Behind the Curtain, Allentown Burying Eichenwald Reform Measure

Robert Glazier, below the egg timer

Jeanette Eichenwald, who I like to call Allentown's very own Iron Lady, has opted against seeking a third term on City Council. But even in her last moments on Council, she is fighting hard for good government. She recently joined hands with Lehigh County Republican Vic Mazziotti to push a reform aimed at curbing pay-to-play. Prior to that, she proposed legislation that will give Council more oversight over how contracts are awarded. Though Julio Guridy has seconded the measure, Council members are trying to kill it in committee.

After its formal introduction last week, Eichenwald's reform was forwarded to Jeff Glazier's Budget and Finance Committee. But he refuses to conduct a hearing. This is completely contrary to what happens after a bill is introduced and seconded. Here's the run down, as it appears in an email chain that is public record.

Eichenwald to Clerk Mike Hanlon: "Did you forget to include in the Budget and Finance Agenda a discussion of the legislation to amend the manner in which service contracts are awarded introduced by Jeanette Eichenwald and Julio Guridy?"

Hanlon to Eichenwald: "Jeff did not want it on this agenda."

Allentown's Iron Lady

Eichenwald To President Ray O'Connell and Council: "Ray, The fact that Jeff Glazier has unilaterally decided that the contract bill is not on the Budget and Finance Committee agenda is absolutely disgusting and a disservice to the citizens of Allentown. It is customary procedure that once a legislation is seconded and assigned to committee, that legislation is placed on the committee agenda for the next meeting which in this case is August 26th. Jeff certainly has the right to vote against this legislation, but he does not have the right to stifle discussion on it. If Jeff does not want this legislation to be on the agenda of his committee, then Ray, as the president of the city council, has the right to assign it to a different committee.

Ray, as president of city council I expect you to enforce the customary procedure and avoid the need of my going to the public.

O'Connell to Eichenwald: "Jeff is the chairperson of Budget and Finance and has asked that it be not on this agenda due to the fact that he wants to form an ad hoc committee made up of council members and community members to do research on the topic and look at how other places handle this topic. With that being stated I support his decision and it will get on the council agenda in the VERY near future. I would respectfully ask that you support this endeavor.This is very important legislation going forth. Thank you.

Eichenwald to O'Connell and Council: "Here we go again. The plan that you and Jeff put forward is a delay tactic. The motion will be delayed again and again with the excuse that the Budget and Finance Committee is too busy reviewing next year's budget. Nothing that you have proposed obviates the fact that the legislation should be included in this month's agenda. You either want city council to have greater input in the awarding of contracts or you wish to continue the procedure that has led to an FBI investigation placing a dark cloud over the city. I and the citizens of Allentown will not be silenced by this disgusting ploy. There is absolutely no reason not to begin the discussion on this important issue NOW!! You can vote against the motion; you can create myriad ad hoc committees to discuss and research the motion; you can even hire consultants to study the motion, but it must be introduced NOW!!

Updated 1:10 pm: O'Connell denies desire to let bill die. His exact words: "There is no way shape or form that I want to kill this bill. This bill is certainly needed in Allentown.Jeff Glazier is the chair of Budget and Finance and asked me and others on the committee that he wants to form an ad hoc committee made up of council members and community members to get more insight and input concerning the bill. He would be looking at other cities,municipalities to gain the best practices available.

"I support that decision. I will not let this drag on for a long time. I would surely like to see something introduced and
voted on no later than the end of September. This is too important of legislation to rush it.

"Thank you for listening.'

Yes, Virginia, There Are Dedicated Public Servants

Paul Weiss

He was at the courthouse at 7:15 on Wednesday morning, preparing for a white collar crime trial that most people don't even notice. Never mind that it involves the possible embezzlement of $830,000 from Bethlehem Township. After a full day of trial, he spent the evening working on his closing, arriving home at 10:30 PM. That's a 15 hour day, and it's not over. If there is a murder or major crime committed, his phone will be among the first to ring.

