Another dumb move

 

Just when I start to think our elected representatives might finally go a full week without doing something spectacularly foolish, they prove me wrong.  The city broke ground on the Allentown Tax Hike Police Station to very little support and attendance.  

Matt Tuerk left the event quickly when he saw there weren’t enough cameras and media.  Tuerk must be so happy Siegel has ended the weekly news cycle with a dumb announcement—he finally will get a break from being the default screw-up of the Valley.

Siegel is expected to introduce a bill that would ban county employees from helping ICE — not because it improves safety, not because it fixes anything, but because he’s addicted to performative politics.

Under this proposal:

“County employees may not provide non‑public or personally identifiable information to federal immigration agencies unless under subpoena, court order, warrant, or with approval from the county solicitor. Employees will undergo mandatory training and face serious consequences for non‑compliance, including termination.”

So now we’re at the point where the county government is micromanaging conversations and cooperation with the federal government?

“Don’t talk to ICE or you’re fired.”

What’s next — monitoring who employees text on their lunch break?

This isn’t transparency. This isn’t accountability. This is intimidation dressed up as moral superiority.

Siegel may hate ICE, but turning county employees into hostages of his personal ideology is absurd. While Anti‑commandeering laws let local governments refuse to enforce federal law — but they do not let them obstruct it. This stunt from the “Tuerk understudy” is basically a legal booby trap with Lehigh County’s name engraved on it.

This is an overreach of government and what is his next set of rules and regulations?

“You may only use the restroom during odd‑numbered hours.”

“No smoking unless you donate to Alcoholics Anonymous.”

At this rate, Josh will be issuing emotional support permits for breathing.

This is the same guy who previously tried to pressure property owners not to sell to ICE.

As if he’s the landlord of the entire county.

Newsflash: You don’t own the citizens, Josh.

Maybe he could try focusing on something that actually matters — like businesses, the roads, keeping taxes stable, the homeless crisis I’m exhausted from writing about, or literally anything he promised during his campaign. But no, we’re stuck with another round of ideological theater.

I’ve said it repeatedly: Allentown, Northampton, and Lehigh County need to wake up and stop electing people who treat public office like a classroom for their personal crusades. These political fools  are burning down the Valley with their hate‑driven, self‑serving legislation. Instead of improving quality of life or public safety, they’re busy chasing their own egos.

I feel Mr. Siegel is doing this, because it may get him on national news and increase his exposure on a larger scale.  A propaganda to get major Democratic leaders to see who he is, in hopes of furthering his career.  I would expect this from the occupant on the 5th floor at 435 Hamilton St., but this is a new low for you, Josh.

Lehigh County -- Do better, stop selecting these radicals. Send them all a message on Tuesday and then again in November.

New PoPo Station

 

The groundbreaking of the new police station at 425 Hamilton St. was today. Did the city ever actually get funding for this?    I still feel that spending $60 million+ (my projections of the total cost) on a new police station is yet another unnecessary and wasteful project by the administration.

Why weren’t the current 10th Stand 425 Hamilton locations just remodeled?  Oh, wait!  That is a cheap land grab by JB Reilly for his new art museum, and the mayor and council were so ready to give it to him.

While talking about spending money, it seems like the APD is winning this year, like the AFD last year. They have a labor contract expiring at the end of the year, working non-stop pushing that expensive DROP pension, and looking for better pay.  Who is paying for all of this? You are!!  Who makes the contract decisions? Tuerk, HR. and Finance.  Do taxpayers get any say?

But Take a drive past the now former APD station at N.10th/Hamilton St. and you will notice the police aren't there anymore. 

Where did they go?

Why did they leave their patrol station? If you recall, the mayor and APD Chief have been wanting a new police headquarters. and the patrol officers would have to move from the 10th St.station. All at a cost of 50-70 million to the tax payers!!!

Why? Simple. It is because the parking authority wanted to sell their plot of land next to the station, and the city agreed to allow the APA to sell the police building. At the time the city couldn't find a feasible place to house the officers until the new police station at 4th St. was built.

So, what actually happened? The city, using the APA as a proxy, sold the patrol station to the Allentown Art museum. Why? Well, money! J.B Reilly is highly involved with the failing museum, so why not move it closer to his music venue the Archer bringing more foot traffic. Soon you will be able to drive down Hamilton St and see a new version of failure with a failed Art Museum, next to a failing Archer Music hall and a rapidly failed DaVinci Center.

So where do you think the police moved?

How about behind the Archer. Well not directly the station but the police cars are all there. Sources tell me the city leases a floor in the building behind the PPL building and the police cars all park in the 940 Linden St deck. I have seen the police leave that deck driving home, but I am not sure where their station exactly is. Anyways, Why is police parking there important? Well, what safer place to park if you are going to the future museum or the Archer than where all the police park. Pretty smart white rich guys. Shady as all hell.

