Month: February 2021

Southside Community Meeting: What’s your vision for the Southside?

Latest in a series of posts on the Southside

Community Action Development Corp. of Bethlehem
Southside Community Meeting: What’s your vision for the Southside?
February 18 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Register

We are inviting South Bethlehem’s residents and the business community to join us online for a community meeting to discuss the future of Southside.

Your unique perspective on the current strengths and challenges of the Southside, and your vision for improvements to be made in the coming years, would be very helpful in the development of the new south Bethlehem Neighborhood Plan.

As we approach almost 20 years of Southside Vision*, our current neighborhood plan and the focus of much of our work in the community. Your input gathered during these meetings, surveys or interviews will assist in the creation of a new neighborhood Plan.

————

*Southside Vision 20/20, a 6-year revitalization program of Community Action Development Corp. of Bethlehem (www.cadcb.org) and the City of Bethlehem, and with support from Provident Bank, Peoples Security Bank & Trust, and the PA Department of Community and Economic Development.

Bethlehem City Council meeting tomorrow night, Tuesday, February 16, 7PM

Latest in a series of posts on City Government

Click for agenda and documents

See below for comment instructions

City Council — the “face” of Bethlehem City government — meets tomorrow night, Tuesday, February 16 at 7PM.

You can watch the City Council meetings on the following YouTube channel: City of Bethlehem Council
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRLFG5Y9Ui0jADKaRE1W3xw

————

7PM: The regularly scheduled Council meeting

Of interest:

  • Public hearing about zoning of the long-contested property at Center and Dewberry. Another try to do something with the property — a grocery store. This case has been of interest to many, especially those in the neighborhood. Long history.
  • The much-vetted ordinance for regulation of student housing with especial attention to the Southside area around Lehigh University is up for the first vote. Much anticipation here.

But there’s always the unexpected.

As long as he has flutter in his wings, Gadfly urges attending City Council.

Be informed. Be involved.

———–

DUE TO THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY, TOWN HALL ACCESS IS CURRENTLY RESTRICTED. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE FOLLOW THE PHONE COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.

 PUBLIC COMMENT PHONE INSTRUCTIONS

REMOTE PUBLIC COMMENT PHONE INSTRUCTIONS. If you would like to speak during the City Council meeting, please sign up per the instructions below or call into the meeting when the Council President announces he will take public comment calls.

If you would like to sign up to speak, email the following information to the Bethlehem City Clerk’s office (cityclerk@bethlehem-pa.gov) no later than 2:00 PM on the day of the meeting: (a) name; (b) address; (c) phone number; and (d) topic of comments. If you are signed up to speak, the City Council President will call you from (610) 997-7963.

After all signed-up speakers talk, the Council President will ask whether anyone else would like to make public comments. If you want to speak at that time, call the Bethlehem City Council public comment phone line at (610) 997-7963.

NOTES:

Calls to the public comment phone number will only be accepted during the designated public comment period with a 5 minute time limit.

If you call and the line is busy, please call back when the current speaker is finished.

As soon as your call begins, please turn off all speakers, computer speakers, televisions, or radios.

At the start of your call, please state your name and address.

A five minute time limit will apply to any public comments.

Emily goes for the Gold!

Latest in a series of posts on the Swifts

Save Our Swifts
GoFundMe

Followers will remember that a few posts back Gadfly highlighted Councilman Colon’s suggestion that Swift towers could be erected in our parks perhaps as Scout projects to educate the public on the value of the Swifts, an idea he reiterated to Gadfly after finding a tower while he and fiancée Erin were frostily perambulating in snow-filled Fort Washington State Park last Saturday.

Gadfly hopes to highlight shortly just such a tower project in Bethlehem by an Eagle Scout, but, lo ‘n behold, he has an example by Emily, a member of his extended family.

As a 16-and-17-year-old, Emily built a tower for a Girl Scout Gold Award (the Girl Scouts equivalent to the Boy Scouts Eagle award) at the Wildlands Conservatory in Emmaus to teach children in their summer camps “the importance of preservation of animal habitat so that in the future they continue to want to play an active role in animal habitat conservation.”

Scott Burnet, a member of the Bethlehem Swift steering committee, was one of her advisors.

What a great experience for Emily.

What great continuing value for the children at the Wildlands camps and other visitors.

Let’s keep the Colon suggestion percolating!

Save Our Swifts
GoFundMe

Christine: “Let’s be brave enough to be the light our Earth needs”

Latest in a series on Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan

Gadfly takes note of the Morning Call voices of followers Fox and Christine urging us to pursue solutions to the problems associated with climate change and reminding him that the Bethlehem Climate Action Plan is on the verge of rolling out.

By the way, did you see the climate change interview with Bill Gates on 60 Minutes last night? Very provocative.

Becky Bradley, “Going Green is an investment in our economy.” Morning Call, February 4, 2021.

Amanda Gorman, “Earthrise”

George Washington – the “Moral” Man

Marking Presidents’ Day

Alan Lowcher, Esq. concentrates on real estate and land use law, speaks on the life of Abraham Lincoln, presents history-themed “lessons for lawyers” through the NJ Bar Association, and is a member of several associations promoting a deeper understanding of American history.

George Washington – the “Moral” Man

By Alan Y. Lowcher

George Washington – the marble man – “First in War!  First in Peace!  First in the Hearts of his Countrymen!” But he did not start out that way.

Young, ambitious, a man of strong passions, Washington sought recognition and social status which at that time was measured either by wealth or military rank and “glory.”  Washington was not wealthy (until he married Martha) measured by the standard of the Fairfaxes, and in the eyes of the British officer ranks, he was merely a “provincial.”  But he was personally courageous and decisive.  He inspired trust in his leadership ability by keeping a cool head when things went badly, such as at Fort Necessity and Braddock’s ill-fated march on Fort Duquesne very early in his military career during what we know as the French and Indian War. He was under fire in both engagements, and though men around him fell, he was unscathed. Moreover, although both actions were failures, no personal blame fell to Washington. Historian Joseph Ellis, in his Washington biography, His Excellency, wrote that Washington had a sheer knack for survival and found that if he survived, he would succeed.

