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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Hyman: "Taking down those basketball rims would have been the LAST thing I would have done! "

Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski recently ran headfirst into a buzz saw of public criticism over his decision to remove the basketball rims at Andre Reed Park, located next to Dieruff High School. He was placating campaign supporters who had hosted a house party for him, much as he has rewarded other campaign contributors with lucrative contracts. How would Mayor Nat Hyman, a Georgetown grad who knows a little bit about basketball enthusiasm, respond to this situation?

"To my mind, one of the biggest problems our City has is that 1/3 of our children in Allentown do not graduate from high school. Needless to say, without a high school diploma their prospects for success are dim and some of those who have problems finding employment may become involved in crime/gangs.

"With that in mind,I think it is essential to keep kids engaged in constructive activities, like basketball, 24/7, 365 days a year. That is especially true during the summer when school is not in session. Remember the old maxim "the idle mind is the devil's workshop."

"Taking down those basketball rims would have been the LAST thing I would have done! I would have increased police patrols and/or have the power turned off nightly at a source which could not be turned on and/or erected fencing to ensure that no one drives up to the courts and shines their headlights.

"Next to our youth, our parks are Allentown's greatest treasure. Unfortunately, they have fallen into terrible disrepair. 4 of the 5 swimming pools are not operating!! That is horrible mismanagement. All of our kids should be swimming to escape this long hot summer and they can't. I have already met with several of the people who are responsible for the parks and actively involved with them. Bringing all of our parks back to their former beauty and full operation will be a high priority for me as Mayor. I want to maximize their use by everyone, not lessen it!"

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Increased police patrols and removing the power is how this situation has been handled in the past both in Allentown and elsewhere. Removing the basketball rims shows how little our egotistical Mayor thinks of the youth of Allentown. Hopefully he will get an awakening at his next home by Bubba.

Anonymous said...

Nat is also for sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Unicorns are also on the agenda. Bernie O'Hare will be sure to report on it again and again.

Anonymous said...

What the heck does a guy know who hasn't shown any interest in our city but now. Smh

Bernie O'Hare said...

Gotta' love the anonymous attacks coming from Fed Ed and Lady McBeth.

The main reason Hyman has shown interest in the City is because it is going to hell in a hand bag under Fed Ed. He is not a carpet bagger and has lived in the City his entire life, except when away at school. His father was a prominent physician. He has roots and cares about his community.

His solution is not "sunshine, lollipops and rainbows." It is common sense. I daresay that Hyman's common-sense reaction is the same one that Ray O'Connell, Charlie Thiehl, David Jones, Sam Bennett or Josh Siegel would offer.

Anonymous said...

gnat is just that, and also a bedbug breeder as well as a mouse importer and all other verminious creatures! Let alone being a reel republican he is part of the carnivals three ring circus, but just a landholding stick!

Anonymous said...

The parks department is a complete mess.

Everything is either broken and never replaced or the replacements are perpetually being studied.

Anonymous said...

yes hyman would charge people to play on his slum lord basketball courts

Anonymous said...

Bernie, was he fed edz thug that snuk up on you and handed off the bottle of snake oil juice you had thought was a energy drink?
REpublican redd

Anonymous said...

The Parks Dept. IS a complete mess. Yes.

The police patrolling the parks?
Well there is a novel idea.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, redd is as impossible to read as ever.

Atownman said...

Yeah...check his buildings, they are horrible, they are the perfect manifesto of a slumlord

Bernie O'Hare said...

I know this criticism is false. I Ed will smearHyman bc that is what he does. have heard the charge made by Betsy Morris Levin,who never st foot in one of his buildings. Her complaint is based on conditions that supposedly existed in 2007. I reached out to her then, and again in 2017, and Levin ducked me. So did Eric Weiss. I did speak to some of his tenants,and they had no problems. I also visited a property he is redeveloping in Nazareth, which is prettynice and is renting out like hotcakes.

It is easy to call a landlord a slumlord, especially if he buys old properties and rehabs them. In most instances, the criticism is very unfair, but I have no doubt Fed Ed will smear Hyman bc that is what he does.

Anonymous said...

Hyman is a big bullshitter....check out his website http://www.landaujewelry.com/boutiques.html he claims he has stores in the st Regis in California and trump tower in NYC amongst other places. The reality is his stores are in laguardia airport and at the Sheraton. Just press on New York. He also claims to have stores in Beverly Hills and london. That's just bogus....that's just flat out dishonest and misleading....he will fit right in with the dishonesty in allentown.

