Knee pads, Bullshit and Love Island

I hope you didnt have to sit through the knee pad council show.

The discussion of the mayors travel was nonsense as always. Frank Kane stated the mayor is the mayor and doesnt need approval to travel.  But the rest of employees have to get approval. So no checks and balances for the mayor?

Such bullshit. He uses our money and the city is going to say he can go whenever he wants. He is not a king. He is responsible to taxpayers and we require policy and proper procedures when administering appropriated tax payer funds.

Sounds like the king is above the peasants. 

A positive note

Council did acknowledge the Allen Varsity Boys baseball team who won districts this year before falling in the first round of the state tournament.   Good job guys.

Marty Velazquez delivered albeit - through a proxy - an update on the Personnel Policy Manual rewrite. Frank Kane informed council that the document isn't ready after two years of development. The document is so out of date that employees and managers use its age as a reason not to follow the rules. Once you read through the bullshit and get past the tap dancing it is clear that HR failed once again. It really doesn't matter if a PPM is ever produced... it will only be enforced for those who the mayor, directors, and managers plan to target. All others are above the rules, starting with him.  

Towards the end of the committee meeting CeCe asked the very question I had on my mind "is there a plan to abolish the homeless commission?". This may seem out of left field but Tuerk has made it known that he plans to disband the commission and has taken dangerous steps previously to minimize the impact and capabilities of the much needed commission.

Onward

Frank stated him and Chief Roca will be presenting a strategic plan on combating the violent crime in the city. Seriously guys? That is something you do when you get hired, not after you have been the Chief for 5 years and two kids were just killed.

The police DROP Pension took most of the 6:30 meeting.

Chief Roca started out by saying this isnt a money grab. Those were his 1st words.  Awful choice of words. 

After listening to his word salad justification for the DROP it appears this is a money grab. 

Roca bragged about APD being the best department in the area. Stated his officers choose Apd for a career are eager to make a difference and sleep in their uniforms...blah blah blah. Allentown has the worst reputation as a police department in the area. This also came from a guy who spent 3 months on the street as a patrolman per his resume but talks as if he has grinded for 20years.

Im sorry but I walked away from watching the meeting for a little because I can't stand Roca's bullshit robot responses to everything. People want actions not words.

Chief don't you read social media and everyone complaining about the nuisance problems and all the crime? 

Roca blew more smoke than Frank does. Using scare tactics and basically Roca and the FOP pleading on their knees. It became very pathetic for the hour or so they kept speaking.

The big focus I feel Roca was trying to hit home in his feeble attempt to persuade council was the city will have to pay overtime if guys retire. So if 10 guys retire, according to hiring fliers officers make over $100,000 a year. You can't tell me $1 million extra won't go a long way towards overtime considering the police are budgeted at 2.6 million.

A DROP will line the officers pockets at a huge tax increase cost. The 20 year plus guys will benefit. The Chief said that the absence of a DROP will cause more overtime. Huh? You would move out the high earners, promote deserving mid staff and hire more lower to replace those lost through retirement. What he isn't saying is that OT is offered and senior staff get first dibs because of.....well, money 💰 💵 💰. They go after the OT pay first. It is not for the junior officers. There was a very careful choice of words to scare the leaders to making the DROP a reality. 

Council will have to vote in the future but from what I see I think council has realized the benefits do not outweight the negatives.

Oh did anyone see Tuerky jerkey tonight?

Good idea horrible approach

 

Wfmz interviewed Mayor Tuerk on the recent violence or more specifically the two homicides of two teenagers.  

His response was he would like to create some open dialog with the youth of Allentown.  

He stated you can call the mayors office and he will talk to you.  I'll stop right there.  He will talk to you?  He is never there.  Is a secretary going to forward the call to California or wherever his next vacation is?

This may be a good idea for youth to have someone to talk to, but why the fuck would they want to talk to the mayor?  First off inner city minority youth do not want to talk to a white guy who claims hes latino. Despite the 5 readers who comment here that the mayor is hip and cool.  To the youth he is a dork. Sorry. 

