A Christmas Story in Coplay

As most of you know, I am a miserable bastard. I'm as mean as cat shit, a bottom-feeder who is always complaining about something. It's what I do. And today, I want to tell you all about the antics at a Buzz N Beyond. It's a small barbershop located at 601 Chestnut Street in Coplay, not far from the amazing Thai Diner.

Proprietor Sue Santiago has been cutting hair for 29 years. In her words, "I have met so many wonderful people, formed many friendships, shared joys of graduations, weddings, babies, grandkids etc. But sometimes, I hear the not so happy stories."

One of her customers, an elderly man named John, told Sue earlier this that his dream was to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, but he was unable to afford the trip. So every time he came in for a trim, she'd set aside the money he paid her. When he came in for a haircut yesterday, she gave him all the money she had set aside for him along with a "Dear John" letter. But it was the nice kind.

Don't worry. I'll return to my usual miserable self by tomorrow. .

Coplay Council's Carl Luckenbach Messes Up a Church Picnic

Think things are bad in Nazareth? West Easton? At least their Council members aren't threatening to kill each other. For that, you have to go to Coplay.

Coplay has always been one of my favorite Lehigh Valley communities. In July, it's home to an annual baseball tournament for kids age 9 and under. It's great for the kids. For many of them, it's their first opportunity to use big barrel bats. I can still remember those games vividly.This successful tournament has been going on for close to thirty years. Instead of power bars, baseball players consume the best homemade pierogies in the world, along with strawberry shortcake. The tournament always ends with a night of fireworks to match those that go on inside the baseball diamonds.

Fireworks have been going on at Coplay Borough Council, too. In 2010, I attended a fractious meeting, and concluded pretty quickly that they pretty much thumb their noses at the Sunshine Act. The Morning Call's Bill White reached pretty much the same conclusion.

I thought things must be improving after Bill Leiner, a former Lehigh County Commissioner and one-time Mayor of Coplay, was elected to Borough Council. Just last year, he told The Whitehall-Coplay Press that he would "continue to work for open, honest government ... and work to eliminate the negative politics from the council chamber during meetings."

In August, while attending a picnic at St. Peter's Catholic Church, Leiner was approached by someone who told him he'd like to kill him.

"If I could kill you and get away with it, I would," said this person repeatedly until Leiner decided he better get the hell out of there.

The person who threatened him is another member of Borough Council, Carl Luckenbach.

I contacted Leiner, who tells me he has no idea what set this guy off. I contacted Luckenbach late yesterday, but have not heard back from him. If I do, I'll update this post.

Luckenbach was charged with disorderly conduct, and last week, entered a plea of guilty. His fine and court costs totaled just $168, which is something of a bargain for a conditional death threat.

Maybe District Judge Robert Halal was running a special. Or it's not considered that serious at a Catholic Church picnic.

Leiner told me he's satisfied that Luckenback "has paid his debt to society," but I don't know. While there is no way to force him out of office for a summary offense, his threatening remark to another elected official undermines Borough Council, and he should resign.

How 'Bout a CRIZ For Whitehall, Coplay and Catty?

Many of the same problems that plague the Lehigh Valley's three cities - poverty, aging infrastructure, dying Main Streets and abandoned industry - are also present in Northampton County's 19 and Lehigh County's 8 boroughs. They also exist in older Townships like Whitehall, whose population now exceeds Easton. While it makes sense to encourage growth in the Lehigh Valley's urban core, most planners and legislators forget that these boroughs matter just as much as our cities. It's easy for them to forget, too, because boroughs lack the staff to make their needs known. For any economic development program to be successful, that attitude has to change. Believe it or not, Pennsylvania's new City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) program may open the door a crack. Whitehall Township's Jeff Warren and Howard Lieberman are trying to push that door open. This is their story.

The CRIZ program is available to cities with 30,000 or more people. So far, only Bethlehem and Lancaster have received this coveted designation. On up to 130 acres, new taxes can fund development. Unlike Allentown's more controversial Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ), only new development can be rewarded. An existing business poached from another municipality is ineligible.

