A simple question about Council votes on the Bethlehem Food Co-Op

Bethlehem Food Co-Op, City government, Co-Op, Bethlehem Food, Serious Issues 1 Minute

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Stephen F. Thode is Professor Emeritus, Department of Finance and Law, Lehigh University.

Gadfly:

Let me frame this as a simple question:

Do Members of Bethlehem City Council believe it is ethical for a Council Member to participate in a decision to grant public money (taxpayer dollars) to an entity for which that Council Member is an owner, and, therefore, has a financial interest in the outcome?

Steve

In a previous communication, Steve advises that “owner” is “the word the Co-Op itself uses.” Gadfly had been wondering how membership in BFC differs from membership in, say, the YMCA/YWCA, of which, it is conceivable, some or all Councilpersons are members, and which has been awarded funding too. Should membership in the Y trigger recusal as well? But the idea of ownership, that BFC members benefit financially (discounts, sales, etc.), probably answers Gadfly’s question.

Published by The Bethlehem Gadfly

Edward J. Gallagher, Bethlehem immigrant, retired, nearly 50 years as Professor of American Literature at Lehigh University, known as "Dr. G" and "Conan the Grammarian" to students, whose virtual world avatar "EdwardScholarhands" stares at you here, has reinvented himself as the Bethlehem Gadfly.

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One thought on “A simple question about Council votes on the Bethlehem Food Co-Op”

  1. I do not often agree with Steven Thode, but he is spot on with this comment. The city government should stay out of private business.

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