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Former Muhlenberg College president resigns from board overseeing Allentown’s NIZ

Three weeks after resigning as president of Muhlenberg College, John I. Williams Jr. has stepped down from another position in Allentown. The Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority board of directors accepted Williams’ departure from the board Wednesday. Former Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski appointed Williams to the ANIZDA board in 2016, less than a year after he took over at Muhlenberg. His term was set to expire in 2023. FROM JUNE: John Williams resigns as president of Muhlenberg CollegeInterim Mayor Ray O’Connell will pick Williams’ replacement. The mayor, Sen. Patrick Browne and State Rep. Peter Schweyer each have appointment power over three seats on the nine-person board. The board’s newest member, Adrian Shanker, on Wednesday proposed amendments to the financing guidelines for proposed projects in the NIZ, the 128-acre tax incentive district that allows developers to tap many state and local taxes to cover construction debt.Shanker, founder and executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, recommended adding language from a Wolf administration executive order encouraging developers to use small diverse businesses as contractors and subcontractors. Those include businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the LGBT community. The existing section only mentioned businesses owned by women and minorities. He also recommended adopting the city’s broader non-discrimination policy protecting employees and applicants on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status or disability. The authority board unanimously approved the amendments. Morning Call reporter Andrew Wagaman can be reached at 610-820-6764 or awagaman@mcall.com
Source: Morningcall

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