He cites health issues, says campaign cash will cover bulk of cost

[Guest guest]

February 21, 2006

Pawlowski pays to clean up corner office

He cites health issues, says campaign cash will cover bulk of cost.

By Kraus

Of The Morning Call

town,PA

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/all-

b1_5office.5141333feb21,0,3019288.story?coll=all-newslocalallentown-

hed

Within a month of taking office, town Mayor Ed Pawlowski spent

more than $12,000 renovating the mayor's suite.

Taxpayers will foot $2,780 of the bill.

Pawlowski will pay the bulk of the cost — $10,000 — with campaign

cash.

The improvements include repainted trim, new office furniture,

wallpaper and carpet, and a new color aerial map of the city on what

used to be a blank, polished stone wall.

The mayor's desk has been moved to an outside corner, creating a

more open appearance.

Pawlowski said the office was dated and dingy and needed an update

to give the city an image of moving forward, and that years of dust

and mold accumulation, particularly in the carpet, were affecting

his health.

''I walked in here and I couldn't stop my nose from running for the

past month,'' Pawlowski said. ''My main thrust was for health

reasons, but also it looked dingy.''

Pawlowski, who lost a lung when he was 20 to a benign tumor and a

bout with pneumonia, said he is highly susceptible to dust and mold.

His doctor, ear, nose and throat specialist Gordon, said

Pawlowski appears to suffer from some kind of allergy to dust and

mold. Old carpets, Gordon said, are a common source of irritation

for dust and mold allergy sufferers.

''He got into the office and the old rugs were creating a lot of

problems for him. We see this very often,'' Gordon said.

Pawlowski said he decided to use campaign funds to pay for most of

the renovations because of the city's financial crisis. Offix

Systems in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, donated most of the

furniture, including his desk.

Other pieces, such as chairs and a conference table, came from his

campaign office and the office he used when he served as the city's

community and economic development director under his predecessor,

Roy C. Afflerbach.

''It would be inappropriate for me to redo the office with city

money when we are cutting back in other areas,'' he said.

A Pennsylvania Department of State spokeswoman said candidates can

use campaign funds for office renovations as long as they report the

expenditures in their campaign filings. The city renovated the third

and fourth floors at a cost of $1.2 million when Pawlowski was the

city's economic development director to create a one-stop shop for

developers. He said the rest of the fifth floor and sections of the

first and second floors also could use an overhaul. They may also

have dust and mold problems, he said.

But he said the city can't afford to renovate them in its budget

crunch, and there's not enough money in his campaign fund to cover

the cost of redoing the whole building.

City Council President M. Howells Sr. said his City Council

office could also use an update. Its wallpaper is peeling. He said

he had no opinion on Pawlowski's renovation.

Pawlowski said city maintenance workers told him the last time the

office was redone was in 1994 by then newly elected Mayor

Heydt.

City Councilman Tony had not heard of the renovations, but

he said Pawlowski seemed to be spending money like the city

was ''printing it in the basement.''

''I'd like to see the invoices, where the money came from,''

said.

Pawlowski provided the invoices last week after several requests

from The Morning Call.

Carpet installation by Bastian Carpet One of 2323 S.W. 26th St.,

town cost $7,188. New wallpaper by Dectis Painting of 450

on St., town, cost $5,520.

Both were paid for with city purchase orders. Pawlowski said he will

reimburse the city with campaign funds. The city got three quotes on

each job, he said.

said if Pawlowski had planned to use campaign funds to redo

his office from the start, he should have actively publicized it.

Pawlowski said he always planned to pay for the renovations with

campaign funds.

According to campaign finance reports, Pawlowski reported $834 in

cash on-hand at the end of 2005, with an outstanding debt of

$17,758, including $12,508 owed to himself. That was before a $175-a-

plate fundraising ball in January.

scott.kraus@...

610-820-6582