Grace Crampsie Smith Says Goodbye to Bethlehem City Council

When Grace Crampsie Smith decided to run in the Bethlehem Mayoral primary against Willie Reynolds, she chose against simultaneously running for her City Council seat. That alone sets her apart from the usual politico. It is very common to see State Reps. run for re-election to that seat while trying to get elected to the state senate or a state row office. It is also common to see local politicians run for two-year and four-year terms simultaneously. Cramsie Smith had a little more respect for the people who put her in office. On her way out the door in her final meeting as a Bethlehem City Council member, she delivered a statement on the importance of separate but equal branches of government.  

As my term comes to an end, I just want to give my thoughts, as well as my wishes, for my city's council and administration moving forward.And again, you know, I want to give some quotes just on what I think is really important about government at every level, the local and state and federal level.

And, you know, again, not everything is relevant to everyone on council and administration, but some things that I say are, first of all, healthy disdain of one man rule was the basis of our Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of our great country. And the essence of good government is to be an independent thinker and voice, and the work to ensure all levels of government are recognized, powerful and strive for high quality of life for all of our residents.

If one level of government suffocates another level, the cause of the people and our Constitution suffers.

It's unfortunate that while there has been certainly good times and recent months and years, I felt the need to defend myself against attacks on my professional experience and my personal character by certain council members as well as certain administrative individuals, just because I really was trying to do what I thought was best for the community. And that's unfortunate, and I really feel that's not the way government should work.

My hope is that moving forward, all of city council will be objective in thought and action, tolerant of the beliefs opposite of their own and recognize and exercise their power as an equal, separate, and significant level of government within our city.

My hope is that destructive mannerisms, both non verbal and otherwise, toward others; desist, desist, and decorum is maintained, maintained, fitting of elected officials.

Many people have commented to me about their perceived lack of decorum and negative mannerisms among certain council members and administrations while attending meetings.

And this has been truly disheartening to me and a disservice to our community and those we serve. I think it's important that we all remember, it is an honor and a privilege to serve our community at both the administrative and legislative level. It is neither a crown nor a sword.

Being on the right side of history matters more than being uncomfortable. That's what it's all about.

Thank you very much.

Following the Money: Who is Behind Reynolds and Smith in Bethlehem's Mayoral Contest?

Bethlehem has two Mayoral candidates seeking the Democratic nomination - incumbent Mayor Willie Reynolds and Council member Grace Crampsie Smith. No Republican has declared, and it's unlikely that either candidate is seeking a write-in nomination from Republicans the way Ed Zucal is doing in Allentown. Both are staunch Democrats, and both made that clear during their debate. So who is backing these candidates? Both filed timely finance reports on Friday. 

Willie Reynolds (see report here) - For some reason, he now refers to himself more formally as J. William Reynolds. But I still like to refer to him as Willie, and not in a pejorative way. It's just how I know him. 

Willie reports a warchest of $123,379.80, including $29,905 raised between the beginning of the year and May 4.  He started the year with $93,384.80 as he obviously was preparing for his re-election. Thus, to give you a better understanding of his supporters, it's necessary to also examine his annual report for 2024. (see report here).

The small donations. - Looking at both reports combined, you can see that his smaller donations ($250 or less) amount to $11,740, about 10% of the total he raised from 1/1/24 to 5/4/25. Of these 71 smaller donations, 63 come from Bethlehem residents, which demonstrates that he has grass roots support. These donations, incidentally, include a $200 donation from Amy Cozze, who is now running for NorCo Exec. 

The PACs. - His donations from political action committees (PACs) amount to a whopping $26,300 over 2024 and the first four months of this year. The largest, by far, is the $15,500 Reynolds received from the Lehigh Valley Association of Realtors, which has also endorsed Reynolds with this reasoning:

As REALTORS®, it is important to recommend candidates who support private property rights and issues important to the real estate industry. There is a growing list of candidates in this election who are pushing for radical housing policies, like increasing the deed/real estate transfer tax, rent control, rent stabilization, and mandatory annual landlord training programs. Local elections have a huge impact on our industry, and we are excited to support candidates we believe will help infuse common sense into our local governments.

The reference to "common sense," incidentally, is a term that Trump administrators and acolytes regularly use. 

Reynold also received donations from KTMC, a teacher's PAC ($5,000); the Eric Evans PAC (Evans is employed by Reynolds - $500); the Lisa Boscola PAC (Her husband is employed by Reynolds - $500); former Mayor Bob Donchez ($2,500); and Moving Pa Forward ($500). 

