Pawlowski Campaign Manager a Player in Allentown Water Deal

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Mike Fleck

While Allentown is certainly the poorest municipality in the Lehigh Valley, a few politically connected people are getting rich. Thanks to the NIZ, a millionaire like J.B. Reilly can become a billionaire by diverting state taxes that should be funding programs for our children. But Marcel "Trash to Cash" Groen has one-upped J.B. He sold the Queen City on a goofy plan to convert trash and shit into energy pellets. If that project fails, the City will be stuck holding the colostomy bag, not Groen. Either way, he gets richer.

Don't get me wrong. Groen is an expert when it comes to shit. After all, he's not only a lawyer, but a party boss to boot. In fact, if you're a Democrat and want to run statewide, the magic door is inside Groen's Montgomery County office.

Maybe that's why he and Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski are so chummy. After all, King Edwin won't be Mayor forever. King Edwin's campaign manager, failed newspaper boy Mike Fleck, is friendly with Groen, too.

Although Allentown is full of it, Groen is by no means content to sit on a pile of shit. No siree! As I told you earlier this week, he's also involved in one of the outfits interested in a 50-year lease for the City's water and sewer.

According to one informed source, it's already a done deal. Groen is allied with National Development Council, and they'll be getting the deal. The argument will be that, as a nonprofit, this outfit will be committed to keeping rates down. Everyone will make pious speeches, Then they'll all go home to drink Perrier and sit on their Allentown hoppers.

All the hearings and studies are, of course, bullshit. Pawlowski already has the votes he needs to make this happen. His City Council, incidentally, will soon have three appointed, instead of elected, members.

As smelly as all this shit is, hold your noses because it's about to get worse. Pawlowski campaign manager Michael Fleck is also involved in this deal. Now Fleck, who is also a member of Easton City Council, is no City employee. But he's paid by the Mayor, goes on vacations with him, and very obviously is trading on inside information to make himself a wealthy man.

Although Fleck is trying to steer the biz to Groen, his real interest is a
program giving ratepayers the option to purchase insurance for protection against leaking water and sewer pipes. Fleck would get a piece of that pie.

This program, incidentally, was first presented to Mayor Pawlowski over a year ago by a consultant who backed off completely when the City decided to sell or lease its water and sewer. Fleck wants this insurance clause inserted in the agreement of sale, but this consultant tells me you can't "front end" it like that. Another tells me it's actually illegal to force a ratepayer to purchase insurance. It would have to be an option.

Who Fleck is working for is a mystery even to the consultant who first proposed this idea to Allentown.

One thing is certain. Fleck is not working for the people of Allentown. He's in it for himself.

This alone should be a reason for City Council to kill the deal. But democracy is dead in Allentown.

Updated 11:20 AM: Just learned my sources are split over Groen's involvement with DNC. Suffice it to say that whatever group he is with is the one getting the deal. I was told it is the "nonproft," although one of the for-profit companies like Aqua could form a nonprofit venture to make it look good.

Updated 7:00 PM: Fleck Denies Current Involvement! -  Mike Fleck called me today to deny that he is involved in any way with any of the companies seeking a 50-year lease with the City's water and sewer. I also learned that Groen definitely is NOT involved with DNC. I am continuing to speak with people, will have a more detailed conversation with Fleck and will have a new post on Monday on this topic.

I'm entitled to my opinion, but not to my own facts. I think I got some of them wrong, and will post again when I am more certain. I apologize for the factual errors, but not for the post. I think it's important that people know who is involved in this matter, behind the curtains. I also am relatively certain that this is a done deal.