Bernie O'Hare said...

You tell 'em, Fed Ed. Spin your lies like you always do. Use your goons. But the people are onto you. Even members of your own church.

Anonymous said...

I could care less where Hyman has jewelry stores. He won't be cooling his ass in federal prison, like Paws will. That's a much more important distinction. Hyman will be laughing his ass off somewhere, and Paws will be wondering if it's goulash again for dinner, and if he'll have access to the one computer on D Block for 400 people.

Anonymous said...

Paws is going NOW WHERE
Charged by and convicted by us here. I am starting to like the guy. Teflon Paws..... Better then this absestos gloves

Dennis P said...

In regard to issue that occurred concerning the basketball rims directly across the street from my longtime home and property, much credit must be given to Barry Robb and myself for the compromise that for now appears to be the best solution to the issue... Barry did his thing by making phone calls and I did my thing through e-mails and Facebook as well as making a few phone calls.... Fact is, on the same day the rim issue came about I called Barry Robb and chewed mayor Pawlowski out right in front of a staff meeting he was holding at the park with Lindsay Taylor, Chris Alvord, Rick Holtzman and Police Captain James Keiser...And I learned that word of this got back to city Council. This issue was particularly difficult for me given my years of work trying to improve the infrastructure of this park ... In 1994 when the City was purposely putting the brake of renovation work there...I had to contact the New Jersey contractor who had the low bid in the project to tell him he was awarded the contract because for some reason the City in the Daddona Administration said it couldn't contact the contractor to tell him he was authorized to begin the project. ... I found him easily and the project was done. If Hyman wants to know about issues that still confront the park and the East Side he could contact me ... Getting back to the difficulty of the issue for me... It is my contention that the neighbors were right about many of their concerns and that these concerns needed to be addressed.... But they erred in regard to the solution they initially sought and erred in going forward without the involvement of the neighborhood association... And indeed Pawlowski's decision to remove the rims indeed got attention...Certainly it got the attention of the media, School District, youth groups and other members of the community Therefore as it happened as a long-time member of that block and president of the neighborhood association I had a different and more educated take on what was needed ... Right a way I knew that switching the basketball courts to the tennis courts and vice versa would not work and said so at that meeting ... I also supported Robb's idea for the locking rims ... And noted that Park Ordinance rules should be enforced ... Meaning that once the park closes for the evening nobody should gather in the park later.... Having said this, other issues with the park remain to be settled ... 1) There needs to be a new flag pole built with the demolition of the old flag pole ... 2) With parking allowed where the old volleyball court was ... Will a new volleyball area be built? ... 3) It being the announced desire of the City to built a spray park with the required demolition of the pool ... Will a new pool be built? I say yes maybe without a deep end because high diving and diving board diving is not permitted any more... and 4) The issue of student behavior coming and going to the High School and during school remains an issue ... Now the school District wants to build a new middle School on former State Hospital Land if the State allows ... Maybe the better solution is to build a new Dieruff High School at the former state hospital and place the Middle School at the old high school ... If this is done maybe student behavior coming and going to the school will be better in the Andre Reed Park Area. This is just a idea.

Anonymous said...

Yes, there are other solutions to the problems in Irving [Andre Reed] Park. However, the mayor for life has constantly refused to address it. Now that he is trying to save his political life, [and I firmly believe the fed's will affect this], he unilaterally decided to do this [remove the rims] for his political survival. He has consistently done this throughout his political career as the infamous leader of Allentown. I don't know much about Hyman or his businesses, but I do know anybody with administrative and management talent is better than this Chicago political bafoon. Therefore, if this once great city wants to retain a jaded criminal in office, so be it. You get what you want: A lawless and crumbling community and society which represents chaos and mayhem.

Anonymous said...

@8:21
Way to pat yourself on the back Dennis. Beam me up Scottie.

Anonymous said...

Allentown school district should open their gym's for these kids

Anonymous said...

Electioneering already Matt ?

Bernie O'Hare said...

His name is Nat, and he responded to a question I posed. He is running for the job, and I wanted to know how he would deal with the same issue. I think people should know where candidates stand, and you apparently prefer keeping them in the dark.