Hellertown Limits Public Comment Because Councilmen Don't Like Long Meetings

Bethlehem gets it. Hellertown does not. They both impose five minute limitations on public comment. Bethlehem does it so everyone can be heard. Hellertown does it so its borough council members can go to bed early.

I'm pretty tough on local officials, but must confess Bethlehem's city council is an impressive bunch. On Wednesday night, they faced a full house of west end residents who were justifiably angry about their fourth sewer backup in just two years, especially since the Mayor promised ten months ago that he would take care of the problem. They had some serious brownfields, baby! Council then heard two citizens accuse the administration of blocking email access. Finally, they heard from two members of Lehigh Valley Beyond Oil concerning the local steps we must take to deal with our impending energy crisis.

By the time Council got to Lehigh Valley Beyond Oil, it was late. Reporters from three different papers had long since dropped their pens and stared vacantly into space. I know this because I had dropped my own pen, and was staring vacantly at them myself. We were tired.

Now those who address council have a strict five minute time limit, but a lot of people wanted to speak and they all were heard. I figured Council was going through the motions. They had to be tired themselves. But at the meeting's conclusion, Councilman Leeson expressed concern over the email allegations, and asked that it be investigated. And Council President Schweder shocked me when he said he was deeply troubled by the problems identified by LVBO, and wanted to address the issue. (He admitted he saw "An Inconvenient Truth" with the artsy-fartsy crowd.) I was amazed. Council not only listened, but actually had responses for everyone. And they repeatedly apologized to city residents who were inundated with sewer water.

After seeing the respect that Bethlehem's Council showed to its residents, I could understand the five minute limit on public comment. It is there so that all could be heard, and they were. I left the meeting thinking Bethlehem's residents are in good hands.

Hellertown now has its own five minute limit on public comment, too. But its purpose is entirely different. According to Council President Anthony Branco, meetings last too long. He doesn't like that. So this limit is designed for the convenience of Council members who want to go home, not to ensure that everyone is heard. Branco's got it backwards.

Council Prez Branco, you may recall, managed to get himself appointed recently to Northampton County Council. Perhaps he should resign one of these positions so that he can pay attention to what citizens have to say instead of worrying about being home by 10 PM. But it's unclear to me whether Branco is representing the residents or the land developers who financed his losing County Council campaign.