Bethlehem City Council potentials rank affordable housing, communication most urgent issues

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Seven candidates aiming for a Bethlehem City Council seat have many of the same — and some different — approaches to address Bethlehem’s heated issues.

Those include affordable housing, a year-round shelter, tax rates and a personal connection between council and residents.

• The Bethlehem City Council has seven candidates on the upcoming primary ballot
• They include a local political strategist, business owners, retired Army officer, former salesman and more
• The primary election will be May 16

Seeking the three open seats are five Democrats:

Seeking the same seats are two Republicans: Thomas Ginthner and Devin Brunges.

Barring successful write-in campaigns, the top three vote-getters from the Democratic slate and both Republicans will advance to the November general election.

Here's a look at the candidates:

Michael Colón

After attending council meetings consistently once he finished college and was back living in Bethlehem, Michael Colón, a Democrat, said it was time to take action.

He was elected to city council in 2015 and re-elected in 2019, where he now serves as council president.

A Bethlehem native, he graduated from Liberty High School and Penn State University, and is now pursuing a master’s degree at Kutztown University.

He has worked as a 911 dispatcher and for five years has been admissions manager at Gracedale Nursing Home in Upper Nazareth Township.

Colón is on the board of directors for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Bethlehem Human Relations Commission and is a trustee of the Foundation for the Bethlehem Area School District.

He said raising the tax rates is always a topic of discussion, but he said that has always been centered around maintaining quality services for city residents.

“If we don’t want to cut service in any way, there were years where we had to raise taxes,” Colón said. “I would say just how things have shifted over the years, it’s being more agreeable to things that are not ideal — the tax increase being probably the most prominent — but recognizing there’s a reason sometimes we’re in that position.”

Affordable housing, addressing the needs of the city budget as well as maintaining a lower Earned Income Tax were other topics he mentioned.

American Rescue Plan money has helped the city pay off debts, as well as allocate funds toward housing studies and other initiatives, he said.

“I always say, ‘Well, life’s not like a light switch, where either the lights are on or off,’” Colón said. “It’s how dim or bright can we go.

“And I think over the next few years, as long as we maintain focus on addressing the societal issues like homelessness, affordable housing, the Community Recovery Fund — which is putting money into our nonprofits and service providers — we could really see an impact.

"But that’s going to have to do with making sure council is continuing to budget those resources and that the momentum keeps going.”

Colleen Laird

Colleen Laird, a Democrat, has been a Girl Scout for much of her life and led a troop for the past 15 years.

She said she consulted with her 8-year-old daughter, also a Scout, about running for city council, who told her it was a no-brainer considering their work together toward the Democracy Badge.

Laird is a graduate of Bethlehem Catholic High School and Moravian University, and now is Moravian's assistant chief information officer for strategy and communications.

She's a co-founder of the Bethlehem Food Co-Op, serving in a handful of different positions throughout her tenure. She leads the Economic Vitality Committee for Northside Alive, a neighborhood revitalization program, with a focus on the retail corridors of Broad and Linden streets.

Laird said that considering her volunteer and service résumé, a position with city council would be a “logical next step.”

“I think it’s a natural next step to be able to try to support the initiatives through policy, through ordinance, through budget,” Laird said. “I love the work that I do hands-on in the community.”

She said addressing affordable housing and homelessness in the area is one of her concerns.

“I’m focusing on supporting a year-round shelter in Bethlehem,” she said. “There’s a lot of community partners that are working toward this as well.

“So I think it would be a really good opportunity for me to collaborate with both the city administration and other community partners to help get to a solution so that no one needs to be sleeping outside if they don’t choose to.”

Community policing is something else Laird said she wishes to uphold, and cited the work Police Chief Michelle Kott has done to engage social workers alongside city officers.

“Bethlehem has been really fortunate to be in a good place with the police overall,” she said. “I’d like to continue that relationship and develop positive partnerships there.”

She referenced her potential role in continued economic vitality in Bethlehem.