The Big Spenders. - In 2024 and the first four months of this year, Willie accumulated $84,600 in donations from what I call the big spenders, i.e. those who give for than $250.

There's a tie for the biggest of these donations. Richard Masters, whose company manufactures picture frames and home decor, donated $5,000. He has been a reliable Democratic contributor. Matthew Bieber, a software consultant, also gave $5000. The remaining contributors of $1,000 or more are Randy Galliostto (owner of Alloy5 architectural firm - $4,500); Jack and Marian Spirk - $3,000 (Spirk is City Solicitor); Murat Guzal - $2,500 (Turkish businessman who is both a philanthropist and Democratic donor); Jim Broughal - $2,000 (Bethlehem lawyer specializing in municipal law); luxury apartment builder Plamenta Ayazou - $2,000 (Monocacy Builders); Diana Morganelli - $2,500 (Judge Morganelli's wife); King Spry - $1,500 (Bethlehem law firm); Borko Milosev - $1,000 (property manager); Kevin Kinross - $1,000 (Democratic strategist and business leader from Pittsburgh); Charles Marcon - $1,000  (construction); Placido Corpora - $1,000 (Bethlehem businessman); Steve Thompson - $1,000 (principal of minority owned Delane Consulting; and Ari Frazil - $1,000 (an engineer) . 

Reynolds also lent $45,000 to his campaign in 2024 but has since paid back $40,000. 

Grace Crampsie Smith (see report here) - Grace reports contributions of $43,350 over the first four months of this year. But she also reports a treasury of $73,945.29 because she started the year with $30.415.29. Like Willie, she started her campaign early. As a result, it is necessary to review her 2024 report (see it here) together with the pre-primary report she timely filed on Friday. 

The small donations. - Looking at both reports combined, you can see that $11,480 of 80 donations of $250 or less amount to about 17% of the total of $66,530 raised. Of these small donations, 50 come from Bethlehem residents. So like Willie, she has grass roots support. Just not as much. These small donations, incidentally, include $75 from Kelly Keegan and $150 from Greg Zebrowski, the Polish Prince. Both are Zrinski supporters. 

The PACs. - Grace relied heavily on PAC contributions. They make up $37,850 (56%) of the $67,160 she raised in 2024 and the first four months of this year. These are mostly from trade unions, with IUOE (Jim Reilly) donating a whopping $20,000 to her Mayoral quest. Other trade union contributions include IBEW ($11,000), Plumbers ($2,500), IUPAT ($2,500) and Laborers' Local ($1,000).

That's a lot of trade union support. This could be because she championed a responsible contractor ordinance for city-owned projects. This ultimately failed because city administrators argued it would increase costs for the city. My brother, an evil Republican who picks his nose and eats it, was highly critical of Grace's "silly argument" in a letter to the editor:

Just because the proposed ordinance doesn’t have the word “union” does not mean that it is not biased toward unions, which it clearly is. At a recent Bethlehem council hearing, over 30, mostly out-of-town union workers attended to support the ordinance.

The Big Spenders. -  Her biggest contributor is Rocco Damato, who gave her $5,000. A NYC transplant, he roasts nuts here in the Lehigh Valley, but not the human nuts. Other $1000-plus donors include commercial lawyer Donald Kaas ($2,000); former congressional candidate Ed O'Brien ($1,500); Frank Boyer, senior VP at Dugan and Marcom construction ($1,000); Kelly Ronalds of Hotel Bethlehem ($1,000); and consultant John Blankstein ($1,500). 

Blogger's Note: I spent most of the day yesterday preparing this story. But as I said in my post concerning the NorCo Exec candidates, I welcome your own analysis. You may see things I have totally missed and that the public needs to know. But I'd appreciate it if you could avoid just making the usual attacks and actually point out what you like or dislike in a campaign finance report. 

Bethlehem's FOP Endorses Bethlehem Mayor Willie Reynolds

 

During political campaigns, politicians love to brag about endorsements from ... other politicians. Frankly, endorsements from former Senator Bob Casey or Exec Lamont McClure mean next to nothing to me. But there are two kinds of endorsements that mean a lot to me in urban races. These are the ones made by local FOPs and firefighters. These men and women put their lives on the line every day for people they don't know. They keep our cities safe. 

With that in mind, you should know that Bethlehem's FOP, its rank-and-file police officers, has voted to endorse Willie Reynolds for re-election as Bethlehem's Mayor. 

When Easton Mayor Sal Panto first ran for office, his mantra was "clean and safe." To this day, that is still his mantra. If a city is clean and safe, people will want to live, work and play there. 

