Ed Pawlowski
He was eventually appointed to the post of Director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Allentown by then mayor Roy Afflerbach.Pawlowski was also endorsed by fellow mayors Bob Donchez of Bethlehem, Sal Panto of Easton, and Vaughn Spencer of Reading.[11] Residents expressed concerns over the safety of water systems in private hands, evidence from prior sales in other cities that suggested rates would skyrocket if the systems were handed over to a private or public firm, the importance of water staying a public asset, and several ethical concerns regarding the transparency of the process.Despite the signatures being deemed valid, the petition was disqualified in February 2013 for not meeting requirements under the Pennsylvania Election Code and State Constitution.[16] In April 2013, more public meetings were held as Allentown City Council prepared to commence with a final vote on the water lease.Pawlowski continued to defend his proposal despite the concerns of the public, stating that, "in less than 24 months Allentown would be just another Pennsylvania city making very ugly headlines about bankruptcy and its leaders lacking the political courage to address its fiscal problems.[25][26] Several days later, Mike Fleck, campaign manager for Pawlowski and former Reading mayor Vaughn Spencer, abruptly moved from his Allentown home.[30] In November 2015, former Allentown assistant solicitor Dale Wiles pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.[31] In January 2016, former Allentown finance director Gary Strathearn pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.[32] That same month, Allentown Controller Mary Ellen Koval resigned[33] and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.According to court documents, Fleck worked with several unnamed public officials in Reading and Allentown to deprive citizens of their "right to honest services" through "bribery and kickbacks.[37] In March 2017, Francis Dougherty, the former managing director for Allentown, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in an alleged effort to steer city contracts and other services to Pawlowski campaign donors.[38] Patrick Regan, a former vice president with The Efficiency Network (TEN), pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud on June 12, 2017 in regards to the streetlight contract.[39] On April 3, 2017, Mark Neisser, former business development manager of T&M Associates, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery offenses.After the conviction, U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen said, Pawlowski "(sold) his office to the highest bidder to fund his personal ambitions".[45][46] Pawlowski has been married for 25 years to Lisa (Halsey), a community activist and licensed social worker in Allentown, who he met as a student at Moody Bible Institute.