Editorial: Easton’s Glacial Mass

I am one that believes our long term climate is being affected by the pollutants we spew into the air. But it is a long term concern that is not of immediate risk to our way of life. Although I concur with Mayor Mitman’s concern for environment, I think there are many other issues here in Easton that may cut short lives. Drug and Gang problems, social decay and property blight to identify a few.

Fighting global warming has its limits though. To treat our snow and ice like you would an endangered species is just going a bit too far. Protecting Easton’s glacial mass has caused many parking and transportation problems in the city. For the good of the city it is time to allow the Easton Ice age to recede.

Are we selfish for putting the convenience of parking within six inches of the curb and getting from the car to the sidewalk without crampons high on our priority lists? Is it too much to expect local government to solve its problems before indulging in the worlds? Maybe our mayor should working on more immediate issues like Easton’s dirty polar ice cap.

Bad Apple
Easton

Editorial: Snow What!?

Nearly a week after our 6 inch snowfall the streets of Easton are deplorable. The main downtown arteries, as well as, the only ways in and out of the city are still not plowed curb to curb. Not even the metered spaces (that the City wants to raise the fees for) are cleared. If you can get your car in the space you then need to climb over a frozen embankment to get to the meter. How and why is this acceptable? Now I understand why Mayor Mitman spends so much time in Harrisburg. He’s been attending the Governor Rendell School of Snow Removal. The Partners for Livable Communities are probably contemplating charging us another $5,000 to take back the award that we paid for. Keep up the good work Phil.

Partial Observer
Easton

City Council Meeting Audio 2/20/07

This one and a half hour meeting was well attended. This was a make-up meeting for last week's snowed-out meeting. Three Council candidates were in the audience (Peter Melan, Bill Timmann, and Elinor Warner), one prospective mayoral candidate, and mayoral candidate Sal Panto showed up at the meeting's end.

The parking meter ordnance was given 5 yes votes to extend hours until 6pm, to charge $1.00 at the courthouse meters, and to double some fines. There was some very intelligent commentary on the Riverwalk project. There was also discussion of the recently purchased park plan and the proposed ambassador program.

Audio(1 hour 24 minutes 55 seconds 9.71Mb)
Agenda
Minutes

An Example of What We Stand to Lose

REMARKS – Members of Audience to President of City Council

Terrance Hand, 623 Chestnut Terrace, thanked Council for their discussion on the Award presentation in Washington DC for the City, and urged Council to repeal the Resolution which would permit the City Clerk not to retain Council meeting tapes.

Mayor Mitman made several comments regarding Mr. Hand’s comments regarding the Award presentation

*Cut and pasted from the approved City Council minutes for January 10, 2007

The minutes are not only incorrect, it hardly reflects what went on during the discussion. Mr Hand did NOT thank Council for their discussion on the award. He thanked Council for NOT DISCUSSING the award.

Listen:
What Hand Really Said:

As to the Mayor's comments...

Mitman rebuts:

That pretty much IS NOT what I imagined when I read, "Mayor Mitman made several comments regarding Mr. Hand’s comments regarding the Award presentation."

Welcome to Easton. We really do make history. And we make it the way we like it.

El Warner Announces City Council Candidacy

WARNER TO SEEK EASTON CITY COUNCIL SEAT


Elinor Warner announced today that she is running for one of three seats on Easton City Council. Warner, a Democrat, currently serves on the Easton Charter Study Commission, to which she was elected in May 2006. This will be her first run for City Council.

“The next few years will be crucial ones for our city, financially, culturally, and socially,” Warner states. “It’s important that we think about the future we desire for our city, and that we elect legislators who can move us toward that future. I am running for City Council because I believe I have the skills and the vision to move us toward that future while serving our present interests.”

A 1981 graduate of Easton Area High School, Warner graduated Magna Cum Laude from Sweet Briar College in 1985 and has a Master’s and PhD from the University of Virginia. She has a long history of community involvement. She served as Chair of the EHA House Tour in 1997, 1998, 2005 and 2006; has been involved with Easton’s Main Street Initiative since its inception, currently serving as the Chair of the Organization Committee and a member of the Main Street Advisory Board; and is a member of the Board of the Easton Business Association. She is the editor and publisher of The Elucidator, a free local publication.

“Easton has given me a great deal – a sense of place, a sense of community, a sense of home. I think it’s important to give back and to work together toward making this the city that we all know it can be,” states Warner. “We need effective ordinances, we need positive leadership, we need a municipal government that functions smoothly. We need neighborhoods that are clean and safe, for us and for our children. I want to work with the administration toward those goals.”

*This is her official release. EU did not conduct the interview. --HoC

Nadine Loane Announced for City Council

On Friday, February 9, 2007, Nadine Loane announced her Council candidacy from the gym of the Easton Area Community Center (St Anthony's-- 9th & Washington Streets). Nadine is the director of Easton's Weed & Seed. She took over Weed & Seed after the program was gutted by mismanagement, and has made Easton's Weed & Seed a program to boast about.

The audio is less an announcement and more of an exchange between Nadine and the attendees.

Audio (2.74Mb 24 minutes 1 second)

Republicans Announce for City Council

At 3:00 PM earlier today, the Easton Republican Committee filled the back dining room at Ashley's Restaurant (229 N 11th Street) to present a slate of four Council candidates. The candidates are Peter Melan of College Hill (Self employed), Brian L. Otto Sr. of the West Ward (Easton Block Watch president), Roger Ruggles (Lafayette Professor, Home Rule Charter Commissioner, and Sewer Authority Commissioner), and Bill Timmann of the South Side (Self employed).

A hand full of questions were asked of the candidates. I asked who the party's Mayoral candidate was; I was told that he would be announcing "in a couple of days".

Audio (2.26 Mb 19 minutes 50 seconds)

Mike Fleck Announces for Mayor

In a half hour frigid event in front of his Childhood home, Mike Fleck announced his intentions to seek the Democratic mayoral nomination. During the press conference Mike, his father David, Mike's wife Allison, and Mike's campaign manager Evie Gollick all spoke. Fleck also fielded questions from the attendees (most of the questions came from Tracy Jordan and me -- Ed Seiger and Christina Georgiou had no questions).

Audio (16 minutes 35 seconds 1.95Mb)

Electoral Press Conference

On Friday February 9, 2007 11am I will be holding a press conference at Easton Area Community Center 9th and Washington Streets Easton. I plan to announce my intention to run for Easton City Council. It would be my honor to have your presence at this conference.
Thank You
Nadine

*Nadine Loane is the coordinator of Easton’s Weed and Seed program

Press Release (Mayoral Candidate)

Michael P. Fleck
922 Butler St.
Easton, PA 18042
Phone (610) 438-5424
Fax (610) 438-5425

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

10 A.M. EDT, February 2nd 2007
Fleck To Make Election Announcement

Michael P. Fleck will be holding a press conference on Tuesday, February 6th 2007 to announce his intentions in the upcoming mayoral election in the City of Easton. The event will be held at 1121 Lehigh St. in Easton, which is the home Mr. Fleck grew up in and will soon be renovating and moving back into to start his family. The press conference will be held at 1:45pm.

You are all invited to hear Fleck’s ideas for the future of Easton and his role in securing that future. Mr. Fleck will discuss his experience including his work with Allentown Mayor, Ed Pawlowski and PA Governor, Ed Rendell. Fleck will also discuss the importance of young experienced energetic leadership for the future of Easton. Mr. Fleck will answer some questions from the media at this event.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Mr. Fleck hopes to see you on Tuesday.

Contact: Spike Rogan

Phone: (610) 438-5424

City Council Meeting Audio 1/24/07

cAnother almost uneventful meeting. Councilman Corpora was not in attendance. The only real discussion revolved around the Riverwalk Inter model project. The talks sprouted from Bad Apple's remarks on the project and resulted in comments from both Solicitors Schear & Murphy, as well as the Mayor and Councilwoman Heffley. Once again I brought up the destruction of the City Council audio archives no one commented.

