Donchez lavished high praise on Brong. My own interactions with him have been positive. But it's no secret that some people in City government considered Brong a tyrant, a bully who pushed others around.
Evans received a Finance Degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1991. He also has an MBA from the University of Scranton. But he'sa history teacher. He did work in the lending industry for eight years, but left that line of work in 1999.
Another oddity is that Evans will remain at East Hills Middle School a few more months. This is apparently so he can maximize his pension there.
When he comes to Bethlehem, he can start working on a new pension. That's good for him, but is this really in Bethlehem's best interests? And why is he leaving his job as a teacher? He is in the prime of his teaching career. Is it all about money?
Evans will easily be confirmed in this role. He's an insider and one of Council's own. And really, he's who Donchez wants,and a Mayor should be afforded deference in these matters.
With Evans resigning from Council, who will they name to succeed him?
The choice is obvious - Dr. Paige Van Wirt, who waged a powerful write-in campaign last year on the importance of things like transparency and ethics. She infuriated Council members. The best way to prove her wrong is appoint her.
40 comments:
Paige should get it but Callahan will fight that all the way. He trashed her throughout the campaign and is known to hold a grudge.
Eric cannot hold two full-time jobs at once. I assume he will not be the Director until he leaves the school.
Just more of Bethlehem's political inbreeding.
It's not just why is he leaving teaching, but it is in the middle of an academic year and who gets hurt? The students.
This is a joke appointment. Donchez knew Brong was leaving months ago. So if he was going to select evens why not do it before he was re elected. Is the fix in on his replacement?
Hear Brong's going away party is the day after he leaves. There will be dancing in the hallways and no tears will be shed.
Page will not be appointed, she should run a real campaign. They never appointed Lumb Sanders when he came in second.
Evans is an excellent choice. He was finance chair several years ago and understands the complexity of the city's financial statement. He is postive and really understands an issue before he makes a decision. Unlike Brong, he doesn't bully his way around city hall. And he certainly won't find himself in a position of being conflicted by his Callahan drinking buddies because he doesn't booze it up with them. I think it was clear through the budget process that Eric was not considering this position. First hint of anything was when Waldron took over as President of council, a position that was Evans if he wanted it.
Few more months as a teacher? Articles say he is starting next month, which would makes sense considering his nomination has to go through council and then he'll presumably officially resign from teaching.
Evans is an excellent choice & he is not one of the good old boy drinking buddies that run the city. He has always shown independent thinking on matters & always respectful of citizen input unlike Reynolds/Callahan.
While Paige or Dana Grubb should be appointed if council wants to change the image of Bethlehem politics, Rob Melosky will be their choice to strengthen their grasp of council going forward. He is one of the boys that they have been grooming & Donchez fell into that trap when he canned Fiorentino from the Planning commission & appointed Melosky Chairman.
Unfortunately, more of the same expected in Bethlehem politics going into the New Year.
Evans is unqualified and not ready for the job. He was not the Mayor's first or even second choice. Which says something about Donchez. Unlike Brong, who I am not a particular fan of, Evans will actually be the one being bullied. Donchez needed someone like Brong to make a decision and get things done, sadly now with Evans the City will get even less done in the next 4 years which is tough given not much happened in the last 4. Bad day for Bethlehem.
Agree that Evans needs to be strong in his new role to compensate for Donchez consensus management style. City has lost ground to Allentown & Easton over the last 4 years with floundering decionmaking despite Brong’s dictatorial style. Evans offers a balance but must step up to demonstrate strong leadership early in his new job.
@5:45,
You hit the nail on the head. Evans waited so they could hand pick a successor. They don't want any independent thinkers upsetting the apple cart.
it is correct that Evans had the job months ago but only after at least 2 turned it down
Evans as a fiscal watch dog!? for who? not the taxpayers, this guy has never met a tax increase he didn't vote for.
"Evans is an excellent choice & he is not one of the good old boy drinking buddies that run the city. He has always shown independent thinking on matters & always respectful of citizen input unlike Reynolds/Callahan."