This character trait would serve him well twenty years later.

The young Washington recognized his “faults” — among them his strong temper and his love of honor and regard that led him to take offense at what he perceived were personal insults, believing himself the “better man” — and developed patterns of behavior rooted in self-control and personal probity that shaped his character. As he matured, he was increasingly viewed as a levelheaded leader in Virginia politics. His election to represent Virginia at the first Continental Congress was his introduction to delegates from the other colonies, particularly the New England contingent led by Massachusetts. It was John Adams who proposed the formation of a Continental Army with George Washington as commander.

But for all this “restraint,” Washington was willing to take risks for a cause that he believed in.  For him and for his brethren “Founding Fathers,” that cause was the American Revolution.

At the War’s end, Washington took his final leave from his fellow officers in 1783 and “retired” from public life to Mt. Vernon. His retirement was short lived. He served as President of the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 and, with the ratification of the Constitution, he answered the call of his country and served as President for two terms, both times elected unanimously by the Electoral College. In public life – during the War and as President – Washington was well aware that history was being made and that he was the one making it. He acutely avoided the appearance of impropriety, for example, refusing a salary as Commander in Chief. In private life, he was also “sensible” about how an action might appear to others, for example, refusing payment in shares of stock in the Potomac Company that proposed to improve navigation of the upper Potomac River (which would have benefited Washington by virtue of his extensive landholdings in what was then the frontier west of the border colonies) for services rendered.

Two blemishes on Washington’s carefully cultivated character were his appetite for land and slave holding  Yet, he alone among his slave holding contemporaries eventually emancipated his slaves through his Last Will and Testament. He was a man of his times, and no one is perfect – not even Washington.

It was altogether fitting and proper that after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, a well-known carte-de-visite memorial card showing George Washington welcoming Lincoln into heaven with a laurel wreath was widely circulated. There is a shaft of light above the Presidents’ heads with angels visible inside. The caption reads: “Apotheosis of Washington & Lincoln.”

Abraham Lincoln and Our “Unfinished Work”

Marking Presidents’ Day weekend

Alan Lowcher, Esq. concentrates on real estate and land use law, speaks on the life of Abraham Lincoln, presents history-themed “lessons for lawyers” through the NJ Bar Association, and is a member of several associations promoting a deeper understanding of American history.

Abraham Lincoln and Our “Unfinished Work”

By Alan Y. Lowcher

A few years ago, I was a panelist in “Abraham Lincoln: 15 Captivating Stories from His Law Practice” with Glenn LeBoeuf at the New Jersey Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program. In order for the lawyers to get CLE credit, a lawyer needed to be a panelist. I was Glenn’s “second chair” and tied in Glenn’s anecdotes and what Lincoln said about the practice of law (“Notes on a Law Lecture,” variously 1850-1858) to the Rules of Professional Conduct governing the modern practice of law. The room was packed with lawyers, as were the rooms where the program was simulcast. Given the attention paid to the presentation, the questions raised by the audience, and the people who came up to the panelists, it was obvious that the lawyers were there not so much for the credit as they were to hear about Lincoln, especially Lincoln the lawyer. It is natural for lawyers to claim Lincoln for themselves: he was one of us. And yet 25 of the 46 presidents have studied or practiced law. What makes Lincoln the standout?  Why are there hundreds of statues and memorials to Lincoln in this country, as well as in several countries around the world? Why are dozens of new books written about him annually to add to the estimated 16,000 published titles on Lincoln? Why has Lincoln remained so popular?

Historians and Polls

Numerous polls taken over the last 65 years consistently rank Abraham Lincoln in the top three of US Presidents along with George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Most of the polls are conducted among historians who rate the presidents on a number of categories (leadership, accomplishments and crisis management, political skill, character, integrity, etc.).  Lincoln achieved an overall rating of Number One. But it is not just historians. Among those who identify themselves as liberal or conservative, Lincoln again is Number One. John Q. Public, responding to a C-Span presidential leadership survey in 1999 rated Lincoln as Number One, as did surveys conducted by ABC and Washington College. When all the poll results are considered, more than 80% of Americans give a favorable rating to Lincoln. He was surpassed only by George Washington in the hearts and minds of Americans. Lincoln often harkened back the Founders in his writings and speeches. I don’t think he would mind at all taking second place behind George Washington.

Lincoln’s Enduring Popularity, Relevance, and Our “Unfinished Work” 

Writing on the occasion of the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, James McPherson pondered the “Why” question of Lincoln’s enduring popularity and ranking by historians as our greatest president. He posited several answers:

  • Lincoln took office facing the greatest crisis of any President: a nation divided and soon to be engaged in a civil war “testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.”  His leadership and single-minded determination to assure the survival of the “experiment” that began in 1776 ensured that that nation would live.
  • Lincoln’s essentially military action authorizing the seizure of enemy property — slaves — used in the Confederate war effort, thereby depriving the South of the manpower it needed to sustain the war, brought the power of the Federal government to bear to attack the “monstrous injustice of slavery.”  These efforts, culminating in the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the 13th Amendment in 1865, assured Lincoln’s place in history.
  • Lincoln the “westerner,” who grew up in a log cabin, split rails, piloted a flatboat on the Mississippi, was a store keeper and postmaster, read the law, became a successful trial attorney, one term Congressman and then President, epitomized the uniquely American belief that if you worked hard, you could go as far as your energy, intelligence, and talents could take you. This opportunity for self-improvement was Lincoln’s definition of equality, which is also why, in addition to his moral aversion to the institution, he opposed slavery. Slavery was the antithesis of this definition of “equality.”
  • And, of course, Lincoln was a superb craftsman of the written word.  As a lawyer, he wrote concisely and with persuasion. As President, McPherson observed that “Lincoln had the unique ability to write for both the eye and the ear.”