Audio (1 hour 16 seconds 8.8Mb)
Agenda
Minutes

Buyers Scarce, Many Condos Are for Rent - New York Times

Buyers Scarce, Many Condos Are for Rent - New York Times

January 16, 2007
Buyers Scarce, Many Condos Are for Rent
By VIKAS BAJAJ
WASHINGTON — David Franco’s illuminated model of a proposed 10-story condominium tower dominates a sales center that, in spite of the “Now Selling” banner still fluttering outside, is conspicuously closed for business.

“We could have waited it out and kept pushing and pushing,” Mr. Franco said about the decision to abandon plans to sell 180 luxury condominiums with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the Washington Monument and Capitol Hill. “But it would have taken significantly longer.”

After six weeks of failing to lure more than a couple of dozen buyers, Mr. Franco and his partner, Jeff Blum, joined the builders of nearly 6,000 condominium units in the Washington metropolitan area who have decided in the last three months to recast their projects as rental apartment buildings.

Since the middle of 2006, the frenzied condominium market here and in several other big cities like Las Vegas, Miami and Boston has collapsed. Once roaring sales have slowed to a trickle, sparse inventory has mushroomed into a glut and soaring prices have flattened out and started falling.

In many cities, banks have significantly scaled back loans to condominium builders. Some have demanded that developers sell half or more of the units in a building before even beginning construction.

In hopes of salvaging something from their costly plans, hundreds of developers like Mr. Franco are looking to the strong market for apartments, planning to rent their units for at least a couple of years while waiting for today’s condo surplus to shrink. Mr. Franco and Mr. Blum hope to break ground on what will be a somewhat less expensive building this spring.

In some cases, developers are even turning older buildings back to rentals after a brief or aborted attempt at condo conversion. Meanwhile, another 2,500 proposed condominiums in the Washington area have been scrapped altogether, according to Delta Associates, a real estate research firm.

The latest salvage operation on the part of condo developers is far from a sure bet, however. Condominium buildings generally cost more to build and operate than those built for apartments from scratch. And while rents are high and rising in most cities, in many cases they still are not sufficient to turn a profit.

Industry analysts also point out that rents may start sagging if too many condos are converted into apartments too quickly. While rents were rising at a robust 6.1 percent annual pace in the Washington area late last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some buildings in the suburbs have recently started promoting move-in specials and other incentives to lure renters.

“You can do it, but it isn’t as attractive,” Tom Meagher, a Boston real estate consultant, said about converting condos into apartments. “You are not going to get enough rent to cover the cost. You might have to go back and redesign the floor plans.”

In the Boston area, Mr. Meagher is tracking 600 condo projects representing about 49,000 units in various stages, from applying for permits to active construction. While the recent slowdown is forcing developers to consider converting their projects to apartments and offices, he expects as many as a third of them will never be built at all.

Mr. Franco said that he and Mr. Blum were able to cut 10 percent from the costs of their planned building, on land in the trendy U Street corridor. That should be enough to make a profit, he said. Beyond switching to some less expensive materials, they also decided to subdivide some larger units into smaller apartments.

The partners are now going through a similar financial exercise on another proposed building across the street, which was to house 225 condominiums but now could be recast as a rental building as well.

Lenders started tightening the purse strings for the condominium market in early 2006 as sales weakened first in cities like Miami and Las Vegas.

“Did the lenders pull back soon enough?” asked Robert Brennan, managing director of real estate finance at Credit Suisse in New York. “I don’t think we know yet.”

Real estate experts say condos are more susceptible to booms and busts than single-family homes are because they attract more investors who do not intend to live in them and are easier to build than a new subdivision in many cities.

And while there are tentative signs that the worst of the overall housing slump may be easing as builders cut back and interest rates remain relatively modest, condo markets continue to suffer.

Take the owner trying to sell a spacious two-bedroom condo for $879,000 in the former Columbia Hospital for Women, which closed in 2002, in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington. In 2004, the investor was so confident that he would make a handsome resale profit that he told his agent, Thomas P. Murphy, he wanted to buy five condos. Mr. Murphy said he flatly told his client he would only assist him in purchasing one unit in any one building.

“He needs $890,000 to break even, but the offers are at $800,000 to $840,000,” Mr. Murphy said. “He does remember that I told him he was not getting five of them.”

Could he rent the condo? Yes, but that option is not appealing, either. Mr. Murphy estimates that the unit could rent for $4,000 a month, far short of the $6,800 a month the condo costs in mortgage interest, maintenance fees, insurance and taxes.

“They have a choice of how they want to lose it,” Mr. Murphy said of investors and condo developers. “Drip by drip or in one slap.”

Mr. Murphy said he believed condo sales had picked up somewhat lately and he even ran a four-way bidding contest on one well-priced condo in Foggy Bottom, near the State Department. But the supply of newly built condos is so large and so many of them are similar to each other that many sellers are having to sharply cut their asking price. Others have simply given up.

At the end of 2006, 24,200 units were on the market in the Washington area, up from 13,000 at the start of 2005. Sales have slowed to 663 in the fourth quarter of 2006 from 3,520 in the first quarter of 2005, according to Delta Associates. Recorded prices have been flat, which probably masks an effective decline since only the most attractive properties are selling and many owners throw in extra inducements that do not show up in official figures.

One of the few exceptions to the trend is in Manhattan, particularly at the high end. Condo and co-op sales increased to 2,441 in the fourth quarter, from 1,574 a year ago, and inventory was relatively flat at 5,900, said Jonathan J. Miller, an appraiser. Much of the increase can be attributed to a legal change in how sales of co-ops are recorded, but Mr. Miller said a 5.5 percent drop in prices from the third quarter also helped.

Nationally, condominium sales have fallen further than those of single-family properties, 13.6 percent from November 2005 to the same month in 2006; free-standing homes showed a 10.7 percent decline in the same period. Inventories have risen 38.1 percent for condos and 29.6 percent for individual homes, according to the National Association of Realtors. The national median price — half the condos sold for more and half for less — was $224,600 in November, unchanged from November 2005.

But there is no comprehensive, national source of data for new condominiums sales. The Realtors group only measures sales of existing units and the Commerce Department, which tracks sales of new single-family homes, does not collect data on condominiums.

In the recent housing boom, many cities welcomed condos, hoping the young, upper-income set they attract would help revitalize older neighborhoods. In some cities, condominium construction also gave municipal officials an opportunity to demand that developers set aside some units for affordable housing in exchange for zoning and building approvals.

In Washington, the area around 14th and U Streets was one of several formerly run-down neighborhoods to get a facelift largely from new condo projects. The area was once a hub of African-American civic and cultural life, but the neighborhood was ravaged by riots in 1968 after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and fell into decades of neglect and disrepair.

The area has now become home to trendy cafes, a Whole Foods grocery and other stores. But signs of its hardscrabble past linger on in dilapidated apartment buildings and storefronts. The influx of transplants from nearby Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan has also raised the usual strains that accompany gentrification — rising rents, increased traffic and the displacement of local residents.

Mr. Franco, who lives in the neighborhood, said he was sensitive to those concerns. His company, Level 2 Development, contributed $1 million to help a group of tenants in low-income apartments buy their building as part of a deal with the local government for the approval of his condo project.

He had hoped to take up residence in a 3,200-square-foot corner unit with an expansive terrace, which will now be cut up into smaller rental apartments.

But as he drove around the neighborhood recently pointing out rows of redeveloped buildings, he acknowledged that the market might have reached its limit for now. As an example, he pointed to a used car lot that seemed to be a vestige of a bygone era.

“The reality is not everything can make way for condos,” Mr. Franco said. “This guy may be doing so much business that it has far more value than what a real estate sale can fetch.”

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

Beware of Strangers Bearing Gifts

Hear him pitch it:


After I read Tracy Jordan’s first article on “the award” being bestowed upon the City of Easton for accomplishing nothing tangible, I immediately researched the Partners for Livable Communities.

