tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post7035674109897013876..comments2024-03-29T09:51:12.266-04:00Comments on Lehigh Valley Ramblings: LC Voter Registrar: Allentown Mayor Pawlowski Must File 30 Day Post Election ReportBernie O'Harehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-4305194793666373472009-01-05T14:42:00.000-05:002009-01-05T14:42:00.000-05:00""He created a far worse mess than Afflerbach, in ...""He created a far worse mess than Afflerbach, in which legal bribery is now a way of life in Allentown.<BR/><BR/>9:05 PM""" Then put him in jail or get over it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-41569875232390345632009-01-03T21:05:00.000-05:002009-01-03T21:05:00.000-05:001) It has been proved. There are links to the cont...1) It has been proved. There are links to the contributions and where they come from. <BR/><BR/>2) Any citizen interested in honest and ethical government cares. Angy citizen who does not believe government should be for sale cares. I care. Many others care. <BR/><BR/>3) Afflerbach, with all his flaws, was aided and abetted by his #2 employee. That person's name was Ed Pawlowski. He created a far worse mess than Afflerbach, in which legal bribery is now a way of life in Allentown.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-51895058997138096792009-01-03T20:44:00.000-05:002009-01-03T20:44:00.000-05:00"""Anonymous: How many other local Mayors spent un..."""Anonymous: How many other local Mayors spent unprecedented hundreds of thousands of dollars on their campaigns, of which roughly 90% came from non-Allentown residents and more than 75% which came from outside the Lehigh Valley? Let's not attack the messanger.<BR/><BR/>8:41 AM""" First of all Prove it. Second... who cares, Pawlowski is the Mayor. If you want to cry about what happened go back to Mayor Roy who created the mess.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-79055417812880923492009-01-02T14:58:00.000-05:002009-01-02T14:58:00.000-05:00Hello, reporter.Why did you bring race into those ...Hello, reporter.<BR/><BR/>Why did you bring race into those comments of mine?<BR/><BR/>There is NO question, the growing number of rental units in the Allentown community is creating a problem. The schools are VERY overcrowded, and the contributing tax base is shrinking due to high density living arrangements, both recorded and not recorded.<BR/><BR/>Public assistance recipients are in large part "takers" rather than "givers" in society. Funded, rather than funding citizens. That can't continue. The math doesn't work.<BR/><BR/>It has nothing to do with race.<BR/><BR/>To follow-up on my post, I simply no longer encounter people who believe in their local newspaper.<BR/><BR/>The value of their local newspaper has been diminished as it no longer seems a watchdog, a voice of the people, an effective tool that helps ensure accountability from elected officials AND their populace.<BR/><BR/>Maybe I'm just from an earlier generation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-34809818607276468062009-01-02T14:24:00.000-05:002009-01-02T14:24:00.000-05:00Aren't "Too great an influx of public assistance r...Aren't "Too great an influx of public assistance recipients" and "Too many Rental Units" just different ways to say "Too many minorities?"<BR/><BR/>You sure this isn't the Morning Call forum?<BR/><BR/>Just asking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-49393933662686817052009-01-02T13:45:00.000-05:002009-01-02T13:45:00.000-05:00Again, anonymous MSM reporter, your participation ...Again, anonymous MSM reporter, your participation on this blog is appreciated. Persons who express opinions here seem to reflect a higher intellect (and without the racsism) than the majority who post on The Morning Call Forum.<BR/><BR/>Despite your own Forum's shortcomings, it probably DOES represent public opinion of a substantial amount of Allentown Area residents. Folks you profess to serve.<BR/><BR/>There are some GLARING trends of thought found on your Forum. Problems that visitors to your site are crying out for help in solving. I believe the help they seek is expected to come FIRST from their elected officials. Officials encouraged to provide tangible leadership and action.<BR/><BR/>If necessary, leadership and action DEMANDED by the posters' traditional watchdog institution, their own local newspaper.<BR/><BR/>Lately, the local paper here (Morning Call) seems oblivious to the problems its readers see. There seems to be NO challenge from your organization, NO analysis, NO call for action.<BR/><BR/>Here are the significant trends that most concern your citizenry:<BR/><BR/>1. Out of control crime.<BR/>2. Too great an influx of public assistance recipients.<BR/>3. Too mnay rental units.<BR/>4. Dirty city.<BR/>5. Arrogant, innactive mayor.<BR/>6. Families afraid to send their kids to the Allentown School District. <BR/><BR/>I don't know. I just believe a strong, involved local paper USED TO BE effective in demanding better from its community leadership. For the past few years, I just don't see this from the Morning Call. The question is, why not?