Onward

What did the move cost? Who knows? But we do know that the sale of the 10th St building generated about $775,000 after costs. I am sure the new station had to be renovated to suit the needs of the officers.

Who paid for that? What is the lease on this building? Has to be a couple years at least or until the new station is complete. Conveniently the Controller's contract page is not operational so the lease is not available for download. Laughing but the city probably has to pay the parking authority to allow police and their personal vehicles to be parked in their deck.

I'm sure all the profits from the sale of 10th ststation will be gone very quickly and the city will have nothing to show for it. It is amazing how Tuerk manages to take city tax dollars and funnel them to donators to his campaign. Groundhog dog.

I thought the plan was waiting until the new headquarters was completed then move the officers one time? This is another stupid waste of money idea by Tuerk, Patel, Roca and blessed by the Council.

The officers could be in a "temporary location" for the next two years or more, causing more unnecessary expenses to the city.

Who comes up with these ideas?We have the most special Mayor, and Council in the country. And these people want to further their careers in politics? In real politics, ineffective leaders don’t advance. They get filtered out — not by rivals, but by their own record. Tuerk was a failure before he came to Allentown and is fast tracking his political ‘career’ to be an even bigger failure.

Stuck in Shit again

Let us continue the discussion centered on how the Lehigh Valley has been stuck in a vicious cycle of political underperformance for many years.

Today’s highlight: Ana Tiburcio, another hand selected person that has been plucked from obscurity to represent the PA 22nd district. The position was previously held by Josh Siegel who has now moved on to the Lehigh County Executive, leaving his seat vacant for the remainder of term.

Ms. Tiburcio became the default nominee to replace Siegel only after the original establishment selection, Julian Guridy, abruptly dropped out of the race for the special election due to not meeting all the residency requirements to serve the PA House. Guridy’s exit was yet another misstep in a district already shaken by mismanagement and a political culture that seems allergic to basic competence.

The Democrat establishment that rushed Guridy’s nomination was left with serious egg on their faces when it was discovered that he was not eligible, so they rushed to choose a quick replacement. You would think that the vetting process would be more than a heartbeat and would include verifying eligibility?

Enter Ana Tiburcio.

Who is she? Other than being related to Cynthia Mota and serving on the Allentown School board for two years, not much is known. She does not have much of a political career – something that could be spun as a positive in the politically turbulent Lehigh Valley. 

She also served for 3.5 minutes in the Tuerk administration before suddenly disappearing from City Hall without an explanation. She runs a tax preparation service in Allentown. Yet despite the lack of experience in politics, she garnered support from many sitting politicians in the area. 

Josh Siegel, Pete Schweyer- nerd, Mike Schlossberg- dork, Sen. Nick Miller, ASD Board President Andrene Brown-Nowell, and Matt Tuerk-fart. All of them rushed to endorse her and her impressive “qualifications”.

Then came the disastrous debate with her Republican opponent Robert Smith in Feb 2026. She appeared more surprised than everyone that she was standing on the debate stage as the democratic nominee for the seat and her performance proved it. What we learned from the debate is that she was chosen because she could easily be manipulated to vote the way seasoned politicians like Schweyer and Schlossberg preferred. Tiburcio stated the same in her debate, claiming that she was not smart on many of the issues but would rely on the advice of those who had faith in her. Just what we need in Allentown – another rubber stamp. We already have this with our city council.

The May 19th primary is rapidly approaching, and the race is considered close between Gerlach and Tiburcio. Democratic voters truly face a bleak choice. Cece Gerlach, a frequent critic of the Tuerk administration, has been publicly dismissed by the mayor — a move that speaks volumes about internal party tensions. On the other side is Ana Tiburcio, the establishment's favorite whose rapid ascent has raised more questions than answers.

 Unfortunately for Allentown, both candidates come with their issues and baggage that result in a lesser of two evils situation.

Until voters are willing to break from the cycle of rushed nominations, inadequate vetting, and candidates chosen for their ability to be managed rather than their qualifications, we will continue to suffer the consequences — in Harrisburg, in Washington, and certainly in Allentown.

The political establishment must start treating voters with respect — and treating the process with seriousness. Sadly, Allentown will remain stuck exactly where it has been for far too long: spinning in circles, wondering why nothing ever changes while our fat cat politicians remain trapped in alternate reality where everything is fine and their own lives are enriched.

Not my money, not my problem

The council meeting was exactly what should have been expected-Council disagreeing with themselves, Frank trying to justify the mayor's expenses without knowing if his own data is correct or even fact based, the mayor absent (probably booking his next trip), and of course Napoli nervously trying to figure out how to squash the bill and discussion. 