It took me all of 5 minutes to find out that they are a municipal consulting organization. And the organization does not hide why they exist. On their webpage they readily offer their Technical Assistance Consulting brochure which clearly catalogs their price list (http://www.livable.com/images/documents/Technical%20Assistance.pdf page 16). It cost $5k to get honored and $10k to join their club for a year. And joining their "Sam's Club for Local Government" allows us the privilege of buying plans, seminars, and other consultation from them.

Mayor Mitman has correctly stated that “The Partners” are a charitable non-profit [501(c)(3)], but his comparison of the organization to ProJeCt of Easton is misleading, and belittles the truly benevolent work of ProJeCt. The partners fit the criteria because of the types of services they SELL.

I am sure the “award” means more to the Mayor than it could ever mean to us taxpayers. A person networked with these guys (their board is politicians, lawyers, and bankers) has some pretty good prospects for future employment.

Their award is a sham-- a Trojan Horse. They are feeding on our collective low city-esteem. They found a slightly bruised community, then they told us how beautiful we were, and promptly asked us to pay for the compliment.

No one really knows how many marginally moral and/or ethical situations will evolve from the Mayor’s $5,000.00 purchase of the “Entrepreneurial American Community Award” from the Partners for Livable Communities. All we really know is that the Mayor expects us to be a lot more gracious and grateful.

Mitman rebuts:

Farenheit 18042

Hear it happen:

Read the resolution. http://eastonundressed.org/eufiles/resolution213_2006.pdf

Easton is a city where history is so important that we take significant efforts to celebrate and preserve it.

Patrons and residents of Easton have heroically toiled to preserve our architecture.

We Eastonians relish in our attachment to our country’s birth through our annual reading of the Declaration of Independence.

In Easton we do not use “liability” as a reason to destroy aged buildings. If we did there would be vacant lots on the northeast corner of 2nd and Northampton and the northwest corner of 5th and Northampton.

Come Hell or (as we well know) high water the Declaration will be read.

History is such an integral element in our city that we gave it top billing in new logo.

Because of this I must protest Council’s unanimous resolve (Resolution 213-2006 of 12/28/06) to destroy the audio history of City Council proceedings.

To eliminate history in order to avoid liability is not noble. In this, we also eradicate assets. Destroying the audio archive is not a tenet of government transparency. It is comparable to book burning; stinks of cover-up; and is one of the most permanent forms of revisionist history.

The advice that our Council is acting under does not protect the interest of their constituents—it protects them against the interest of their constituents.

Hiding from history is not noble; thus not in the spirit of History- Heritage- Home.

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963

I Have a Dream.




I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

City Council Meeting 1/10/07

We had another short meeting (just over 1 hour). The Mayor and Councilwoman Heffley gushed all over the Mayor's $5,000.00 purchase of an award from a DC municipal consulting organization. There was public comment on the Treasurer's pay and position as well as parking and the destruction of the City Council audio archives.

I know the issue is kind of small, but I am determined to save the City’s recordings of City Council sessions. Apparently Council decided to destroy the entire collection of recordings because someone at City Clerks’ School said it was a good idea. In a town that relishes history this is irreprehensible. I need your help.

Audio (7.7Mb 1 hour 7 minutes)
Agenda
Minutes

Your neighbor

City Council Meeting 12/28/06

This meeting was a short hour. The budget was passed with a few excuses and disclaimers, but with no discussion of substance. One item of interest was the unanimous passage of a resolution to allow Council to destroy the recordings of our public meetings. This needs to be scrutinized.

Audio (7.4 Mb 1 Hour 5 Minutes)

Holiday Cheer

Barking Over Parking

Here are some of same basic reasons that every city gives for
parking meters (or any limited parking enforcement):

1. Turnover. Ensure that people move their cars every 15
   minutes to 5 hours to allow other cars a chance to park (and shop the stores
   there.)
2. Social Engineering. Get people to use pubic transportation
   instead of their cars when shopping downtown.
3. Income. Generate money from the meters. The money from
   meters can be significant (especially when there are thousands of meters
   installed) however, cities really want people to overstay their parking limit so
   they can write parking tickets - this is where they make most of their money. In
   Portland a plain parking ticket is $16.00. Some place, like near PGE Park (a
   stadium) the basic parking ticket is $40.00!
4. Portland, in their transportation budget, expects 2.5% of
   it to be derived from citations. 2004 Budget was around $54 million dollars.
   Thus, around $1 million dollars is expected as income from parking citations
   alone.
5. To encourage people who work downtown NOT to drive their
   cars downtown to allow shoppers to park.
6. Cut down the need to build new roads to handle the traffic
   going downtown
7. Enable the handicap to park easily so they can
   shop

Why Parking Meters Should be
Outlawed http://www.taphilo.com/tom/parkingmeters.shtml

Last year (during our policy battles with the State Theatre) I was of the opinion that we should just raise the price of the city’s parking meters. I wanted the City Parking Garage locked down to freebies. And I wanted scofflaws, violators, and ne'er-do-wells ticketed. That was then.

Just a couple of weeks ago we were cornered with an eleventh hour budget proposal to increase parking meters 100% (from $.50/hour to $1.00/hour). My knee-jerk reaction was, “Hell Yeah! Make everyone share the costs.” Residents and business owners crowded City Council Chambers. People stood up and spoke out.

And what happened then...? Well... in Easton they say that my Grinch ears grew three sizes that day!

I heard some opponents to my opinion. No, I really heard some opponents to my opinion. I heard people give solid criticism to the hap-hazardness of the plan. I heard people offer viable alternatives. Here’s the thing… I actually “heard” what they were saying.

Suddenly, mine was not such a well thought out position. And, well, quite frankly; that’s because it was a position of emotion. My agenda is clear—Resident First. In my heart of hearts I believe that the people need to be advocated. When I approached the parking meter issue on adrenaline alone, anyone not for it was against the resident. That was a mistake. Upon future review (and hearing other people) I realized that the issue is not one of extremes.

Yes, the rates need to be increased. They need to be increased for two major reasons—fairness and revenue. Everyone must contribute to the well being of the city; not just now but always. We can not continue to operate the city on the backs of the resident/taxpayer. We discussed this in detail during the Amusement and Mechanical Devices Tax talks. Use-based fees are fair and necessary.

The rhetoric that parking meters are not revenue devices has been bounced around a lot lately. The problem is that the rhetoric is not entirely true. Firstly, it’s made up. Meters exist for whatever reason the owner chooses. The simple fact that revenue is generated from meters invalidates the stance. A more correct statement may be that parking meters don’t have to exist for the sole purpose of revenue generation.

Although it is sometimes disputed, Carl C. Magee, of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, is generally credited with originating the parking meter. He filed for
a patent for a "coin controlled parking meter" May 13, 1935. The patent,
#2,118,318, was issued May 24, 1938.

The world's first installed
parking meter was in Oklahoma City, on July 16, 1935. Mr. Magee had been
appointed to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce traffic committee, and was
assigned the task of solving the parking problems in downtown Oklahoma City.
Apparently, folks who worked in the area were parking on downtown streets,
staying all day, and leaving few spaces for shoppers and others who visited the
central business district.

Magee's solution was to install parking
meters, charge for the use of the parking spaces, and turn over those spaces
that would otherwise have been filled by all day parkers. In addition, the
parking meters would generate revenue for a growing city. It must have worked,
as the idea of metered parking eventually caught on worldwide. From that early
beginning, the use of parking meters by municipalities, colleges and
universities, and private parking facilities has increased to the point that
today, in the United States alone, there are an estimated five million parking
meters in use.

Based on this number, if every parking meter
collected only 25 cents per day, the gross revenues generated by parking meters
in the U.S. for one day would be a staggering 1.25 million dollars
($1,250,000).

