From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 6:11 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: The Transformational Arena Plan

Like the midget on Fantasy Island saying De Plane, De Plane, Pawlowski keeps saying The Plan, The Plan. He even calls The Plan transformational. It's time to inject some reality into this myth.
Although a local developer has been buying buildings, he is doing so with a $20million loan from ACIDA, which he can repay using taxes from those buildings. So far, despite projections of thousands of jobs and hundreds of new apartments, one company with one hundred jobs will occupy a slightly remodeled building. As one knowledgeable about the apartment business, let us hope those new apartments never come to be.
The City of Reading, with the same shift in demographics in the last decade, has just been declared the Poorest City in America. This designation occurred despite the Sovereign Event Center, which failed to halt that city's deterioration. Here in Allentown, a local auctioneer is offering one of the new 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom townhouses at 8th and Walnut Street starting at $65,000. Just a few years ago those new townhouses, built with subsidies and KOZ, were hyped by Pawlowski to be transformational.
Michael Molovinsky

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 5:20 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: Backup to the Future

It's the year 2018 and Mayor Guridy has just received the long anticipated study from A&P Associates. Advice from Afflerbach and Pawlowski doesn't come cheap, $475,000, but as City Council President Michael Schlossberg said, "Sometimes it pays to invest in the best."
Some of the recommendations to revive Hamilton Street are nothing less than brilliant. Bus transfer stops are to be placed back on Hamilton Street between 7th and 9th, creating foot traffic and enhancing a sense of security. Meter rates will be reduced, once again accepting quarters and other coins. The old Allentown Brew Pub, closed since the KOZ ended in 015, will be torn down to create a convenient pocket parking lot. A national search has begun for a new arena director, and Mayor Guridy promises that the real estate tax increase, necessary to finance the arena, will be temporary.
Michael Molovinsky

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 5:15 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: Civic Duty

Gunther,  we in the Lehigh Valley have quite an upcoming
responsibility.   The Pawlowski Palace of Sport is supposed to generate
$39 million dollars a year in economic spinoff for Allentown.  In order for this to happen,  please have your listeners adhere to the following
instructions.   They are not to eat at home the day of an event.   They
must eat in a nearby restaurant, before and after the event.  Also, they must purchase a tee-shirt or sweatshirt, both upon entering and exiting  the palace.  On the walk back to their car, they should smile and whistle dixie, despite any unpleasantness encountered. 
Thank you, Michael Molovinsky

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 5:30 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: Your Esteemed Opinion

This evening you're welcome to express your idea's for Allentown's riverfront, to an out of town paid consultant. Allentown may receive a $5million dollar grant, which it could use to purchase the former Structural Steel property, if the current option holder fails to close.
If you cannot attend this evenings meeting, try batting your lips in front of your bathroom mirror. In reality, your mirror cares more about your opinion than the city. Yesterday, I met with a displaced Hamilton Street merchant. Although the Hamilton Street plan is very real, there was no public input what-so-ever. This merchant had about 90 days to make alternative arrangements for the past 26 years of his life. He was stunned when I told him that a connected developer can also use the taxes generated in the NIZ for his private debt service. Although these displaced merchants attended two private meetings with City Hall, and one with Pat Browne, they were never offered or told of that option.
The Riverfront dog and pony show is this evening, at the Wheel of Deals Building, at Front and Hamilton Streets.
Michael Molovinsky

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 6:23 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: Lipstick on Pig

News media reported that the roof collapsed on 7th Street because of the heavy rain. Actually, the roof collapsed from neglect during a heavy rain. I don't know anything about the building, but I do know about roofs. Well, actually, I do know a little about the building. The operators of the hardware store received a substantial facade grant.
Allentown has been very generous with grants to startup businesses, on both 7th Street and Hamilton Street. A number of these businesses closed within a year, but the building and facade remained improved for the landlord's benefit.  The owners of the 7th Street building could not be contacted after the collapse this weekend, their phone numbers had been disconnected. I assume that they were more available during their tenant's grant process. I understand the temptation by elected officials and bureaucrats to want to dress up the downtown street fronts, especially with the taxpayer's money. Maybe the Facade Program should be renamed the Charade Program.
Michael Molovinsky

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 5:26 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: Debt Crisis