“I’m also interested in making sure that we’re supporting not only the needs of business owners, particularly small business owners, but also the workers and making sure that the people of the city feel like they are working fulfilling jobs," she said.

Ricky Butler

Ricky Butler, a Democrat, said integrity and loyalty are important to him.

And considering his Marine Corps service, he said he hopes to bring those traits along with him if elected to city council.

“I would say that my military service sparked my desire to do public service,” Butler said. “So that’s why I’m ultimately running for Bethlehem City Council.”

Butler added he had an interesting perspective in regard to the campaign of current Councilwoman Rachel Leon.

“Just understanding her journey and having a front-row seat to that just gave me information and different conversations we’ve had in regard to the opportunity to make an impact locally,” Butler said.

He said he saw "some of the challenges and struggles that the city faces that most people don’t really see on the surface.”

A native of South Side Bethlehem, after the Marines, Butler worked in supply chain logistics for about 15 years, then made his way into working with residential mortgages.

“That’s what I do today for a living, but I would say, I think the city and going into the military helped shape and mold who I am,” he said.

Serving the community as a mortgage loan officer and also managing local businesses, he said his experience could offer a versatile and different perspective to council discussions.

“Just the financial awareness and education — whether it’s credit or what’s required to buy a home — I think all of those can be an asset in the role of city council,” he said.

Butler said he has no specific campaign agenda, but that addressing the affordable housing crisis, supporting local businesses and embracing diversity around the city are some of his objectives.

Butler said that if he's elected, he hopes to inspire more local communities to cast their ballots and attend council meetings in the future.

“I care about the future of the city, the youth, the people who don’t or have historically not had a voice,” he said. “If I can accomplish anything through this — yes, I’m running to win — but if we can get more Black and Brown people out to vote and be a part of the process, to me that would be a victory.”

He said the election of Dr. Wandalyn Enix, the city’s first Black council member, was an “eye-opener” for him.

Bryan Callahan

Bryan Callahan, a Democrat, formerly served on city council for eight years. He said he wasn’t looking to run again, but acquaintances called him, wondering whether he would put his name in the hat.

He added he didn’t begin circulating petitions until a week into that process.

Callahan said he’s looking to bring an “independent voice” to the group and ask the honest questions.

“I’m a Democrat, but I’m also independent,” Callahan said. “I’m not going to be beholden to the mayor, and I’m not going to be a rubber stamp for him on everything."

He said maintaining proper communication between the public and City Hall is another priority of his.

“I want to be the people’s voice,” Callahan said. “If they have something that’s bothering them, I want them to know that they can come to me; they still do know that they can come to me.”

He said he wanted to maintain support for public safety groups in the city.

Fiscal responsibility is a common topic among the candidates.

“We need to balance our budgets and continue to live within our means,” Callahan wrote on his website. “By holding the line on taxes, we can ensure that Bethlehem remains affordable for families and a competitive place for business.”

Callahan is a Liberty High School graduate and attended Lock Haven, East Stroudsburg and Wilkes universities.

He was a longtime educator at Freedom High School, and now owns and operates Callahan’s Driving School and Testing Center.

Celeste Dee

Celeste Dee, a Democrat, is a self-proclaimed “military brat,” who would like to bring her experience as a political strategist and small business owner to city council.

She said she wants to see more fluent communication from the top down at City Hall and beyond, among council, mayor’s office, city departments and citizens.

“I think that’s important, because oftentimes, when there’s transparent communication, that’s where the best ideas come from, that’s where the best solutions come from,” Dee said.

Dee serves on the state Supreme Court Disciplinary Board, the state Democratic Party, Lehigh County Democratic Party Executive Board and was a delegate for President Biden.

She's a New York City native; her spouse was born and raised in Bethlehem.

Affordable housing continues to be a topic of discussion among the candidates.

Dee said the city needs to refine its work with potential housing developers to suit the needs of the current community as well as incoming residents.

“We need to make sure that there’s quality housing to meet every need,” she said. “And I think one way to do that is when we’re looking at public and private development, we need to be able to work together to balance the two so everyone can thrive.