<BR/><BR/>Perhaps posters here, and on The Morning Call Forum, have become too concerned over NON-ISSUES.<BR/><BR/>At least address those issues and describe why Allentown Area citizens should be pleased with where their major city finds itself today.<BR/><BR/>If you are indeed a reporter, I'm sorry to say, your company's management and editorial decisions are failing you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-85980285559495955532009-01-02T12:28:00.000-05:002009-01-02T12:28:00.000-05:00So, you have two "facts" but you won't share them ...So, you have two "facts" but you won't share them with anyone? OK.<BR/><BR/>You're right, I must be ignorant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-42246416554795494582009-01-02T11:23:00.000-05:002009-01-02T11:23:00.000-05:00Anon Reporter -I could name two instances of stori...Anon Reporter -<BR/><BR/>I could name two instances of stories being "killed" by editors at the MC because the story would have portrayed the city in a negative light (although the facts of the story were true). I was told this by two different MC reporters that I dealt with regularly and knew fairly well. <BR/><BR/>I will not sign my name or give details about the stories since I do not want any retaliation taken against the reporters who told me what happened. <BR/><BR/>However if you do not think that this is going on at the Call, you are either: 1) not who you say you are, 2) purposely ignorant of what is going on, or 3) deliberately lying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-49312192032100816492009-01-02T08:41:00.000-05:002009-01-02T08:41:00.000-05:00Anonymous said... Isn't it all clear to everyone? ...Anonymous said... <BR/>Isn't it all clear to everyone? Bern Ohare just loves to hate Mayor ED. That fact will never change and that is the only reason bern posts about him all the time. Like hey.... how many other mayors does he whine about???<BR/><BR/>1:52 PM <BR/><BR/><BR/>Anonymous: How many other local Mayors spent unprecedented hundreds of thousands of dollars on their campaigns, of which roughly 90% came from non-Allentown residents and more than 75% which came from outside the Lehigh Valley? Let's not attack the messanger.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-90592471890694920852009-01-01T23:30:00.000-05:002009-01-01T23:30:00.000-05:00Biased reporters with personnal agendas brought ab...Biased reporters with personnal agendas brought about their own demise. Small local papers will take their place. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.<BR/>The Bethlehem Press and Channel 69 do a better job of straight up reporting now and they have the potential of getting much better without the corruption of the Morning Call and the Easton Express.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-73538652153079271912009-01-01T22:53:00.000-05:002009-01-01T22:53:00.000-05:00Banker-I think the entire industry has been gutted...Banker-<BR/><BR/>I think the entire industry has been gutted to a dangerous level. I think we can cover the necessities and still have some good hard investigative stories in the paper, but I think the days of covering every meeting and event are over. I agree it's a shame.<BR/><BR/>The thing I think the grave dancers fail to see is what happens when we are gone. Unpaid blogs just can't take up the slack when there is no daily to keep an eye on things. News aggregating sites like Google, Yahoo and even Drudge will have nowhere to turn for their content.<BR/><BR/>Without us, governments will operate in a vacuum. I think anyone in the industry would agree with your assessment that staff cuts are a bad thing.<BR/><BR/>Bernie's assessment about the benefits of competition is dead on and with the number of papers teetering on the brink of oblivion, it can only get worse.<BR/><BR/>Thanks guys for sparring with me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-54696875672506115532009-01-01T20:01:00.000-05:002009-01-01T20:01:00.000-05:00"No one cares about te trash you write."Yet here y...<EM>"No one cares about te trash you write."</EM><BR/><BR/>Yet here you are, at 8 PM on New Year's Day, braying away. The MSM must write trash, too.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-3809880225517944152009-01-01T19:57:00.000-05:002009-01-01T19:57:00.000-05:00Everything annon 5:36 posted is true and can be pr...Everything annon 5:36 posted is true and can be proven. You will never do anything about it because of your man crush. No one cares about te trash you write. It is a shame the MSM has not followed through. One of the many resons, people give them no credibility.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-32704222059048874552009-01-01T17:39:00.000-05:002009-01-01T17:39:00.000-05:00The MSM would not be reporting on that because all...The MSM would not be reporting on that because all of your allegations are lies.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-62219477783790876992009-01-01T17:36:00.000-05:002009-01-01T17:36:00.000-05:00Hey MSM, how about just reporting on Northampton C...Hey MSM, how about just reporting on Northampton County. Contracts just under the threshold to Executive friends, campaign contributions sought by Stoffa with offers of work in the same letter.