Fed Ed: "So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish"

I said I'd believe it when I saw it, and I saw it ... at least on video. Yesterday afternoon, a "disappointed" and  "saddened" Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski announced from the stoop of his 11th Street home that he was stepping down as Allentown's mayor. He was surrounded by men and women holding bibles.When he finished speaking, he declined to take any questions, which more or less has been his modus operandi for the past 12 years. Instead he returned to his mancave while his flamboyant attorney, Jack McMahon, parried with the press. Here are my observations.

1) No remorse. - Although Fed.Ed was "so very sorry that you and the City had to endure this long, drawn-out saga," he said nothing that hinted at the slightest remorse or acceptance of responsibility. Instead, he vowed to appeal his sentence as his factotums applauded. He's portraying himself, and not Allentown's citizenry, as the victim.

2) With one exception, no Democratic leaders joined Fed Ed. Most of the people I saw are the same ones who stood by him in July, when he was first indicted. I was at that news conference, and remember them telling me then to wait for the verdict. Well, the verdict is in. One fellow leery of the crowd began taking pictures of the Fed Ed detractors.

3) Congressional candidate Rick Daugherty joined and supported Fed Ed. - He even applauded Pawlowski several times. He apparently thinks this will help his chances and that people will flock to a campaign that endorses political corruption. "Bernie, I support the legal system," he explained. "In all my dealings with Ed I never saw anything illegal, not even a hint of anything illegal. The appeals process is part of that legal system." This is something you should consider when you vote in the primary. Daugherty has sided with political corruption.

4) Jack McMahon is a noble man. -  I've seen McMahon handle several criminal cases in Northampton County. I've told you that when the money is gone, so is he. But this lugubrious lawyer is standing by Fed Ed even though the Allentown Mayor is now impecunious. McMahon said he would defend Fed Ed to the end. He also said that when Pawlowski was first charged, but I expected him to be gone by now. I was wrong. His decision to stand by the now guilty Mayor may be difficult for some of you to understand, but to me, it demonstrates a great deal of personal integrity. We are all lucky that lawyers like McMahon are still out there. Since I am firmly convinced that Fed Ed is guilty as hell, I would want him to have the best possible representation. He has it.