At a 6 PM news conference outside Bethlehem City Hall last night, three Republican City Council candidates lambasted Mayor John Callahan for "private" meetings with Council members to discuss problems with its 19 private trash haulers. According to one city official, there have been 1,300 complaints. Callahan has told The Express Times, "We know we have a problem and we're going to try to sit down with city council on it."
Before the news conference ever started, there was already a reaction from City Council Solicitor Chris Spadoni. In addition to decorating his office's front lawn with a J. William Reynolds campaign sign, he yesterday fired an angry email to Republican candidates Al Bernotas, Tom Carroll, and Tony Simao. In it, he denies these private meetings are Sunshine Act violations.
Here's my question. If you know you have a problem with private trash haulers, wouldn't it make just a little more sense to sit down with them than with Council members? Callahan's explanation sounds like garbage. If there have been over a thousand complaints, why did Joe Kelly refuse to release any of them to Al Bernotas? Why did he instead tell Bernotas to file a Right-to-Know request, using that law as a shield to deny information, instead of providing it?
All three candidates spoke during yesterday's news conference, as about fifteen onlookers shivered in the cold evening air. Here's some of what Tom Carroll had to say.
"This is a City that this administration has brought to over $300 million in debt. This is a City that has over $12 million in running deficits over the last several years. This is a City that had an EMS building that was falling apart, and they borrowed an additional $6 million last Fall for the purpose of fixing that EMS building, didn't fix it, and then raised our taxes 6 percent. This is a City that couldn't even make its first payroll of the new year. And then, with all these other pressing problems, he wants to meet, one-on-one, with the individual members of Council to talk about contract hauling.
"Did he meet with the haulers individually? No. These are businessmen in our City, who make a living and pay their taxes, and he wants to take away our right as citizens to contract with our own individual haulers and he wants to put these people out of business while at the same time, grabbing whatever money he can in that process because he has so fiscally mismanaged this City.
"We give credit to the two Council members that [sic] currently serve on this Council, who refused to meet with the Mayor, David DiGiacinto and Jean Belinski. We do ask that all of the other Council members refuse to meet with him privately, one-on-one, about an issue that has been ongoing for many years. And instead, encourage the administration to talk with the contract haulers, the private haulers, about this issue."
Private hauler Andy Prickler (Andy's Hauling) was at yesterday's news conference, and stated he's asked repeatedly to see these thousands of complaints over the past two years. They are never furnished.
Q. Do you think that the Mayor is looking at this as a way if enhancing revenue for the City?
Pricker: "Absolutely. Absolutely. We make a profit now so why wouldn't he like to take it over and make a profit?
Q. So is that what you think the motive is?
Prickler: "I believe so, yes. I still haven't seen the complaints and I said before and I'll say it again. We've asked for ... to see these complaints for over two years now. Every year, it's a thousand complaints. Here's another question to answer. Why is it the City of Bethlehem that always has this trash issue? Why is that? You don't hear any problems from Lower Saucon. You don't hear any problems from Bethlehem Township. You don't hear any problems from Bushkill Township, Lower Nazareth. These municipalities are all independently contracted haulers that are serving these communities and we don't have no problems with them so why does the City, Bethlehem, seem to always have a problem with the independent system that we have?"
Q. What was your name, sir?
Prickler: "Andy Prickler."
Q. How do you spell it?
Prickler: "P-r-i-c-k-l-e-r."
Q. You're a little prickler.
Prickler: "Yeah. Andy's Hauling and Waste Disposal."
Did just the one office seeker speak or did all 3?
ReplyDeleteExcuse my error. I reread the article and see that all 3 spoke. One would be curious just what the others had to say.
ReplyDeleteWhy would only one independent hauler show up?
All three spoke. I thought Tom Carroll's remarks were the strongest presentation of the views of all three, and went with what he said. But yes, Al and Tony spoke as well.
ReplyDeleteMore than one independent hauler showed up, There were several in attendance. But only Andy spoke.
ReplyDeleteWas this event covered by the MC or ET?
ReplyDeleteYes. Both were there, as was Patch and Channel 69. That's highly unusual during election season.
ReplyDeleteWay to tackle the big issues guys.
ReplyDeleteLet's be clear - the only people who benefit from this insane trash collection system are the garbage companies. Bethlehem residents pay more than everybody else for worse service, and there's no way for citizens or the city to hold any of them accountable. Switching services doesn't do anything to fix it because the problem is that no one company has a large enough customer base to do the job well. This system has been perpetuated for years by the failure of city council to stand up to the trash collectors and the loud minority of citizens who falsely believe this system gives them more control.
ReplyDeleteTranslation: I'll support anything Callahan wants. he might run for Congress again.
ReplyDeleteWest Easton has one trash hauler, but the price just goes up and up. Thats the problem with no competition. We pay about $25 per month for garbage disposal right now, so I cant really complain.
ReplyDeleteWe are really small, and might have trouble finding multiple trash haulers. Overall, our taxes are low and garbage complaints are few.
But the bad thing is, we just inherited John Lezoche as our new zoning officer. How about those crab apples?
Wow! I though John was done in zoning.
