BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Public comment procedure will remain as is at Bethlehem City Council.
Following 2.5 hours of public comment on Tuesday, the panel voted 2-5 to deny a measure to place non-resident/non-taxpayer dialogue on non-agenda items after resolutions, but just before adjournment in its biweekly meeting process.
Besides just a few of the more than 30 people who came to the lectern, a great majority of them were opposed to such a motion.
Council members Michael Colón, Rachel Leon, Colleen Laird, Hillary Kwiatek and Kiera Wilhem voted against the proposal.
Council members Grace Crampsie Smith and Bryan Callahan voted in favor of it.
If the measure had been approved, non-resident/non-taxpayer comments on agenda items would’ve been moved to follow all comments from residents and taxpayers — or fifth in the lineup of business.
All this comes following another March proposal, which was tabled in April before being modified to its most recent iteration, that called for limiting public comment to include only “residents and taxpayers” of the city.
A brief background
In 2024, meetings have extend into odd hours of the night, with even one case of city business being delayed to a later date following a pro-Palestine protest within council chambers.
The bulk of that extended dialogue has involved calls from the public, including Bethlehem residents and beyond, for city council to write up and approve its own Israel-Hamas war cease-fire resolution.
A number of Jewish people also spoke out at one meeting, including those of both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel movements.
Officials in March passed a more general statement calling for world peace, even after showing some interest in adopting an official cease-fire document. The pro-Palestinian side of the dialogue passed its own “people’s resolution” as a result.
Just this week, Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah, was recognized starting at sunset on Sunday and ran through sunset on Monday.
Next Wednesday marks the Nakba, which historically remembers the ethnic cleansing and mass displacement of Palestinians during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.
Some Lehigh University students on Friday joined together in protest of reported school ties with Israel.
Reports say 34,000 to 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the seven months of the Israel-Hamas war.
'Still getting your five minutes'
Councilwoman Crampsie Smith, who proposed the measure, said the recent events in Gaza have her “heartbroken,” as her day job as a school counselor means frequent one-on-one discussions with students who are immigrants.
But city business can’t fall by the wayside during her time with the council panel, she said.
“This is in no way meant to interfere with First Amendment rights but to keep us in concert with the Sunshine Laws, and to allow us to conduct city operations as necessary."Bethlehem City Councilwoman Grace Crampsie Smith
“This is in no way meant to interfere with First Amendment rights but to keep us in concert with the Sunshine Laws, and to allow us to conduct city operations as necessary,” Crampsie Smith said of the resolution.
“As said before, certain city business is time-sensitive and cannot be delayed due to being precluded from attending to the agenda items.”
Callahan said to the anti-resolution group in attendance, “You are still getting your five minutes."
“The only thing that it’s allowed us to do is allow city residents and taxpayers to speak first, and then go home at an appropriate time," Callahan said.
"And then [council] will still be here to listen to anybody that’s a non-resident at the end of the meeting.”
Callahan also said there were a number of things he’s wanted to address with the city administration since taking his seat in January, but the panel just has yet to have the time during the lengthy meetings centered around the cease-fire discussion and more.
“It really is a privilege and an honor to serve Bethlehem. And it is no less a privilege and an honor, even when things get dicey."Bethlehem City Councilwoman Rachel Leon
“What this does on the whole conflict, will be nothing,” Callahan said to the pro-cease-fire side of the dialogue.
“But I personally support and ask our federal, congressional, senatorial and presidential leaders to push for a mutual, immediate cease-fire in Gaza, along with the immediate return of all hostages — plain and simple.
"Whether or not that is helpful to you, I don’t know.”
“It really is a privilege and an honor to serve Bethlehem,” Leon said.
“And it is no less a privilege and an honor, even when things get dicey. And I hope you always feel safe to come in to council and say what you need to say.”
'Our voices are vital'
A Lehigh County resident, who identified herself as Shallah, said regulating public comment as proposed would have a “chilling” effect on the free speech of the local populace.
It also would promote racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, she said.
“Council members, you took an oath to represent, to be the voice, to amplify the issues and/or ideas of all that make Bethlehem alive and thriving — and that is all of us here, regardless of our zip codes,” Shallah said.
“Our voices are vital to the future of Bethlehem.”
“The changes proposed here seem an obvious way to help streamline our city council meetings so you can take care of crucial city business, while at the same time allowing city residents the right to speak in a timely fashion."Bethlehem resident Benjamin Felzer
Benjamin Felzer, a Bethlehem resident and member of the city’s Environmental Advisory Council, said he supported the original resolution that would’ve limited public comment to only include “residents and taxpayers.”
He was even in favor of adjusting the time limit from five minutes to three, since “a whole lot can be said in three minutes,” Felzer said.
Changing the time limit was never suggested from council members as part of any of the proposed rule changes.
“The changes proposed here seem an obvious way to help streamline our city council meetings so you can take care of crucial city business, while at the same time allowing city residents the right to speak in a timely fashion,” Felzer said.
'I'm fed up with it'
Another city resident, Mary Jo Makoul, said anyone with grievances — regardless of resident or tax status — will always be able to email their concerns to council members.
“I’m fed up with it,” Makoul said of the dialogue surrounding the cease-fire resolution and public comment changes.
“I support this resolution. … [It] tries to put the city of Bethlehem’s agenda items first; put the city first, not extraneous ideas.”
“I realize that you don’t want to be here all night, you want to get back to your families, I get that you want to get to the work that is in front of you. I would argue, though, that the voice of the people is the work of the council. And the voice of the people is also the agenda of the city.”The Rev. Father John Stratton, dean of South Bethlehem's Cathedral Church of the Nativity
The Rev. Father John Stratton, dean of South Bethlehem’s Cathedral Church of the Nativity, said the resolution shouldn’t pass, and that council should realize that the events of March 5 were “democracy in action.”
“I realize that you don’t want to be here all night, you want to get back to your families, I get that you want to get to the work that is in front of you,” Stratton said to council.
“I would argue, though, that the voice of the people is the work of the council. And the voice of the people is also the agenda of the city."