That's one day in the life of Northampton County DA John Morganelli.

At yesterday's trial, Bethlehem Township Commissioner Tom Nolan sat in the peanut gallery, trying to learn as much as he could. That's how he spent a day off.

Later in the evening, at a zoning hearing, Commissioner President Paul Weiss sat quietly in the back of the room, as he does during almost all planning and zoning meetings.

Commissioner Mike Hudak was probably hiding in the bushes at Housenick Park, making sure nobody littered.

I poke fun at these guys all the time. But they all care, and they all show up.

Fortunately for me, there's enough of the other type or I'd have to retire as a bottom-feeding blogger.

Why Don't You Run For Local Office?

One of the questions I'm frequently asked, especially when ragging on some local pol, is why I don't run for office, especially since I already think I know everything.

Hey, the world needs gadflies, too!

Let's face it, I'm far more effective as a pain in the ass than I could ever be sitting behind some dais, wearing some suit and tie or a sexy dress, depending on my mood. During courtesy of the floor, I could never stand listening to wingnuts like me. Also, a practical matter, I'd never be elected. Even I would never vote for me. True, I'm quite handsome, but I'm also an impoverished and alcoholic ex-lawyer so irresponsible I still get parking tickets at least once every week.

Despite my own clear incompetence, people who read and contribute to this blog should seriously consider seeking local office next year. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of partisan backscratchers who may get no parking tickets, but seek office for all the wrong reasons. They hand out city money to restaurants that fail while ignoring a real crime problem. They engage in shouting matches during public meetings, or deliberately mislead the public.

So why don't you run? Next year, we will be voting for county hangmen, school directors, borough and city mayors and council members, township supervisors and commissioners, and mini-judges. For the last four years, the League of Women Voters has conducted a four-hour "Running for Local Office" workshop, specifically designed for Lehigh Valley candidates.

What's required in the way of paperwork? What's your strategy? How do you ask for donations without ending up in jail? Can a political party help? Will the press even notice you? During this seminar, experienced campaigners, party bosses and elections officials will answer those questions. A comprehensive notebook filled with pertinent information is given to every participant.

Here are the details.

When: Saturday, November 22, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (continental breakfast included).

Where: Northampton Community College, Kiva room (circular building), Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, Pa.

Cost: $45, to cover LWV costs. This is no fundraiser.

Download an application? Click here.

LV's Top Elected Leaders: Poll Results For All Nominees

Yesterday, I gave you the breakdown on the top ten elected officials in the Lehigh Valley, but failed to list vote totals for some nominees who missed making the cut. In fairnesss to these folks, I think I should list all the vote totals. One nomination was made after I started my poll. Marc Grammes, Lehigh County Commissioner, suggested Lehigh County row officers, whom we all tend to take for granted. And frankly, I should have nominated Marc. He has commented here from time to time, and has been a very dedicated Lehigh County Commissioner.

Here's the breakdown for all 28 nominees:

The Top Ten

#10 - State rep. Rich Grucela(16 Votes)

#9 - LC Commissioner Kurt Derr (17 Votes)

#8 - State rep. Steve Samuelson (18 Votes)

#6 - A tie between U.S. Congressman Charlie Dent and Norco Exec John Stoffa, with 21 votes each.

#5 - State rep. Craig Dally (23 Votes)

#4 - Norco Councilperson Ron Angle (24 Votes)

#3 - State rep. Joe Brennan (27 Votes)

#2 - LC Exec Don Cunningham (29 Votes)

#1 - State rep. Bob Freeman (36 Votes)

Remaining Nominees

#11 - State rep. Jenn Mann (15 Votes)

#12 - A tie between Northampton County DA John Morganelli and Nazareth Borough Councilperson Jack Herbst, with 13 votes each.

