On a recent afternoon, as Ed Pawlowski worked at an Allentown pharmacy and then walked down the sidewalks of Hamilton Street, no fewer than four people stopped to give the former mayor their well wishes over the course of an hour.
One stopped to shake his hand. Two slowed down in their cars and rolled down their windows to wave and say hello.
One customer at the pharmacy where Pawlowski now works told the former mayor, who was found guilty in 2019 on 47 corruption-related charges, that he wishes he were still leading the city.
It is perhaps no surprise that Pawlowski, despite his felony convictions, remains popular among the people of Allentown: They elected him four times between 2006 and 2018, including during an ongoing FBI probe into pay-to-play schemes in City Hall that eventually landed him a 15-year prison sentence in 2018. He was released in June after serving about half that time.
On a Facebook post announcing his return to the city, the former mayor received over 1,500 likes and 400 comments, nearly all of which were warm welcomes.
Pawlowski said the support has been “humbling,” and he is grateful for it as he rebuilds his life post-incarceration.
“I just want people to know the gratitude I have,” Pawlowski said. “I’m thankful for all their support. It’s been overwhelming, and it’s been an incredible welcome back.”
He shared his thoughts on the state of the city, his plans for the future and his lessons from prison in an interview with The Morning Call this week.
‘The perfect job for me’
Pawlowski was released from prison after serving only around half of his 15-year sentence thanks to “good behavior credits” he earned while incarcerated, and left the federal correctional institution in Otisville, New York, on June 25.
He declined to answer questions about his time in prison or the case against him that landed him there. According to court records, he is still pursuing an appeal to overturn his conviction, arguing that his former lawyer failed to mount an adequate defense that could have exonerated him.
Pawlowski long has maintained his innocence, though he issued an apology letter in 2024 while seeking a commutation of his sentence from then-President Joe Biden.
Since his release, Pawlowski has lived in a halfway house in Philadelphia.
He commutes to Allentown for his job leading marketing and communications for New Liberty Pharmacy in west Allentown, for which he was hired nearly immediately after his release.
“It is a perfect job for me,” Pawlowski said. “It gives me time to readjust and help him to rebuild his client base, expand his client base, but also really gives me time to reconnect with the community.”
Thayilparampil John, owner of New Liberty Pharmacy, said he has known Pawlowski since around 2016, when the mayor became a client.
They have remained friends ever since. John said he decided to hire Pawlowski because he wanted help expanding his clientele — he said the pharmacy makes “not a lot of money” at the moment. He also believes that the former mayor deserved a second chance after his seven years spent in prison.
“The mayor, I have known him a long time,” John said. “I always believe in a second chance.”
Thayilparampil John, owner of New Liberty Pharmacy in Allentown, talks about the marketing Ed Pawlowski, the city’s former mayor, is doing Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, during an interview at his workplace. John said Pawlowski is focused on reconnecting with family and friends. Pawlowski was elected for 4 terms as Allentown’s mayor and was convicted on corruption charges in 2018. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Reflections on the past, plans for the future
Pawlowski told The Morning Call that his years in prison gave him “a lot of time to reflect,” and a lot of gratitude for his newfound freedom.
“I don’t take things for granted, as I used to take in the past. I have a much greater appreciation for the little things in life,” Pawlowski said.
Even though he spends as much time in Allentown as possible, he is still limited to partial confinement at the Bureau of Prisons-operated halfway house in Philadelphia, and must return there every night after work.
However, he receives “social passes” that allow him to stay in Allentown with his wife over the weekend, and in the next few weeks, he hopes to receive approval to stay in Allentown over a longer period of time.
Asked if he has any long-term plans to become involved in politics or public life again, Pawlowski declined to answer, and said he is “focused on the here and now.” Under the Pennsylvania Constitution and according to state case law, people convicted of felonies are ineligible to hold public office in the state.
However, Pawlowski said he has enjoyed reconnecting with people in Allentown who remember his tenure as mayor fondly, despite the scandal that landed him and five co-conspirators in jail.
He recently attended a block party on Second Street and a back-to-school backpack giveaway at his local church.
“I really enjoy engaging with people,” Pawlowski said. “I’m hoping to continue doing that.”
Pawlowski has been impressed with the transformation Allentown has undergone — the city, he said, looks just as he envisioned it when he and other leaders began planning the revitalization of Hamilton Street in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
It is truly like seeing his home with fresh eyes, Pawlowski said. In prison, he was largely unable to follow local news without reliable access to the internet, so the sight of a revitalized downtown was brand new to him.
“I was expecting to see a much different city, but I’m seeing a city that’s now mature and growing, and vibrant,” he said.
Pawlowski admired the changes on the western side of Hamilton Street in particular, which has transformed from mostly blighted buildings and vacant lots into a vibrant, extended section of downtown with a new boutique hotel, concert venue and decorative streetlights fitted with flowered planters; and the transformation of the Lehigh Riverfront, a former industrial area that was vacant for decades until developers began constructing office, apartment and residential buildings in the region.
Former Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski visits downtown Allentown on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, during an interview. He said he is focused on reconnecting with family and friends. Pawlowski was elected for 4 terms as Allentown’s mayor and was convicted on corruption charges in 2018. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
He told The Morning Call that, if all continues going well during his halfway house stay, he hopes to be home with full freedom of movement by Christmas.
In the meantime, expect to see Pawlowski in his corner office at New Liberty Pharmacy, driving through the streets of Allentown and even making an appearance at a community event or two.
“My hope, right now, is to focus on myself, rebuilding my life and looking for ways to make an impact.”
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.