Say Hello to James Whitney, Allentown Contributor to Lehigh Valley Ramblings

James Whitney, cat and Shelby Edwards

Although this blog is called Lehigh Valley Ramblings, I focus mainly on Northampton County. As I advance in age, it is no longer possible for me to cover meetings in the vast expanse of the Lehigh Valley. So several months ago, I issued a plea for contributors who are willing to share insights about their localities. We are all fortunate that Brad Osborne, a former South Whitehall Township and Lehigh County Commissioner, has been peeling away the onion layers in South Whitehall. Now I wish to introduce a second contributor, James Whitney, who will be offering stories about the Lehigh Valley's largest and most interesting local government - Allentown. 

I first met Whitney and his partner Shelby Edwards a few years ago, when they experienced several problems with a facade grant for their Hamilton Street property. They did considerable research, enough to rival the investigative reporting at a major newspaper. Their work managed to piss everyone off, including CACLV's Alan Jennings, the CACLV board and Peter Lewnes, their Main Street manager. The research done by Whitney and Edwards, which I chronicled in several stories, exposed more than a bit of self-dealing. They are relentless advocates of good government. 

In the story below, you'll see Whitney's inaugural story.