Although Magee's mission was to solve parking
problems, it is evident from his patent application that generating revenue was
an important issue from the beginning. In the application, he stated that his
invention related to "meters for measuring the time of occupancy or use of
parking or other space, for the use of which it is desirous an incidental charge
be made upon a time basis."

The Parking Meter Page http://www.ionet.net/~luttrell/history.html

The real shame we have to bear is that we did not address this issue over months. One of the most sensible arguments to the increase I heard was that we lack a plan. And our lack of planning, NOT a couple of quarters, is the limiter in the proposal.

Speakers have pointed out that we need coordinated actions when we address parking. Street parking costs need to compliment garage costs. Garage costs need to be less that ticket fines. Residents need evening exemptions. Overnight parking costs needs to compliment parking costs in destination cities like Philadelphia and Ney York City. Payment needs to be convienient, and taxicab loitering needs to be managed.

The answer is not “to fee or not to fee.” That would be catering to our emotional special interest. The answer is a coordinated, well-mapped parking master plan.

Maybe we need some authority over parking...?

City Council Meeting Audio 12/13/06

This meeting was dedicated to the interest item de jure—Parking meters. It was a short meet, but there was much traffic on the meters. Most of the speakers represented their business interests, but they; none the less; made some very pertinent arguements that were coupled with some very sensible solutions. There's a lot more to be said about the parking meter issue, and we will dedicate a post to it. The issue touches so many different buttons.

Stu Gallaher was made the City Business Administrator... again. And the attempt to fit former fire Chief Frank Chisesi into his post retirement golden parachute was stiffled by a few questions.The questions pretty much amounted to, "What is this job that he is so uniquely qualified for?" There will be more on that in the next meeting.

Here's the meeting AUDIO (8Mb 1 hour 6 minutes).

Crime Symposium Audio

The Crime Symposium went well. Our panelists were top-notched. We are already brainstorming our next community events. And as we get more experienced they will only become more useful and fulfilling sessions.

We thank everyone that attended, as well as our distinguished panel members and their organizations.

The audio recordings have been edited, and in keeping with EU’s mandate to extend the reach of public events they are ready for download/listening.

(To download the file to your computer right click on the link and choose “save as”)

Panel 1 - Judiciary
District Attorney: District Attorney John Morganelli
Magistrates: Justice Gay Elwell
County Judges: Judge Stephen G. Baratta
Symposium Introduction and Judiciary Panel Presentations (time 27:45 size 3Mb)
Judiciary Panel Question & Answer (time 26:35 size 3Mb)

Panel 2 – Community/Schools

Block Watch: Brian Otto, President
Weed & Seed: Nadine Loane
Alert Partnership: Mike Adams
School District: Dr. Pat Vulcano
Community/Schools Panel Presentations (time 48:36 size 5.7Mb)
Community/Schools Question & Answer (time 9:28 size 1Mb)

Panel 3 – Enforcement & Reporting
County 911: Richard Teasdale, Director
Lafayette College Public Safety: Hugh Harris, Director
Easton Police: Lieutenant John Remaley
Enforcement & Reporting Panel Presentations (time 34:34 size 4Mb)
Enforcement & Reporting Panel Question & Answer (time 34:34 size 4Mb)

Panel 4 – Gang Presentation
County Sheriff: Deputy Sheriff George Volpe
Gang Awareness Presentation (time 10:56 size 1.3Mb)

Easton Crime Symposium Itinerary

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The first Easton Crime Symposium is Saturday, December 9, 2006 at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church on 4th & Ferry Sreets (across from the parking garage) in the basement Social Hall. The room is spacious.

If you or anyone you know would benefit from this forum please attend.

Crime Symposium Itinerary

Opening and explanation of the goals Terrance Hand

Panel 1 - Judiciary (1:00 to 1:30) Introduction of Guests: Dan Corpora

District Attorney: property seizures, crime deterrents
Magistrates: Penalty adjudication
County Judges: Rights and restrictions

Panel questions (1:30 to 2:00)

Panel 2 – Community/Schools (2:00 to 2:40) Introduction of Guests: Roger Ruggles

Block Watch: Effectiveness & starting a block watch
Weed & Seed: Tall team, block walks, sit outs
Alert Partnership: Drug prevention/intervention
School District: School Security

Panel questions (2:40 to 3:00)

Panel 3 – Enforcement & Reporting (3:00 to 3:30) Introduction of Guests: Mike Krill

County 911: Crime reporting
Lafayette Security: Campus safety
Easton Police: Property protection, community policing

Panel questions (3:30 to 4:00)

Panel 4 – Gang Presentation (4:00 to 5:30) Introduction of Guests: Terrance Hand
County Sheriff: Gang awareness

Panel questions (time dependent)

Closing Terrance Hand

Panel

Block Watch: Brian Otto, President
Weed & Seed: Nadine Loane
Alert Partnership: Mike Adams
School District: Dr. Pat Vulcano
County 911: Richard Teasdale, Director
Lafayette College Public Safety: Hugh Harris, Director
Easton Police: Lieutenant John Remaley
County Sheriff: Deputy Sheriff George Volpe
District Attorney: District Attorney John Morganelli
Magistrates: Justice Gay Elwell
County Judges: Judge Stephen G. Baratta

City Council Meeting Audio 12/05/06

It's budget season! And with the budget we get stress. The entire year's worth of fiscal lethargy finds us scrambling to find new stop-gap funding plans. Which means we get treated to the 'budget mantra', "We don't have a choice."

In this year's 'backs against the wall' meetings the special interest item was parking meter fee increases, and the big-ticket item was the lease agreement of the waterworks. The 4 - 1 passing of the lease agreement was round one of what may turn into another ugly Easton fight. And the 'all-of-the-sudden' knee-jerk idea to raise parking meter rates was an excellent display of what happens when we waste the year not studying and planning for the budget. Some smart people got up and presented alternatives that could have been effective and feasible if we would have addressed them earlier.

The tension was high.

A resident mustered the courage to approach Council for help and was belayed by a rule that was not equally enforced. The uncomfortable session was culminated with the Mayor's loss of control as he lambasted a City fire fighter for a statement he made to Council as a citizen-taxpayer.

It was not our finest two hours.

Audio (1 hour 46 minutes 12 Mb)

City Council Meeting Audio 11/28/06

Today you get two... two... Two meetings in one!
Because it's budget season. I will not have all of the budget hearings this year. And for the first time in the same amount of time I missed a City Council meeting. It was a special session on November 15, 2006, it was combined with the Administration's budget proposal. Hey, its was bound to happen.

The format for the combined meetings is different this year. The Council meeting is held first and the budget workshops are after the adjournment. This effectively keeps the public out of the budget proceedures.

This meeting was a full house marathon for 2 reasons-- The water works lease was slated for vote, and the public safety budget session also occured. The fire and public works unions were well represented along with the police brass.

The water works discussion is a must-listen. The lease is such a large and important endeavor, and it requires as much scrutiny as we can muster. Because it has to be done right. AFSCME Local 447 was well represented by their parent organization District Council 33, but that did not keep some Council members from lambasting the District President for his promise of action if his membership gets unfair treatment. The vote was tabled until Tuesday, December 5, 2006; but as almost anyone involved will tell you-- it's already a done deal.

$252,700
The stress and confinement of budget time makes for some great deals in the City.

Council Meeting Audio (1 hour 51 mins 12.7Mb)

Budget Hearing Audio (1 hour 14 mins 8.4Mb)

City Council Meeting Audio 11/08/06

This Council meeting was dominated by the mythical Riverwalk project. And; wouldn’t you know it; three more immediate and very important issues slid by in the shadows. The first hour of the meeting was all Riverwalk and almost all against it. By the time the topic was exhausted so were we—the entire audience.

We were too exhausted to object to the final vote on the allocation of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) being done without an itemized disbursement of the funds. (SECTION (a) #9 UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Bill No.106, Allocations for the 2007 CDBG Funds) And guess what…? At least one item of contention was quietly funded.