#14 - Norco Council Prez Wayne Grube (11 Votes)

#15 - Norco Councilperson Charles Dertinger (10 Votes)

#16 - Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski (9 Votes)

#17 - Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan (8 Votes)

#18 - Emmaus Councilperson Joyce Marin (6 Votes)

#19 - Norco Councilperson Mike Dowd (5 Votes)

#20 - Emmaus Councilperson Wes Barrett and South Whitehall Commissioner Brad Osborne tied with 4 votes each.

#22 - Southern Lehigh School Director Bill Miracle and Allentown City Councilman Julio Guridy tied with 2 Votes apiece.

#24 - Bethlehem School Director Judy Dexter, Norco Councilperson Diane Neiper, and Southern Lehigh School Director Bill Eddinger had one vote apiece.

#27 - Bethlehem City Council member Jean Belinski and Kutztown Mayor Sandy Green, though nominated, captured no votes.

LV's Top Ten Elected Officials: "The People Have Spoken"

"The people have spoken. ... F--- them."

Those were my dad's words, live, to a radio broadcaster upon learning he had lost his bid for re-election as Northampton County DA. The year was 1969.

And you think I'm irreverent?

Well, the people of the blogosphere have spoken, too. They've selected the top ten elected officials in the Lehigh Valley with 337 ballots spread out among twenty-eight nominees. Voters were asked to select leaders who make government both transparent and accountable.

Here's the breakdown.

#10 - State rep. Rich Grucela(16 Votes)

#9 - LC Commissioner Kurt Derr (17 Votes)

#8 - State rep. Steve Samuelson (18 Votes)

#6 - A tie between U.S. Congressman Charlie Dent and Norco Exec John Stoffa, with 21 votes each.

#5 - State rep. Craig Dally (23 Votes)

#4 - Norco Councilperson Ron Angle (24 Votes)

#3 - State rep. Joe Brennan (27 Votes)

#2 - LC Exec Don Cunningham (29 Votes)

#1 - State rep. Bob Freeman (36 Votes)

The biggest surprise to me, is to see the left-leaning blogosphere include both Charlie Dent and Ron Angle in its top ten. Charlie Dent, one of the last people nominated, was buried at the bottom of my poll, yet still came out in the top ten. Ron probably paid a few servants to buy computers and vote for him.

But reform-oriented Bob Freeman is no surprise to anyone.

Heavy Turnout at LV Top Ten Elected Officials Poll

Polling has been quite heavy at the "Top Ten LV Elected Officials" poll. State rep. Bob Freeman has a commanding lead, with 219 ballots cast so far. But most voters have cast only one ballot.

Although you can vote only once from an IP, you may cast as few or as many ballots as you wish. In my case, I voted for ten.

Twenty-eight separate candidates are listed. If you scroll down the poll, you'll see them all. If you have not voted, and think one or more of the nominees are worthy, please be sure to visit the poll.

I'll have final tallies early next week.

The Lehigh Valley's Most Powerful, and Most Secret, Special Interest

You won't find a website for this gang. It operates in the shadows. But it's undoubtedly the most powerful special interest group in the Lehigh Valley, a consortium of unelected aristocrats who think they call the shots.

They may even be right.

I refer, of course, to The Lehigh Valley Partnership (LVP). Formed as a nonprofit in 1985, this unelected group of millionaires has had a hand in nearly all of local government's major spending plans.

In a Form 990 on file with the IRS, the LVP claims its purpose is "to provide resources to the community, in partnership with the public sector, for initiatives which improve the quality of life and economic prospects of the Lehigh Valley area." Sounds pretty good, eh?

But most of the resources provided to the community come from their "partners" in the public sector. The more these resources are spent, the richer this group gets. That seems to be their real goal.

Money appears to be the chief qualification for membership in this elite band. Meetings are conducted secretly. Public officials like Northampton County Councilman Ron Angle have been denied permission to attend.

Don't Hate the pLayA, Hate the Game

Thanks to Guidestar, I can now identify LVP Officers and Directors, at least as of 2005. I've listed them all here. They are a Who's Who of the Lehigh Valley business world. PPL's William Hecht, whose six year average salary was $4.08 million before he recently retired, was the president of this oligarchy in 2005.