Get someone they look up to.  Get local celebrities or local rappers to speak to the kids.  Get $5 Wawa gift cards and give them away after kids talk to someone.  I can guarantee the mayor doesnt get 5 phone calls. 

Yes the idea has some merit but the approach is all wrong.  Besides the guy doesnt even show up for council meetings and now wants you to call him?  

Heres an easy idea. Take some of the Mayors travel expense money if there is any left and go to the basketball courts with a cooler of gatorades and snacks. Have some counselors there, and tell the kids we want your input on some things 1 on 1 of course. Ask them each say 5-10 questions (keep it around 2-4minutes max and give them their reward.   Make it fun. You expect some kid to call a number and speak to a stranger?Play some hoops and while doing so ask them questions. Or say if I beat you I get 5 minutes of your time. You will have a line of kids wanting to talk.  Here I will even give you 5 example questions since I care about this issue.

1. Do you feel safe playing at the playground? How about when it gets darker out?

2. What is one thing you would like to do for fun in the city if it was available?

3. Would you be interested in some summer camps or things to do on the weekends? If so what?

4. If I gave you $100 what would you spend it on?

5. What is scary about living in Allentown?

Just a somewhat broad group of questions that could provide alot of information about the youth.  They are just examples and better questions could probably be asked. Kids love to talk, but make it fun.  The information with flow with ease.

Good idea, horrible approach. 

Accountability

 

I feel like I have to keep speaking on this. Maybe one day it will actually happen.  But if we hold our breath we will surely all die.

Accountability is the obligation to explain, justify, and take ownership of your actions, decisions, and outcomes.

In medieval times when kings overstepped their bounds or imposed ruinous taxation, powerful nobles used armed rebellion to force compliance or outright depose the ruler.  Obviously, that isnt how we handle things in the 21st century.  So...

How do we hold our city officials  accountable?

Do we point out every flaw they make?

Do we watch there every move?

Do we micromanage them?

Or 

Do I just write a stupid blog explaining the truth behind everything they do?

The key word to solve most of the problems associated with accountability is transparency. 

Transparency is the quality of being clear, open, and honest. In business, governance, and daily communication, it means operating without hidden agendas and sharing information in a way that allows others to see exactly how and why decisions are made. 

Why is this so difficult for these elected officials?  

The citizens have the right to know how their tax money is being spent.  Why it is being spent and what are the benefits of the spending.

We get nothing.  The issue is no one has ever made a platform like this blog to vent out your frustrations anonymously and uncensored to your leaders. This is an important process in holding our officials accountable.  

Here is a perfect example:

Remember the mayor stating he would fix the potholes in the city? He said you could call the streets department and complain about a pothole in the street.

Has anyone done it?  If so, did anyone come out and fix it?  

Whats the point of calling if nothing gets done? If they do come out is this the result?

I wont even blame the street department since they just follow orders.

If these people want to sit at council meetings or in public settings and know people dont trust or believe anything they say and throw up smokeshields to mask the truth,  you do you Boo. The truth cannot live where lies are. If accurate numbers and facts cannot be disclosed along with pertinent information during decision making time how can anyone be trusted?

Bottom line. People want to see action to the statements and promises officials blow up our asses. People want the truth. They want to feel included.  People can handle the truth and get past it over time even if they don't like it at first. It is lies and deception that never heal. 

When city leadership lectures instead of leading

 

Yesterday was another horribly sad day for Allentown.  Another child lost to gun violence.  

Our police chief immediately reacted in the same - oh so predictable - manner, probably taught to him by his mentor and ruler, Matt Tuerk.  Instead of action we got a social media post.  Absolutely zero comment from the mayor of course.  Frank Kane’s phone is ringing for comment but he lost the phone again.