ReplyDeletew easton is now in deep dudu
ReplyDeleteOne must think that the three republicans are misguided as they have failed to ask the administration what the real motive of a single hauler is. I would not and could not for a candidate that chooses not to see both sides of the story before they make up their minds.. That also goes for DG and belinski.
ReplyDeleteActually, John may fit in perfectly in West Easton. He has clearly demostrated that he is ready, willing and able to be a hand crafted marionette puppet for the powers that be.
ReplyDeleteHe has mastered his job description in only a few short months!
Bernie, Why didn't you print Mayor Callahan's side here in this "article" Wouldn't that have been the responsible thing to do, show both sides of the issue so people can make a logical conclusion?
ReplyDeleteWho the hell ever said i was responsible?
ReplyDeleteLet's see. The news conference was at 6 PM. Right after that, there was a Council meeting.I could have attended the meeting and asked Callahan for his side, but I had plans last night. I could have called him at home, but don't have his number. I could have knocked on his door, but my ass still hurts from the pit bull that attacked me the last time I tried that.
Fortunately for my readers, Darryl Nerl did go to the meeting and did get Hizzoner's side of the story. And when he posted his story, I linked to it.
So i believe that this blog passes mster as "responsible." By the way, sometimes there is only one side to a story.
Why should Johnny Casino explain his single hauler solution to the residents when all he need do is get four votes from his rubberstamp city council. It is a lot easier to convince four, rather than 75,000. And one-on-one, private meetings are a better way to get those council votes than public discussion. He should be impeached, or hurry up and take that job Joe Biden offered him. Be nice to have him out of here by summer time.
ReplyDeleteAfter the meeting when asked "Mr. Mayor why do you want to put all of these local people out of business" by one of the owners of a trash collection company the Mayor's reply was:
ReplyDelete"Well, you're more than welcome to put in a bid for that contract!"
When asked what direct and specific benefit there would be to the City of Bethlehem if a single hauler system were implemented his answer was:
"We would have a cleaner city with less dumping and more control"
I don’t know about you but just those two answers are enough to make me start asking more questions on the Mayor’s true intent.
What the Mayor would not say is that he has a relative who works for Raritan (they are contracted to pick up the recycling in Bethlehem) and the city itself has been picking up garbage using a pick up truck (which breaks almost every law, rule, and regulation on the books that has to do with proper pick up and disposal of trash). Where is the city's garbage truck? It has been out of commission because it won't pass inspection.
The City of Bethlehem is so broke that it can't afford to fix the truck or buy a new one. I've heard that they have used the recycling truck to haul garbage. Another illegal move since the truck was bought with Federal Grant money and CANNOT be used for any purpose other than hauling recyclables.
Maybe if the Mayor would be a little more honest and there was a lot less cronyism in Bethlehem this would be a non issue.
Hey Bernie. What are you going to do when Callahan becomes Northampton County Executive?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Callahan would be the first to say he has "no preconceived notions." Are you suggesting that he would penalize me for this report? Don't I fawn enough?
ReplyDelete"What the Mayor would not say is that he has a relative who works for Raritan (they are contracted to pick up the recycling in Bethlehem) and the city itself has been picking up garbage using a pick up truck (which breaks almost every law, rule, and regulation on the books that has to do with proper pick up and disposal of trash). Where is the city's garbage truck? It has been out of commission because it won't pass inspection."
ReplyDeleteThis is very disturbing.
A quick trip down a back road between Bethlehem and Allentown (by Keck Park) should be proof enough for the need of mandatory trash hauling in Bethlehem. When you reach the halfway point between the cities it begins to look like the entrance way to a dump. When it's cleared the trash is usually back within a month. I'm no fan of the Allentown administration, but as long as you have slobs who are too cheap or too lazy to haul their crap to a dump or use a service, mandatory trash hauling is the only logical choice.
ReplyDeleteThe city has street sweepers, if the streets are dirty then they need to do a better job of cleaning. If people are tossing garbage on the street then fine them.
ReplyDeleteI see items which were placed in recycling bins blowing around the streets all the time. Which proves to me that contract hauling will not be the solution to the problem of a "dirty city".
The problem with a citywide contract for garbage are the lowlifes. They don't bother paying for garbage removal.
ReplyDeleteWith a citywide garbage hauler, those of us who pay will have to subsidize the animals who don't care about their filth. That is the bottom line. All the independents do a fine job, if they don't residents dump them.
So make this the deal. If there is a citywide hauler, all garbage bills must go to the residence owner to be paid. If it is not paid within 6 months the city must move to seize the property.
Bethlehem has to be careful. While the clueless ones at town hall twiddle their thumbs, more and more of Bethlehem is starting to take the path of Allentown.
Wake up people. Get some different folks in Bethlehem government. I never saw such an inbred city in my life.
I think the bigger issue is the complaints that come from residents about having trash trucks come up their street 5-6 days per week. I wouldn't doubt the complaints. I go to my neighborhood block watch meeting and it always comes up as a complaint from many residents. I'd suggest that different wards of the city have different pick up days that all haulers need to enforce. I also think you could limit the amount of haulers to 5-10, therefore still having choice and not creating a monopoly.
ReplyDelete