Bethlehem Press on Pay-to-Play in Lower Saucon, Bethlehem

I freelance at The Bethlehem Press, a small weekly publication that circulates in the Bethlehem Area School District. I am proud of this week's edition, which I am calling the Pay-to-Play edition.

Its weekly People Say feature, put together by photojournalist Dana Grubb, reveals that a lot of people think there's too much money in politics.

In an analysis of the Bethlehem City Council, I conclude there are two factions. These are not Democrats and Republican. They are crony capitalists and small "d" Democrats. The crony capitalist faction consists of Bob Donchez, Willie Reynolds, Bryan Callahan, Mike Recchiuti and Shawn Martell. Their hearts are almost certainly in the right place, but they all accept too much money from entities who want something. The small "d" Democrats consist of Eric Evans, Olga Negron and Michael Colon.

Finally, my story about the Lower Saucon landfill, which has dumped $96,500 into the Township race, raises the worrisome concern that corporations are trying to take control of our democracy.

I hope you can check it out online or better yet, but a print copy before the landfill buys them all and dumps them. It should become a collector's item.

Bethlehem Press Slideshow: Aug. 17, 2011

From the joy of Musikfest to the sadness of Freemansburg Police Officer Robert Lasso's death, it's all there.

Bethlehem Press Slideshow

Even though they use me, they still are a good little weekly paper.