. . . the closing lines of his first inaugural address

. . . the opening lines of the Gettysburg Address

. . . his second inaugural address

McPherson was surely right when he said “[e]ven if his deeds were to be forgotten, his words will live as long as there is a United States.”

  • And, finally, Lincoln’s violent death when he should have savored the fruits of victory assured the martyred president immortality.

And, so, we remember Abraham Lincoln on this Presidents’ Day weekend. For us, and for historians, Lincoln matters. He guided the country through the crucible of civil war, and we emerged a stronger, although still not perfect, nation. His leadership skills, determination, ability to compromise, fundamental fairness, and integrity are worthy of study and emulation by today’s politicians and leaders of all stripes. There is something there for “average Americans” too in Lincoln’s words that should inspire us to be “governed by the better angels of our nature.” Lincoln’s birthday, as with the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday, should be a time of reflection on what these men achieved – and imagining what they might have achieved had they lived a full life.

I urge the reader to consider spending a day at Gettysburg, the venue of what is perhaps Lincoln’s greatest speech. Make your way past the Pennsylvania Monument to the monument erected in memory of the officers and soldiers of the First New Jersey Brigade. Consider the following:

“. . . and when the First New Jersey’s Brigade monument was constructed . . . and dedicated . . . on the battlefield of Gettysburg in 1888 . . . in what likeness was the actual monument (the largest brigade monument on the battlefield) constructed ?”

A watch-tower.

A watch tower? Why that? Certainly the war was now long over in 1888 . . . and the veterans gathered there at the dedication . . . fewer in number . . . most in their 40s or 50s . . . had had their fill of war.

Why would they want future generations to gaze upon . . . and ponder . . . a “watch-tower”?

Because it is for “us the living” . . . to man the watch-towers now . . . light the watch fires . . . and to remind . . . instill . . . and teach generations to come of the sacrifices made by so many . . . over such a long time . . . to maintain . . . “a more perfect union.”

Lincoln’s legacy – and their legacy — should inspire each of us to redouble our efforts as Americans to keep history alive and relevant. This is our “unfinished work.”

BAPL’s Rayah Levy: “Voices from the African Diaspora: The Black Experience of Bethlehem”

Latest in a series of posts in the wake of the George Floyd murder

Black Bethlehem Project

Voices from the African Diaspora: The Black Experience of Bethlehem
Rayah Levy, Bethlehem Area Public Library
February 16, 2021, 6:30-8:30PM
Register here

We speak of Moravian Bethlehem. And many of us know at least something about it.

Rayah will speak about Black Bethlehem. Which only a few of us know anything at all about.

We are closing in on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death.

What will we have to show for the year?

What have we learned about race in our lives?

Black Bethlehem Project

A status report on the candidates

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

How’s the candidate pool for the May 18 election shaping up?

It’s early yet.

Candidates have until March 9 to formally file to run in the May 18 primary.

About a month from now.

Plenty of time for others to show up, but candidates do have to allow enough time to collect the proper number of signatures to accompany their filing paperwork.

Gadfly focuses narrowly on the Bethlehem City elective positions, Mayor and City Council.

Here are the slates the Bethlehem City Democratic Committee recently put out:

Mayor

Dana Grubb
Willie Reynolds

City Council (4 seats)

Bryan Callahan
Grace Crampsie Smith
Hillary Kwiatek
Adam Waldron

Gadfly hasn’t heard anything about Republican candidates.

So, good, we have competition for Mayor. And there’s the further possibility that Councilman Callahan might enter the race (see below).

But four candidates for four Council slots is not good. (Two-term current Councilwoman Negron is not running again.) At the moment, no competition.

In these pages Gadfly has several times asked rhetorically “Where are the Republicans?”

Along that line of thinking, he happened yesterday by chance to come across Nicole Radzievich’s “Why Republican challengers are scarce in Bethlehem, Easton” article from a few years ago.

“Bethlehem, which has had two Republican mayors, and had split councils decades ago, has been run by a Democratic mayor and council the last 20 years,” Gadfly learned, “The last time Republicans ran a full slate of council candidates was 2011, and the last Republican to run for mayor was in 2003.”

Interesting.

More interesting and more indicative of the kind of thinking that demonstrates why Gadfly could never be a politician was the idea that Republicans were actually discouraging candidates in Lehigh Valley cities in order to focus on the suburbs.

Go figure.

Noteworthy, as Gadfly has pointed out several times in these pages, Lehigh Valley Good Neighbors Alliance has been looking to recruit candidates for Mayor and Council.

Just yesterday it was, Gadfly believes, that LVGNA identified Councilman Callahan as a candidate to support for Mayor and sought its followers to put some pressure on the Councilman to run.

Ouch.

Gadfly would welcome Councilman Callahan in the mayoral race. Gadfly likes the idea of competition. And even a cursory Bethlehem government watcher knows that the Councilman’s views would clash in many respects with the other two contenders.

But, frankly, if Gadfly were Councilman Callahan, an endorsement from LVGNA is not one that he would particularly welcome.

Gadfly is invigorated by many of the posts on the LVGNA facebook page, but in the post soliciting their followers to nudge Councilman Callahan, LVGNA includes their “coffee cup” brochure that Gadfly found a pretty sorry and low specimen of political argument. Not the kind of political discourse we or the world needs more of at this cultural moment.

Gadfly has had significant problems with some of LVGNA’s positions and style, and he hopes Councilman Callahan would not become associated with them.

“The Swifts eat bugs, and bugs are really annoying”

Latest in a series of posts on the Swifts

Save Our Swifts
GoFundMe

Our fundraising has stalled. The bottom line hasn’t moved in four days.