<BR/>That information was sent to the MSM and promptly ignored.<BR/><BR/>Good Job, Journalism 101, or better yet Journalism 1984.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-39670850795122417282009-01-01T15:37:00.000-05:002009-01-01T15:37:00.000-05:00MSM,Curious what your thought is regarding my earl...MSM,<BR/><BR/>Curious what your thought is regarding my earlier question - has the MC budget / staff been gutted to the point that it's not capable of covering things as effectively as it should? <BR/><BR/>The BankerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-54493692610971964772009-01-01T14:17:00.000-05:002009-01-01T14:17:00.000-05:00MSM, I would not want to be the editor who tells y...MSM, <BR/><BR/>I would not want to be the editor who tells you to shelve a story. I do not believe the paper is overtly or politically biased, but that it does have an incumbent bias to some extent. I do think you do much, much better when you have competition. <BR/><BR/>You are a human institution that makes human mistakes. Lord knows you're far better than bloggers. I concede that. <BR/><BR/>Ideally, we are a complement to the MSM. We can provide details for which you lack space to those who are really interested in a topic. We are a little bit more free to report rumors or little pieces of informatikon that make the big picture easier to understand. I'm going to be doing that tomorrow w/ the Northampton County solicitor. I have a story that probably is not newswortrhy, but will be very blogworthy and of great interest to those who follow NC politics. <BR/><BR/>Neither of us is perfect. If truth be told, blogs would probably be shouted down were it not for the MSM. Just last week, Bill White defended a hyper local blog that covers Lower Nazareth Tp that is being assailed by the township manager. <BR/><BR/>If our goal is learning the truth, we work pretty well together. When either of us hass an agenda, we tend to drift apart. <BR/><BR/>I don't tell the MSM what to cover as a rule and only pointed some of these things out bc I was point blank asked. Like you, I hate like hell when someone instructs me to cover or not cover a topic. That's my call. I would not like you telling me what to write and understand your sentiments. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for your insight. it would mean more if you identified yourself, but I respect your anonymity and agree completely that it MUST remain that way.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-22207385884808493842009-01-01T13:50:00.000-05:002009-01-01T13:50:00.000-05:00P.S.I just re-read the 2nd post on the mayor's rep...P.S.<BR/><BR/>I just re-read the 2nd post on the mayor's reports. Actually Bernie, finding the donors was a good piece of reporting. <BR/><BR/>That's it for me. I have to get back to work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-82233207169061759072009-01-01T13:33:00.000-05:002009-01-01T13:33:00.000-05:00Well Timmy-Thanks for the lecture, but I'll stack ...Well Timmy-<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the lecture, but I'll stack my journalistic credentials up against anyone's. As for your judgment of "news," where do you believe the newspaper would write all of this news? Would we put out a 400 page paper that few if anyone would read? Would we write as news anything that came across our desks?<BR/><BR/>And you Tiny Tim are incorrect. The role of the fourth estate has always been to be the gatekeeper. Right or wrong, the role is not to print every piece of "news" that you and the rest of the Cratchets think should be in the paper. It is to look at events with an objective eye and make decisions about what our space will allow us to print. Always has been and for better or worse, as far as the hard copy newspaper goes, always will be.<BR/><BR/>The whole point of a newspaper is to "selectively" print. God I love all of this self righteous blogger stuff. Please, Tim, learn the difference between an editorial and a column and between those opinion pieces and a true news story. That is journalism 101.<BR/><BR/>And as I explained to Bernie, I agree that the campaign finance reports were a story. What they are not is hard hitting news coverage. Bernie did a nice job finding it.<BR/><BR/>I wasn't going to post on here again, but since Timmy called me out of retirement, I will say that Bernie, I think you and I agree on a lot of this stuff. My defense of newspapers was based on criticisms of conspiracy and collusion, which just aren't true. We're not infallible and believe me, few if any of us believe we are.<BR/><BR/>We bitch and complain as much as anyone, but what we DON"T do is take marching orders from anyone. Trust me when I tell you, there is NOBODY better at expressing self righteous indignation than a reporter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-44145476282078537682009-01-01T12:36:00.000-05:002009-01-01T12:36:00.000-05:00I'm curious if the Anon Reporter understands what ...I'm curious if the Anon Reporter understands what the responsibility of the Fourth Estate demands?