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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Friday, March 02, 2018

Who Really Brought Fed Ed Down?

Chicago is just 728 miles from Allentown
When I received word yesterday that Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski had been found guilty of 47 of 54 counts of political corruption, I was on my way to the District XI chip between Bangor and Allentown Central Catholic. More about that later. During breaks in the game, I tried to piece together what was happening. This is one time when I was among the last to learn what had happened.

Several of you chimed in and credited me for calling "this one from the start, despite your usual small set of detractors using their tired allegations that you had a bee in your bonnet that didn't belong there. Congratulations on your successful endeavor." Being the vain person that I am, I'll take accolades whenever I can get them. But alas, I need to correctly tell the truth, much as it pains me.

It's true that I first began exposing Fed Ed in 2007, when minority business owners were targeted along Hamilton Street. But I was the second blogger to do so. The first is Allentown blogger Michael Molovinsky. He deserves the credit for first exposing Pawlowski, and opening my eyes. After that, I'd say both of us exposed him pretty well. I believe my reports were more factual and detail-oriented, while Molovinsky's succinct and dour style was better suited to what I'd call verbal slam dunks. Eventually, Chris Casey joined the chorus, adding some humor.

For a few years, all three of us were both pretty much excoriated for our efforts.

At this time, although they won't like me saying it, The Morning Call was just one of Fed Ed's tools. Columnist Bill White sometimes questioned Pawlowski about some of my claims, and White does have a soft spot for underdogs. But he's a columnist, not a reporter. City editors were Fed Ed cheerleaders and were very reluctant to allow reporters to write anything that could be construed as critical. I think they believed wrongly that any criticism of the Mayor would be considered criticism of the city.

Around this time, Molovinsky hosted an "Allentown Speak Out!" forum at an old church. It was there that I learned how Fed Ed just ignored minority business owners. He was dancing with wealthy Republicans in those days, not the poor. I remember a single mother targeted by building inspectors and forced to pay for improvements she was unable to afford. I met and wrote about an elderly woman who was bullied for conducting occasional yard sales so she could have pin money.

But in those days, the public mostly sided with the bully.

Public perception finally began to change when Jarrett Renshaw was hired to cover the City as a Morning Call reporter. He did exceptional investigative work concerning Fed Ed's campaign finances that put my own blogs to shame. Matt Assad and Scott Kraus had some informative stories as well. But Renshaw left to work for another newspaper, covering a Governor.

I had heard stories that Fed Ed would tell potential vendors to discuss their concerns with him at this next fundraiser. I also heard that some contractors were being shaken down, and this was before Mike Fleck arrived. Unfortunately, these vendors were unwilling to go on record.

Molovinsky wrote several stories about Fed Ed using code inspectors as his kind of Gestapo. A City employee also confirmed to me that Pawlowski would use code inspectors to target political enemies.

By this time, Fed Ed ignored any request I had for information. His City spokesperson, who uses a fake name, is hardly one for transparency.

Things eventually began going south for Fed Ed. He alienated some of his original supporters with plans for a trash to energy business. This was done to attract campaign donations from Marcel Groen. Fed Ed alienated many others when he leased the city's water and sewer.

They began asking tough questions, and members of City Council began speaking forcefully against him. These include the late Michael Donovan, who unfortunately passed away before his time. They also include Allentown's very own Iron Lady, Jeanette Eichenwald.

Then The Morning Call brought Emily Opilo to cover the City. I was initially suspicious of her. I have seen too many reporters who have learned to keep their heads down in an industry that no longer values true reporting. These "content providers" have been conditioned to write about shallow things like the "Five Things I Like About Friday" or where to get the best ham sandwich. But her coverage was nothing short of excellent, even before news of the investigation broke. The paper also hired Peter Hall, a seasoned court reporter.

By the time news of the investigation broke, Fed Ed had lost most of his original supporters, City Council had wised up and Pawlowski was forced to go to the very minorities he had disparaged in 2007.

Federal authorities, especially FBI Special Agent Scott Curtis, obviously deserve the gratitude of the citizens of Allentown. AUSA Michelle Morgan should be commended for reminding the people of Allentown that there is no King. We should be thankful for a jury that did its job and a judge who cared enough about democracy to make sure the trial took place in Allentown.