When Eisenhower was President, I think he addressed the public about three times a year, on one of three networks. Media historians view the Nixon-Kennedy Debate as the beginning of  politics as an audio visual package. On a parallel track, at the same time our candidates needed to look better to a visually literate audience, our news has become much more tabloid. Today, we actually have comedians providing analysis on dozens of networks. Although our President addresses the nation about once a week, the level of public comprehension is debatable. The only sure conclusion is that we have been successfully polarized. The box, which now is a flat screen, has us conditioned to contrived drama on reality shows. The current one is called the debt crisis.
Michael Molovinsky

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 7:03 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: Allentown Visitor Center

Allentown has moved it's Visitor Center from Hamilton Street to the America on Wheels Museum on Front Street; Hope that doesn't confuse too many visitors! According to a local newspaper, the center helped about twenty visitors a day at the old location. Assuming that Lee Butz will not be stopping in eighteen times a day anymore, they should now receive about two people a day, both asking for directions to Bethlehem.
Michael Molovinsky

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 6:04 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: The strawman

Gunther,  I was honored when several merchants asked me to accompany them to a meeting at City Hall on Tuesday.  They have been harassed for two months by an aggressive realtor, representing an undisclosed buyer.
  They have been told that if they refuse their offer, they will lose
their property to  eminent domain,  with less compensation.    We
burdened these merchants with endless regulations concerning their signs and their security gates. We hurt their business by  creating a Parking Authority that charges meter rates as if we were a destination.
  We took away the Hamilton Street bus stops. At the end of all this, what we essentially had, are those now being threatened.  Save for them, we would have no downtown. We have rewarded their lifetime of work, loyalty and investment with deceit and abuse.  Did I mention that
the undisclosed buyer was the City of Allentown.    
Michael Molovinsky



 

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 6:00 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: My Shoes Know More

After reading an article  in today's paper on Butzy's Building, I realize that my shoes know more about Allentown than the reporter, but they're probably older than him. The article states that the Butz Building is 90% full. They do not report the taxpayer contribution to that occupancy rate. First, the Lehigh Valley Tourist Bureau moved in:
They wanted to be close to the PPL Plaza free admission WaterPark. We gave Butz $450,000 to entice the Sangria Restaurant there,  with no start up cost. There is one line of news, the last sentence.
Apparently, Butz is behind the push to locate the Hockey Arena downtown. "The hockey arena will get a lot of people to do things they wouldn't do otherwise." Like come to downtown Allentown?
Michael Molovinsky

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 6:28 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: The Revitalization of Allentown

This week Allentown was promised revitalization by no less than two ringmasters. The director of the Art Museum described the expansion and renovation of the museum as revitalizing Allentown. I'm happy for the wine and cheese crowd, but they would be lucky to improve one block of 5th street, much less the city. Of course our biggest revitalization was promised by our mayor, who is paying a stadium planner over a quarter $million dollars for his recommendations. There is nothing wrong with thinking big, if you do the small things along the way.
Allentown failed to clean the streets curb to curb this long winter.
Litter fills downtown gutters and covers the corner sewer grates. News of home invasions petrify honest taxpayers. Wine, cheese and even hockey cannot replace quality of life.
Michael Molovinsky



 

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2011 7:19 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: Thank Goodness for Robber Barons

In this era of class warfare, while we worry that the rich are only paying 35% income tax, instead of 39%, let us be grateful that once upon a time we had the Robber Barons. In this era when we have to give a grant for some woman to open a small cookie shop on Hamilton Street, let us be grateful that men built railroads with private money. Let us be grateful that incredible feats of private enterprise built piers, bridges and trestles. Trains allowed us to move vast amounts of raw and finished materials across America. This network allowed us to protect ourselves during two World Wars, and provided the prosperity upon which we now rest.
Michael Molovinsky

From: mmolovinsky
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 5:07 AM
To: WALSH, BOBBYGUNTHER
Subject: Subverting Democracy in Northampton

Gunther, there is an attempt to subvert democracy in Northampton
County.   Citizens trying to retain the county nursing home have
gathered over the 19,000 plus signatures required to put the issue on the ballot.  Now, after gathering the signatures, which was a monumental task,  the County is going to court to attempt to overrule the Election Commission, which verified the signatures and legality of the ballot question.  You don't have to go to Egypt to have your rights suppressed.
Michael Molovinsky