We were too exhausted to ask what language was being changed in City consultation contracts. And thus we never noticed that the taxpayers protection was being ripped from the pages. The excluded language was noncompetitive hiring clauses that offered restitution to the city coffers if carpet-bagging consulting agencies snatched our employees.

We were too exhausted to notice City Council tip-toeing into agreement with the Suburban Water Authority. And obviously so were the members of AFSCME Local #447, because they were not in attendance to question the General Manager Mr. Roy White about the deal. If it weren’t for Councilwoman Vulcano asking questions to the interest of the city workers the entire audience would have missed the implications of their vote. (SECTION (a) #17 NEW BUSINESS: Bill No. 123, Approving a Lease and Operating Agreement between the City of Easton, and the Easton Suburban Water Authority.)

The word of the day:

obfuscate

The Audio 18.5(Mb). The meeting agenda 56(kb).

Your neighbors

Easton UnPlugged Audio Blog (Podcast) #10 (SEASON 2)

I do not know if this is worth the wait, but WE'RE BACK!

Bad Apple and House of Crayons are joined by the political color-queen Just Asking for an ear-splitting one hour and forty minute state of the city chat. The podcast starts with a recap of the last 6 months, and eventually gets into more current events. The big ticket topics are the business Administrator's ship-jumping and the Mayor first draft budget.

The show is long because we felt like we owed you something. Audio (11Mb)

Your neighbors

Easton Neighbors for Responsible Development

Save Easton's Academy Hill, Skyline, and Riverfront
Easton Neighbors for Responsible Development
Contact: Phyllis Johnson at (610) 923-0517 or Charles Klabunde at (610) 252-1938

Did you know that the proposed Intermodal/Riverwalk project—being rushed through City Hall right now—is a $25–40-million, taxpayer-subsidized development to be located on Larry Holmes Drive at Church Street, and it will:

Ø Be twice the height and bulk of the Eastonian (former Hotel Easton) and consist of a pre-cast concrete mega-structure covering half a city block—a building that belongs more in Las Vegas or Miami than Easton—with an open parking garage for cars and buses (visible to the street) and seven levels above that for 147 luxury condos and a few stores located in the parking structure and mostly invisible to pedestrians?

Ø Dwarf the surrounding historic neighborhood of restored homes, businesses, and attractions (including Easton’s oldest building—the Bachmann Public House, now closed and in limbo) and overshadow our beautiful skyline of church steeples and bell towers, completely blocking the irreplaceable views of both the Governor Wolf Building (formerly Easton High School) as well as the last remaining structure of Easton’s first public school, Easton Union Academy, on Academy Hill—Easton landmarks of civic pride and national significance for well over a century?

Ø Be exempt from paying taxes for the next four years (through 2010) while being subsidized by $14+ million of our tax dollars—in part a loan with payments due soon that threaten to bankrupt the City, contribute to an imminent 15% tax hike, and lead to the elimination of vital public safety positions and equipment for police officers and firefighters?

Ø Add far more than 500 cars and 35 diesel buses a day to this location as well as numerous delivery trucks and service vehicles (a loading dock and major entrance/exit for buses and cars is planned parallel to Church Street) that will cause traffic jams and a dangerous intersection—rated a "D" by PennDot (one step above an "F,” the worst rating)?

Ø Supply fewer than 100 new parking spaces for area residents, shoppers, visitors, and commuters at a cost to taxpayers of $140,000 each (at least 400 spaces will be permanently reserved for condo owners and building workers as well as current personnel of the Governor Wolf Building)—causing overflow of vehicles to residential streets?

Ø Cast deep morning shadows over nearby houses and afternoon shadows over Riverside Park; make adjacent houses less economically viable by taking their property, views, air, and light; turn the Governor Wolf Building into a white elephant without adequate parking and no views toward the river (only views of the back of the new building and passing buses and cars below); and take away most of the adjacent green spaces needed for street shade trees and other landscape plantings for sight and noise buffering required by law?

Ø Increase flooding downtown and downriver because it provides no mitigation for stormwater runoff or groundwater recharge, paves over the entire lot with impermeable asphalt and concrete surfaces, ignores U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources regulations, and covers part of the former bed of Bushkill Creek, an area that is riddled with sinkholes?

Ø Have no possibility of future connection with inter-city trains or provision for other kinds of true "intermodal" transportation other than cars and buses—yet is being built just one block from the former Easton bus terminal and a few more blocks from the former freight rail station, either of which could be restored at a fraction of the cost?

Ø Eliminate the public sidewalk on Church Street (as well as street shade trees and landscaping) and erect a 13-foot-deep concrete balcony that overhangs the public sidewalk just 17 feet overhead—hiding the shops above and creating the perfect sheltered haven for criminal activity, gang "tagging," and vagrancy at the gateway to our City?

Ø Look to Easton taxpayers for even more public funding to improve Riverside Park access and provide additional parking in the park on Larry Holmes Drive for the building’s tenants and visitors?

Ø Set a precedent for more anything-goes, publicly subsidized development on both sides of our riverfront?

John Bry, an urban planning and economic development expert from Harrisburg, spoke in Easton recently and called such parking garages a multi-million dollar waste of taxpayer money that never pay for themselves nor generate economic activity. No one ever visited any city because of its great parking garages. This is not the way to build our economic future by mortgaging our assets and selling out the twin legacies of our historic skyline and public riverfront.

Action is needed now! Express your opinion at these upcoming meetings: Planning Board, Historic District Commission, and Shade Tree Commission (visit http://www.easton-pa.gov/ or telephone 610-250-6600 for details). Urge your neighbors to write Mayor Mitman (pbm@easton-pa.gov), members of City Council, County Executive Stoffa, your state representatives, and Governor Rendell, and tell them you want reasonable development in the City of Easton that preserves our heritage and environment and brings real economic benefits, affordable housing, and well-paying jobs to all our neighborhoods. Planning for the Intermodal/Riverwalk development project has already cost taxpayers one-half million dollars. If the condo market sinks any further, the developer will either cut and run or demand even more public funds—either way leaving us holding the bag. Our tax money is too precious to squander on subsidizing luxury condos and private parking.

Get the Facts on the Intermodal/Riverwalk Development Projectand Contact your Elected City, State, and Federal Representatives

Say “NO” to:
Ø A 15% property tax hike to finance $14 million for luxury condos and their private parking while eliminating public safety positions and equipment for police officers and firefighters

Ø Increased downtown and downriver flooding

Ø More dangerous concentrations of trucks, traffic, and congestion on our streets

Ø Obliterating the irreplaceable views and usefulness of the more than century-old Governor Wolf Building (former Easton High School) and its bell tower as well as the Easton Union Academy Building (Easton’s oldest extant public school structure)—local, state, and national monuments to public education

Ø Overshadowing our streets, homes, businesses, and parks with oversized development that violates the guidelines of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Easton’s own Historic District Commission for our downtown, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Ø Ruining our distinctive and historic skyline that has been a source of civic pride and an attraction to visitors and new residents for over 200 years

Ø Taking public space, light, and air for private gain

Ø The most destructive development project in Easton since 1960s and 1970s “urban renewal” leveled our riverfront neighborhoods

Say “YES” to:
Ø “Green architecture” that is environmentally sound and meets stormwater runoff and groundwater recharge standards of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

Ø A pedestrian and bicycle friendly downtown for residents, shoppers, and visitors

Ø Following federal, state, and local guidelines and laws for historic preservation, street shade trees, and landscape buffering

Ø Keeping the Governor Wolf Building and the Easton Union Academy Building as public assets and landmarks of public education and civic pride

Ø Preserving our heritage, skyline, and riverfront

Ø Public hearings and discussion as well as appeals to the Zoning and Planning Boards with, balanced, complete, and accurate information

Ø Investigative reporting by our local newspapers and other news media

Ø Renovating our existing housing stock and pursuing economic development and job creation for all neighborhoods in our City

Ø Seeking creative alternatives for this historically and environmentally sensitive site

Ø Transferring the $14 million in public funding to another location more suited for this development and allowing for true intermodal public transportation, including rail connections

Ø Smart growth and development that includes informed, comprehensive planning and land use

Editor's Note: Although we are not confident in the success of a bus depot beneath luxury condominiums, our lack of confidence is for different reasons than the Easton Neighbors for Responsible Development. As we've mentioned bus stations are not desireable places. And with things being the way they are in Easton it is not reasonable to assume that we will be able keep a bus station clean and safe. We have predicted that the intermodel project will never come to fruition-- it's brochureware. What we are destined to get from this pitch parade is over 100 fewer employees in the city and another very large, very empty building. -HoC

Easton Dressed #2

I’m not the oldest Eastonian. Easton has only hosted me for just over 20 years. I am a transplant (not to be confused with a carpet bagger—I consider Easton my home, not some place of opportunity). And while my history here is relatively short, I do have memories of places and things that just aren’t anymore.

