Northampton County To Diversify LANTA Board

Cordelia Miller , a twenty year veteran of the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley, was today unanimously recommended by Northampton County's personnel commmittee as a new member of LANTA's board of directors. Northampton County Executive John Stoffa, who has appointed Miller, explains her presence adds a "little more diversity."

When I appeared before that transportation authority last November, the only color I saw was in the peanut gallery. Its large, twelve-member board, appears to be entirely white, and only three are women. Of these three, only Northampton County Council member Ann McHale may actually cast a vote. The other women must make the coffee. This board has no resemblance to Lehigh Valley demographics, where woman actually outnumber men and we have just a tad more diversity.

If confirmed, Miller will replace Steve Schmitt, Director of the Coalition for Alternative Transportation. When Allentown's mostly minority-owned Hamilton Street merchants complained that bus routing changes were damaging business - two are now kaput - Schmitt displayed little sympathy and actually taunted them.

"They wanted something to complain about, basically," was his insensitive reaction to a petition signed by thirty-eight merchants and 1,800 bus passengers complaining about the routing changes. He failed to contact a single merchant. My own emails to him were ignored. When Hamilton Street business owners finally appeared at a LANTA board meeting en masse in November, Schmitt waited until they had all left before letting loose with another little snark behind their backs. "I find it hard to believe. ... I'd like to see the books."

Now, Steve can open an accounting business on Hamilton Street and finally get a look at those books. But with Hamilton Perk gone and Mish Mash on its way out, he might soon ask LANTA to change its bus routes, too.