Image overhaul

[lol]

radical moderate wrote:

Allentown is gradually improving. If these whiny suburbanites want to see real city ghetto they should take a trip to 47 and Market in Philadelphia. Some of these crybabies ahve never traveled anywhere. They have no perspective. To me the downtown is more interesting than it ever was in my lifetime. I have no issues walking down 6th and Turner at anytime of the day. Pawlowski is doing a good job. If the whiny Suburbanites do not like it they can stay home and eat pickles! The people moving here and the enlightened hipsters who do live here will appreciate and embrace the changes to the new Allentown.

get a grip..i have been to many cities...but allnetown is far from a city..yes crime is everwhere...but in cities..you allentown dweller...yo can avoid the ghetto...downtown is one big ghetto..i give the mayor credit for trying and maybe one day allentown can be a great place to visit ..i would luv to go to croc rock or a nice store wthout having to fear and travel...but for now i spend little time plannng to do anything there

[radical moderate]

michael molovinsky wrote:

the Morning Call could do no more to booster Pawlowski than they do, and still call themselves a newspaper. in addition to numerous editorials supporting his announced polices, the most violent crimes, including murder, are reduced to the local section.
http://molovinskyonallentown.blogspot.com/

Maybe the paper does overdo it but he's trying and I give him some credit. By the way you are a legend. It's always enjoyable when Bobby Gunther Walsh reads your letters/emails on the air.

[Joe]

Good ol Ed. He can tell you the city is better but in reality is is worse. The article contradicts what the mayor said. Crime is up and so is poverty. Allentown is a hole. I just moved out and I am much better off where we moved to. Keep your heads down, summer is here and crime is about to go up. If you send your kids to the Allentown School district they will not get any sort of good education. Clamp down mayor.

[tberr]

Downtown Allentown has no chance.It is not the same city it was years ago and never will be.The hispanic population drowned it from growing into a great city.Thank you Dadona..

[phoenix]

I could solve all the city's problems with one action. Convert all the rowhomes back to single family houses. No renting / section 8 equales no crime...just like the good old days

[welfare did this]

More Propraganda wrote:

The reality is most people who actually live in Allentown are afraid to leave their homes a night.
Pawloski has destroyed this city when he was working with Afflerbach and now as Mayor. The economic development projects he points to started under previous administrations.
The Morning Call is a such an apologist for this mayor, I guess they need to proetect their investment.

Don't just blame Pawloski or Afflerbach - this goes back further than them. LET'S BLAME ALL OF THE GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN OVER THE YEARS AND NOT FOLLOWED UP ON. Maybe if Food Stamps, Cash Assistance, and HUD were followed up on and people were forced to work for a living they would have far less time to roam the streets and get into trouble.

Let's face it folks the ones causing the problems are the ones that are on Food Stamps, in HUD Homes, etc. It works hand in hand and until the City gets a handle on the abuse of the Handout System it will never get better.

And before I get jumped all over, I want to clarify one thing. Not everyone milks the system. I do know that the system can be used properly and can greatly benefit individuals if used the right way. But we all know that certain "people" abuse and abuse and continue to get away with it while us hardworking citizens bust our hump and they still have more to show for.

So Pawloski if you want to fix the city - tighten up the Assistance Programs and watch the trash leave the city and move onto another one where they get handouts.

[discouraged]

Mitchell wrote:

The mayor has not done one thing to improve the police department. The police officers are a doormat for him.
He hasn't added any officers - He's simply replacing the officers who retired.
He wont allow the police department to apply for grants because Ed doesn't think they need it!
He doesn't care about anyone but those people, and/or businesses that line his pockets.
He's just another typical politician with the local newspaper in his pocket.

I couldn't agree more. He's NOT added more officers, he's merely replaced the ones that have retired over the past couple of years. And who can blame those officers for wanting to retire? They don't have a mayor who supports them! After the APD officer was shot a couple of years ago, Pawlowski vowed that this would not happen again. And we're headed right back down that road, unfortunately. The PD is stressed, unsupported, and frustrated. They apply for grants, receive them, and Mr. Mayor places the money in the general fund to make it appear that his administration is financially successful....how about somebody investigate that? And the police department still doesn't get the resources they need desperately.

[Norbert]

Hey now, let's get down, let's all go to Allentown...
is there a Spanish version of this out yet?
It's a disgusting dump where stop signs and red lights are optional, parking on the street is accepted even if a spot is five feet away, and noise is constant.
Small children run around the streets until late at night, and on school days, there are children all over, too.
It's toast. We can't just knock it all down so perhaps it would be best to bring in the state, deal with the financial disaster and moveon.

[Coward Culture]

The comments in this forum prove the high level of pride local residents take in being, simply stated, a bunch of p*ssies.

For this reason alone, downtown will struggle to come back for a while yet.

[snowman Bath PA]

This all started with the mayor dadonna pursuing section 8 housing and making Hanover Acres and Riverview terrace spread out through all of Allentown EXCEPT the west end. Holding the police back when they could be asking all these youths why they are creating minor disturbances would slow down some of these problems. Putting the sheriffs department out around front to 12, Union to Greenleaf, 2 or 3 to a car would help the police monitor the high crime areas. I see nothing wrong with asking a group of youths,6 or more where they are going and why they are so noisy, especially at night. Billy clubs worked wonders when I was a youth in the 30's and 40's.