Whitehall's Howard Lieberman and Jeff Warren

How has the CRIZ cracked the door open for boroughs? It authorizes one pilot zone for a township or borough with at least 7,000 people. So far, there's been no zone designated. Warren, a Whitehall geophysicist, and Leiberman, Executive Director of Whitehall Industrial Commercial Development Authority (WTICDA), would like that designation. That Township's population now exceeds 26,000 and it would probably qualify for a pilot program on its own. It certainly has the inventory. .

Take the former Lehigh Valley Dairy property, for example, which is one of the first things you see when getting off Route 22 and into Whitehall. This gigantic 271,000 sq ft building, has been rotting away for the last 25 years on a designated brownfield, with no buyer or developer in sight. Sitting on nearly twenty acres, it is certainly Lehigh County's most prominent, if not largest, eyesore.

But it's a great property. Almost at the corner of Route 22 and McArthur Road, it provides for easy access to a major interstate. It's within a quarter mile of 18,000 residents, people who could use a job. Over 120,000 vehicles drive past it daily. How something like this could remain undeveloped so long is a mystery. It's about a block north of Allentown's border. It is the heart of the Lehigh Valley's urban core, but its status in a township makes most tax incentives and other resources unavailable.

In addition to the dairy, Whitehall has been attempting to market the former Dent Hardware Manufacturing, former Thomas Iron Works and Whitehall Waterfront.

But Warren and Leiberman think the pilot program, to be truly effective, should be able to cross municipal borderlines and include other properties. They point to Catasauqua's former FLSmidth Manufacturing and Coplay's former General Supply. They'd like to see those properties combined with Whitehall's for a regional pilot.

So when Governor Corbett visited Bethlehem on March 21, they both made their case, as best they could, to the state's highest executive officer. He told them he wants to see how Bethlehem and Lancaster do before deciding whether he wants to take this economic development tool to the next level.

No Sunshine in Coplay

Most of you know I'm a boozehound who lost my ticket to practice law because I promised people the moon when I was drinking. But I still met some good people during those days, like a pretty and funny blond nurse from Coplay named Robin. She was madly in love with a Larry Holmes' sparring partner, and I used to promise her the moon, too. I told her it would all work out, even though the dude was a gorilla. Of course, I was secretly hoping it would really fall apart and she'd rush into my arms. Ironically, this was one time I delivered. She ended up marrying the guy. They live near Philly now. Last time I talked to her, a few years ago, they were still very happy.

"I know a guy who could get you a divorce."

"No, Bernie, we're very happy."

"Are you sure? 'Cuz I know a guy ..."

"I'm sure."

Since Robin is originally from Coplay, and liked it there, so do I. It's 9U baseball tournament is probably the best in the Lehigh Valley. Don't tell Donovan, but they even put on a fireworks show. Coplay is also home to the best homemade pierogies I've ever eaten. Even my grandson, who is a picky eater, wolfed them down when he was 9. When I was there last night, that was my supper at Samuel Owens' restaurant.

After tanking up, I headed over to Borough Hall to catch a meeting. But instead of seeing Robin, I saw an overcrowded meeting room. There were only 19 people, but that was all the room could handle. They were angry, too.

Apparently, Coplay rents its second floor to the Coplay Athletic Association, but the noise of dropping weights is bothering the staff and the weight is damaging the structural integrity of the building. Some committee was set to meet with some of these athletic supporters, but when a bunch of people showed up, Council President Melvin Mann and Councilman Joseph Groller took a powder. According to Groller, their Solicitor had told them they could keep the public out. In fact, their Solicitor (James F. Preston) has told them they can exclude the public from committee hearings.

Now borough councils are both administrative and legislative, and there may be instances where public involvement is not really necessary or required, but it is such a mixed up mess that it's foolish to conduct business behind closed doors. But Council President Mann, in particular, made clear he has little regard for what the people think.

"Can I ask a question?" asked Anne Killeen.

"No," responded Mann.

"I just love government," she complained.

Bev Miller described the people at the meeting that Mann unceremoniously cancelled. "They were not unruly. .. There were no outbursts. In fact, no one spoke. They were here to listen. So I find it hard to believe that you can conduct business in front of all of these people, yet you can't a small, little meeting with a few people ... ."

Mann tried to invoke the five-minute rule to muzzle Miller, but another Council member told her to go on.

