The Weekly Fix: Don’t Steal. Politicians Don’t Like Competitors.

The fix is in. Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski has been convicted on 47 (out of 54) federal corruption charges. The Democrat mayor was accused of orchestrating a pay-to-play corruption scheme that involved bribery, conspiracy, attempted extortion, destroying evidence, lying to the FBI, and fraud.

Pawlowski was secretly recorded multiple times discussing city contracts and insisting that business only be awarded to the contractors who donated generously to his 2014 gubernatorial and 2016 Senate campaigns.

In one recording, Pawlowski said he wanted a $5,000 campaign donation from the law firm Stevens & Lee before he awarded them any more legal contract work. Attorneys from the firm testified that the mayor would confirm meetings to discuss city contracts, then solicit a campaign donation in the next breath.

Prosecutors accused Pawlowski of “selling his office to the highest bidder.” Of course, the Mayor insists he was the victim of false accusations and an unjustified FBI witch hunt. He has yet to be sentenced but faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the 47 charges.

Based on the recorded evidence, Mayor Pawlowski clearly broke the law and abused his power while in office. The jury’s verdict sends a clear message to other Pennsylvania lawmakers: The Commonwealth’s elected officials are not above the law.

If only Congressional Democrats would send the same message to Senator Bob Menendez…

It’s time to take a stand. The American people aren’t being heard by their representatives because the game is rigged. Government isn’t broken. It’s “fixed.”