But the person who deserves the most credit for bringing Fed Ed down is Fed Ed himself. He was so arrogant in his belief that he was invulnerable that he though he could lie with impunity to the FBI for three hours straight. He also thought he could fool a jury the way he fooled voters in four elections and get away with "not correctly telling the truth."

24 comments:

michael molovinsky said...

bernie, thank you for acknowledging others michael molovinsky

Anonymous said...

This verdict restores my faith in the system. Hat's off to you and all others as mentioned.

Our thoughts are with his two children, unwitting pawns in this very public circus. Of course, we also pray that this conviction will serve as a warning to those who "serve" us that corruption will be dealt with sternly.

VOR

Anonymous said...

One item you neglect in your timeline is that the Morning Call "got on-board" with Fed Ed once the NIZ was Gerrymandered to include their properties. Before that, the boundary was a rectangle with Linden Street being the northerly boundary. The news articles as the NIZ proposal was slithering its way through the approval process were mostly not flattering to Fed Ed and his cohorts. That all changed, like magic, once the boundary included the Morning Call properties. Yet, it didn't follow the logic of utilizing major streets as boundaries, rather bending and breaking along minor alleys.

Many of the current crop of good and decent reporters, Emily at the top of that list, weren't around back then or didn't have the "cred" to call out the glaring "payment" to the Call.

priscilla deleon said...

Thank you to you and others for all the Allison and Pawlowski coverage.

Anonymous said...

Excellent analysis. In retrospect, it was a team effort that brought down his highness. However, the delusional hubris illustrated by "Fed Ed" on the stand, in total contrast to the hours of taped conversations, doomed this natural born deceiver and liar.

I do feel sorry for the children to have parents like this. Lady MacBeth's fainting episode and "Fed Ed's" tears, only support the concept that these two people deserve each other and the fate that has beset them.

The King and Queen have fallen from grace and a new era dawns. It is too bad that the ill-informed voters and the people who curry favors couldn't see this in the past election!

Anonymous said...

Beauty slayed the Beast!

Anonymous said...

popcorn!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hubris and karma combined are a bitch.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, first of all glory to GOD and thanks to you and many followers of the values in that rewritten text! The American justice system and the draining of the local cesspool floaters like the ones that are honored to shake the hand of a protector of a necrophil, there is still a sick bunch of creatures lurking around the valley!

These things will never wash off no matter the many typez of cleaning agents used.

Anonymous said...

Thank you,B O’H!!!!!!!!
Thank you, MM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuck you, Bill White.

Anonymous said...

The Blue Juize flows free from a lanced boil that spews fluid from the halls of justice to Palumpa's rumpus room! Maybe you and MM can have a schnitzel at the AFG and some maneschewitz to restore the bromance!

Republican Redd Humanist by Design

X said...

Bernie, I love this people trying to be me, sorry to say the back row of detractorz weren't imbibing in the blue juice back than and we still don't. As for palumpas boy toy cave, that was not a factual comment the other day. You are probably one of itz boyz in blue that came up in the ranks qwick.
Just maybe if you and your kind would stay off kiddy porn sitez Allentown would not currently be suffering the million dollar meltdown?
Than last butt far not least the lancing of the boil, each and every day I had seen the clownz face paint covering itz boilz.
republican redd not a party favor
humanist by design

Anonymous said...

A bunch of us in Allentown were very concerned with Pawlowski from the get go. A survey of his campaign finance reports from way back in his first term showed him receiving upwards of 75% of his campaign donations from outside the Lehigh Valley (Philly, New York etc.) and upwards of 90% or more from outside Allentown. It was obvious way back then, who he represented. And shame on Peter Schweyer and Mike Schlossberg for coming out yesterday after all those years of cheerleading for Pawlowski. They stuck with him until the end. This blog has done a great service to those of us who live in Allentown. I still remember with a chuckle some of your earliest articles about Ed comping free meals at Johnny Mananas and using City SUV for personal use, all the while earning a six figure salary. Thank you for your unbiased journalism, I read your blog before reading the MC each morning.

Anonymous said...