That’s terrible.

Did you you think just because the Swift was named the official City Bird of Bethlehem it was game over?

The Gadfly has the morals of, as they say, an alley cat.

He will do anything for his Swifts.

Even to again using the Freemansburg kids to pry open your wallets.

WFMZ’s Bo Koltnow did a wonderful piece on those adorable kids and their support of the Swifts.

You will want to see it.

All you have to do is click on the article citation below.

But first you must make a contribution.

The link won’t work without a cha-ching here.

I swear.

———–

Bo Koltnow, “Bethlehem students push city to make chimney swift its official bird.” WFMZ, February 9, 2021.

Click on article citation above for Bo’s video

A group of Freemansburg Elementary School 4th graders recently took swift action and lobbied local government to help some acrobatic avians.

“They’ve been around since like the 1800’s. They are like family to us because they’ve been in the city of Bethlehem,” said Emma Huertas.

She and 14 of her classmates wrote letters to Bethlehem’s mayor and council to make the chimney swift the official bird of Bethlehem. Ryan Benfica recently addressed council to press his point.

“They eat bugs and bugs are really annoying,” he said.

2,000 per day per bird, Ryan wrote.

The swifts, which face a steep population decline, recently stole the spotlight after 4th grade teacher Jennie Gilrain led a preservation charge to save the chimney of the old Masonic Temple now being demolished.

The migrating birds rely on chimneys to survive, as they rely on them to roost.

The bird’s aerial display is what drew Mariyah George to the cause.

“They all swirl and swirl and more keep coming and they go inside the chimney,” she said.

Not only was the chimney saved but their profile is now raised. Council named the chimney swift the city’s official bird.

“First off I jumped into the air and I said I finally achieved my goal of helping the chimney swift,” Huertas said.

For Gilrain, who initially used the situation in her science class, it’s now become a life lesson.

“I hope they remember this moment and your ability to make a difference when engaged at this level of government or any level of government,” she said.

Idealism, enthusiasm and courage. The power of youth. Even a bird brain can recognize its importance.

Save Our Swifts
GoFundMe

Hillary Kwiatek announces candidacy for Bethlehem City Council

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

February 11, 2021

West Bethlehem resident Hillary Kwiatek will seek a four-year term on City Council in 2021. “I am running for Bethlehem’s City Council to serve all of the people of the city that I have called home for more than twenty years,” she stated. “My husband and I have raised two children and built a fulfilling life here. I love Bethlehem, but I know there’s so much more we can do to become a stronger community where all of our residents feel a sense of true belonging.”

Kwiatek’s priorities include:

Recovering From the Pandemic
“Through an inclusive and progressive approach to public health and a focus on transparent economic development, Bethlehem can recover from the pandemic while also creating jobs with family-sustaining wages. We must also increase the availability of quality, affordable housing. We will only emerge stronger on the other side of this crisis by ensuring that no one is left out of our recovery.”

Reimagining Public Safety
“Creating a strong partnership between our public health and police departments will best serve all of our community members. For example, health care workers and other professionals can be dispatched instead of police to respond to mental health, substance abuse, and other non-violent incidents. This approach has been proven to create safer communities and better outcomes for people in crisis.”

A Vibrant Sustainable City for All
“As a City Council member, I will work toward the goal of increasing affordable housing and ending homelessness. Bethlehem can be a thriving green city through implementation of the climate action plan. Our neighborhoods should include well-maintained parks with activities for families. And I will work to support vibrant and diverse small businesses throughout the city.”

Addressing Racism and Inequity in our City
“Black Lives Matter. We must identify and eliminate racist and discriminatory practices across all aspects of city government that have led to inequity for Black and Latino residents of Bethlehem.”

———–

About Hillary
Hillary and her husband Brandon, an Allentown native, moved to Bethlehem in 2000. She has worked in non-profit fundraising and communications over the course of her career and currently works at Lehigh University as a communications specialist. Her volunteer activities have included serving as President of the Friends of the Bethlehem Public Library, captaining a KaBoom! playground build, serving on the Connect Bethlehem working group to help the city better understand its communications needs, and serving as an officer and precinct committee person on the Bethlehem City Democratic Committee.

Contact Information
Hillary Kwiatek
hillaryforbethlehem@gmail.com
610-984-7748

Vaccine news!

Latest in a series of posts on the coronavirus

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez announced that beginning tomorrow, the Bethlehem Health Bureau will add COVID-19 vaccine appointments to their clinic schedule. The number of appointments will be based on vaccine allocation for the week. Appointment slots for the following weeks’ clinics will be updated every Friday on the City of Bethlehem’s website until further notice. The most efficient way to schedule an appointment is through the City of Bethlehem’s website. Appointments can be scheduled by visiting https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/Health-Bureau/Communicable-Diseases/COVID-19 and clicking on the COVID-19 vaccine tab. Due to limited vaccine supply, the Bethlehem Health Bureau is prioritizing appointments for City of Bethlehem residents, Northampton and Lehigh County residents as well as individuals living in a county without a health department.
In an effort to assist seniors without computer and internet access, the Bethlehem Health Bureau will reserve a set amount of vaccine appointments for City of Bethlehem and Northampton County residents who are 65 years of age and older. Seniors without computer or internet access can call the Bethlehem Health Bureau at 610-865-7083 to schedule an appointment. The appointments by phone will be limited so individuals with computer and internet access are encouraged to register online.
The Bethlehem Health Bureau is also implementing other various strategies to improve access to vaccinations among the senior population. The health bureau created a mobile COVID-19 vaccine unit to provide on-site COVID-19 vaccinations to individuals who live in senior living facilities in Bethlehem. In addition, the health bureau is partnering with a community-based agency to provide vaccine to seniors who are homebound and/or have mobility issues.