Resident Barbara Fritz, who uses the athletic center daily: "I have to say I'm ashamed, embarrassed and disgusted that I voted for the two gentlemen that were there [referring to Mann and Groller]." Anne Killeen, another athletic supporter flatly told Council, "I think you should open your doors."

Not every Council member was happy at shutting the public out of committee meetings. Joe Bundra, for example, stated "Any meeting I have, you can't lock people out." But Mann insisted he was right to cancel the meeting. "When we had that committee meeting and saw all the other people coming in, some of those folks were coming in with predisposed ideas. And that was a major concern. So that's why we walked like we said we were going to walk."

He must be a mind reader.

After the meeting, I learned Coplay Borough Council only conducts some committee hearings in public.

Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act makes clear we have a right to be nosy about what our government is doing. "[T]he right of the public to be present at all meetings of agencies and to witness the deliberation, policy formulation and decisionmaking of agencies is vital to the enhancement and proper functioning of the democratic process ... [S]ecrecy in public affairs undermines the faith of the public in government and the public's effectiveness in fulfilling its role in a democratic society."

The Sunshine Act applies to borough councils and to their committees. In 2006, I sued Nazareth Borough Council over its practice of using committees to make decisions behind closed doors. After losing preliminary objections, Nazareth saw the sunlight. Here's why. "Democracies die behind closed doors. A government operating in the shadow of secrecy stands in complete opposition to the society envisioned by the framers of our Constitution."

Unfortunately, I do not live in Coplay. Maybe Robin can hook me up.

Coplay Hit By Hurricane This Weekend

When you were drenched by thunder, rain and blowing winds on Saturday night, I can tell you its source. You see, the Bethlehem Canes were in the eye of that storm, blowing by fifteen other great area teams to win Coplay's 24th Annual 9 and Under Baseball Tournament.

Highlights include over the fence bombs from David Bertolotti and Alex "Goliath" Laudenslager, which temporarily activated Coplay's missile defense systems. David and Goliath were also the team's ace pitchers, fending off eager hitters in five games all weekend against Orefield, Boyertown, Bath-East Allen, Lehigh LL Reds and Schadt Avenue (Whitehall). There were also key hits and defensive plays from Harry "the heater" Faindel, Dat "the bat"Lambert, Kyle Picht, Justin Schmoyer, Jacob Unangst, Jacob Wagner, Jake Anthony, Patrick and Caleb.

Coplay's recreation department, a group of great volunteers, kill themselves doing this every year. Kids get a chance to play under the lights while I eat the best homemade pierogies in the universe, washing them down with root beer floats. It's a wonderful public service.

The top four finishers this year are (1) Bethlehem Canes, (2) Shadt Avenue, (3) Lehigh LL Reds and (4) Northampton. Earlier this year, the Canes won ECTB's Memorial Day Tournament in Leesport, PA, upsetting the Gainesville Cannons.

Photo: Courtesy of Tuyet Tran

Coplay Baseball Tournament This Weekend.

I played hooky from last night's Northampton County Council meeting for a game in Coplay's 24th Annual 9 and Under Baseball Tournament. Sixteen teams from all over the Lehigh Valley will gnaw at each other over the next several days. On Sunday, one will walk away as winner.

My prediction? The Bethlehem Canes will walk away with the honors. That's my grandson's team, of course. Earlier this year, they won ECTB's Memorial Day Tournament in Leesport, PA, upsetting the Gainesville Cannons.

The kids love this tournament because they get to use big barrel bats, which is prohibited in Little League play. And in Coplay's lower field, a good swing can send the ball right out of the park and through LC Comm'r Bill Leiner's window.

I love the tournament because of the homemade pierogies, the best in the world, and the strawberry shortcake served up on Saturday.

Eckhart & D'Amore to Duel at Coplay Coke Wagon

Get this. This Friday through Sunday, the Coplay Town Watch is actually sponsoring a coke wagon at Sam's Club in Whitehall. You read me right - Coplay is selling coke. The Coplay Town Watch is the parent organization of Coplay's Neighborhood Watch and an assortment of committees for feral cats, "Properties of Merit," Childrens' Bike Derby, Sunday Watch Walk and National Night Out.

Lehigh County Commissioner Bill Leiner is even looking for volunteers willing to commit two hours of their time. "We have sponsored the 'Wagon' for about 10 years. It truly is a fun weekend." I'll bet. I wonder if volunteers get any free coke.