You can talk about affordable housing. You can preach about economic development and offer all kinds of public candy (tax breaks) to developers. But the one thing that works is keeping a city clean and safe. 

Why is Grace Crampsie Smith Running For Bethlehem Mayor

Blogger's Note: This is what Grace Crampsie Smith, a member of Bethlehem City Council, told Lehigh Valley For All: 

I am running for Mayor of Bethlehem because I believe service to others and our community is truly what life is all about! My parents instilled in my 6 siblings and I the vital importance of civic duty and responsibility to others. Resultantly, all my siblings and I have been politically and civically active, and I devoted the last 40 plus years of my life to serving others.

Having grown up in poverty, and as a free lunch student, I know first hand the challenges many in our community face, and feel more than qualified and prepared to assure government funds are earmarked appropriately to help those in need!

Having worked in county government, I have the experience in supervising staff, budget management, and operations efficiency.

I am also running for mayor because several individuals and entities have asked me to run because they believe that based upon my performance as a council member, I will be a mayor that is needed in Bethlehem.

Finally, I am running for mayor because I want the community I’ve called home and where I raised my children to be the best it can be, and I have concerns about the imbalance in growth and disregard for preserving our rich history and neighborhoods in our great city.

My priorities as mayor are accessibility, transparency, accountability, collaboration, and efficiency.

I will be an accessible mayor, a mayor for all! For without input from those you serve, how can you ever know what the priorities truly need to be? I will have set times for community members to come and meet with me in city hall, and always welcome community interaction. I will assure residents can access the proper department/person within city hall as needed.

I will be transparent as a mayor in that I will be forthright and clear on projects and intentions.

Accountability to my community and fiscal accountability will be prioritized.

When issues are brought forth at council meetings by community members, I will assure someone from the city responds to them that night or the next day.

I will ensure no tax dollars are wasted at City Hall and institute essential policies and procedures, and ensure they are followed. I will restructure City Hall’s organizational structure to ensure efficiency, collaboration, and communication.

Rather than spend excessive tax dollars on outside consultants, I will collaborate and tap into the expertise of those within the community as appropriate.

Finally, I will ensure we prioritize and preserve that which makes Bethlehem special, while balancing progress with smart, socially responsible development.

"Amazing Grace" Crampsie Smith Announces Bethlehem City Council Candidacy.

Four positions for Bethlehem Cty Council are up for grabs this year. They are the seats currently held by Michael G. Colón (Gracedale Admissions Coordinator), Shawn M. Martell (Nazareth High School teacher), J. William Reynolds (William Allen High School teacher) and Dr. Paige Van Wirt (physician). Presumably, they are all running. Dr. Van Wirt was appointed to Council, but the rest were elected. Willie is the longest-serving member, having first been elected in 2008.

These candidates are going to have some competition. Grace Crampsie Smith, a highly regarded school counselor at Easton Area High School has decided to run. I have seen her at my grandson's high school basketball games. She came with my grandson'e sister, who is also a school counselor at Easton. She tells me that everyone refers to Smith as "Amazing Grace."

From her announcement, I can tell you the following:

* She is a Democrat and longtime Bethlehem resident (28 years).

* Her dad was police chief in Clarks Summit and her mother was a nurse. "They taught me early the importance of discipline and compassion.”

* She has three children in law school, medical school and college.

* She is a "smart growth" advocate, although what that means seems to different for every person.Here's what it means to her. "It is important to maintain a balance between preserving the city's past , honoring the people and businesses that built this city and achieving progress in our diverse community. Bethlehem is a city that has never been stagnant but has constantly re-invented itself in the arts, education, and business while never losing sight of its heritage.”

* She is highly educated, having a masters degree in education and school counseling from Lehigh University and a bachelors degree in sociology and social welfare from Bloomsburg University.

* She said it is crucial for City Council members to know the jobs of city employees and the challenges they face for the overall efficiency of city operations. Perhaps she can find out why Department heads Alicia Karner and Darlene Heller forced Suzanne Borzak, the City's popular and helpful zoning officer, to resign.

* She completed the Bethlehem Police Citizens Academy to get a better understanding of the Police Department.

* She is a politically active and progressive member of the Bethlehem City Democratic Committee (Precinct 14-1), Northampton County Democratic Committee, Lehigh Valley Democratic Progressive Coalition, Lehigh Valley ROAR and Lehigh Valley 4 ALL (who agree with them).

* She has been a volunteer with Ryan’s Tree for Grieving Children, Musikfest, OLPH School, LV Pediatric Cancer Foundation and the American Heart Association.

* She is a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.

From speaking to her, I can tell you she has a sense of humor.