<BR/><BR/>What you deem as non stories/non news is the exactly the type of selective journalism that keeps information out of the hands of the public.<BR/><BR/>You feel that misfiled campaign finance reports are nothing. I want to know where, when, and how the mayor is getting his money. There is an election year next year, and his campaign money is an important aspect that everyone should be aware of.<BR/><BR/>Editorials are just as important as news, but when the editorials fail to address problems in the city, that is an issue. Editorials blasting those with Tattoos, or who has the best Christmas Lights are the type of fluff that keep the bare minimum of subscribers reading.<BR/><BR/>However, for those of us that read several newspapers a day, our city reporting is a joke. It is the morning call's responsibility to hold accountable all public servants to the Lehigh Valley. Demos, Repubs, Independents, all should be taken to task when they fail to their jobs, and they should be praised when they succeed.<BR/><BR/>The job of the Fourth Estate is not to selectively make decisions on what is news, and what is not. It is to report, and research, everything that makes the political sphere understandable to the masses. If you do not agree that is fine, but I suggest yo go and take Journalism 101 again in that case.Timothy Russohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06174733983843185168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-32195963021451962092009-01-01T12:00:00.000-05:002009-01-01T12:00:00.000-05:00I completely agree. This blog is opinionated and m...I completely agree. This blog is opinionated and makes no claim to objectivity. My experience has told me that opinionated sources can have almost as much credibility as those which claim to be impartial, so long as they tell the truth and disclose their bias. <BR/><BR/>As far as King Ed and the Ron Angle Bulldogmobile or my report of Bill White's arrest are concerned, I assume my readers are intelligent enough to discern fact from fiction. <BR/><BR/>I don't spoonfeed them.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-79659782529044340972009-01-01T11:50:00.000-05:002009-01-01T11:50:00.000-05:00" Bernie O'Hare said... I was asked to name just o..." Bernie O'Hare said... <BR/>I was asked to name just one instance of malfeasance that went uncovered. I named several" That is true Bernie. The big difference between your blog and a newspaper is,just as someone mentioned, credibility. You as a blogger have free will as to what you post. A newspaper printing an article does not. Blogs have the option to post at will using pure opinion, sensationalism, and satire as well, with the public never knowing at times which is which. Take for example the topic pictures such as Pawlowski as a king and Angle's Bull Dog truck. Where does the line from fact to fiction or one sided opinion start and end? Or better yet OPINIONATED "FACT" start and stop? That, Mr O'hare, is the difference between a blog and a newspaper. Thank you and Happy New Year for you and yours.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-49942026728116096252009-01-01T11:36:00.000-05:002009-01-01T11:36:00.000-05:00MSM,I made no threat to trash you here or anywhere...MSM,<BR/><BR/>I made no threat to trash you here or anywhere and was perhaps unclear. That's a flaw in Internet exchanges. My point is that you are anonymous and should remain that way bc there are some people, one in particular, who will start trashing you immediately if you identify yourself. I apologize if you think that I was intimating this is something I might do. I'm glad for the exchange and your anonymity enables you to avoid those slings and arrows.<BR/><BR/>I am presuming you are what you say you are. I know one <B>former</B> reporter who used that black helicopter and conspiracy theory argument all the time. He went into public relations and became a professional spinner. <BR/><BR/>Aa far as a claim of political bias is concerned, I have never made any such claim. I lean liberal myself, and think it is hard to contend the paper is biased towards liberals when, on Election Day, the paper is wrapped in a NRA baggie. Other readers have different views, but I see no political bias. <BR/><BR/>But I do make a claim of media bias - it is a slight bias in favor of incumbents. They guarantee you access, so you tend to favor them in your reports. It's hard to avoid. <BR/><BR/>As far as Northampton County coverage is concerned, I don't have to tell you what to do. Market forces are at work there. You have competition. There are two newspapers and they try to scoop each other all the time. The result of this friendly rivalry is better coverage for the public. <BR/><BR/>In LC, where there is no competition, you tend to get complacent. You do not attend committee meetings. Other reporters have told me this themselves. The reporters actually prefer competition. It makes them better. <BR/><BR/>Look at your Queen City Daily blog. It is updated so infrequently it should be called the Queen City Monthly. Paul Muschick, a great reporter, used to post the agenda of ZHB meetings. That may not sound like much, but that's how some