Many of its members are mistros of the art of "pay to play." Lee A. Butz, chief executive officer to Alvin H. Butz., Inc., is a perfect example. Campaign finance records, on state (from 2001) and federal (from 1998) levels, reveal that Butz family members have contributed nearly $105,000 to politicians (mostly incumbents) running for federal or state office.

And the Butz family gets some bang for its buck. Look around. Is there any large government project in the Lehigh Valley that Butz does not build? Builder of Bethlehem's $65 million Penn Forest Dam? Butz. Northampton County's overbudget judicial Taj Mahal? Butz again. And guess who's doing the additions and renovations at Lehigh County's courthouse? You got it, Butz has that deal, too.

Think I'm blowing smoke? OK. Take a gander at another member of the LVP board, Anthony Salvaggio. State campaign finance reports reveal that, in the last six and a half years, he's donated $98,500 to candidates seeking statewide office. Most of these are Republicans, although he will grease the palms of an incumbent Dem like Rendell. Over that same period, Salvaggio has also donated $97,850 to candidates seeking federal office, according to FEC reports.

These dudes are pLayAs. Richard Thulin, another LVP board member, amazingly conned Northampton County into selling its Governor Wolf Building parking lot a few years ago. That left the county with a huge downtown building that has next to no parking. Brilliant! Thulin's Arcadia Properties intends to develop luxury condos and businesses in that parking lot, which incidentally is located in the Delaware River flood plain. And of course, "The location also enjoys the tax exemption advantages of a KOZ designation (which can extend to resident’s personal income taxes)."

Isn't that nice? Maybe Thulin should throw in a few free swimming lessons, too!

And so it goes for most of this crew.

LVP Tries to Make The Rules

Individually, I'm told most of these aristocrats are really nice guys who really, really care about the Lehigh Valley. It's probably true, too, but we're supposed to elect the people deciding our future. The LVP, because of its powerful membership, is setting policy. That interferes with democracy.

Behind closed doors, the Lehigh Valley Partnership has been a driving force behind the following:

(1) The $29 million in economic development incentives, i.e. corporate welfare, in Northampton County's controversial $111 million megabond.

(2) The Hotel Tax, including the formula that provides for sending most of the money to The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation.

(3) The Open Space Referenda in Northampton and Lehigh County, which create small islands of green amidst seas of sprawl, without any meaningful attempt at land use regulation.

(4) Troubles at Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp, where one faction (LVP) favors secrecy while elected officials and a few enlightened businessmen promote transparency.

(5) Widening Route 22. Wonder why the LVPC ignored all those concerns about peak oil and global warming? Simple, LVPC Chair Mike Kaiser is an ex officio member of the LVP, and they want that highway widened ... now.

(6) Attempts to Control MSM. Publishers at both local papers are members of the LVP board. They do disclose that connection, to their credit. But I'd be a lot happier if they severed all ties. The LVP defies the notions of open and accountable government. That's contrary to the editorial policy at both papers.

Nonprofit LVP Takes DCED Handouts

Despite the wealth of its membership, the LVP is quick to take handouts. Why not? If the state can throw money at The Parkland Trojan Ice Hockey Club and Properties of Merit, why not a little sugar for LVP? Since January 1, 2006, the state DCED has provided this needy group of millionaires with $65,000 to fund a "community revitalization study" as well as a "local municipal and development study." I'd love to know who sponsored those grants.

Since we paid for it, don't you think the LVP should share these studies with us?

What troubles me most about LVP is that it promotes the notions of secretive government and back room dealing. No matter how worthy some of its ideas may be, its ninja approach to government will always lead to suspicion. Besides, we already had a revolutionary war that establishes we're supposed to be a democracy.