I remember Woolworth’s off of the Circle, bowling down at Heritage Lanes, and Frinzi’s when they had good food. And I fondly remember and solemnly miss the service and quality from Mr. Lenny Albaneese.

To those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to do business at 1217 Washington Street, I offer my apologies. 1217 Washington Street was the address of Giacomo’s Italian Specialty. And the doors of this fine neighborhood establishment closed for-good on Sunday, October 15, 2006. I apologize because if I was more aware I would have been able to advise you to stop by this neighborhood institution. I also would have been able to visit Mrs. Famularo in the store one more time and grab up some of her pepper shooters and the world’s best cannolis.

All is not lost. You can still get her pepper shooters and the world’s best cannolis. You may even be able to meet Mrs. Fumularo. You’re just going to have to do it at Giacomo's on the Hill at 700 Cattell Street.

The store on the Hill is one of my favorite places in the city too. It’s run by Mr. Giacomo and Mrs. Gina Fumularo’s sons Sal and Mario.

I feel bad, because I took the store for granted; like we do so many things in Easton. I thought Giacomo’s would be there whenever I chose to go and now it’s not.

I will visit Sal and Mario a lot more, because I don’t go to Giacomo’s enough.

Your neighbor

City Council Meeting Audio 10/25/06

The Mayor’s office presented their first stab at the 2007 budget. And, as expected, it was chock-full of financial increases with significant reductions in service. Council members reserved their comments on the proposal, but some residents spoke out.

The quick and dirty on the Mayor’s proposal is a 3 mil (16%) tax increase; double the parking meter fees; cut 5 public works employees, 3 police, and 2 fire; only open Eddyside pool for a short season, and increase garbage fees while allowing less garbage at the curb.

The meeting was just over 2 hours long. Audio 14.7Mb

Meet the New Boss...

Hello Neighbors,

Got a little historical reading assignment for us. Click the link to read how our mayor and his top aide presented the City's financial status to the press, residents, and the police arbitration board back in April of 1981.

My personal favorite is when he stated that "...the city would be bankrupt in four or five years" and then went on to say, "I may have overstated the case because we were in arbitration."

The more things stay the same, the more they stay the same.

(Click on image for file)

Top Ten Mitman Administration Re-election Slogans

10. Look at how good things are!

9. Don't you worry your pretty little head about issues.

8. Offering you the best consultants that money can buy.

7. We'll give you real economic development even if we have to ignore every resident in the City to do it.

6. Let us show you just how much we DON'T know!

5. I lived in the West Ward for a few days.

4. We won't address any problem until we absolutely have to.

3. I won't pay any fee, fine, or tax that I expect you to pay.

2. We guarantee that we will fill each City director's position (at least) twice.

1. We promise you less service and higher taxes.

City Council Meeting Audio 10/11/06

My apologies neighbors, I forgot to post last week’s City Council meeting.

The meeting was started with the second of two Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) public hearings. There were public comments concerning the proposed distribution of the CDBG funds vis-à-vis charity organizations and the City. There was discussion over whether it was necessary to purchase a vehicle for the Fire Department that was to be used mainly for Public Works.

The pre meeting public comments were dominated by trash talk. Recycling and the new contract were issues. The contract with Raritan Valley got a positive vote. A lawyer from one of the competing garbage companies made statements questioning Raritan’s bond solvency.

During the final public comment session at the end of the meeting a Council member answered a residents cry for enforcement and assistance with criminal activity and loitering by (once again—different Council member) suggesting the resident look into starting a block watch. Good answer! Thanks for the help and wisdom. The most unusual, entertaining, and ironic public comment was made by a “Super American” from Bethlehem Township who approached the podium wearing a sleeveless Minutemen tee-shirt that read, “Americans defending Americans”. His issue was immigration and he pointed out the workers working on the Sweet Shop while talking about unsafe working environments.







The meeting is 2 hours and nine minutes. Audio (14.7Mb)

Easton Dressed #1

It’s been a while since I cataloged anything that I love, or for that matter even enjoy, about Easton. More and more people’s first criticism of me is that I only complain. And while that criticism is not the complete and correct assessment of me, it is valid; because I do exercise my right to complain frequently.

I make it a rule to mix problem solving in with any problem I point out. And BA and I have stated time and time again that we believe press conferences are the proper venues for relishing and praising, while Council meetings are the most important venue to find and fix problems.

That being said, I have to agree with my critics, people need to see and hear about Easton’s best. While I will still contest that this type of recognition should not overshadow issue resolution at City Council meetings, I think we at EU need to concede more space towards promotion of the place we love—Easton, Pennsylvania.

I’m sure at least one of the two of you reading this is wondering what brought on this change of heart. Well, to put it simply—lunch. I would guess that seventy five to ninety percent of my week is spent in the City. I live here; I work here, my wife works here, and my daughter goes to school here. I, naturally, eat; drink; shop; and recreate within the city limits a whole lot.

Last week I had to purchase a gift for an Easton charity event. We decided that a $50.00 gift certificate from one of the City’s restaurants was appropriate. So, I chose Sette Luna. I decided to make my trip a two-for-one and took care of the day’s lunch.

This turned out to be one of the most unexpectedly pleasant meals I have had in a while. I pride myself on my lack of pretense, and I am not very easily impressed. At Sette Luna I needed to be neither pretentious nor easily impressed. That was because I was in a place that “just does it right”. The food excelled in every way—“just enough” and uniquely appetizing. My meal started with their calamari which was served in a very tasty peppery-flavored tomato sauce. The sauce is so good that you instinctively use the aromatic house-made bread to sop it dry. I followed that up with one of the restaurants signature Panini sandwiches, The Eastonian. The sandwich was by no means a “gut buster”, but the owners must possess some secret sating formula, because it was” just right”. It was made up of the “just right” mix of Italian meats, cheese, and some greens with a small cucumber-tomato salad that helped each bite of the sandwich taste like a first bite.

The service only made things better as it was pleasant and subtly detailed. The room did not make me feel like a stranger in Easton, and it gave a comforting ambiance for touring visitors. I have eaten at Sette Luna a couple of times prior to this visit. Each of those times with company, and I had not the slightest hesitation at eating there alone (As a matter of fact, I had lunch there by myself three days later). The music was not obnoxious, and it did not make me feel either unrefined or unhip. They did things “right”. The servers are polite, accessible, and not in your face. I was most impressed as I witnessed an owner casually bus a table as if it were no big deal. They get it—“just right”.

While not easily impressed; I was easily impressed with the service provided by our neighbors at Sette Luna. And if I were pressed for an improvement criticism, I would ask for a children’s’ menu (the Little House of Crayons doesn't dig spices).

I love Easton, as well as many of you. So, from now on I will regularly pimp some of our goods, greats, and bests. That is, of course, in between working towards our mission.

To provide a clean, crime-free, and safe environment with competitive services
that allows residents to enjoy a high quality of life, while providing commerce
an environment to thrive.

