Candidates discuss Martin Tower, impact of pandemic, making city safer
Bethlehem’s five City Council candidates made their case on why they should be elected during a forum Monday night hosted by the Bethlehem City Democratic Committee.
The five Democratic candidates who are vying for four seats for the May 18 primary include incumbents Bryan Callahan and Grace Crampsie Smith, and newcomers Hillary Kwiatek, Rachel Leon and Kiera Wilhelm.
Below are some of the questions that were asked and a summary of candidates’ responses. The full question and answer session can be viewed on the Bethlehem City Democratic Committee’s Facebook page and its website.
Q. The pandemic had a huge impact on citizens and businesses. What is the biggest priority for City Council to help get our city back on track?
Callahan: Callahan says he advocated for policies that help small businesses, including the use of planters to section off areas of the downtown for outdoor dining last year.
He also talked about the need to keep taxes down. Every time taxes are raised, the cost is passed along to the renter. He believes taxes can be stabilized by pursuing smart economic development and keeping businesses in Bethlehem.
Crampsie Smith: “I think the first priority is we have to continue to fight the virus because the virus is not gone,” Crampsie Smith said.
This effort includes making sure every resident who wants the vaccine is able to get one.
She advocated continuing to work with small businesses, and providing support for those who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the pandemic, particularly emergency responders.
The pandemic has also exasperated the city’s housing crisis, with prices expected to continue to go up as people leave the cities, said Crampsie Smith, who leads the city’s new Affordable Housing Task Force. Bethlehem needs to focus on affordable housing policies and the creation of a homeless shelter, she said.
Kwiatek: Hitting maximum vaccinations in the city will go a long way toward bringing the city’s businesses back, Kwiatek said.
Initiatives need to focus on all types of businesses and not just restaurants or those downtown.
“Our businesses aren’t just those on Main Street. We have businesses from North to South and East to West in the city that have been impacted all over,” she said.
Kwiatek would like to see the mayor and City Council talk about what strategies worked during the pandemic, what could be improved, and how city officials can plan for future crises.
Wilhelm: City officials need to make sure everyone has access to the vaccine by providing transportation to local clinics for those who need it and providing multilingual programs to educate people how to get it, Wilhelm said.
City officials could use some of the $34 million in federal relief money they are supposed to get to provide mortgage and rent relief for those who have fallen behind on payments.
She also suggested some of that money could help local businesses with mitigation efforts and hire staff. Some could also go to Bethlehem Area School District to help provide summer support programs and classes for students who fell behind learning from home during the pandemic.
Leon: She agreed with the other candidates on supporting small businesses and helping residents stay in their homes, but Leon also wants to focus on climate change. “We have to really start addressing climate change because pandemics are going to become more frequent when we look at changing climate and deforestation,” she said.
Q. What specific measures will you propose to make Bethlehem a safer city for the people who live and work here?
Crampsie Smith: A member of the city’s public safety committee, Crampsie Smith wants to make sure Bethlehem police officers have adequate and relevant training, particularly in areas like mental health and addictions.
Crampsie Smith recently introduced a resolution to City Council requesting the state repeal its 2017 law that legalized the purchase of consumer-grade fireworks. She also requested the restoration of four firefighter positions to the city budget last year, and introduced a resolution to provide PTSD resources for the city’s first responders.
She would like to see Bethlehem open a community center where children and teens could play sports and participate in art. It would keep them off the streets and out of trouble, she said.
Kwiatek: As a white woman, Kwiatek said she’s had few encounters with the police. Bethlehem police need to talk to minority community members and find out their experiences.
She would also like to see police work with mental health experts when it comes to calls about drug addiction, homelessness and mental health crises.
“I think every police officer should be a community police officer,” she said. “If you are not having interactions with the public other than when you are being called to deal with a situation, then you are not doing your job.”
Wilhelm: “On a most basic level, everyone deserves to feel safe. It has become tragically clear not everyone in our communities do feel safe and people of color do not have the same experiences as those of us who are not in that community,” Wilhelm said.