You can read the Chief’s comment here in full:

“When a homicide happens, it impacts not only the victim but the community itself. My message continues to be put the guns down and resolve potential disputes in a civil manner by communicating. This type of violence impacts many neighborhoods across our nation.

Our patrol and investigative teams are hard at work in conducting the investigation and we will put out informational updates as we can. Now it is even more vital for people to get involved and uplift our community. No one deserves this outcome.

Our community is angry and rightfully so, but I want to say that the person pulling the trigger is where we need to focus our efforts. My question to you is, are you going to sit back and call Allentown a cesspool or are you going to do something about it and get involved?”

What an empty message to deliver after yet another act of violence in our city. Instead of leadership and a plan, we get a lecture. 

I’m tired of hearing elected officials calling for people to “put the guns down”.  It’s a very tired and overused slogan.  Does Roca or the mayor really think that the thugs committing these violent acts are looking for conflict‑resolution advice from a Facebook post? 

And the part to “get involved and uplift our community”?

Get involved how, exactly?

With what resources?

What programs?

What support?

What infrastructure?

What investment?

If you’re going to ask residents to step up, you need to tell them what you’re stepping up with.  You are paid very handsomely to figure it out…so do something.  

    •    Stop focusing on the new police station

    •    Stop pushing for a DROP

    •    Stop the loser social media presence, leave that to Mayor PeeWee

    •    Start doing the job you are hired to do and put a plan in action.

Tell me what any of these things are going to do to reduce crime and fun violence? And yet all of these bullet points combined will cost the city $100 million between capital and staff wages combined. 

When you narrow the entire issue down to one individual, you never have to talk about policy failures, prevention failures, or the city leaderships own role in creating the conditions where violence thrives. It’s actually insulting to the community and a cheap way to deflect to individuals so that you never have to answer to the problem.

Residents aren’t angry because they’re lazy or don’t care. We are angry because we are tired of being told to “get involved” and city leadership refuses to get real and do something.  Instead we have the Police Chief posting a lecture on Facebook and Councilperson Gerlach saying she is meeting with the Violence Prevention Coordinator.  Two reactive approaches. Although Cece makes me continue to question why we pay high wages to city workers for questionable outputs. What exactly is the job of the Violence Prevention office and what are Those metrics for success? Because I’d say that office is failing. 

Let us not forget that our mayor is in a California with his secretary again.  Allentown  needs a present leader, not a globe trotting twink. 

I don’t know about the rest of Allentown but I am not even that interested in his words anymore.  They mean nothing. 

This man has stopped caring and it’s clear he’s abandoned his entire job. From someone who loooooooves strategic plans so much… where is the strategic plan for reducing gun violence? Oh wait maybe the violence prevention office can spit one out with ChatGPT and call it day. 

Chief Roca and Mayor Tuerk, one piece of advice. If you want the community to step up, start by doing the same.

Rivers are open!!

 The weather is hot, people are hot, rules are, well, maybe enforced.

I am going to try and only speak about this ooncethis summer, unless their is a homicide or God forbid someone drowns. The pools are open.  Who cares!!! The rivers are way better.

1. They are free

2. You can drink there

3. You can cook with charcoal and then just leave that there smoldering 

4. Got trash? Just throw it over your shoulder, it will float to Easton

5. Gotta Piss, go ahead 

6. Gotta Shit, go ahead

7. Music isnt just for you, its for everyone within 500ft.

8. Bring your hooka to smoke in the water

Im not doing a meme for #9.

9. Even if your overweight, bikinis are acceptable (its mean but true)

10. Its only a 2-3 hour drive for most.

I mean whats not to love. Basically do what you want all day, then leave and go far away and let the Parks department clean up your mess.  Its simply amazing this still continues. Even despite the subpar efforts of APD which has done better in trying to combat this, people still do it.  

I personally dont see the fascination of driving all the way from New York or New Jersey to act like savages and maybe be told to leave by the police.  Pool passes must cost alot more than gas these days.