“Small business owners, corporate executives, young professionals, families and even our seniors — I don’t want to see seniors priced out of their own communities.”

Along those same lines, Dee said residents must be able to afford their taxes alongside their rent or mortgage costs.

And the city should take initiative to help with that by bolstering the efforts of current and new small businesses, and as a result, boosting local tax revenue, she said.

“I don’t ever want a young family to feel like they can’t buy their home, because maybe they can afford the down payment in the mortgage but the taxes are just too high," Dee said.

“Or an older retired family, couple or person: their home is paid off, they’re on a fixed income. We can’t keep raising their taxes.”

Thomas Ginthner

Thomas Ginthner, a Republican, said he’s worked in sales, consulting and real estate — and helping people be their best.

And that’s the reason he said he's making a run for city council.

“I’m now retired, but all my life has been associated with working with people and business, and listening and observing what they truly want,” Ginthner said.

Though he’s never run for a city government role, he said he’s always been involved in local politics.

Ginthner said with that lack of experience comes a will to learn more and help the city in the process.

“I’ve been attending city council meetings to learn and find out what the issues are,” Ginthner said. “I want to learn and see how the city council operates; how they go about their business.

“So I’m new and kind of green in that area. I’m learning my craft, and I will learn and grow quickly.”

He spoke of a potential direction the city could take regarding the lack of affordable housing in the area — even speaking up during the public comment period at a recent Bethlehem Housing Authority meeting, he said.

“I suggested affordable housing trust funds where the money’s pulled together,” Ginthner said. “And it could be from private sources, doesn’t have to be.

“But I think we’re looking at some kind of price support system to stabilize prices of homes or rent. We’ve got to work along that line.”

Keeping an eye on taxpayer money and where it goes is a priority of his, he said.

“I want to see how budgets are working, how we’re functioning as a city, how our expenditures are holding up — are we being wasteful in spending?” Ginthner said.

“And if I can come up with ideas and solutions that cut costs and find ways to do things, I would greatly work at that to my best strengths and try to deliver in that way.”

He said we can’t forget about basic city functions regarding public safety, infrastructure and parks and recreation. Youth would benefit from a revitalization of the area parks, he said.

Also, Ginthner said that while a larger community center in the works is a step in the right direction, some families would benefit if multiple smaller centers were implemented.

Devin Brunges

Devin Brunges, a Republican, said his approach to the position would be, “No tie, no suit jacket, just common sense.”

He explained that some of his neighbors on the southern part of town sometimes don’t even vote in municipal elections because of a lack of communication from candidates and council members.

“Somewhere along the line, our elected city council members have lost that connection,” Brunges said. “I’m hoping to make that connection back to the people who live in South Side and across the city.”

He said that while some city initiatives on equity and inclusion mean well, he wants to see Bethlehem’s government adjust its priorities to not sacrifice any groups as a result.

“Regardless of your background, your culture, your orientation, if you walk into City Hall, you should be able to get the same treatment,” Brunges said. “That’s government. That’s equality.”

He said the current council lacks political diversity and individual thinking, often voting in a uniform way.

“Without diversity, even in thinking, we don’t focus on where we’re spending the money, we don’t focus on taking care of people’s needs,” Brunges said.

“They’re not used to an independent thinker, or somebody that’s actually going to try and collectively work for solutions that are in the middle."

He said that if elected, he’d want to take a look at how the city’s environmental committees are functioning, and how that interacts with city building codes and ordinances.

There’s plenty of flat rooftops — and parking decks — around the city that could facilitate the use of solar panels and a reduction in the city’s carbon footprint, Brunges said.

“Let’s turn our grandiose plans and schemes into actual action,” he said. “We did wonderful in our economic development plan, but we didn’t tie it in with our community development plan.”

Brunges said he worked for decades in a multicultural and multinational environment, completing diplomatic missions overseas with NATO.

He said he wants to bring that experience in public relations and journalism to a position with city council.

“When you’re a professional Army officer, you come away with a sense of integrity that you asked the hard questions,” he said.