


Allentown developers cultivating political influence
Allentown developers cultivating political influence

The two men who have bankrolled much of the billion-dollar transformation of downtown Allentown are hoping to convert that commercial revival into a political force. City Center Investment Corp. co-owners Joe Topper and J.B. Reilly have launched a political action committee aimed at channeling their investment in Allentown's rebirth into a campaign fundraising apparatus designed to defend those interests in the halls of local and state governments. Since its founding in October, Citizens for Urban Renewal has dished out $47,000 in contributions to a mix of Democrats and Republicans, including Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski and state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, who wrote the tax...