eager beavers learned about Sam Bennett's zoning application for a B&B. <BR/><BR/>Last night, I had an exchange with a sports blogger. Your local sports ccoverage is horrific, and that's one reason why he started. He's got some great ideas, something you should be doing already. This is a guy that already wortks 9 to 5 and his blog about the Iron Pigs has so much detail that the paper should put this guy on its payroll and hire him to cover the Pigs. <BR/><BR/>Yesterday, you were asking for just one example of malfeasance that you've missed. Now you've come down to earth and concede you've missed stories. I give you credit for that and wish I were that willing to admit error. That is your saving grace. <BR/><BR/>Again, I've conceded my story about Pawlowski is no pulitzer. But it was a story, as you concede. It's pretty signifigant when the mayor of Pa.'s third largest city claims falsely, on a notarized statement, that he has no contributors. I do appreciate the readers who have commended it and in fact was complimented by a few reporters. That's the highest praise. <BR/><BR/>To your final point, there is simply NO excuse for missing meetings of the LV's largest local government. I'm sorry, but that is an abdication of your responsibility to the public. You cannot be watchdogs if you are not there. It's irresponsible. <BR/><BR/>Let me give you an example. Last year I attended my first meeting of the LC Board of Commissioners. There was no beat reporter assigned. That night, a comm'r suddenly announced he was resigning. It took everyone by surprise. The MC missed that one. You need to be there to write the stories. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for the exchange.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-21275875419174358912009-01-01T10:50:00.000-05:002009-01-01T10:50:00.000-05:00You and Scott enjoy. I'll be out conspiring with ...You and Scott enjoy. I'll be out conspiring with local politicians about what stories i should cover. When I'm done, I'll go to my secret left wing bias club meeting and then it's off to my editorial meeting to get permission for my stories.<BR/><BR/>Do me a favor, lay off with the "trashing" threats. That's bush league stuff. Have a debate or don't, but threatening to trash me on your blog just shows that you don't think you have the goods to back up your arguments.<BR/><BR/>As for meeting coverage, are you suggesting that when the Northampton Council meets to approve a professional service contract with the local vet we should be there? Is that a good use of resources? <BR/><BR/>When the committee on veterinarian services meets to discuss said contract, should we be there? Again, is that productive? Is there a need to know about the $8,000 per year vet contract. IS that one of the "shelved" or "selectively ignored" stories?<BR/><BR/>I wasn't trying to trash your story for what it was. I was saying it wasn't worthy of this back patting you were all engaged in. <BR/><BR/>As for the others, there are some good points in there I concede. <BR/><BR/>I have no illusions that my industry is in its glory. We are struggling alongside everyone. Better than some, worse than most. The truth is, many of us won't be in this business in 5 or maybe even 2 years.<BR/><BR/>My defense of newspapers is a reaction to your readers' conspiracy theories. They claim to "know for a fact," have "been told" or "heard" things that simply aren't true. Credibility is gone when you state something as fact that simply isn't.<BR/><BR/>Do we miss stories. Sure. Do we sometimes pass over things that 10 years ago may have been in the paper in favor of a bigger or more time consuming story. Definitely. <BR/><BR/>Do we conspire with anyone to keep stories out of the paper. Not a chance. What Armstrong, Molovinsky, Villa and even you don't understand is that if an editor ever told the average journalist to kill a good story, there would be a revolt, not just in the newsroom, but I'd bet in other newsrooms as well.<BR/><BR/>The last point I'll make is that because you or one of the others here THINK something is news, doesn't make it so. Those stories you listed, may have been news, I don't know, But missing commissioners' meetings or council meetings when nothing is on the agenda is a fact of the business. Always has been, at least in my years as a newspaper reporter. No conspiracy, no collusion, just time management. <BR/><BR/>Happy New year Bernie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-27705893119357212802009-01-01T01:52:00.000-05:002009-01-01T01:52:00.000-05:00MSM dude/dudette,I know you were not that particul...MSM dude/dudette,<BR/><BR/>I know you were not that particular Anon, but I answered him/her, too. I have an immense amount of respect for the reporters bc I see what they do every day. I have seen people like Paul Muschick or Scott Kraus or Sarah Cassi or Tracy Jordan develop major stories in minutes that would take me days. So don't get me wrong. <BR/><BR/>I'll look forward to you setting me strraight, but I'll be a little busy tomorrow. Scott Armstrong and I are taking a black helicopter ride.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.com