Snow disaster explanation

Each of you know there is no chance that Abe wouldn’t listen to the Public Works Committee meeting last night and not provide my comments to this crazy propaganda filled meeting. The attendance was low but there was some good public comment. Mark Shahda, Director of Public Works, presented an overview of how the city should respond. The response to this storm could be summarized by the words of the SEIU President: “poorly managed effort”. 

The argument that it is easier to work overnight is weak at best. During the day the cars that would normally be parked on the streets are likely moved due to the occupant leaving the residence to go to work. Working overnights is a way to maximize overtime payments.

Thanking the staff for a job well done is predictable. There is no doubt that the staff worked tirelessly but it was due to poor management and execution of operations related to this most recent snow event. As Mr. Hunsicker said the snow emergency plan has been around since the 70s, it wasn’t followed. Crews may have worked long hours and missed holidays – although there were no holidays missed during the Feb storm, Valentines Day? Presidents Day? – but that is the job they were hired to perform.

That deserves a big wahhhhhh!

Challenging storm? This was 12 inches and the freezing temps did not let up. However, you have a snow plan and largely use equipment to remove snow. There was no reason that snow operations would be hindered due to cold temperatures. 3rd biggest city in Pa and we can’t handle 12 inches?

My sources tell me that there was no coordination in advance with the Parks Dept or APA until a day prior. The choice to house staff in hotels wasn’t made until the day prior. It is interesting that the City would put employees in hotels. You can’t mandate an employee stay in a hotel. There is a snow operations center, and I have been told that there are beds and facilities for staff to use. How sad to hear that the city had to put employees in hotels when the city has ample space to house during such events. The city owns homes at Cedar Beach and they weren’t thought of to house staff? It is troubling to hear that the city may not have a plan other than using taxpayer dollars for hotel rooms.

A troubling year? There was one storm that had 12 inches and the other two were far less and completely manageable. The snowstorm that crippled the Public Works Department netted far less snow than originally predicted, and they still couldn’t get it done.

                            Vs

The city failed this year with communications related to snow operations. The message from the mayor’s office was to refer to CodeRed. There wasn’t a single message that was received by CodeRed. The social media was hit or miss – small videos were uploaded that addressed what the city wanted the residents to do but not much on the city's operations.  

Signs were not posted to announce the street closures or the snow emergencies. The operations at midnight with blaring sirens and APD screaming instructions through the vehicle loudspeaker. The few postings that indicated snow clearing were open ended and did not offer a reasonable time frame. The posting said “until snow cleared” – that is not how work is done. The truth of the matter is that they did not plan properly between posting and cleanup execution. 

 Mark Shahda mentioned that “we were behind a learning curve on this one. We hadn’t had a snowstorm for 5 years”. Seriously Mark? You have bigger issues if staff forget how to perform essential duties because we haven’t had a significant snow event. You need the learning curve my man. 

I agree with President Napoli – we need to do better. The information is in many different places, and it leads to confusion and misinformation. Again, Coder Red was brought online to handle these situations as a single point of information for residents, and it was never used during the storm. The city website was updated during the snowstorm when the community started complaining about the city response. That was a failure.

I find it weak to blame the lack of equipment. The city has plenty of equipment to clear the streets, and Mark Shahda said the same. He stated, “the city has enough resources to clear the streets with 12 inches of snow”, yet they were unable to meet these clearing needs for this storm.   

The truth is that the city administration failed with this snow season. They did not “open” the city as Mr. Shahda claimed. It is sad to hear him sit there and claim that the city was cleared within days. That is not reality and shame on him for trying to rewrite reality.   

The Allentown Parking Authority and the City Council did an impressive job getting out information; that cannot be said about the Public Works department. 

I heard a common theme in Mr. Shahda’s presentation – “that is a tall order”, “we can’t do that”, “we aren’t staffed or equipped”, “we tried that and it didn’t work”, “I am willing to have a discussion, but…” To me, this is nothing more than a power hold and basic reluctance to make any changes because it requires investment in change. I am not surprised at all by these comments, they are typical of someone who is not capable of handling their duties and prefers to hold on to what they know (what is easy) vice a potential process improvement (something requiring effort and thought).

And what the hell was Miss Canales talking about….?

Snow is “your thing” but you made me want to bury my head in a mountain of snow.      

 

One last comment on the attempts by council to silence community members from speaking truth and calling out the mayor, cabinet, and council. It is violation of our First Amendment to make any attempt to control or silence a community member from speaking their mind or expressing themselves (including wearing a hat). 

The First Amendment protects the right to speak at public meetings, which includes the right to criticize the government and offer viewpoints. Council members cannot silence or shut down speakers simply because they offer a disfavored viewpoint or criticize government officials. The government cannot discriminate against viewpoints, and any restrictions on speech must be necessary to serve a compelling state interest and must be narrowly tailored to achieve that goal. The council and mayor need to realize that they are elected officials and the very seat they sit in and the building they operate is funded and provided by the taxpayers of the city.