The Bethlehem Press interview with Chief Kott

Latest in a series of posts about the Bethlehem Police

In this interview with the Bethlehem Press, Gadfly is especially interested in Chief Kott’s mention of collaboration with the Health Bureau. He also notes her mention of membership on the Community Advisory Board and a LGBTQ subcommittee of a community engagement board. Gadfly knows about the CAB, formed early by/with the NAACP after GeorgeFloyd. But what is the community engagement board? Is that something out of the Reynolds/Crampsie Smith resolution for a Community Engagement Initiative? Gadfly has heard nothing about the CEI for a long time. And there never has been, as far as he knows, any public information about what the CAB is doing. So we have no information upon which to judge these initiatives. And he thinks we would like to hear substantially more.

The Chief’s idea of a public information officer is interesting.

This is a good time for the periodic Gadfly reminder to subscribe to the Bethlehem Press so that we can continue to have and even expand community news.

———–

selections from “Nate Jastrzemski, “‘It can’t just be one person at the top’ Police chief details department’s projects, upcoming goals.” Bethlehem Press, February 9, 2021.

In regard to policing the city, 2020 has been an extremely weird year,” said Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott during her first interview with the Press since taking command in October. “It’s been odd because not as many people have been out. Obviously we didn’t have Musikfest, Celticfest, all the other festivals and events that we have in the city that bring hundreds of thousands of people a year.

“Our officers are not having as many citizen contacts as we normally would … however, for 2020 we responded to 225-250 medical calls involving COVID-positive patients”

Kott emphasized, as she did during her nomination and confirmation, that community engagement is imperative for the department to build and maintain a trusting relationship with the public. Whether face-to-face, Zoom or other virtual platforms, police are reaching out as often and safely as possible.

Additionally, the department is collaborating with the Health Bureau to help residents that officers come into contact with to get in touch with resources and services that could potentially prevent future police contact or help them navigate an issue they are facing, whether food insecurity, homelessness, mental health issues or substance abuse. Kott would like to expand this relationship long-term, as it helps everyone involved.

Social work is particularly important now, Kott said, as we grapple with the ramifications of prolonged quarantine. “I think this is going to require communities to come together and put people in touch with services to help them get through this hard time.”

As for the department, Kott was upbeat. “I’m very, very pleased and happy with the teamwork and the collaborative efforts … all the way down to the officers, to work together to provide the best level of service to the community,” she said, adding a key component to the cohesion she seeks is working with supervisors regularly, rather than delegating from on high.

That is partially because she worries about losing institutional memory due to longtime officer retirements. Young officers have a lot of enthusiasm, Kott said, but it’s hard to make up for a loss of decades of experience. Thus, she is focusing on recruitment and mentorships and how they might also benefit through broadened community relations.

“We need to get information out to the citizens so they’re better informed about what’s going on in their communities and I think a valuable way to do that is to have a central contact, like a public information officer.”

Kott also participates in the Mayor’s Advisory Board and NAACP monthly meetings to address various forms of systemic racism through police reform, education and healthcare and on a community engagement board, serving on the LGBTQ subcommittee.

Kott also participates in the Mayor’s Advisory Board and NAACP monthly meetings to address various forms of systemic racism through police reform, education and healthcare and on a community engagement board, serving on the LGBTQ subcommittee.

Lack of a modern public facility notwithstanding, Kott succinctly summarized her holistic approach to policing and community, evident throughout the interview, by declaring with purpose and certainty, “Everybody wins if we work together.”

A vision of towers in our parks

Latest in a series of posts on the Swifts

Save Our Swifts
GoFundMe

ref: Muhlenberg Lake Getting Chimney Swift Tower

So as of the City Council meeting February 2, the Chimney Swifts are the official City Bird of Bethlehem.

In his remarks preceding the vote, Councilman Colon suggested the addition of “faux chimneys” [towers] in our parks as “low maintenance” and as “educational” pieces to go along with Council’s action now centered on the giant chimney at the Masonic Temple site.

Just like Allentown has.

Councilman Colon suggests an extension, a widening of our desire to be a home for the Swifts.

What a great idea!

A mini-Swift industry here!

Gadfly has heard that Scott Burnet, Chair of the Habitat Committee of the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, has built more than 100 such Chimney Swift towers and would be happy to advise us in the process.

Scott is part of the local steering committee for our Save Our Swifts campaign.

He’s already in the house, as ’twere!

And he’s part of the panel for the February 17 “Chimney Swifts and their Adaptation to Urban Habitats,” the first forum in BAPL’s series on the saving Swifts project.

Save Our Swifts
GoFundMe

Advice on running for office

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Gadfly will be out of work May 19.

Thinking to explore what might lay on the next horizon, he dropped in (virtually) to the January 30 Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters webinar on “Running for Local Office”

Ken Mohr, former Lehigh County Commissioner, was the keynote speaker. His topic was “Prepare Yourself to Be a Candidate.”

Mohr structured his advice to the assembled first-time office seekers around two-dozen what-he-called cliches.

Quite interesting.

What would you like to see added to Mohr’s list of advices for the wannabe’s?

———–

Every day I’m a little smarter than I was the day before.
Have a desire to learn, running and serving is a great education.

Politics is for the long-distance runner.
You need to bring along a lot of people.

They who assume public office should consider themselves public property.
Everything in your life can and will be brought up in a campaign.

Never write anything or say anything that you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper.
Do not stretch a point.

They who live in the media, die in the media.
Reporters, etc., who use your information will turn on you in a minute; everything you post on social media will alienate a certain percentage of the electorate.

Never speculate in public.
Don’t share your first thoughts.

A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Know what you don’t know; don’t guess; say I’ll get back to you.

It is different in the bull ring than to speak of bulls.
Politics is a contact sport, it is not like sitting in a bar talking to a buddy.

In politics, friends may come and friends may go, but enemies accumulate.
It’s easier to create opposition than to build consensus.