I think.
Clarification: My contention that LVEDC gets the majority of the hotel tax revenue is innaccurate. As a matter of fact, the Convention and Visitors Bureau gets the largest chunk and LVEDC gets a lesser portion, as dictated in a contract between the agencies. Both counties take their portion of the tax off the top, before it is ever distributed to the CVB. That formula was recently changed to increase the counties' share.

The Lehigh Valley's Top Ten Elected Officials? It's Up to You

David Letterman gets all the credit for those top ten lists, but we know Who really started them.

Last Tuesday, I asked you for some help with another kind of top ten list - "Can the Lehigh Valley blogosphere identify the top ten government leaders of 2007, leaders who have tried to make government both transparent and accountable?" You've answered that question with 28 separate nominations.

Chris Casey had graciously agreed to run the poll over at LVPoliblog, but the blog gods have interfered. Blogger will only show 5 of the 28 names.

Gee, I wonder if Blogger is a subsidiary of Advanced Voting Solutions.

Fortunately, I was able to design my own poll, listing all 28 names, and you can vote here. I also have a link to this poll on my left side bar.

Here's the deal. You're allowed to vote once from any IP, and to cast as many ballots as you wish. Next week, I'll tally up the results and announce the top ten. If the polling service fails, I'll call Moses.

LV Good Gov't Elected Official Nominees: Freeman Leads Pack

Nominations are now officially closed, and are being forwarded to LVPoliblog for next week's poll. Chris Casey is going to allow each of you to make three picks, and we'll be able to tally the top ten in a week.

Because this list is limited to elected officials, I could not include some names mentioned.

Not surprisingly, Bob Freeman leads a list of twenty-eight elected officials, with 9 separate nominations. Other nominees include state rep. Joe Brennan (3); state rep. Jenn Mann (2); state rep. Steve Samuelson (4); state rep. Rich Grucela (1); state rep. Craig Dally (2); Lehigh County Exec Don Cunningham (3); Northampton County Exec John Stoffa (2); Nazareth Borough Councilman Jack Herbst (1); Emmaus Borough councilpersons Wes Barrett (2) and Joyce Marin (4); South Whitehall Commissioner Brad Osborne(1); Southern Lehigh School Directors Bill Miracle (1) and Bill Eddinger (1); Lehigh County Commissioner Kurt Derr (1); Northampton County Council members Mike Dowd (2), Ron Angle (2) Wayne Grube (1), Charles Dertinger (1) and Diane Neiper (1); Northampton County DA John Morganelli (1); Kutztown Mayor Sandy Green (1); Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski (1); Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan (2); Bethlehem School Director Judy Dexter (1); Bethlehem City Council member Jean Belinski. Allentown City Councilman Julio Guridy (1); and U.S. Congressman Charlie Dent (1).

Be sure to vote early and often over at LVPoliblog.

The LV's Top Ten: Make Your Nominations Now!

Who are the top ten elected officials in the Lehigh Valley?

That's the question I posed on Tuesday, and I've been taking nominations since that time. You can make your nomination here.

Next week, you can cast your votes over at LVPoliblog. You'll be able to select three elected leaders from the nominations I'll be forwarding to Chris late Saturday night.

So far, twenty-one public officials have been nominated: state rep. Joe Brennan; state rep. Jenn Mann; state rep. Bob Freeman; state rep. Steve Samuelson; state rep. Rich Grucela; state rep. Craig Dally; Lehigh County Exec Don Cunningham; Northampton County Exec John Stoffa; Nazareth Borough Councilman Jack Herbst; Emmaus Borough councilpersons Wes Barrett and Joyce Marin; South Whitehall Commissioner Brad Osborne, Southern Lehigh School Directors Bill Miracle and Bill Eddinger; Lehigh County Commissioner Kurt Derr; Northampton County Council members Mike Dowd and Ron Angle; Kutztown Mayor Sandy Green; Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski; Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan; and U.S. Congressman Charlie Dent.

If you know an elected public official who believes in open and accountable government, and she's not on that list, make your nomination now or forever hold your peace.