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Monday, May 25, 2020

Hyman Gets Apology For Attempted Smear From Allentown City Council

Allentown's Nat Hyman has been pretty much a success at everything he's tried. Following his graduation from prestigious Georgetown University as well as grad school, he started a costume jewelry chain with stores all over the country. He also began a real estate company that converts vacant old factories into apartments. He provides affordable housing in a city where it's desperately needed, and without indulging in the alphabet soup of tax breaks that local officials hand out like candy. Most important of all, he married his high school sweetheart and raised two beautiful daughters. Yet he's despised by local officials who can barely conceal their disdain, from State Senator Pat Browne to State Rep. Michael "Darth Voter" Schlossberg to Allentown City Council members like Daryl Hendricks and Candida Affa. They fear his competence far more than any virus, though there's no evidence that this is contagious in the Queen City.

This dread of Nat Hyman was on full display at a recent Allentown City Council meeting. Council President Daryl Hendricks read into the record an email from a former Hyman employee painting him as a monster. After doing so, Hendricks gave these allegations instant credibility by stating that he was referring the matter over to the state Attorney General. Never mind that the accusations were baseless. He made no effort to contact Hyman before reading that email into the record. In fact, Morning Call reporter Andrew Wagaman, who was covering the meeting, tweeted, "Hendricks does go out of his way to read this one, from a former Hyman Properties employee ... ."

This is classic "knife in the back" Hendricks. I saw him do it to Hyman before, when he once suggested that Hyman "put on his big boy pants," but waited until Hyman left the meeting before castigating him. In fact, I confronted Henricks over this and asked him at the time whether he has something against Hyman because he is Jewish, something I have heard. Hendricks denied this but was unable to explain why he waited for Hyman to leave a meeting before attacking him.

When Hyman discovered what had happened, he confronted Hendricks


The exchanges continue as follows:

HENDRICKS:
Mr. Hyman, I am sorry that you feel that I went out of my way regarding an e-mail that was sent to Council.
As we were not able to allow the public to attend our meeting I was advised that I would have to read those e- emails that were sent to us. This directive was from our solicitor. He advised that for total transparency and to follow the rules regarding the open records law this was necessary. In regard to numerous other emails sent to us all addressed the same issue regarding the homeless and as such after my colleagues agreed, I was able to make a blanket statement on the subject without reading each one separately.
All emails received were posted on our website in their entirety, again at the advice of our solicitor.
I want you to know that I take no pleasure in having to read that letter and I hold no animosity toward you. I did not receive your text initially from you as it was forwarded to me by Mr. Wagaman. I did also call him and told him that he was out of order with his comment. I did also explain to him why the other emails were not read.
I want to assure you that I hold no grudge against you and I am offended by your accusations accusing me of being anti semitic and a racist. I would appreciate that in the future should you feel slighted or offended in my actions that you reach out to me. I would be open to explain my actions.
Thank you and stay safe.
HYMAN:
Daryl:

Notwithstanding your being offended, surely you must be aware that you have a well-known and long standing reputation for making racist comments.

As far as you’re being an anti-Semite, when I was running for mayor, two of your colleagues on City Council at the time told me directly that you referred to me as “a Jew boy“.

As far as you’re reading that email, clearly there are emails which are slanderous, inappropriate or untrue which should not be read in public. I suppose that if I sent in an email stating that Daryl Hendricks is a racist and an anti-Semite, you would have to read that too? Of course not. In addition, you’re reading that unfounded and factually inaccurate email from a disgruntled employee, doesn’t explain your adding “I will be referring this to the attorney general“ giving the email credibility.

Finally, you say that in the future I should reach out to you.....I texted you. I’m not sure how to reach out any more directly. I would turn that around and say to you that, in the future, if you have anything to say about me (ex: put on my big boy pants) you reach out to me directly and not feel a need to belittle me in public.

Daryl, as I recall, you and I met once at the senior citizen home. I thought we had a nice conversation and got along quite well. I liked you and have never had anything negative to say about you, except when you have attacked me. If, when this Covid thing is over, you ever want to have a cup of coffee or a drink with an eye toward putting our differences behind us, I am always willing. Please don’t hesitate to contact me now that you have my phone number.

