City council members in Allentown call on mayor to resign

(Allentown) — Allentown City Council is calling for the city’s mayor to resign.

It has voted in favor of a resolution that expressed “no confidence” in Mayor Ed Pawlowski.

The move comes in the midst of a federal investigation into alleged pay-to-play schemes in both Allentown and Reading.

Several people who worked directly for the mayor have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges.

City Council Vice President Daryl Hendricks says the council wanted to make a strong statement.

“We feel the mayor has become ineffective in leading our city and we want to make that very clear to the public and show them that we are in solidarity on this issue,” he told Keystone Crossroads.

Despite the resolution, the mayor doesn’t have to resign.

The council can remove the mayor if he is found guilty of an unlawful act in office.

“I would hope that he would decide, for the sake of the city of its citizens, to give strong consideration to stepping aside,” Hendricks said.

Pawlowski’s attorney released a statement saying his client is still, “committed to serving the city and its residents” as mayor.