She wants to evaluate systems and practices to address racism and bias in policing. This involves having conversations with different community groups and hiring minority officers so the police force more closely matches the community it serves.
Callahan: He noted the efforts city officials made to improve the police department in 2004 after a botched drug raid killed John Hirko Jr. The city paid a settlement of $7.39 million in that case.
Since then, the department has been certified by the national Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Bethlehem was also once named one of the 100 safest cities in the United States for a midsize city, he said.
“I think that’s because of the great relationship police officers have with our residents,” Callahan said.
Leon: “When I think about safety, I don’t think about the absence of a threat, but about the presence of stability,” Leon said.
Crime rates will go down when the city’s economy is strong and booming, Leon said.
“There’s so much that makes a city safe, not just policing,” she said.
Leon’s priorities would include focusing on Bethlehem’s climate action plan, hosting events that bring police officers into the community and pedestrian safety.
Q. Can you share your views on the Martin Tower redevelopment project?
Leon: While Leon appreciates the tax revenue it will drum up for the city, she would have liked to see more green space included in the project and is concerned about protecting the portion of the property that backs up to the Monocacy Creek.
Callahan: Martin Tower sat empty for almost a decade, and once the building was shuttered it was only bringing in $4,000$5,000 in taxes per year because it wasn’t being used, Callahan said.
He believes the mix of retail, a hotel, medical office buildings and high-end apartment units will be great for the area and increase property values in West Bethlehem.
Crampsie Smith: “I think it’s great to finally see that site developed and I think it will help our tax base,” Crampsie Smith said, but she wonders if the proposal is the best use for that land.
She also worries about the traffic it will generate and would like for the project to include affordable housing.
Kwiatek: She was initially concerned
with the amount of blacktop the project included. “If we can improve the ways the housing and commercial buildings are tied to each other, I think that will be a net positive,” she said.
She also noted there are City Revitalization and Improvement Zone acres included in the parcel, but not all of the uses the developer has proposed qualify for those tax credits.
Kwiatek wondered if those CRIZ designations could be transferred elsewhere in the city.
Wilhelm: The Martin Tower property has a lot of opportunity, Wilhelm said.
“To me that means creating something vibrant there, a community that feels like a neighborhood and includes affordable housing and green spaces,” she said.
The property is next to Burnside Plantation, the Monocacy Creek and includes a trail that could pull people to Bethlehem’s downtown.
“To me there is an opportunity to avoid soulless buildings and parking lots and create something with character,” she said.
Q. What single skill or experience makes you uniquely qualified to serve on Bethlehem City Council? Crampsie Smith:
”Advocacy. I’ve been an advocate all my life,” said Crampsie Smith, who is a counselor with Easton Area School District.
“I’m passionate about helping those who are less fortunate and who cannot help themselves,” she said, adding that she strives to represent that population with her seat on City Council.
Leon: “I think one of the qualifications I’m most proud of is my adaptability,” she said.
Sometimes when people have a goal they can’t reach, they change the goal instead of their approach, but Leon believes what needs to change is the approach. She looks forward to working with a diverse City Council to try different approaches.
Wilhelm: “I think the one thing that might be unique is my relationship with our small-business community through my work,” said Wilhelm, who is editor of Fig Bethlehem magazine.
“I work every day with small businesses and business owners. Through the pandemic I have come to know their struggles very intimately,” she said. “I believe my relationship with that community will be very beneficial.”
Callahan: Callahan grew up in Bethlehem and said he has the advantage of remembering the city’s struggles, as when Bethlehem Steel shut its doors and the Hotel Bethlehem on Main Street was boarded up.
The city changed through progressive thinking, he said.
Callahan, who operates his own business, would continue to focus on financial matters, like putting a stop to tax increases. He also touted the city’s Standard & Poor’s bond rating which he said increased from a BBB to an A+ during his time on council.
Kwiatek: She pointed to her background in fundraising and professional development.
“It is a specialized skill that I think is very valuable and having people on council who understand how to do that is a very good thing,” she said.