Nat
HENDRICKS
Mr. Hyman, you claim that I have a reputation for making racist comments and two colleagues of mine said I did. I absolutely deny that and challenge you to present them in front of you and tell me to my face. I have never used the term you stated and "NO" I do not have a reputation for making racist comments.
I treat all people equally irrespective of race, creed, or color.
The reason I did not get your text directly is because you sent it to the incorrect phone #. It was forwarded to me by Mr. Wagaman.
I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you personally as soon as this horrible situation subsides.
I am hoping to be able to hold a public meeting on our next regularly scheduled date but if not I am going to see what I can do to avoid reading any such emails. As I told you I took no pleasure in reading it.
p.s. it would have to be a drink.....I don't drink coffee.
Thanks and stay safe.
HYMAN
Dear Councilman Hendricks:

As you know, at the last Council meeting you selectively read an email from a former employee of mine which was both defamatory and untrue. Accordingly, I think it only reasonable that you read the following publicly at the next Council meeting:

“ I would like to publicly apologize to Mr. Nat Hyman. At the last Council meeting I read an email from a former employee of his, which contained false statements. Mr. Hyman is a respected member of the Allentown business community and that email should not have been read without first verifying it’s validity.”

So that we can put this matter behind us amicably, I would ask that this statement be read exactly as written herein.

Thank you,

Nat L. Hyman
The apology was read by Mike Hanlon at the Council Meeting on Wednesday May 13th exactly as written.

It's no secret that both Hyman and Hendricks have been mentioned as possible Mayoral candidates should Ray O'Connell decide to step down.  Though Allentown has had several Jewish elected officials, it's also no secret that anti-Semitism is alive and well.  Hyman is also a landlord, who are despised almost as much as bloggers and lawyers. But as I said before, what scares Allentown pols most about Hyman is his ability to get things done, and without schmoozing with them.

Allentown City Council member Josh Siegel and Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley want to shackle Lehigh County residents with both a sales and earned income tax to keep Allentown afloat. It might be a better idea to invest in someone who actually knows what he's doing.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

I still can't believe the dumb voters of Allentown voted for FedEd over Hyman. My personal opinion is that O'Connell ran that write in campaign strictly to derail Hyman. O'Connell knew he had no chance of winning a write in campaign. Clearly O'Connell owed Pawlowski and teamed up against him .

Anonymous said...

I am Dominican and everyone in my community knows Hendricks is a racist. Julio Guridy has told many members of our community in private that Hendricks makes racist comments about our people being lazy and only wanting handouts.

Anonymous said...

What's your take on Hyman's behavior towards his tennants' rent during the pandemic?

Anonymous said...

Hendricks is a racist.
Guridy is a snake.
O'Connell is a doddering old fool.
Good luck Allentown!

Anonymous said...

Hyman won't run. The city will have a 45 million dollar deficit, is overrun with crime and he would have to deal with those idiots on city council like Josh Siegel. He doesn't need it, and I don't blame him. Allentown is doomed.

Bernie O'Hare said...

7:54, I'll give you my take on the behavior of his tenants. His office sent out a mailer that threatened eviction for nonpayment and Hyman apologized for it. He personally did not write that letter, but it came from his office and he accepts responsibility. For this admitted mistake, he was assailed on Facebook's Allentown page with hundreds of ugly comments. His wife and daughters received death threats. His office should never have sent that mailer, but the behavior of Allentioans was a bit over the top.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, if Hyman doesn't run who will? Who else could do the job as well as Hyman? I've lived in Allentown for 73 years and have never seen it in worse shape.If we end up with any of the names I have been hearing like another term of Ray, Hendericks, Guridy or that kid Siegel, I worry that Allentown will never recover

Anonymous said...

Allentown must start over--they must get a new philosophy on spending and cutting the many unnecessary people working in A government. The policies of spend spend and spend does not work the city will be bankrupt soon if things do not change and it must change soon--and we can not depend on money from the county or state or federal money. They all need to cut back or they will go under too.

Anonymous said...

9:13. Who is the best person to do that? A good business person. And who is that? Hyman.

Anonymous said...

Allentown voters and leaders demand a shitty, dishonest mayor who makes them feel good about the diseased pig sty they created. Nat's just not their kind of guy. It's time to elect another pension piling teacher. There aren't enough of these dopes already running things into the ground in the LV. Only one of three mayors can form complete sentences. An education is a terrible thing to waste.

Resident of Allentown said...