I would have to give Mota an 8/10, Affa an 8/10, and Binder a solid “meh.” Napoli easily receives a 1/10.

The resolution was introduced to audit all of the mayor’s travel expenses. What was lost here tonight is that the mayor is not above any rules just because of his position. In fact, he should be following the rules to the letter since he is responsible for their implementation and execution. The weak justification that Frank Kane tried to use to justify the mayor's travels is that it represents a small portion of the city budget. Almost like saying "so what?!? Who cares?" Sorry, a mismanaged penny is still mismanaged public funds and officials should be held accountable. Second, he stated the mayor is "boring" and only bought a candy bar and that the money was within the budget. The question isn't whether there is money in the budget. The question is what is the city getting for this trip?

 Why does the mayor continue to tap dance around his travels. Where are the travel reports?

Here’s my take on Managing Director Frank Kane’s defense:

Frank kicked things off by bragging about the mayor’s heavy social media presence and how he spends his days doing community outreach through his online activities.  

He even claimed that if you buy a house in the city, the mayor personally knocks on your door to welcome you. (If he knocked on mine, I’d sic the dog on him).  

496 homes were sold in April 2026 and he was out of Allentown for 2 weeks. I doubt he knocked on all doors...most likely only registered Democrats, if any. Please correct me- if you recently moved to Allentown and the Mayor knocked on your door to personally welcome you, add a comment below. 

Frank tried to tie all this travel to the mayor’s “outreach,” but traveling has nothing to do with getting tattoos or running marathons in other cities. 

He told people not to believe everything in the “blogosphere” (pretty sure he meant AllentownTruth). 

Frank admitted the mayor only spent about $5,000 on travel in 2022, but he refused to give numbers for 2023, 2024, 2025, or this year. 

Again, he wasn't sure of his own data. 

He highlighted the mayor meeting Buttigieg (grabbing him by the lapels and what sounded like just may have kissed him to get a grant) and attending the Conference of Mayors, where he gets to be in a room with “real mayors.”

Frank insisted all this travel brings in tens of millions in grants for the city. Yet when pressed, he couldn’t point to any specific new ideas the mayor has brought back and actually implemented. If the mayor is single-handedly pulling in that kind of money, why are we still seeing tax increases? The connection feels unprovable.

Why doesn’t the mayor go to auditors’ conferences instead? Those are probably free. 

Although I highly doubt the Spain trip cost zero dollars to the city. Not saying that the mayor hasn't attended conferences for free, but I do not think Bloomberg paid for all attendees at its recent global conference in Madrid. Frank claims it was free - we shall see when the receipts are finally found and verified. 

Frank seemed very defensive about the idea of an outside firm doing a proper audit and that leads me to be suspicious of his intentions.

Bottom line: The mayor rarely reports back on what he actually accomplishes on these trips. It’s mostly nonsense. 

Frank’s numbers sounded wildly inflated. If the mayor was truly bringing back millions thanks to his travel and networking, he’d be bragging about it nonstop. If we know anything about Matt Tuerk it is that he loves to see himself on camera and truly loves to brag about his favorite subject -- himself.  

Council seems to be behind on this legislation. It is 2026 and they are only now deciding that mayors, council members, and others should have to report what they actually do on taxpayer-funded trips? I bet the policy already exists and no one enforces it. That’s wild.

On a personal note, I gotta say Frank you seriously remind me of a sleezy used car salesman.  Not just any salesman, one from New Jersey.

99 problems but spending your money ain't one

A resolution requiring an audit on the mayors travel expenses will be introduced Wednesday at the council meeting. R63 is the introduced legislation and what surprises me is that the city hasn't had a policy like this on the books

My guess is that we have not had a social media/globe prancing mayor like we have now so a policy is very much needed. The mayor isn't above audits and this will put a necessary process in place that will hold him and his staff accountable. 

Holy shit!!! I cant believe that this legislation is being sponsored by Mota, Napoli, Affa, and Gerlach. I give you four congrats on doing this. Honestly, I am surprised Binder didn't sign on to the legislation since he is very fiscally responsible and continually talks about accountability.

This is definitely necessary to thwart unnecessary future spending. I will be doing a follow up after council meeting. 

I think this audit should include the expense accounts of ALL Mayor's staff since there are others who like to travel for free as well to Taylor Swift concert locations. Yeah, Abe knows. wink wink 

Lastly since I don't want to share too much, but maybe a committee should be made to approve any future trips before the mayor goes. Oh wait, and since he says on Facebook why he is there. Maybe a 500 word report on what he learned and how it will be implemented in the city.