[lol]

Coward Culture wrote:

The comments in this forum prove the high level of pride local residents take in being, simply stated, a bunch of p*ssies.
For this reason alone, downtown will struggle to come back for a while yet.

please dont blam the people who dont live there...why not take alittle look at those who do...try taking a little pride where you live...dont expect others to do all the work

[howard sterno]

heres my top 5 about this atown, degredation.

Back in 90-92 you could walk around with no problems, I had a friend that lived in the city. We used to go drinking and partying, all that teenager stuff. Everything was good. I among many looked forward to coming inot allentown on the weekends.

Now being older the city has changed. This is my top contributing factors, based on money soly.

slumlords of Atown screwed it up for their neighbors, by allowing "thugs and drug dealers" the move in rights.

why would you over tax this city?? what am receiving???

Poverty will exist anywhere, its in every town in America, believe it.

Education for youth is paramount. they shape tomorrows Atown.

the homes need a facelift, that should be provided ,and paid for by the city/ and or state.

littering fines must be imposed.

police the police...need foot patrol.

fines for not recycling imposed.

old cars to be towed that are not painted one color, have more than 35% of metal or plastic missing.

curfew in certain areas.

trees, shubery, flowers to give the city curb appeal.

english is the US language,learn it read it and understand it.

replace the prison , and make a condo for low housing families.

ok you get the picture.

[His holiness]

Bashing Pawlowski isnt going to make anything better. Making Allentown an Indian Reservation will. Spot drug tests for city and county workers; reverse discrimination laws repealed, educate and enpower Sweep Officers more,and by the way? Where are these Guardian Angels?

[His holiness]

snowman Bath PA wrote:

This all started with the mayor dadonna pursuing section 8 housing and making Hanover Acres and Riverview terrace spread out through all of Allentown EXCEPT the west end. Holding the police back when they could be asking all these youths why they are creating minor disturbances would slow down some of these problems. Putting the sheriffs department out around front to 12, Union to Greenleaf, 2 or 3 to a car would help the police monitor the high crime areas. I see nothing wrong with asking a group of youths,6 or more where they are going and why they are so noisy, especially at night. Billy clubs worked wonders when I was a youth in the 30's and 40's.

A billy club would work wonders.

[Steve]

''I think we've allowed that to become a really dead weight,'' she said.''Yeah, every city has it. Let's get off it.''

Tell that to the young Ms. Sondra Yohe who was apparently driving the wrong colored car.

The place is filled with Latin Kings, Bloods, and Cripts. You see the members walking around with the blank t-shirts that are color coded to show their rank and no one, not the cops, not the mayor, not some PR firm, can make us "get off it".

Allentown is NOT a safe place and to go and to give the impression you are safe reminds me of the mayor from JAWS that kept sending in people to swim with the shark!

[Jerry]

Black Hole Resident wrote:

So Pawloski is trying to dupe more wealthy suburbanites into thinking crime is only a perception in Allentown. These are the type of non-resident suckers who finance his 24/7 political campaigns.
Well Pawlowski sure know how to sling the bull and lie with statistics. Funny how the City was a "Black hole swallowing everything in its path" when he wanted a Casino. I also love how he bites the hand that feeds him. Pawlowski blames the Morning Call for writing too many stories about the violent crime in Allentown. The reality is that the Call hides most violent crime stories and has provided unrelenting political support for Pawlowski.

I agree. I remmember the "Blackhole" comment during the gaming hearings and could not believe my ears. This was the mayor describing his own city. Boy he is quite a cheerleader. It seems to me all the powerpoints are more about boosting his own image rather than Allentown's. As far as blaming the Morning Call this peice alone is proof positive to what complete homers and boosters they are for Allentown. It is shameful. If the Mcall reported reality the poll would be far worse. Ed has them "spun up".

[Screwy Louie]

Is the glass half full or half empty, or is it cracked at the top..???

[Shelby]

I bought a great property for a good price two years ago in downtown Allentown. There are some frustrating moment but in all it has been a good experience. I have had no major problems. I have some lovely neighbors. I have opened my mind and learned to appreciate and love that I am living amongst numerous different cultures of people. I am exited to hear the Mayor had been pushing downtown Allentown, and am enjoying watching the transformation, because it really it happening.

[IDEA]

I HAVE AN IDEA. INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING ON THIS BLOG WHY NOT GET INVOLVED? DO SOMETHING IN THE COMMUNITY, WORK WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS INSTEAD OF JUST SCOFFING AT THEM. FOR THOSE OF YOU INVOLVED I SAY GREAT AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE MAYOR DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. CONVINCE SOMEONE YOU KNOW TO RUN OR DO IT YOURSELF. DON'T JUST BITCH!! GET INVOLVED AND MAKE IT BETTER.

[tnt]

Who are they kidding. The crime rate is down???? We will probably crush the existing homicide rate for the year. 21 in 2003. It will probably be in the 30's. Adding police officers? 205 right now. They havent even replaced all the guys who left and more are due to leave. FBI statistics say a city our size should have 425. A-town is less than half of that. The best way to make a city grow and have peolpe come in town to do things is to make them feel safe. More officers and let them do their jobs. Then and only then will people want to come into A-town to do things.