Sette Luna
219 Ferry StreetEaston, PA 18042
610-253-8888
Mon. - Tues.: 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Wed. - Thurs.: 11:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Fri.: 11:30 - 10:30 p.m.
Sat.: noon - 10:30 p.m.
Sun.: 4 - 9 p.m.

Good Comments Deserve Comment

LatinTeacher said...
You have answered my query. I agree in some ways. I think that having a city run water authority will bring in more money to the city (via water leases) and have the added benefit of removing some overhead and liability that the current system does not provide. I am not sure, though I fear some flaming may arise from this comment, why having the union is necessarily a good thing. I understand that unions help protect workers and help to negotiate when employers are being unfair. However, there comes a time when the union becomes a blind protector - fighting for things that seem dubitable at best. The city workers in this case would get to keep their jobs, as you state. But the new water authority, as a separate entity, would be allowed to create new hiring practices or keep it union or try some. The cry of privatization prevents the real issue from being heard.

First off let me just say, Latin Teacher I have read your profile, and I would like to welcome you to our great city. I, like you, am a transplant (Philly native), not to be confused with a carpet bagger.

I agree with your "blind protector" statement, and if that were the case I would be the first to fight it. But that is not the case with any of the citys 3 labor unions. Let me restate something I posted to the tag board a couple of days ago:

OK one more blurb about Unions. I did not mean to imply that all unions are doing good for the people. Because some have been divisive in their stinginess and have run prices through the roof and industries out of the country. Some have been too obstinate to promote changes in their industry's business model (B. Steel) and let their futures fade away. IN EASTON, the 3 bargaining units/unions we have are still on the useful side of the labor continuum. They protect against short cuts and unfair practices. BUT WE MUST TAKE HEED OF THIS, when our unions are no longer filled with people that have a vested interest in Easton's financial well being, we stand the chance of being fleeced (food for thought). Make Easton more livable, and employ a good number of residents. posted 4 Oct 06, 06:42 PM

You make the assumption that the city has hiring practice issues related to the water plant and the workers represented by AFSCME Local 447. That is not the case. Yes, the City does have hiring practice issues, just none related to this topic.

The current administration champions shortcuts to financial solvency. Every solution to any problem we have experienced has involved cutting or selling off assets. There are council members onboard with this philosophy too; Council President Vulcano has stated to me more than once that the City is not in the real estate business. That has been the guiding thought process behind the selling of a considerable amount of City owned property. The Mayor's office is working to cut employees/benefits. Their issue is that a overwhelming majority of the City's funds are spent on employees. We say, "No shit, Sherlock!" And here we come again to one of EU's major points-- Easton is A CITY. The purpose of city government is to return tax dollars to residents in the form of ESSENTIAL SERVICES. And this is where our disconnect is with the City leaders.

Mind you, this issue is not one of us complaining without offering solutions. We offer the same solutions over and over. We need to generate revenue, modernize, and enforce. The city is owed in excess of one million dollars in unpaid water bills. The number was $1.6 million a year ago. This is the elephant in the room. We don't enforce any ordnances that can drive revenue. BA has been lobbying for years to get the fire department to recover funds from insurance companies. The Bussiness Adminstrator's reasoning for not wanting to accept credit card bill paying was that the "City would have to pay a percentage". We gave away free parking for a week days after closing a swimming pool and cutting 3 fire fighters, 3 police officers, and 3-5 public works employees. And we fought for two years to convince the other four council members that then Councilman Mike Fleck's idea to reinstitute the Amusement and Mechanical Devices Tax was a good financial decision (too bad we screwed that up too-- $252,700). Close the pools, cut police, cut fire, cut public works, lease the water plant, sell the trash trucks, HIRE CONSULTANTS.

No Latin Teacher, the issue is not organized labor. The issue is essential services. We do NOT get what we pay for.

Thanks for the comments,

Your neighbors

A Challenge to All of Us

Tag Board Tension

It is my suggestion to all here in the EUniverse to reread and absorb Our Neighbors’ last post entitled The EU Manifesto. After nearly 8 weeks of unscheduled hiatus, I am back reading the tag board and am not amused. Not because the writers don’t have a right to state their endless complaints, but because they offer no solutions. If we here in the EUniverse are going to change things we have to offer up a pound of wisdom every now and then-- Concrete, viable solutions. When we go to City Council meetings are we offering resolutions to the problems for which we complain? I’m Just Asking.

On the street, I am told that EU is a bunch of people talking about nothing. Well folks, this isn’t Seinfeld. The masses can’t get past the tag board before they click onto their next order of business. If we as a group are going to go on and on, let’s give the readers real statistics from real sources, then solutions that the Council can use. We can be a forum for endless ranting or a forum for change. What’s it going to be folks?

I’m Just Asking.

Answers to your "Comments" questions

On Monday, October 2, 2006 two questions were put to us via the "Comments" links after posts.

The first from LatinTeacher asks, "So, do you agree with the Union position or with the proposal?"

This comment was posted to the August 23 Council meeting post. We assume that the question is refering to the proposed "water lease".

Our answer is niether (totally). We like something in between. We see no reason why the city should cease to employ the 20 or so water employees in their current jobs. Their jobs will still exist in the same capacities under Surburban Water. And since we keep hearing how this is in no way a privatization, because the Authority is a City agency, it makes a lot of sense to share the responsibility and keep an active grasp on our asset-- The water plant.

The union employees in both water and sewage have been managed by outside agencies for years. So, an arguement that management other that the City's over the City's employees is moot.

Making those employees choose between working at their trained positions or leaving the union is union busting as an aside. For the Administration it is a back door win-win. If they remain in the bargaining unit the workforce will allow positions to exist until attrition eliminates them, or if they keep their jobs the staffing immediatly disapears from the City. Well, what does that leave us the taxpayer with... A depleted bargaining unit (AFSCME Local 447) that can no longer stand up for the safety and fairness of working people. Translation, fewer and fewer people to maintain our parks, streets, City vehicles, and monitor codes. Not a win for my house. WE NEED THE WORKERS OF AFSCME LOCAL 447, AND WE NEED MORE THAN WE HAVE NOW. Our basic City services are failing or have failed.

The jobs are filled, and the workers are organized... Let them stay that way. It really does protect the City.

The next question is from r.moshki and r.moshki asks, "How do you plan to carry out your "mission"? "

We work EVERYDAY to accomplish our mission. BA, our contributers, and I concentrate on being involved and helping others to be involved. Our continual participation in City Council is to set an example to other residents. People need to know that those meetings are a real resource to accomplishing better living in Easton. Our stalwart presensence is also an example of strengths of persistence-- people need to see that sometimes it takes a bit more that just popping in on one meeting to get results.

We communicate and encourage communication through editorials. We stand up against bad policy, abuses of ethics, blight, and crime; and we stand beside our neighbors when they do the same. We actively participate in worthwhile community events, and we spread the word to help the events flourish.

In short we are active good neighbors.

PS

As I write this we are planning a EU community summit that we want to be a City crime symposium. So stay tuned.

Thanks for the questions.

We look forward to being a good neighbor to you soon!

Your neighbors

The EU Manifesto

A whole lot of people do not really get what we here at Easton UnDressed are trying to accomplish. So let me “lay it bare”. I am the House of Crayons or HOC, my partner here is Badapple or BA. We started this blog on October 17, 2005. When I said the words, “Let’s start a blog”—I had never actually laid eyes on a web log (blog). I Googled the word “blog” and selected Google’s Blogger client as the home for our blog. A few hours later EU was live.

We chose our psuedo-anonymity for a few reasons. At first, we were not sure what we would write; and we needed a shield. But as the mission was taking shape our pen names served totally different purposes. The first was to emphasize the message over the messengers-- we did not want EU to be about us two; we wanted it to be about us 26,000. And the last by-product of our secret identities was (and is) the pure entertainment value-- It is an EU hobby; trying to figure out who is who.

