, Huang $1,250, Leopardi $2,000 Stolfi $810, Adamo $4,299, Thevar $500, Sorathia $300 Turki $420 and $22,500 from four [4] out-of-town unions. The master of pay-to-play is still arm wrestling campaign donors; just like before. No remorse, no change!
ReplyDeleteBernie, These two circus carnival klown sticks have been working together for years or how else could uninhabitable tenaments stay inhabitable and filled with imported bedbugs and vermine. The two parasite wheather the literal ones or the figuritive ones posing as humans are one in the same.
ReplyDeleteJust like a traveling collective of robbers, they have everyones eyes poised on someting else and somewere else other than were there trickery is taking place. Some of the local news outlets are in on this two as there has been no article as to the unsurmounting crime unless it has to be on there agenda.
I deleted a few anonymous slurs that go too far and are marginally anti-Semitic. I expect Fed Ed to run this kind of smear campaign through his tools.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting theory. I would ask the question whether $25,000 is such a huge amount that Hyman really needed anyone's help to pay it. Also, whether Woodman's ultimate goal in all this isn't to elect Hyman, who doesn't seem to be a tea parties, but to suppress the turnout in Allentown to give Brad Osborne a better chance to win the County Executive position.Woodman has historically shunned city Republicans because his exclusive focus has been the county,
ReplyDeleteI support Ray because if his commitment to ethics reform in Allentown. I know the odds are long but I don't see a good alternative to fighting.
If he really cared then why hasn't he worked to help our community? Just because he purchased some beat up building doesn't mean he cares. He bought those because he bet on getting of did of them and now he stuck with them. Have you seen them Bernie? Ridiculous that man doesn't care about Allentown.
ReplyDeleteI have seen them. He buys pieces of shit and fixes them up. I know people who have rented from him. They have generally positive things to say. He has done the same thing in Naz. He bought an old rag mill and is converting it to an aptmt bldg.
ReplyDeleteOk so you have we end the 5 that have sat vacant and are falling apart? When is the last time..i saw 3 today.... horrendous. Didn't he say he w would mothball them if he became mayor?
DeleteHyman is googly eye'd.....cant trust that!
ReplyDeleteDid he purchase a building or two and the names have been change to protect the criminally corrupted institution that has become the infectious infection facing the entire area today that has become not only a national thing but also a local thing too!
ReplyDeleteThe flip floppy mentality is leaving many to live in blight administrationally designed and there are many criminal words for which to describe this mass manipulation of public as well as private assets.
I don't put much faith in the Woodman theory on the challenges.
ReplyDeleteGo to the library and pick out a book on how to run a campaign. The first thing they will tell you is to run to win, and the second is that if you can win prior to the election, all the better.
The challenges seem to fall into both categories. Both of Hyman's opponents were poorly-organized and under-funded. That's not Hyman's fault.
Nor is it Hyman's fault that Garcia failed to get a ruling from the City Ethics Board prior to running or that Pez got signatures that weren't allowable.
Hyman only did what any credible candidate would do.
Lol credible
DeleteWhat did his opponent raise in donations? I heard it was hardly nothing. Money ruules
Delete9:11 am said:
ReplyDelete"I support Ray because if his commitment to ethics reform in Allentown. I know the odds are long but I don't see a good alternative to fighting."
Ray doesn't need to be Mayor for ethics reform to happen.
I like Ray a lot, but any write-in attempt at this point is self-serving and only helps Pawlowski. I would hope we all learned something from the primary election.
Hyman is the only real hope to beat Pawlowski in November. I'm sure Pawlowski knows this and is encouraging as many write-in/independent candidates as possible.
Not only would multiple candidates dilute the anti-Pawlowski vote, but it also dilutes the funds available, ground support, etc. - all of which is critical to defeating an entrenched incumbent Mayor.
If anyone doesn't believe that's true, please read the headlines from May 17th regarding the primary results.
We need to stay focused on the real goal here, which is dislodging Pawlowski from City Hall.
Glad to see reuse of old buildings. My concern is with the prospect of conflict of interest. A person elected mayor gets to appoint zoning board, planning commission members, zoning officer and code enforcement that all have to approve projects for redevelopment, so that could be problematic for someone who owns so much property needing new use.
ReplyDelete"Go to the library and pick out a book on how to run a campaign. The first thing they will tell you is to run to win, and the second is that if you can win prior to the election, all the better.
ReplyDeleteThe challenges seem to fall into both categories. Both of Hyman's opponents were poorly-organized and under-funded. That's not Hyman's fault."
What any seasoned politico will tell you is that, if you are going to file a challenge, you better make sure you win. They are perceived to be anti-Democratic, and for good reason.
In this case, the challenge to Pez was justified. Much as i prefer to see voters decide, he simply failed to gather the requisite signatures.