You have to count to five (or, on Bethlehem City Council, four).
If you want to get something done, you have to get the votes; being right is not enough, you have to build consensus.

Do you want to make a point or do you want to make a difference.
You have to bring others along.

A good product with no advertisement will not succeed.
You are the product.

Target the market.
Only market super-voters, people who are known to vote.

A campaign brochure has a life expectancy from the front door to the garbage can, or from click to swipe left.
Keep it simple: your name is key thing and no more than three issues.

Too much information can be a dangerous thing.
Too much detail can be used against you or alienate some voters.

Everybody knows my name, so why do I have to campaign.
Most local elections are about name recognition not issues; put your name before the super-voters at least five times.

Begin with the end in mind.
List the benchmark events of your campaign in order.

Time is the hunter.
Drive the process and keep the schedule moving.

Asking for campaign contributions from friends is their way of contributing to good government because they like and trust you.
Price out the scope of your campaign and budget accordingly.

If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.
Form a committee and assign responsibility, minimize you and spouse, whose responsibility is speaking and raising money.

I love it when a plan comes together.
Stick to your plan.

(Should you get elected), governing is win/win, you need to bring others along.
Campaigning is win/lose, somebody has to win, somebody has to lose.

Power is like an inheritance, you can grow it or squander it.
Depends on your actions.

America is great because she is good.
Good people make good government, democracy is fragile; our future is in your hands.

———-

Gadfly tries to use every opportunity to bring the candidates to you, so he apologizes for missing the Bethlehem Dems last night, where several local candidates gave brief presentations.

Mayoral candidate Reynolds announces Congresswoman Susan Wild’s endorsement

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Councilman J. William Reynolds recently announced Congresswoman Susan Wild’s endorsement for his mayoral candidacy:

“Willie Reynolds is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and a lifelong resident of Bethlehem.  He has already demonstrated his concern and work ethic as a member of Bethlehem City Council.

Willie’s experience and steady hand will be invaluable for the City as we emerge from the crisis of this pandemic.  Willie has the vision and vitality to lead Bethlehem into a prosperous future while always respecting its rich history.

He will follow in the footsteps of a long line of excellent Mayors, while still bringing his unique perspective and style to the job. I believe there is no one better suited for the job of Mayor of Bethlehem, and I enthusiastically endorse Willie Reynolds.”

– U.S. Representative Susan Wild

The campaign war chests

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Candidate financial disclosures

Bernie O’Hare has reminded us to follow the money.

The first round of candidate financial reports are in.

Let me copy Bernie’s convenient list:

Bethlehem

Bryan Callahan – $19,461.36

Michael Colon – $28.59

Grace Crampsie Smith – $2,993.54

Bob Donchez – $107,486.44

Eric Evans – $2,108.01

Dana Grubb – $2,772.05

Willie Reynolds – $21,303.01

Adam Waldron – $0

Some things to think about:

  • What happens to Mayor Donchez’s $$$$?
  • I don’t believe President Waldron has formally announced.
  • Nothing from Hillary Kwiatek yet, which must mean she hasn’t formally filed for election (deadline March 9).
  • There was a controversy last election about the propriety of one candidate giving or loaning money to another that I don’t think was settled.
  • Will election strategies change as a result of the pandemic and will money make a difference?
  • How important is money to election success anyway?

Now it’s always interesting to see who’s donating to candidate campaigns.

Sometimes it can tell you something very important to know.

But one must be careful about making inferences.

You can check here.

What’s this from Touchstone? Epistolary theater?! You gotta try it

Latest in a series of posts on the Arts in Bethlehem

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTISTS AND ARTS INSTITUTIONS

Touchstone Theatre

Thank you for your interest in Letters from Far! After selling out last week, we can now accommodate a limited amount of additional guests. Registration ends at noon on 2/10 or when tickets run out; order ASAP to avoid disappointment.

WHAT TO EXPECT
You will receive four packages in the mail between February 15 – March 15
Please make sure to include a current, accurate US mailing address with your order
Recommended for pre-teens and older; no profanity or explicit content but some mature themes

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTISTS AND ARTS INSTITUTIONS

Bethlehem police & DA charge Bethlehem Gang Members with Torturing and Killing a Gang Friend

Latest in a series of posts in the wake of the George Floyd murder

Bud Hackett is a Bethlehem resident who raised 4 kids in the City. He recently became very interested in quality of life issues in the city and hopes to offer a balance to the approach City Council is taking.

This report is adapted from a 2-4-21 story by Lehigh Valley Ramblings

ref: Recent news about troublesome “first contact” situations involving the police

Gadfly:

Here is a picture of the Bethlehem resident that tortured and killed a fellow gang member by lighting him on fire while still alive and killing him in a dumpster.

Imagine what it was like for the witnesses and Bethlehem Police who found the victim burning and still screaming in the dumpster.

That must have been quite a “first contact.”

Alkiohn Dunkins
photo from Lehigh Valley Ramblings

The Bethlehem gang torture/murder took place on April 24, 2018, at the Parkhurst Apartments complex in Bethlehem. Northampton County DA announced the arrest on 2-4-21.

Mr. Dunkins’ co-conspirators, Yzire Jenkins Rowe, 22, and Miles Harper, 21, were already charged with the homicide

The Bethlehem-based gang is called Money Rules Everything (MRE) and originated in the Marvine and Pembroke housing development.

The victim Mr. Holmes “could be heard screaming at a high pitch,” and witnesses could see movement while he was engulfed in flames.

Dunkins stabbed Holmes outside Parkhurst apartments. He directed his co-conspirators to douse Holmes with gasoline and set him afire.

Does the Bethlehem community know and understand the violence that is taking place among the gangs in our community?

Is the police work to stop the violence and protect our citizens a worthy pursuit?

How has Mr. Gadfly’s continued campaign to “defund the police” impacted that effort?