Evans is the Mayor's choice, and I see no evidence that he is unqualified, but I do not like this at all. First, I do consider him an insider who is just better than the others at trying to pretend he is an independent thinker. When push comes to shove, he does as he is told. Second, I
have little respect for an educator who abandons his students the way Evans intends to do. What kind of teacher does that? And if he does that to his students, what will he do to the City? I don't like this at all, but he is the Mayor's choice. I especially do not like the salary for someone who has no experience in public admin.
"Evans is unqualified and not ready for the job."
He is a warm body, which makes him qualified. So far as I know, there are no requirements for this position. I agree he is far from ready.
anon 5:33, 6:52 you are correct there are students involved in the equation and that is the reason for the couple week transition. he is working with the school to make sure that it is as smooth as possible.
What kind of teacher abandons his students like that, in the middle of a school year? That’s what bothers me more than anything.
Donchez has only made 1 good appointment and that is the police chief. Worst mayor since ken smith
Paige Van Wirt would be the appropriate choice for the seat by virtue of the expertise she could bring to city government and the significant support she received by voters in the recent election (1700 write in votes). Currently women are underrepresented on the council so there is that too, but most of all she has outstanding qualifications for the job. If the council denies her consideration because they 'want someone who won't run for election" the public should demand to know why this is a relevant criterion. The best interest of Bethlehem should be the foremost criterion; it would be hard to come up with someone who fits the bill better than Paige.
abandoned? that might be a little dramatic bernie. yes they are kids but you do understand they're not kindergartners right? middle school kids have a host of teachers every day, and are well cared for. and what are your thoughts of women who have children and take leave during the year? that happens all the time. i'm sure that school has plenty of qualified educators to choose from and this will be a nice opportunity for a new young teacher.
Diamond you two are super close buds, so of course your comments must be weighed accordingly. Council was quite consistent with the last couple appointments in that they don't want to appoint someone that will turn around and use the power of incumbency to their advantage. We saw how that works when Van Wirt got smoked in the election, despite wildly outspending everybody. I think running the negative campaign also probably hurt her effort, as well as the obvious problem of not being prepared to campaign in the primary and get on the ballot. I do agree that women are underrepresented on Bethlehem's Council, and have been for a long time. I also agree that the Council should select the best option, not just a token to balance the scale. The best solution is to get more women to run. I hope they do. I just hope they run with positive messages, not acting like some of those radicals we see on TV. Don't need/want that in Bethlehem.
Word on the street is that Evans was the 3rd choice. Is he qualified? Yes, he had 8 years as a councilman, and some business degrees. He also has the guy who was offered the job first across the hall to help him out. Brong was not liked because he was good at his job. The unions hated him because he negotiated the contracts. He had many fans in City Hall though.
I think "abandoning his students" is a bit overblown. Do women teachers who go on maternity leave for half a school year abandon their students? My guess is he is waiting until the end of the semester to stop teaching so the transition to new teacher is easier, not for a pension grab.
As for the appointment, no way do they give it to someone who wants to run for the position. The last 2 did not run and said they would not run during the process. Van Wirt can wait 2 years and run in the primary this time. Word on the street is council will be appointing a woman from the business community who serves/served on City Boards/Authorities. I heard a few names...all who are more qualified and respected than Van Wirt.
Bernie you do nice job priming the pump by writing with sharp angles, but this appointment is a 1 minute water cooler discussion. Experienced, middle-aged councilman that understands and has been highly engaged with the budget, works well with the mayor and directors, stands independently, has multiple business degrees moving to a position that is challenging, but not rocket science. Bethlehem will be fine.
I give thanks that I live in real Bethlehem and not cyber blog Bethlehem where every mayor sucks, every councilperson is terrible, and every worker and appointment is incompetent. The real Bethlehem continues to be a great place. Thank goodness for reality. Dilly Dilly.
Evans is not ready and has really been a lacky for Donchez as a councilman, as evidenced by his appointing him BA. Sad. Evans has blindly supported every tax increase Donchez has proposed. Not hard to balance a budget or increase the bond rating on the backs of the taxpayers. Give us a break for a year or two. It is getting like the school district and having now 2 former teachers running things (Donchez and now Evans) is not helping.
If Melosky is the one to keep the insiders club going, hide the cheerleaders.