But the challenge to Garcia was totally inappropriate. It was not even based on the Elections Code, but Allentown's Home Rule Charter. There is no basis in law for challenging a nomination petition on the basis of a Home Rule Charter. Judge Reibman had no jurisdiction.
So this actually hurt Hyman and was a mistake.
11:23, Fair point and something he needs to address.
ReplyDeleteBernie O'Hobgoblin is easy to understand. He is motivated by hate as is evident in most of his pieces. He hated Hyman in the primary and pointed out his flaws. However, he hates Pawlowski more. So now that it is Hyman v. Pawlowski, he will push Hyman. Much like many pother times he will now say Hyman has changed or he is different. Fact is he will now make excuses for Hyman left and right. Getting someone else to do your hit jobs is politics 101.
ReplyDeleteBy the way we are years into the predicted indictment of Pawlowski.
As I've stated numerous times, I hate no one. Do not ascribe your character traits to me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I support Ray O'Connell and hope he is the Dem nominee after Fed Ed gets indicted and resigns. I personally do not think that will happen.
The purpose of this post was to explain why I think Hyman had little to do with those challenges. As far as Fed Ed is concerned, there is no doubt in my mind that his day is coming. Two more people pleaded guilty today in his web of political corruption. That's nine.
Thanks for explaining it all-this really helped me.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? This is how we justify slumlords? Did Betsy Levin not point out that Hyman and Pawlowski were friendly enough for Pawlowski to ask code officials to look the other way regarding Hyman properties? Didn't you report on this Bernie?
ReplyDeleteThis is a man who should be Mayor of Allentown? This is a fucking joke.
This is why Trump is president. Because this is the only option people had after Clinton the corrupt Democrat.
So Hyman will be Mayor because Pawlowski should not be Mayor? Fuck the political system if that is how it works. We are all fucked in the end.
I did report on it, and at the time noted that Levin was repeating allegations that were ten years old. I then attempted to contact her and heard nothing. I also attempted to contact Eric Weiss 10 years ago and heard nothing. I made repeated efforts. I have since learned that Levin never set foot inside a Hyman property, and I have spoken to several of his tenants, both in Allentown and Nazareth. I do not like to condemn people without having the facts. I certainly won't condemn someone because he has been prosperous. I do know some of his buildings are fire traps but that is when he first purchases them and before he starts to work on them. As I have indicated all along, I'd prefer Ray O'Connell to anyone else. But Hyman's real flaw in the eyes of some Allentonians is his party. I wish people could get beyond that.
ReplyDeleteParty is everything.
ReplyDeleteThe Author and Hyman are friends according to both of their facebook pages.
ReplyDeleteI am also Facebook friends with numerous other politicos who were in the Mayoral race, from Luiz Garcia to Ray O'Connell. This enables me to keep tabs on each campaign.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbling across this now Bernie...
ReplyDeleteI've said before that if was in his shoes and my opponent only had 115 signatures, I would of would of challenged him as well. Petition challenges are pretty common as I grew to understand, of course after the fact. The only thing I didn't like about the whole thing personally that is was masked behind that poor college student in court who looked younger than my 12 year old son. That, at that time definitely, ticked me off. Nat though did reach out to me after all of it and I met with him and made peace with the situation. What was done was done on my end. As far as Luis, I definitely felt bad for the guy because of court costs racked up with attorneys, etc. I admired the guy for trying and taking a shot. Like many, I was actually was very surprised that he won in court which I think was the victory that he can at least always relish. I was a bit concerned for him a bit perhaps jeopardizing his job, while having a young family to support. Well, the entire saga got Republicans in Allentown to wake up and get out of the woodwork it seemed. I truly knew Nat was going to win in a somewhat of landslide. For whatever reason Spanish candidates just never fair well, which is unfair and sounds horrible especially when A-town is majority Spanish and a Spanish speaking candidate is one heckuva an asset. I actually was ready to break-out the Roseda stone to start instructional Spanish each night before bed when I began campaigning. A must , I deemed it to be in a leadership role for Allentown. If Nat does happen to win, I hope he reaches out to Luis and find a helpful place on his staff. -
The money helped for Nat; but quite frankly I don't think he need that much at all in the Primary. For the General E., he definitely can put that loot to use. A major brilliant marketing move on Nat's part on the huge signs. Imagine the amount of 'the count' of traffic over the last few months and then up to the election. I believe the signs on his buildings, which will be unmeasurable come Election Day may be the one element that will take him over-the-top against such a heavy Dem population. The signs were a brilliant and affordable marketing move; no question there. It has sped his name recognition up big time.
-Christopher Pez
Republican
Thank You for your blog. I learned more information from your blog during the Allentown Mayoral Primaries and continue to learn a good amount leading to this general election. I now have a more confident idea on who I will most likely vote for, but will continue to follow the news and your blog until Nov. 7th
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