Just remember this - it takes more then one to pull something like this off. And I wonder if the true depth and width of the situation will ever be revealed. There are so many that have done so much to make their payday on the valley in questionable ways that the FBI should be able to spend years here like they did and still are doing in Scranton. Pay to play, Quid pro quo, and you scratch my back I scratch yours are the standards of so called leaders in the area. The real shame is that people like this have and continue to fleece money out of the people and businesses in the region. IF you follow the money and look at not only people bank accounts but the political coffers and other holdings of many there will be a huge discrepancy between what they get on their public salary and what they own, have in their bank accounts and hove hidden in other ways.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 1:11: There's also lots of good units of local governments with honest elected officials and proud, competent staffs that deliver quality services to residents for moderate tax levels. This blog features a few of the many that fall into this category.

Jeffrey Anthony said...

There is one more credit-where-credit-is-due mention: I've had the pleasure and privilege of chatting with U.S. Attorney Lew Lappen (nothing at all to do with the Pawlowski case), and I was struck by what a first rate fellow and dedicated and extraordinary public servant he is.

Congratulations to him and his staff.

Anonymous said...

Was Beauty that killed the Penguin!

Canary_In_Coalmine said...

I'm reviewing in my head what I knew and when, because I wonder if there were obvious signs of corruption that I somehow missed.

Your reporting about Waste to Energy, the tag sales, and the code enforcement stick in my mind. The most concerning to me of those was waste to energy. The others I figured could be innocuous depending on larger context. The water deal was concerning but it sounded like the best worst option. Your reporting made me concerned Fed Ed was an authoritarian.
I recall wondering if there was corruption, and feeling uncertain. Waste to Energy was dubious but Fed Ed's explanation seemed plausible.

I also recall Molovinsky's writing about code enforcment "Gestapo". I figured Molovinsky was a griping landlord.

At some point there was a Morning Call story in which I believe Ed or Fleck admitted to using vendor lists for fundraising, which combined with your prior reports made me seriously uncomfortable. Maybe that was Renshaw. To me this all added up to possible authoritarianism, and concerns about donor influence. But here's the thing. I have those same concerns about every single elected official. Our campaign finance system obligates them to finance their campaigns by soliciting donations from the wealthy, and to be Boy Scouts about not crossing any lines. This is not to excuse Fed Ed's behavior, but I think the system too easily invites this sort of corruption, and needs to change. Even when the "lines" aren't crossed, it's obviously the case that a large chunk of high-dollar donors are donating to curry favor.

With the unwillingness of vendors to go on record, were you able to write about FedEd shakedowns prior to the Feds?

I love Opilo's Twitter profile: "They call me the pit bull. They're being sarcastic."



Anonymous said...

I wrote the comment that you quoted, and I very much appreciate your recollection of the various individuals whom you credit in addition to yourself. I stand by my comment, in that you are dedicated to exposing wrongdoing in government, and that there is a small but hearty peanut gallery whose contribution is to lob spitballs at you from afar.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Canary, I did mention how he treated potential vendors but was unwilling to report the shakedowns unless one of these guys grew a set and went on record.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Jeff, I do not share your appreciation of the US Attorney, excepting Michelle Morgan I believe this matter went thru three sets of prosecutors. Khan abandoned this case to run for DA in Philly. If he was really interested in weeding out political corruption, he should have finished the job. Nearly all the information used for that 54-count indictment was in the US Attorney’s possession for two years. They should have indicted far sooner. I do share your assessment of Lappen, who I bet would have liked to see this case brought sooner than it was. The FBI did a bang up job,

Chris Casey said...

I am kind of reluctant to accept any credit. I regularly did some fact finding and asked some tough questions of people to get the truth out of them. Lisa P especially unleashed her fury upon me for calling her husband out. I threw bread crumbs on the trail on a few instances and told others what to look for, and where to look for it. I was however, the comic relief at times. I mocked Ed on many instances, concerning the Parking authority, his power point presentations, and his definition of "Constituent" services especially. I would hope this ends now, but I have a feeling there is more entertainment to come, as we find out who really wants to be mayor, and why!

Unknown said...

https://www.change.org/p/anyone-in-the-lehigh-valley-who-cares-no-leniency-for-convicted-felon-mayor-ed-pawlowski

Anonymous said...

No Starbucks for FedEd in prison!