I voted for Hyman and I am a Lifetime Dem. Sadly, when I saw the majority of Allentown decide to keep an indicted crook in office it just reinforced my belief that the Allentown voters at large are just ignorant boobs who can be easily fooled by a Carney Huckster who pulled out the rug from under them by selling off everything he could in Allentown to his political donors. It could be said that Allentown voters are a microcosm of the U.S. at large regardless of party. Put on a show, tell them what they want to hear, and facts and reality will play no part in how they vote.

Anonymous said...

Maybe if we write some positive things , Hyman would consider running. He gets bashed by all of the jealous trolls who want what he has but don't have an ounce of his intellect, work ethic or drive. They would rather sit on their couch and make negative comments about successful people to justify their own pathetic lives of video games and cheetos. Nat, consider running, Allentown needs you!

Anonymous said...

As a member of the Puerto Rican community, I can tell you that no one likes Guridy. He thinks he would get the Latino vote but he won't. Everyone thinks he is an uncle tom who pretends to be part of our community but then goes home to his white neighborhood on the west end. I'd give Hyman a shot. It seems like he has put his money back in our community.

Anonymous said...

Bernie O'Hare said:

"The apology was read by Mike Hanlon at the Council Meeting on Wednesday May 13th exactly as written."


Wait, HENDRICKS reads the original e-mail into the record and state's that HE's going to refer the matter to the state attorney general. But then he has HANLON read the apology?

How sleazy.

I'd expect nothing more from a weasel like Hendricks.

Anonymous said...

Hyman is the only hope for Allentown.

But the voters in Allentown have had their chance for competence before, and instead voted for the criminal Pawlowski (with help from Ray O'Connell).

Hendricks and O'Connell are the closest of friends, and both are anti-Semitic. I have no doubt that a large part of why O'Connell ran his spoiler campaign was because of this.

Anonymous said...

11:43 is 100% correct. It's all about jealousy. I am a Dem and voted for Hyman before. If given the chance I'd do it again.

Anonymous said...

Bernie O'Hare wrote:

"He (Hyman) personally did not write that letter, but it came from his office and he accepts responsibility"

What a novel idea, someone manning up and taking responsibility. Maybe our politicians in Washington should take a lesson from Nat Hyman.

Anonymous said...

12:41. Hendricks is nothing but a weasel and a sleaze bag!

Anonymous said...

If Nat decides to run, he will win in a landslide. I've seen him on TV a bunch of times. If anyone tries to debate him they will be embarrassed.

X said...

Council as well as current mayor are just a long running sideshow of the indicted mayor

Anonymous said...

4:42 is right. It's a cycle of corruption and cronyism. Pawlowski to O'Connell to Hendricks to Guridy. Pawlowski gave O'Connell's kid a job and O'Connell gave Hendrick's kid a job (as well as to a lot his friends and family while raising taxes 27%). I personally think O'Connell is more corrupt than Pawlowski. Hyman is the only hope to break this cycle and bring competency to the office with no ulterior motives.

Bernie O'Hare said...

What I can say is that I know Ray O’Connell, and there is not a mean bone in his body.

Anonymous said...

If there aren't any mean bones in Ray's body, there sure ares some lying bones. He promised he would not run for reelection and it wasn't even a month after he got reelected he started to talk about running again. I voted for him every time he ran, but I would never vote for him again. I'm sick of all the lying politicians whose word means nothing.

Anonymous said...

O'Connell is not going to run.
His wife is in remission from 2 bouts of cancer.
He has told his close allies that he will be 72 when his term is over.
He wants to enjoy the time left with his wife and grandchildren.
He just states he might run again and likes to poke at Julio.
However, if he did run , he would win.
He has built up a strong coalition in office (Police, Firefighters. Latino community. Syrian community, Jewish community).He hammers the West End.
The more in the race the better for him.(Guridy, Hyman, Thiel, and more).


Anonymous said...

3:34 In a head to head contest between Hyman and O'Connell it would be close. Hyman would take away the Jewish Community and half of the West end that you are giving to Ray. As a member of the Syrian community, I can tell you that Hyman employs a lot of my people and they are very loyal to him and has been very generous to many Syrian families. Plus O'Connell would have to run against his promise not to run again. I heard that if Thiel ran he would be indicted for his role in the Pawlowski affair. That sounds like suicide to me.