College Democrats elect new board; Endorse Mayor Ed Pawlowski
Jillian Bevacqua
Issue date: 3/19/09it states that "The new board led the group in their first course of action: a vote which resulted in the endorsement of the campaign to re-elect Mayor Ed Pawlowski for a second term in office. Pawlowski, who has a single challenger, former school board member Dick Nepon, won over the support of the group through his consistent work with the College Democrats over the past four years as well as his willingness to seek student input on certain local issues. Nepon, on the other hand, did not fill out the College Democrats' endorsement questionnaire. " (italics mine, see the entire article below)
In response I wrote to the editor of the Weekly: "This is less than honest. Perhaps, if the group had done a few things, like offering me the endorsement questionnaire, I might have filled it out. My name is listed in the phone book. I live only a few blocks off campus.
Of course, endorsing a candidate before the ballot petitions are filed is not the wisest decision for a political entity to make, and be considered as constituting a real endorsement. I did not file my Petition until the final day, March 10. Therefore, I was not a candidate until March 10, and even then, until a week had passed without a successful challenge. So, this endorsement looks like nothing more than political shenanigans, depriving the Muhlenberg College Dems from the ability to make a reasoned choice. Beside which, Shanker knew perfectly well that I was getting my ballot signatures and intending to run against the Mayor. He was motivated by his partisan job responsibilities with the Pawlowski organization, and co-opted the Muhlenberg Dems into a badly chosen endorsement.
If college students are going to make adult decisions, they really should act like adults, and make truly informed decisions.
Additionally, your new Co-President arranged to have my constitutional rights violated, having me removed from an open campus by security because of his trumped up concern over “liability”. He then hid behind an off-the record letter to me in which he made himself look childish in trying to explain it away, instead of taking responsibility for a poor choice of action.
I hope that the education at Muhlenberg is better than this club’s actions, and its President, demonstrate, or you are all in trouble.
I did offer to come to meet the Dems on campus, but have had no response from your new leadership. Running from people you have offended is very much the Pawlowski way of doing business. It is a shame that the College Dems are being denied an opportunity to make a real choice. How about offering to sponsor a debate between Ed and me?
On Mon., Mar. 9 the College Democrats elected a new board to lead the group. Former Co-Presidents Adrian Shanker and Jon Rosenau had a successful and exciting three years leading the group, especially with the recent historical Presidential Election season. The College Democrats elected Steve Motschwiller '12 as their new President and re-elected Allyson Margolis '11 to her current role as Vice President.
The new board led the group in their first course of action: a vote which resulted in the endorsement of the campaign to re-elect Mayor Ed Pawlowski for a second term in office. Pawlowski, who has a single challenger, former school board member Dick Nepon, won over the support of the group through his consistent work with the College Democrats over the past four years as well as his willingness to seek student input on certain local issues. Nepon, on the other hand, did not fill out the College Democrats' endorsement questionnaire.
"We are proud to endorse Mayor Ed Pawlowski in his quest for a second term," Motschwiller stated. "Throughout the past year, we have seen the Mayor directly work with Muhlenberg students on a number of different issues and we know that he is the right person for Allentown." In addition, the College Democrats have issued endorsements for Mike D'Amore and Mike Schlossberg to the Allentown City Council.
Muhlenberg College as an institution does not endorse political candidates or parties. Student organizations, however, are allowed to make partisan endorsements. The College Democrats are recognized as a student organization at the College and therefore serve as a vital force in local Democratic politics. The College Democrats hold a substantive voting block in the West End of Allentown, as nearly a quarter of the Student Body are locally registered as Democrats. This was clearly demonstrated by an 85% student voter turnout in the 2008 General Election which was recorded by the College Democrats."
Dick... For one thing Bob Wood presently sits on the Board Of Trustees on a couple of committees. He is a supporter of this Mayor. Although surely not the only one amongst the board.
ReplyDeleteMuhlenberg and the present administration have had close ties through the 19th Street Alliance projects as well. So I imagine like anyone would, they will go with the one they feel will most benefit their various interests.
Things like back on December 2006 when Allentown Economic Development Corporation formed an alliance .
Whether this be positive or negative I shall not debate. Just stating a fact that Muhlenberg has historical commonality with the Mayor for some time now. If your looking for an endorsement it will not come from Muhlenberg. I would think if you would have had a chance to have benefited them they might haven taken a stance otherwise. Like everyone in this world you go where you advantages are. Should we be angry with Muhlenberg? Not really. They are doing what's they think best for their institution.
What everyone does NEED TO KNOW is the "whys" & "wherefores" and not because these things are done solely in the total interests of the public at large. This being so, I take endorsements for what their worth. All endorsements are biased.
Therefore I set them aside entirely. And I'd bet so does 90% of the voters as well. I doubt very much if voters even are aware of them. It seems more important to the candidates themselves.
Now party lines... that's a whole other discussion. Wish it weren't but party affiliation is the big gorilla in Allentown.
to LVCI:
ReplyDeleteThe untold 'rest of the story' concerns the Pawlowski Administration's plan to sell a very valuable and important parcel of land along Parkway Blvd to Muhlenberg College. This sale will only stave off a small debt for a short time for the City while permanently killing any hope for providing a parking solution to the Stadium and park users. I advised against this when it was first conceived of, and have continued to do so. I was integrally involved with the School District's renovation of the Stadium. Parking would leverage that investment of taxpayer dollars, and offer huge returns that could materially affect City taxpayers. Muhlenberg wants to move their maintenance facility off campus, and see our Parks Maintenance as the only choice. Perhaps the Fairgrounds wouldn't play with them. At any rate, since Pawlowski has offered to do the deal, and bring the city some dollars, and I have been calling it a bad deal, bad for the community, there is more to this than meets the eye at first glance. I recall the last time the city traded valuable land along Parkway for land at the bottom of Lake Muhlenberg, and somehow the then Mayor's house sold to a straw buyer who held it for a while claiming he bought it for his Mother, but she didn't like it. Now, of course, it belongs to the college.
I was not surprised when the President of the college said to me :"I love Ed Pawlowski." Though, perhaps he was confusing lust for true love. Or maybe it was Greed, I get those cardinal sins confused sometimes.
If indeed the mayor flipped this property.. since you may know it's exact address, perhaps a quick check on the county's site could reveal whether there was there a profit made?
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that just be the icing on the cake!
2nd point... If the maintenance site goes bye bye... It makes one wonder, where to & how much it will cost the taxpayers' to relocate it.
As to the past Mayor's property, he lived there quite a while, so it is not like he bought low and flipped for a profit. It could be argued he got a price more reflective of it's value before Muhlenberg developed its back yard, though. He did get top dollar, and relocated to the extreme west end, where he no longer pays Allentown school tax.
ReplyDeleteAs to the cost to relocate the maintenance facility, that pales in comparison to the loss of future value to the taxpayers in utilizing this parcel, which is also immediately adjacent to the City park. Its loss curtails intelligent uses the City and / or School District might develop.