Open times are as follows:

Friday, 6/20 - 2 pm to 4 pm, and 4 pm to 6 pm.
Saturday, 6/21 - 4 pm to 6 pm
Sunday, 6/22 - Noon to 2 pm

If you can assist, please email Bill at Billleiner@aol.com. If you can't volunteer, Bill still asks that you "consider stopping by and partying with some of the great folks helping to make Coplay a ... safer, better and cleaner community."

The highlight of Coplay's coke wagon will be a Sunday duel between Lehigh County Commissioner Glenn Eckhart and Allentown City Council prez Mike D'Amore. They'll be using standard revolvers issued to Lehigh County Deputy Sheriffs, so it's considered unlikely their weapons will actually fire. Echart's second, Commissioner Dean Browning, predicts, "I think they'll just pistol whip the shit out of each other." Originally set for Friday, the contest had to be rescheduled because Eckhart refuses to drive through Allentown.

Coplay Childrens Bike Derby This Saturday

Coplay's 13th Annual Coplay Childrens Bike Derby kicks off this Saturday at the Coplay Parkway by the Coplay Swimming Pool, 2nd Street.

Registration begins at 8:15 AM, and the bike derby itself runs between 9 and 11 AM. This is a FREE event with food and refreshments, but I doubt there will be any free booze, even in Coplay. Kids will navigate a bike course and learn bike safety. Every child receives a prize. The event is for ages 3 to 16.

This annual event is sponsored by the Coplay Police Department and Auxiliary Police, Coplay Town Watch, the Coplay Athletic Club, and other sponsors who make this event a success.

Lehigh County Commissioner Bill Leiner, Jr, who is also the Coplay Town Watch prez, has extended Coplay's hospitality to all kids within range of this blog.

Coplay's Dems Endorse Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton!

Some of you may be influenced by the endorsements of print media. Others may be persuaded by political leaders. As for me, I like the way Coplay Dems think. This is from their executive board.

The 2008 Presidential election is the most important Presidential election since the 1930's when Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected to clean up the mess created by Republican administrations.

We believe our nation can not afford another four years of Republican rule. We have another Republican mess to clean up.

We have two excellent Democratic candidates in Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The race appears headed to roughly a tie.

We, like many of you, have received numerous phone calls from both camps asking who we are supporting this Tuesday.

We suggest when you get these calls asking you who you support, consider saying the following, "I am supporting the Obama - Clinton ticket, or the Clinton - Obama ticket". The caller will then say to you, "Oh, you are undecided." Consider answering the caller this way, "No, I have decided and I want to see both of them on the ticket, and I don't care if they don't get along. They won't be living in the same house in Washington. But, together they will win. If we win we can have positive change for our country."

Please take the time to vote this Tuesday. After the primary and throughout the Summer, talk to your neighbors, and friends. Get them energized to vote in November for a Clinton - Obama ticket or Obama - Clinton ticket.

The Republican dirty tricks machine will be in full force this year. They will, like in 2000, do anything to win up to and including stealing the election. We must fully understand this is about winning the White House to improve our country.

We believe a Clinton - Obama ticket, or Obama - Clinton ticket will win. If you agree, send this email to all of your Democratic friends and Democratic groups. The stakes are too high. Join us to start the movement to unify our party with a ticket consisting of two great Americans - Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Thank you for reading this and have a great weekend.

And, do not forget the Coplay Democratic Club "Spaghetti Dinner" Friday, 4/25/08 from 4-7 PM at the American Club of Coplay pavilion, 300 Cherry Street, Coplay. For tickets, $10. send me an email [Billleiner@aol.com] or call 610 751-2745.

The Executive Board of the Coplay Democratic Club ....

Nate Kromer, Secretary
Belinda White, Treasurer
Rachel Luckenbill, Vice President
Bill Leiner Jr., President

Coplay Dems Host Spaghetti Dinner April 25

Like pasta? Then try Coplay Democratic Club's "Spaghetti Dinner" on April 25, a Friday night at the American Club of Coplay's Pavilion, Cherry Street from 4-7 PM. Ticket cost is $10. Email Bill Leiner (Leiner@aol.com) if you can make it.