Shelby Edwards and James Whitney, who have been seeking a facade grant for their Little Drill business at 1122 Hamilton in Allentown, had a rather lengthy meeting on Monday with Upside Down. They are supposed to hear on Friday whether their grant application has been approved, and I will update you about it next week. To me, the most important questions are: (1) Should grants be awarded to people who themselves participate in the decision-making process? (2) Should people who approve these grants benefit financially by being paid to do design work? (3) Why are grants being awarded to businesses that are not locally owned? (4) What steps are being taken to avoid the IRS ban on private shareholders who are benefiting from Upside Allentown?
There are many positive things to say about the facade grant program. But there should always be a willingness to listen to constructive criticism.
Previous stories:
Upside Allentown Facade Grant Program Is Upside Down
Upside Allentown Facade Grant Program Being Abused
Allentown Facade Grant Abuse Details
This Old House: History of 1122 Hamilton St
10 comments:
Would this couple's grant request even be considered had they not contacted you?
All your questions have merit, but shouldn't they have been incorporated into the original nonprofit's mission statement and required annual independent audits? Why didn't the CACLV board require these audits?
More Allentown corruption.
It’s a way of life.
There are numerous layers of oversight that should have caught this. And I will concede there are certain elements at CACLV and CADCA that don’t want to catch things. But I believe most want to do the right thing.
Dirty stuff.
Nothing new here.
It’s a dirty town.
This is the way the insiders play.
Not the first time potential grant receivers were pissed off because their creative control was insulted over color choices or over the amount received. Then theirs the contemporary over traditional theme. The david vs goliath story line seems to always work well when played to the max. Shoulda went to Fox or Msnbc first they are the latest version of As the world turns, Guiding Light and All My Childern. MM still longs for those days. This reality show era we live in is getting old. Please God bring back the soaps.
•The staff with their fingers in the cookie jar must go. Period.There is no need to play the review delay game.
•The Executive Director sets the tone for any given organization. This situation would appear to speak to a NFP without a strong ethical culture. This episode isn’t a one off.
•The board of directors is ultimately responsible. Action from the board is over due and inaction would indicate a weak or overly compliant board.
The buck stops there.
•If Allentown has any chance of recovery dirty dealing between insiders can only be zero tolerance.
.•There are no sacred cows and instutional ethics and integrity are not a matter of personal friendship or political alliance.
•Time to categorical confront the culture of corruption in the City of Allentown.
This isn’t about color schemes, it’s about corruption.
Normalization is complicity.
12:59 -
Excellent points! Reminds me of all the grief the Americus Hotel project got from ANIZDA. What a scam that whole thing is.
Robert Ryan do you drink to intoxication every night of your sad lonely life? DOES KDDI know about your smear campaign against Sam Murray? Have some of the 12 steppers help you before u wind up in a rubber room.
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