Lastly, I am not going to throw a jab at the city administration (but I love doing it). This problem has been like this for years with little resolve or care to fix it. (Maybe that is a jab...fuck it)

Data, DROP, and Duds

Council tonight was never ending.

The first part we were blessed with Frank Kane giving an explanation of the police DROP pension program.  And chewing atleast one pack of gum.

"This guy makes a $135,000 a year and comes to council disheveled, on his phone, and chewing gum"

Bina Patel delivered another Academy Award nominated performance and, as always, could not answer any questions and deferred to 'getting that data' and 'we will have that conversation'. 

Council VP Mota asked some great questions, but I do think she is probably more confused after the explanation by Kane and Patel. Frank still chewing

Basically, what's the impact on the tax payers?. No answer. How much will it cost? No answer.

Basically, the police can double dip and leave with a done of cash after they retire. Costing tax payers millions. There getting a new 45million dollar station and want more.

Onward

Patel did state there is like 70 capital projects going on. So there is a cost for that. Yet as Finance Director she has no clue what financial impact these projects, including the DROP, will have on the taxpayers. Do your job!!!!

In between Frank being on his phone alot of the meeting, Frank stated the city will need to come up with $6.75 million for the lost revenue from stornwatee fees from the ruling in the state assembly. 6.75 million!!! That's without the DROP and whatever other expenses. But assured the administration will figure it out.  Where are you getting all this money???  Quit borrowing. Administration is like a 20 year old charging everything with $15/hr job. Ridiculous. 

There will be a Special Meeting to discuss the DROP probably on a Wednesday night at 3:30am. Bina is gonna avoid answering any and all questions VP. Mota asked, if she shows up at all. Im sick of her not knowing shit.

Mayor Tuerk missed another community impacting meeting. Don't worry Matt, we saw Vicky Kistler in the back watching people, taking notes, and names. She will send you a summary tonight. I do hope Disneyland California has wifi and good cell reception so you don't miss the her notes.

The main focus of the 2nd meeting was the proposed data center in south Allentown. Basically, everyone opposes it.  

The basis of Bill 20 was to amend the code language so data centers can't be built in the city limits.  But this is a complicated process.

How about how the City Solicitor who is hired for these types of issues sat in the back silent and the council solicitor had to answer for both the best she could?

There was a lot of discussion regarding a Curative Amendment. Now I am not a code aficionado, but I am able to “Google it” like Verizon Frank mentioned.  

1. A municipal curative amendment is a legal process under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) that allows a municipality to self‑declare its zoning ordinance or parts of it as substantively invalid and then enact a new or revised ordinance to fix the problem.

53 P.S. §10609.2

Declaration and Proposal

The municipality formally declares its zoning ordinance or portions thereof as substantively invalid.

Within 30 days, the governing body must:

Pass a resolution identifying the invalidity (e.g., missing or insufficiently permitted uses, entire ordinance needing revision).

Begin preparing and considering a curative amendment 

 Enactment Deadline

The municipality must enact the curative amendment within 180 days from the declaration to validate or reaffirm the ordinance 

Landowner and Hearing Board Exclusion

Once the process starts, the municipality is not required to consider landowner curative amendments under §609.1 or to issue reports on similar grounds 

Limitation

After enactment, the municipality cannot use the same process again for 36 months, unless a new statutory duty or court decision requires it.

A municipal curative amendment is a statutory tool for Pennsylvania municipalities to fix zoning defects internally, with a set timeline and procedural safeguards, while shielding themselves from competing landowner challenges during the process.

Councilperson Gerlach came in for the win once again! She was saying what was stated with a simple Google search. A Curative Amendment for a Municipality signals that our zoning ordinance is flawed and requires amendment or expansion for clarification to address the issue. This action protects the municipality from entertaining landowners with curative amendments.

This all seems complicated with loopholes within.  

Bill 20 passed 7-0 to be tabled. Hope it was the right decision. Im glad there was a huge turnout of citizens expressing their thoughts.  I wish every meeting was like that.

