Keep Bethlhem Together
I write in reference to the proposed new state remapping and to implore the committee not to split the West Side of Bethlehem from the rest of the City of Bethlehem. One of the guiding principles of the new mappings is that large cities shall not be cut up. There is a logical reason for this, and the attempt to cull out the West Side from the rest of Bethlehem is a direct violation of this guideline and makes no sense. As a longtime resident of Bethlehem, I have witnessed first-hand how such government divisions are harmful. Already the West Side is in Lehigh County, not Northampton. We already have laws that are interpreted and enforced differently by the district attorneys, our taxes are different. Our West Broad Street businesses don’t get the same advantages of the rest of the City, for example façade restorations are only available for Northampton County. When West-Siders have applied for grant funding to improve /maintain our parks, far too often, we have been denied because we are Lehigh County, not Allentown. As an active member of our neighborhood association, I have seen how many of our West Side needs are not addressed—not because our lawmakers don’t care-they care! But there are ALREADY TOO many administrations, with too many different programs that cannot be efficiently coordinated and managed by staff. Please do not add another layer of difficulty to the management of the City. Even well-intentioned government officials cannot keep track of all the different programs and rules when there are too many layers. It is my understanding that the rationale of the sectioning off of the West Side is to create a second Allentown district that could increase important minority representation in the state government. Please note: we already have been electing strong government officials here on the West Side: men and women of different ages and ethic backgrounds, city council members and county commissioners of color and LGBTQ sexual orientation. Moreover, the West Side is different from the other groups merged together to create this new district: Emmaus, Salisbury, Bath all have their own local municipal or town governments as does Allentown. West Bethlehem will not have that kind of important local voice in this new district. The West Side has been functioning well as an incorporated part of Bethlehem. As such, we share in new environmental action initiatives, we have received a state sponsored DCNR grant for the restoration of the Rose Garden Park, our children go to Bethlehem schools…. Please stop this travesty in the remapping process and keep the West Side of Bethlehem a part of Bethlehem. This is the healthiest solution for all members of this community.