(51st in a series of posts on candidates for election)
Election Day is Tuesday May 21
That’s two days from today!
Be sure to review the Gadfly series of Q&A’s with candidates, the like of which you can get nowhere else, on these pairs of posts in the candidate series: 45/44, 36/35, 31/30, 26/25, 24/23, 20/19, 17/16.
Gadfly is writing from the wilds of Indiana.
Desperate for a computer connection, he drove up to an isolated farmhouse like something out of Bonnie and Clyde, only to be greeted by a bewhiskered farmer cradling a shotgun in his arms like a mother a newborn babe.
I said I needed a computer to help candidates get their message out to constituents on the eve of election. He said, “I know you, you are the Bethlehem Gadfly, come on in.”
And so, over stacks of pancakes and pitchers of fresh, cold, moo-ing milk, Gadfly provides for you — in the order received — last words of encouragement from our City Council candidates.
If the statements are incomplete when you are here, check back — Gadfly will add others as they come in.
Good luck to all!
David Saltzer
I would like to thank The Bethlehem Gadfly for putting this online forum
together to help educate all the voters in the city so that you may
make your best, educated choice at the polls next Tuesday. Thank you to all
of those who have followed this blog for the last several weeks, and for
choosing to learn more about each candidate and our positions on the current
state of the city. By voting next Tuesday, you are setting the course for the
future of Bethlehem. The most important thing that I can say is PLEASE GET
OUT TO VOTE. Remind your friends, neighbors, and family as well. That is
what will make this city and this country better— people voting for change. I
am honored to be in a race with such great candidates, and have met so
many people just like me, who want to continue to create great history for our
beautiful city. On election day please remember to Vote Prompt #5 on the City
Council Ballot, and I promise that I will work hard to continue to move this
great city into the future, while never forgetting our past.
J. William Reynolds
Thank you for giving us a space to share our ideas and thoughts on the future of our great city. Bethlehem is a special place because we have people who care about their community and that is a beautiful thing. Hopefully, our citizens have been able to learn over the past few months about all of the candidates for City Council and their visions for Bethlehem. See you at the polls on Tuesday!
Michael Colon
Thanks Gadfly and Gadfly followers for all your attention to this election. I hope I have continued to earn both your support and confidence. See you at the polls!
Grace Crampsie Smith
Thanks to Ed for the opportunity to provide thought-provoking responses throughout the campaign.
I feel I am the most qualified, impassioned, and ethical candidate based upon my 40 years of representing and advocating for those in need and justice for ALL, my budgetary experience in County Government, and my lifetime commitment to fighting for democratic ideals.
Will Carpenter
Thank you readers and Gadfly for the opportunity and education this exercise has provided.
Bethlehem is a great city and we need to make the most of our current opportunities to make it even stronger, healthier and more resilient.
What I have to offer is my deep negotiating experience in business and in the real estate development process. I know from first hand experience how informed and engaged communities can create their own blue print for community-enhancing development without sacrificing what they hold dear. We are fortunate to live in a highly desirable location — desirable to us and to developers — so let’s leverage and protect that advantage.
My role on council will be to ask questions: why has the Administration chosen this path? What were the other options and what data supports the choice made? What are the communities concerns and long-term objectives?
To earn my vote, a project must comply with the Climate Action Plan and the Environmental Advisory Council recommendations and be the best available option for the people of Bethlehem.
All politics are local and local politics are the heart of a democracy. I look forward to the opportunity to serve.
Paige Van Wirt
I hope that in the last 7 essays, I have been able to give the citizens of Bethlehem an idea of who I am, and how I view this city and the people who live in it. I believe in transparency, community, civic engagement, and incremental, organic economic growth. I believe that a well-run government will earn a sense of trust from its citizens, and that efficiency in spending is obtainable with solid Council oversight and foresight so that taxes stay low. I believe that a walkable, environmentally sound city is one that attracts new residents and new businesses. I think that City Council is a representative body, one that engages in a dialogue with the administration so that all options are considered, and all facts are available before voting, and welcomes civic engagement. Bethlehem has proven its resiliency in the past three decades, and we cannot rest on this accomplishment. We must insure that our city is innovative, just, and efficient. I hope to help this amazing city in its path to a place where all citizens can find opportunity and joy in being a citizen of Bethlehem.
Vote Tuesday and vote informed!