Bud

Telling the story of the Swifts and our Bethlehem S.O.S. project

Latest in a series of posts on the Swifts

“S.O.S. Save Our Swifts by Saving their Urban Habitat: Telling the Story of the Chimney Swifts and their Connection to Our City”

GoFundMe

Join us at the Bethlehem Area Public Library (virtually) for a series of presentations in partnership with Lehigh Valley Audubon Society and the South Side Initiative: S.O.S. Save Our Swifts by Saving their Urban Habitat: Telling the Story of the Chimney Swifts and their Connection to Our City. Each session will stream live on BAPL’s YouTube channel. Register for each session using the forum title links below. This series is supported by the Lehigh Valley Engaged Humanities Consortium (LVEHC) Mellon Grant for Public Forums.

Forum #1 Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 7:00-8:30 PM
Chimney Swifts and their Adaptation to Urban Habitats:

Scott Burnet, Lehigh Valley Audubon Society (LVAS) Chairman of the Habitat Committee
Peter Saenger, LVAS President, Ornithologist at Muhlenberg College Acopian Center for Ornithology
Jennie Gilrain (moderator), LVAS Member and Bethlehem Area School District Teacher

Peter Saenger and Scott Burnet will educate the public about these unusual birds. Swifts originally roosted in hollow trees of old growth forests, but since the Industrial Revolution, have adapted to live in chimneys in urban environments. Approximately 2,200 birds were counted entering the Masonic Temple chimney in South Bethlehem in August 2020. Scott Burnet estimates that tens of thousands of chimney swifts use this roost yearly. Since the Masonic Temple was built in 1925 (95 years ago), it is reasonable to assume that up to 95 generations of swifts have called this chimney home. Peter Saenger and Scott Burnet will tell the story of how these aerial acrobats have cohabitated with the people in multiple roosts in Bethlehem since the Industrial Revolution.

———–

Forum #2 Thursday, March 11, 2021, 7:00-8:30 PM
Changing Methods of Construction and the Impact on Chimney Swifts

Christine Ussler, Architect and Founder, Artefact, Inc.; Professor of Practice, Art, Architecture and Design, Lehigh University; Board Member, Pennsylvania Historic Preservation; Advisory Board Member, South Bethlehem Historical Society
Scott Burnet, Chairman of the Habitat Committee of the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society (LVAS)
Peter Saenger, LVAS President, Ornithologist at Muhlenberg College Acopian Center for Ornithology
Mary Foltz (moderator), Director of South Side Initiative and Professor of English, Lehigh University

Scott Burnet visited the Masonic Temple redevelopment site in South Bethlehem on December 11, 2020 to consult with developer, John Noble, and Architect, Christine Ussler, about the potential relocation and design of the 40-foot-high 5-foot square Masonic Temple chimney. Christine Ussler will tell the story of the changing form and function of chimney structures throughout Bethlehem’s history. Scott will connect our human (his)story to the story of the swifts’ adaptation from hollow trees in old growth forests to masonry chimneys in urban environments. Scott and Christine will ask the audience to reconceptualize our relationship with nature to acknowledge the interconnection between human and natural history.

————-

Forum #3, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 7:00-8:30 PM
Modeling a Solution of Cooperation between Conservation and Development, A Panel Discussion

John Noble, Developer and property owner of Masonic Temple and Wilbur Mansion
Peter Saenger, Ornithologist, Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, President
Lynn F. Rothman, Environmental Scientist, Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council, Chair
Karen Beck Pooley, Professor of Practice, Director of Environmental Policy, Lehigh University
Breena Holland (moderator), Professor of Political Science and the Environmental Initiative, Lehigh University

Developer and property owner, John Noble will tell the story of his commitment to conservation, his discovery of the birds in the Masonic Temple Chimney in South Bethlehem, his decision to save the birds by saving an important part of their migratory habitat and the impact of this decision on his development project. Peter Saenger will speak about the impact of this project on the population of Chimney Swifts, as well as the broader impact of urban development on bird migration. Lynn Rothman will speak about the balance between environmental protection and development. Karen Beck Pooley will speak about how we might design and implement policies that protect wild species in urban areas. Finally, we will invite the public to imagine: What does it mean for a city to befriend a bird? How might the symbolic gesture of naming the Chimney Swift the Bird of Bethlehem impact our relationship to the species? Then how might we implement policy changes that reflect that changing relationship?  How might this story encourage a city-wide attitude of respect for wildlife, a changing relationship to the earth?

“S.O.S. Save Our Swifts by Saving their Urban Habitat: Telling the Story of the Chimney Swifts and their Connection to Our City”

GoFundMe

BAPL’s Rayah Levy: “Lessons Learned from the Black Bethlehem Project”

Latest in a series of posts in the wake of the George Floyd murder

Black Bethlehem Project

Lessons Learned from the Black Bethlehem Project
Rayah Levy, Bethlehem Area Public Library
February 10, 2021, 12-1:30PM
Register here

Gadfly is fond of saying — along with many, many others — that the murder of George Floyd (should have) triggered (another) national reckoning with race.

He is also fond of saying that he fears time is passing and that soon we will be saying “George who?”

But the Bethlehem Area Public Library has more than done its part through resources and programs to sustain our reckoning.

Especially in the person of BAPL’s head of adult services Rayah Levy.

Knowledge of our racial history is integral to a true sense of community.

Here’s yet another chance to learn from Rayah.

Black Bethlehem Project

Recent news about troublesome “first contact” situations involving the police

Latest in a series of posts in the wake of the George Floyd murder

A police officer charged with murder, an hysterical 9-year-old pepper-sprayed, a suicidal man with his hands up killed, suits lodged.

Gadfly reminds you that evidence abounds that something is wrong in the way that police respond to mental health calls and other “first contact” situations.

We have been promised a Public Safety Committee meeting to discuss these kinds of things locally.