Van Wirt got smoked in the election? How is getting 1700 votes in a write-in campaign getting smoked? Bryan Callahan -- a good ole boy with more name recognition than anyone thanks to his brother -- only got 2500 votes in the primary. That’s not even 1000 votes more than Paige. She started her campaign a mere 6 weeks before the election. And why would she ask people to contribute to her campaign when write-in candidates are so obviously unlikely to win? When was the last time a write-in candidate in Bethlehem got 1700 votes? The guys on city council must really think the public is stupid when they claim they are worried about giving an appointed candidate an incumbent advantage. Against who? It’s not the newcomers they are worried about; after all, there were no challengers in the last election until Van Wirt jumped in the race. Clearly those guys don’t want Van Wirt (or anyone) threatening their own incumbent advantage. I think they are short-sited to avoid appointing her. If they put her on council now, she’ll have a record she’ll have to defend in four years, rather than easy targeting of the existing regime’s bad decisions over the next two years. The suggestion that she ran a negative campaign is laughable. If you want to see a negative campaign, look at the flyers Donchez sent out when he was running against Reynolds for mayor, or the race for Northampton County Executive. If council isn’t smart enough to appointment someone who clearly has significant public support and a resume that puts the others to shame, I hope she or someone runs a real negative campaign against the boys that are up in two years. Their disdain for the public and condescending attitude toward women and anyone who disagrees with their short-sited and ill-informed vision for the city needs to be revealed. They can appoint Van Wirt now, or let her reveal them for what they are two years from now. Do they want her to spend her time making the case against them, or helping them solve the problems they are not doing so good at solving on their own.
1:42 is obviously from the insider's club. Actually, when a teacher goes on maternity leave in the middle of a school year, it can be disruptive to students. A teacher who does that lets the students down, and really should plan her pregnancies so that she gives birth when she is not teaching. It's pretty clear to me that Evans wants to delay his retirement for his pension because he is leaving during the school year. In other words, he has placed his own financial interest ahead of the welfare of his students. This is very unprofessional. Also, if he does that to his students, what will he do to taxpayers?
I know he is well-regarded, even among Council critics, but am disappointed by what he has done.
Bedlam is the ultimate inbred club. Donchez is returning to the good ole days.
This was a power play. The mayor and the boys club of council wanted to be able to appoint who they could control and not who the city of Bethlehem wanted as a write in. Do they think we're stupid?
Yes! Thank you! They are dripping with misogyny.
Bernie, Evans has been teaching since 1999. Teachers needs 30 years for full retirement, so I don't know why you think he's working a couple more weeks for pension reasons? The facts about teaching pensions simply don't support that allegation at all. He's got a decent one already locked up for those years served, but nowhere near the end of the road for full pension. A couple weeks makes no difference in a teacher pension.
Anon 3:47 from the Van Wirt fan club...Why did she spend so much of her own money when it was known she could not win? Hmmm. Not sure I feel too good about how she spends money. She got 1700 write in votes cause she spent way more than any other write in candidate ever. Signs and buttons and mail etc etc. Other write in candidates in past were bright enough to realize it was wasted money. So she either attempted to buy an election, or wasted a boat load? Not sure. And you compared primary #s to general election #s? Re-run and compare general to general. Smoked.
And the council was consistent the last couple times not to appoint somebody and give the appointed person the advantage of running as an incumbent - without earning it by getting elected by the people. So don't attempt to make it about her. It was done before, and widely supported both times. I hope they are consistent with it again.
You can count me as one of those in Dr. Van Wirt's fan club. She is a breath of fresh air. I have had a few conversations with her and she outshines all of you on Council. You fear her and that is the real reason you won't appoint her. You should fear her bc she will not stand for this tired game of musical chairs you seem to have in Bethlehem. If I were wrong, you'd appoint her.But I'm right.
I think in the past many different Bethlehem City Councils have been very consistent in wanting to appoint an individual who was willing to agree to not run in the next primary, to let the voters decide the replacement and to not give the appointed individual a head start/leg up in the coming election due to being a incumbent. I personally think that is the right move. LET THE VOTERS DECIDE. Can you imagine the outcry if they appointed individuals that wanted to run in the next primary, thus giving their appointed individual a head start over anyone else who was interested in running for the open seat?
