I wrote up the statewide primary results of significance for the statewide blog, but over here I’ll drill down a bit into the Lehigh Valley elections and what I think they’ll mean for progressive governance. John Callahan’s big win in Northampton County was of course the real bright spot, and Deb Hunter winning one of [...]
To Grow Your Tax Base, Allow More Urban Infill
May 22, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
In this era of tight budgets, cities are looking for ways to grow their tax bases without asking individual households to contribute more taxes. Here’s the first place they should look. Different kinds of buildings yield different amounts of property tax revenue per acre. Many areas limit residential development to just one house per acre. [...]
Munipocalypse 2013 Primary Round-up
May 22, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
There are more posts to be written about a few of these contests, but here’s where things stand with the races we’ve been following. The Good: – Bill Peduto beat Jack Wagner in the Pittsburgh Mayoral primary! And by a solid margin of ~52-40. This one makes all the disappointments better. More on this later. – John [...]
How Not to Pollute the Vote
May 21, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
At one point or another, everyone has found themselves in the voting booth not knowing who all the candidates are on the primary ballot. What to do? Do not vote for that ballot line! Do not pick somebody based on a name! Do not pick somebody based on their ballot position! Resist the temptation to [...]
Lehigh GOP Exec Candidate Dean Browning Supports a County Police Force
May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Rich Wilkins has some nice things to say about the Democrats he doesn’t favor in tomorrow’s primary, and I’ll say something nice about two of the Republicans. I was excited to hear Lehigh GOP Executive candidate Dean Browning say he could potentially support a County-wide police force for Lehigh County. This is a smart move in [...]
Another 10-Story Office Building Coming to Allentown NIZ
May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Gregg Bortz reports more good news is on the way for Allentown, as United Fiber and Data will be moving into a new 10-story office building downtown. It really is getting tough to keep track of all the different projects. Did I forget to even blog the story about Ruckus Brewing officially buying the Neuweiler Brewery building? [...]
Northampton County Must Reassess
May 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
One of the more important issues facing Northampton County right now is making the assessment system fair and accurate. The County hasn’t reassessed in 18 years, but obviously much has changed about home values and especially land values in different neighborhoods during that time. Think of how different Forks Township and Lower Nazareth are today [...]