When we began EU the issue de jure was the City’s proposal to let the State Theatre slide on its final two years of a one million dollar loan from the taxpayers of Easton. That balance has become our mantra $252,700.00. You can read all about that tragedy here.

The first blog post was pretty much a rant. And over the next few weeks we started to mold the EUniverse. Our intent was (and still is) to create an interactive information clearinghouse on all things and issues Easton. In those first weeks we piled on the content. We did top 10 lists, posted comics, added pictures, and ran polls. But the two most effective pieces of content we added were, without a doubt, audio files (public meetings and our podcast) and the infamous tag board.

Let me start with the tag board…
The tag board is an application that is actually not a part of the blog. The board we currently use is the third tag board we’ve used. The first was free crap, the second-- conveniently named Tag Board --was only slightly more reliable, and the third has been a charm at $2.00/month the cbox tag board has been stalwart.
Now, we have discovered that; for the most part; the tag board has served as the blog’s gatekeeper. Some people are so challenged by the reverse scrolling and automatic updating that they give up on EU before delving into any other content we offer. Others are drugged by the almost-instant gratification of the tag board. Now, some of the latter group overindulges in the tag board when they discover it. Our researchers are unsure of how their overindulgence effects their long term participation in the EUniverse. But our third subset; the instant gratifiers in-moderation; are what we’ve come to consider "the tone". "The tone" of the tag board is an indicator of a few things. 1) Current events 2) Interesting topicality and 3) Blog posts.
We never—actually, I never intended for the tag board to dominate the blog like it does. I’m not so sure about my partner BA (Queen of the Chat) though. But it is what it is.

The most entertaining aspect of the EUniverse is Easton UnPlugged; our podcast. In this, BA and I relax with refreshments and friends while we discuss the current Eastonian issues. We record and syndicate/podcast our sessions as a regular feature. The podcasts have been on hold for the summer months, but we are gearing up for a more robust season 2. Stay tuned!

The meat and potatoes of Easton UnDressed is the blog posts. We have worked extremely hard to make our posts items of truth. We cite our information meticulously, and we post the cited documents and recordings. Our recordings are what really set us apart from other blogs. We have built a useful library of press conferences and public meetings, and our uninterrupted string of City Council meetings is the jewel of our collection.

That’s the blog… Easton UnDressed, EU, the EUniverse in a nut shell. Those are our tools, and our manifesto really begins here…

What we are, what we are about… BA and I are patriots; Eastonian patriots. We, along with a core group of fellow Epatriots, have dedicated ourselves to maintaining and protecting our home, Easton. We promote the very basic principles of “clean and safe”. Clean and safe streets along with ethical and secure governing. We use the pneumonic “iIA!” (interest, Ideas, ACTION!) to direct our efforts. We are activists, pundits, and good neighbors. Our focus is simple and direct for a reason; we mean to accomplish our mission.


Our Mission

To provide a clean, crime-free, and safe environment with competitive services that allows residents to enjoy a high quality of life, while providing commerce an environment to thrive.

Your neighbors

"Good Things" Vs "Problems"

We have noticed a rather disturbing trend in regards to public comments during City Council meetings. More and more we see people that come to the microphone berated and vilified by public officials. Because we express our concerns about the city, we have to endure indignation and anger.

We should not be the focus of that indignation and anger. We go there as messengers. We see problems and come seeking solutions. We are not there just to complain. We are there seeking help from Council and the Mayor-- Help and guidance to solve our city’s problems.

Council members continually attempt to rebut our concerns with dissertations on the “good things” about Easton, and there is no denying that there are many “good things” about Easton. But a “good thing” from my perspective is a goal that has been accomplished. A “good thing” stands alone as a mark of success. “Good Things” have already received the required investment of time, energy and money; either by the City, a group(s), or individuals.

A “problem”, on the other hand, is something that effects citizens in a negative way and has not found solution. It may not have yet been identified as something that needs attention. “Problems” have not yet received the necessary investments.

A “good thing” is an ending that will be recognized, and it will usually lose the spotlight quickly. However, if we allow ourselves to bask and gloat in the spotlight of a “good thing” for too long we will waste precious time necessary to change more “problems” into “good things”.

Our elected officials must realize that this means that public comments will be disproportionately spent on “problems”… This is not specific to Easton, and this is not a bad thing. It is just part of the process of moving a “problem” to a “good thing”. Ignoring the “problem“ will cause it to be repeated over and over again, instead of evolving it into a “good thing”.

A “problem” in itself should not reflect poorly on an elected official, but a lack of interest or concern by an official will. You are our leaders; you need to lead us in converting “problems” into “good things”. Standing in the spotlight too long only blinds you to “problems” that require your investment.

BadApple

City Council Meeting Audio 09/27/06

We experienced some technical difficulty in this short 1 hour Council meeting. 5 minutes of audio is missing (Terrance Hand's pool summary). The meeting was ended with a 5 minute statement from the City Clerk. The Fire Chief also gave a summary of the fire departments business (during the public safety committee report-- after the 1st public comment segment).

Audio (6.25Mb)

Your neighbors

CRIME ON THE HILL

College Hill is a mixed-use neighborhood, comprised of residences, commercial properties, city parks, and Lafayette College. We all expect to know if there is crime in our neighborhood so that we may protect our properties and ourselves.

In the past few weeks there have been at least four car thefts in College Hill. Two vehicles were damaged by hit and run. Another vehicle was vandalized and contents were stolen. This is just the news that we have been told by the victims that we know; there must be more crime than this. Isn’t this worthy of a story? I’m just asking.

The residents of College Hill should know that they are not safe. This is not the invulnerable neighborhood it once was. We must lock our doors, buy a big dog, and put our cars in our garages…if we have one.

Is it possible that our current City administration has reduced Police staffing to its very limits? Such limits, allowing criminals to work quite freely here on the Hill?

Why doesn’t the Express-Times report crimes in College Hill? Does the City withhold this information from the Express-Times or does the Express-Times just withhold it from us?

I’m Just Asking.

City Council Meeting Audio 09/13/06 (The Meeting of Love)

This meeting is in two parts, because the first hour was the VERY IMPORTANT 1st of 2 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) public hearings. Audio(6Mb)

This meeting was disturbing to us in more ways than one. Council and the Administration had a pretty long and very praise-filled exchange with the police brass. Several speakers were chewed out by Council for expressing disdain, and HOC/EU took a blasting from an unsatisfied West Ward neighbor. Audio (14.4Mb)

Your Neighbors

City Council Water Hearing 09/12/2006

Here is the audio of last evening’s City Council public hearing on the water works proposal. The hearing was an hour long. There was no presentation or comment from the Mayor’s office. Missy Corrado President of AFSCME Local 447 very eloquently represented her union. They also received excellent support from their parent organization, AFSCME District Council 33.

Council members reserved MOST of their comments until the public was finished.

Audio (8Mb)

City Council Meeting Audio 08/23/06

In this meeting you will hear the question, "How do you know the woman was a prostitute?"
Oh, and the question was prefaced with, "Not to be confrontational, but..."

This is a short but none-the-less entertaining meeting. All of the good stuff is at the end of the meeting.

Audio (8.7Mb)

City Council Meeting Audio 08/09/06

A two hour meeting.

Our Councillors and Mayor spent about an hour pretending all was right in Easton. The ice was shattered by the realities of drugs and threats on the 300 block of Berwick St.

Mrs Pat Gibson (FOR THE THIRD TIME IN TWO MONTHS) brought her concerns to the City bosses. This time she brought her neighbors. The issue was the hour of "real" meeting.

Curt Eally's comments were notable.

Audio (14.5Mb)

City Council Meeting Audio 07/26/06

Here's last week's Council meeting audio. The main topic was the proposed lease of the City's water works. The proposal was tabled pending public hearings on the issue. The audience commentary was exceptional. Mike Krill and Mike Fleck both presented excellent points.

Audio (13Mb)