Lastly and for the Irony

All I can say was that there was a ton of speackers tonight. Who are against these data centers, but I am curious how many used Chat GPT to write their speeches? 

Next Controller

 

Sadly, the city must fill the Controllers position due to the recent passing of long-term Controller, Mr. Glazier. The city controller is one of the most important positions and is essentially the chief financial officer and independent fiscal watchdog. The job is to make sure the city’s finances are honest, accurate, lawful, and transparent — even when that means telling the mayor or council “no.”.

Here are a couple important duties that should be noted:

Pension

Pension Management: Often serving as a voting member on the city's pension boards and overseeing retirement system investments. Why is this important? 

I mean the Police want a DROP pension to line their pockets with cash before they officially retire.

Budget Review: Analyzing the mayor's proposed budget prior to city council approval and providing non-binding and independent recommendations. Why is this important? Well, it's sort of funny; the mayor routinely asks for position upgrades, raises, and more employees throughout the year that were not included or forecasted in the original budget approved the year prior. No one in council ever stops him and says this should be discussed during the budget review. An effective and independent controller that is not in the mayor's pocket could recommend that these positions move to the next budget cycle since they were not included in the current approved budget.

Internal Audits/Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Protection: The Controller performs internal audits, investigates discrepancies, and ensures public funds are used efficiently and legally. The Controller is one of the few positions that are empowered to flag misuse of funds before it becomes a scandal.

PROCESS FOR A NEXT CONTROLLER

Section 405 Vacancy 

A. If the office of the City Controller becomes vacant for any reason, Council shall appoint an interim City Controller, of the same political party, who shall serve until the next Municipal Election.

B. A vacancy in the office of the City Controller shall be filled at the next Municipal Election, in the manner provided by law. The person elected shall hold the qualifications for the office of the City Controller and shall serve the remaining portion of the vacated term.

This position is currently very important to the mayor. Some council members had requested an audit of the mayors travel expenses. I think he is budgeted for around $25,000. Im sure he is over that already. The next controller will know the truth. 

Then let's not forget that Frank Kane stated he would have the mayor's travel expenses once he double checked his numbers. That was four weeks ago. Frank is probably thinking he squeaked out of this one. Wrong. The 3500 views and many comments about the travel during this past week indicate that people want answers. If you have nothing to hide — make it public. I think Matt Tuerk used those same words during the Scott Curtis investigation before he did everything possible to not cooperate. Not just the 5 people you think comment on here. Basically, he didn't have any numbers to check and was stalling. Classic bullshitter. 

I am curious to see who responds to the vacancy announcement.

Personally, I support Ed Zucal for his no nonsense and honest approach. I do feel that he would definitely receive votes from the council, but who knows if he would want the job. He would certainly hold the administration accountable. Im calling you out Ed, throw your name in the game.

Tuerk will obviously want someone he can control like his entire cabinet members. I'm thinking that Ana Tabasco/Tornado/Toblerone lady or whatever her name is or Julian Guridy. We do know that Matt has his favorites, so any number of names could be called to serve him. 

Other choices, Daryl Hendricks. I'll stop right there. If that happens, this blog will end, cause the city will end as well. (hint-hint, Matt)

Oh wait, light bulb. Let's get Scott Curtis to be the controller. Can you imagine what that spy would come up with? "I found a nickel that hasn't been accounted for." 

My final choice is no other than Matt Tuerk himself. I could see him taking on a hybrid role of both mayor and controller. He is so arrogant, I could see him trying. Sort of like some small-town shit, where one is the mayor, Chief of police and the judge. Obviously, I am joking but I am sure Tuerk has researched the possibility.

It will be interesting to see who wants to play banker with this mess of a city budget. I recommend whoever gets the position to have the entire budget audited immediately and DO NOT forget about the travel audit. Actually, Jackie Moore is being appointed to Interim Controller — she can get started once she is approved with the audit of travel expenditures.