At the beginning of last night's Allentown City Council, but not before praying to Jesus, Council President Cynthia Mota announced that earlier that day, Council conducted a questionable and possibly illegal executive session with Allentown police concerning the noose that was supposedly discovered early last Friday. She then reported that the FBI is working "in tandem" with Allentown police to uncover the truth.
She failed to disclose that it was in fact a city council member who supposedly discovered this noose at City Hall on Friday, on a floor where this member has no business. No explanation was given for the presence of this member of City Council member, or whether this is a possible attempt to throw a monkey wrench into Tuerk's re-election.
Given that the Sunshine Act's exceptions for executive sessions have no application to this situation, I question City Council's ability to determine what is or is not legal. That meeting should have been open to the public spotlight.
Mayor Matt Tuerk, described by one of my readers as a 4th degree black belt in virtue signaling, was conspicuously absent. "Where's our Mayor?" asked saloon owner Don Ringer. "This is an important meeting." It certainly is to those trying to set him up as the mastermind of a racist city hall.
A parade of outraged citizens addressed Council, not one of whom suggested that this could have been put there for political purposes or to lend credibility to claims of racism.
I referred to Mota as City Council President, but Daryl Hendricks was elected President later that evening.
After agreeing to spend $50,000 for a related civil investigation and incredibly, is considering hiring yet another law firm to conduct even more investigations.
If an elected body meets for an executive session that really should be public, shouldn't the solicitor intervene and advise said body that the meeting should be a public meeting?
ReplyDeleteYeah, Don Ringer, the voice of reason!! West End slumlord and casino manager….
ReplyDeleteDoes he still have those poker machines in the basement? Either way, yeah, he's a creepy dude watching him at these council meetings.
DeleteLet's face it: With a nod to Merle Haggard, Allentown is a city rolling downhill like a snowball headed for hell.
ReplyDeleteThe FBI? somehow, the inevitable outcome here is that Ed P gets another 15 years.
ReplyDeleteIf it’s a setup they need to be charged. The police and FBI have better things to do.
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked, shocked, I tell you that council would do anything illegal (or legal for that matter.) I suggest they do not need a lawyer because Lori Lightfoot is here to save the day.
ReplyDeleteA bunch of noise. Can someone please do something to improve the future of this city? City hall has accomplished very little in 8 years!
ReplyDeleteSomething to improve the City?? How about two new advisory panels: Latino Advisory Panel and African American Advisory Panel and an Immigrant Welcoming City Ordinance to boot! What more can you ask for? I'm waiting for the shrinking base of white residents to demand a White Advisory Panel..after all we're racial minorities in Allentown.
Delete12:22 And how has that worked out for the city? For some, everything is seen through the prism of color, and you wonder why Allentown sucks!
DeleteIf there were a White Advisory Panel, the others would sue and agitate for representation on it.
DeleteA Council member found it or was summond after it was discovered? Who was the first call after it was discovered?
ReplyDeleteWas the scene secure? No photos yet? Was the HR person involved?
I agree with 7:51 - I want to see a photo of the “noose”.
ReplyDeleteAlso, has it been ruled out that it wasn’t left the day before?
624am the number you are looking for is 120yrs. The convoluted corruption continues the infect the downtown area on the north side of Hamilton.
ReplyDelete“It certainly is to those trying to set him up as the mastermind of a racist city hall.”
ReplyDeleteIt really doesn’t matter what the motivation was behind the noose.
If it’s serious enough for the FBI to get involved and into Allentown City Hall, it’s important enough for the mayor to show up at the first public meeting after the incident and answer questions from council and the public (to the best that he is able).
That’s what a competent mayor would do, instead of hiding.
In times of crisis, a city needs a leader. People naturally look to the mayor to fill that role, which apparently is beyond the current Mayor’s ability.
Of course the motivation matters. Without the salience of motivation, no crime is committed by placing an object on a desk in a public office.
DeleteThe FBI's involvement, such as it is, is not an indicator of anything special. It indicates only that a phone call was made from one law enforcement office to another. This phone call in this instance was placed to mollify activists who demanded it.
The meeting was of the City Council. The Mayor, as much a bystander to the incident as any of the Council members who did not place the object, had no answers to give for any sensible question which could be asked of him pertaining to the incident. As I understand it, the City Council had seized control of the investigation. Perhaps at such a time as their process concludes, they can inform the Mayor of what it discovered.
It would be so great if the FBI charges someone with planting it for political purposes, whatever that charge would be. But I expect Kash Patel and his minions won't be interested in this one way or another.
ReplyDeleteQuestion on hiring a lawyer to “investigate”, vs letting the former FBI agent do it:
ReplyDeleteIs there any higher degree of confidentiality with a lawyer investigating, that would allow the results to be kept from the public?
Also, would hiring a lawyer NOW to start an investigation (vs. restarting an existing investigation) make it more likely that the results wouldn’t come out until after the primary election?
I read yesterday on a different bloggers page that the FBI agent has extensive experience investigating the mafia. Don't you think a law firm with expertise in discrimination and racism in the workplace is a better fit for an investigation?
DeleteActually the FBI Special Agent in n question has extensive knowledge on investigating Allentown.
DeleteAllentown needs to put lithium in its water supply to city council because some of the participants are bat shit crazy.
ReplyDeleteWeeds are showing up everywhere in Allentown now. Obviously, most visible are the idiotic weed walls ruining our public park spaces. But, now, we even have weeds living inside City Hall. Both areas need to be cleaned out.
DeleteBubba Wallace, Jussie Smollett, Duke Lacrosse. Stop me if you've heard this before.
ReplyDeleteThey always revert back to this non-sense!
DeleteThere was a particularly egregious case in Maryland last year. An instructor in the athletic department of a Pikesville High School who was under administrative review for conduct used an AI speech emulator to create a hoax "recording" of the principal using racist language. The principal of course was terminated before the hoax was uncovered by the DA weeks later.
DeleteDonald Trump..... he can lie and make up stories with the best of them!
DeleteA 300 man police department can’t handle this?
ReplyDeleteThe public and council supporters demanded FBI involvement. I would hope that ups the exposure of the perpetrator.
Delete9:15 I don't believe it will. It appears to be a maneuver to remove the matter from local oversight and into Director Wray's alimentary canal.
DeleteAllentown is such a cesspool, but no worries, Mayor "I'm all ears" Twerp is on the case!
ReplyDeleteOkay Daryl….
DeleteWas Bubba Wallace in the house?
ReplyDeleteCall Sharpton!
ReplyDeleteHoax alert! Morning Call reports that the "victim" is not cooperating with FBI; refusing DNA samples.
ReplyDelete