(67th in a series of posts on candidates for election)
Gadfly:
I’m not sure how to reply to this post (#62), but I’ll try.
First, I’ll assume for the purposes of this reply, that the writer has first-hand knowledge of the Ritter campaign funding by the Friends of Bryan Callahan and Councilman Callahan. Loan or not, the concern is that candidates for Council should be independent thinkers and not someone who can be counted on to vote a certain way. Unfortunately, there should be some concern by the voters whether Ms. Ritter is truly independent. BTW, either Ms. Ritter or Councilman Callahan could have explained things as did the writer. They did not.
Second, the reason that Ms. Van Wirt and Mr. Carpenter are self-funded (or even if private individuals donated to either of their campaigns — and I have no knowledge about that at all) is to preserve their independence and avoid even the appearance of a lack of independence should they be elected. I fail to see how self-funding or individual donations are somehow wrong.
Third, you don’t have to be a life-long resident of Bethlehem to know where the City today comes from: the hard work and foresight of prior administrations and the citizens who stuck it out. That said, that is not a qualifying factor in securing a Council seat. It certainly helps inform decisions, but that kind of research is what I would expect any intelligent Council person to undertake when assessing a matter requiring Council action. We should be electing candidates who have knowledge and experience in dealing with the issues facing Bethlehem. Responsible development is one of them and both Ms. Van Wirt and Mr. Carpenter have that experience and the power of independent thinking to address that issue and others.
Finally, do Ms. Ritter, Ms. Crampsie Smith, and Councilman Callahan embrace the divisiveness of the writer (#62)? I hope not, but wouldn’t it be refreshing to hear from them directly on that.
Augustus Wolle
(Augustus Wolle is a pseudonym, but the identity of the author is known to Gadfly.)