We are not that far from the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death, and we don’t have a lot to show for the introspection that tragedy should have invoked.

Yes, there’s a lot going on in the world — pandemics, insurrections, multiple impeachments, record-breaking storms . . . you name it, we seem to be suffering it.

And, yes, the Police Department has initiated a modest pilot program with the Health folk.

(By the way, we learned at the January 25 BASD meeting that police department involvement in the “Handle with Care” program has been very successful.)

Unfortunately, the politics of “defunding” ensnarl such discussion.

But this has nothing to do with politics, but simply recognizing that there is an obvious problem in police practice that needs to be discussed.

But time is passing, and election season might make this an uneasy subject to bring up.

———-

Will Wight, “Former Columbus Police Officer Is Charged With Murder.” New York Times.” February 3, 2021.   [This is the Andre Hill case]

A Columbus police officer who was fired after fatally shooting a Black man in December was arrested and charged with felony murder on Wednesday, Attorney General Dave Yost of Ohio announced.

The officer, Adam Coy, a 19-year veteran who is white, was also charged with felonious assault and two counts of dereliction of duty.

Mr. Coy shot Andre Hill four times after responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle. When he and another officer arrived at the scene, Mr. Coy found Mr. Hill in a garage and opened fire within seconds.

Mr. Yost said his office acted as a special prosecutor in the case, reviewing evidence, interviewing witnesses and presenting charges to a grand jury, which indicted Mr. Coy on Wednesday.

Tim Craig and K.J. Edelman,” Mother of 9-year-old Rochester, N.Y. girl said police rebuffed her pleas for mental health help for her daughter.” Washington Post, February 3, 2021.

The mother of the 9-year-old Rochester, N.Y., girl who was handcuffed and pepper-sprayed by police said Wednesday that she repeatedly told an officer that her daughter was having a mental health breakdown and she pleaded with them to call a specialist instead of trying to detain her.

The officer said “no,” Elba Pope said.

Pope, 30, said the incident, which sparked nationwide outrage and prompted fresh scrutiny of how law enforcement agencies deal with people in emotional distress, has left her rattled and fearful that her daughter could suffer long-term emotional trauma.

“I was saying, ‘We need mental health out there,’ ” Pope said in an interview. “He ignored me.”

Molly Bilinski and Peter Hall, “Family of teen fatally shot by state police on Poconos overpass announce lawsuit, are being represented by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump.” Morning Call, February 3, 2021.

“Christian Hall needed a helping hand, but yet he got bullets while he had his hands up,” said Benjamin L. Crump, the family’s attorney. ” … When people have mental health crises, the police should de-escalate the situation, not settle it with a gun. That’s not what good policing is.”

At 1:38 p.m., state police responded to a report of a suicidal man and found Hall standing with a gun near the bridge, according to the agency. After speaking with Hall, troopers persuaded him to put the gun down, but he picked the gun back up and began walking toward the troopers, police said.

Police say Hall pointed the gun in their direction, and they shot him.

But, Crump and Jacob argue that Hall was standing with his hands up when officers shot him, and his killing “should never have happened.”

Hall was going through a breakup with his girlfriend, Crump said, and was suffering from mental health issues and could have been contemplating suicide.

A new video [linked in this article], recorded by a bystander during the incident and circulating on social media shows “Christian has his hands up — both hands — up in the air,” Jacob said.

Dana Grubb: proposed South New St. project “an insult to the people of this community”

The latest in a series of posts on the Southside

ref: Another developer thinking big . . . er, tall

Dana Grubb is a candidate for mayor. This post on his Facebook page yesterday about a proposed new project at New St. and the Greenway drew a substantial number of comments. Right now virtually all of the comments are negative about the project, though Mark Iampietro suggests that 12 stories is an opening gambit and the developer fully expects to scale down.

———-

DG’s original FB post:
Proposed for South New Street, a 12 story building where 1-2 story structures currently exist (Pat’s Newsstand).

MY THOUGHTS:

Why any developer would propose something of this scale and mass in the South Bethlehem National Register Historic District is an insult to the people of this community. It demonstrates sheer contempt for Bethlehem’s history and its ordinances, and is completely defiant of the Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines.

Furthermore, the City is currently undertaking a study of what residents want to see happening in this district!

Finally, gutting existing business districts a la our neighbor Allentown has done further erodes quality of life for all residents due to the gentrification it creates.

While the architectural design has some appeal, this 12 story building overwhelms the streetscape and insults the efforts of prior city administrations and councils to preserve the single most marketable asset Bethlehem has, its history.

———

Two of DG’s replies to posters enhance his view of the Southside project:

don’t try to paint me as anti-development. I’m for respectful, appropriate scaled development. I also helped write the historic district ordinance that applies to that area working with then Council President Mike Schweder, PHMC’s Michele LeFevre, and City Historic Officer Christine Ussler to craft something that would allow for future development at a scale that respects the historic resources and architecture in that area. I understand growth very well, but Bethlehem does not need to become Allentown east where you completely gut a downtown ala 1950s-1970s urban renewal and remove its character.

the South Bethlehem Historic District was created about twenty years ago. Properties like the Rooney Building, Litzenberger House and Flatiron Building are therefore grandfathered into that district because they were built prior to its creation. Their existence is not justification to do the same thing.The parking garage and Zest building were built larger than should have been permitted under the city ordinance and Secretary of the Interior’s Standards that apply. There was a lot of politics at work during that process and when several Members of Council (Reynolds, Callahan to name two) and Mayors accept very large campaign contributions from developers, well developers expect results. It’s why I won’t be accepting those kinds of contribution to my mayoral campaign fund. I’m running to represent the residents of Bethlehem, who far too often have been kicked to the curb. As you drive across the Fahy Bridge notice how the Zest and city garage completely obliterated the stepped up streetscape to the point where you can’t even see a hint of the West 4th Street building skyline.