Anon 7:08 from the Bethlehem Boys fan club...Using money to get your name out there is hardly buying an election. Accepting campaign contributions from developers and always voting in their favor is what is corrupt about politics in Bethlehem. 1700 votes in a general election is impressive precisely because to do a write-in on Bethlehem voting machines, a voter has to do something besides simply push a button that selects the democratic candidates for the entire ballot. This is what voters do when they don't pay attention to the incestuous little game of musical chairs that all the Bethlehem boys play year after year. But voters are waking up, thanks in part to people like Van Wirt running for office after witnessing the little Bethlehem cabal in action. Maybe someday it will take more than a recognized name and a bunch of voters who can't seem to do more than punch a single button on the ballot to get voted into office. When someone gets 1700 people to learn how to write in her name rather than push the little button, it means something. If you think getting people to do that is easy, just try standing outside a polling booth in Bethlehem and explain to people how it is that they can do something besides push a single button that selects all the democratic candidates. You boys controlling the show have a nice little deal worked out with technology-challenged voters and a Republican party that is so disfunctional they can't provide any meaningful competition. Don't let yourself think you actually deserve to be running the city based on your capacity and talent.
Where is all this misguided and unfounded talk about misogyny coming from? I think it is nonsense and made up to try and Gin women up. Just because they are men does not make the misogynist. If Paige wants to run let her get on the ballot and win.
12:13 you nailed it. Van Wirt spent $7,000 of her money to run for a office. Must be nice to be able to be a elitist and shell out that kind of cash and drive around in $80,000 Range Rovers. And she has the nerve to suggest the council members are somehow beneath her and that after living here for only a couple years , that she is right and that everyone else who grew up here and loves our City is wrong. If Bethlehem is so messed up, I suggest she move back to Virginia where she and her husband ran from!!!
12:13 agreed. check out 10:36 lol
10:36 is along winded hater. wow. blah blah men suck blah blah blah. paige knows everything and voters are stupid blah blah def a gold member of van wirt club. get over self 1700 is low my dog could get that many. whats math on $ per vote? wow. gotta be lowest of alltime hahaha
see how she hates that people build a reputation through time and the good people of bethlehem appreciate their body of work. she is in love with a nobody from out of town that is here to save all us from our great city? so mad she is that citizens living here for decades did not hug her buddy. beth folks are good people. they see through transients.
Several observations:
1. Eric Evans will make an excellent business administrator. As an eight-year Council veteran and former finance chairman, he knows the city intimately. If anyone attended his PowerPoint presentation in October on the growing chaos in the operating and capital expenses in the city’s golf course, you’d take note. He laid out the problems, offered options and encouraged the city’s golfers (who packed the audience) to reflect about the financial mess and to offer solutions. Decision time will come soon. Councilman Evans’ pitch was so effective that it made a convert of City Council’s No.1 golfer—Bryan Callahan.
2. As good as Councilman Evans is, he’ll have big shoes to fill. With the Mayor’s support, outgoing business administrator David Brong has gradually changed a city in financial distress into one of increasing strength. He pared a projected five-year budget deficit of $40 million to $12 million in just four years. Reversing the city’s finances has been painful for city employees. Mr. Brong reduced the bloated workforce to 204 employees from 270 without slashing services or programs. Employees are being required to do more with less. New technology is replacing antiquated systems. Department heads are being pushed to find efficiencies and cut costs. Entire departments have been reorganized. The proof is in the pudding: The city’s bond ratings have improved four times in four years, from triple-B to “A” with a positive outlook.
3. City Council will have a hard time replacing Mr. Evans. The idea that Council acts in lockstep in selecting vacant seats fails to recognize recent history. Twice, in 2014, Council was called upon to fill vacancies. In one case, 11 people put forth their names. In another, it was 12. In both vacancies, the selections were made on divided votes (3-2-1 for environmental activist Cathy Reuscher and 3-1-1-1 for businessman Lou Stellato). Neither winner was a political pro. Both chose not to seek election after their interim terms ended.
In the past, Council has bypassed applicants who later were elected in their own right. Councilwoman Olga Negrón is a prime example. So is Councilman Michael Colón. Ron Heckman failed to snag a Council vacancy, but last November he ran first among the 10 candidates on Northampton County Council. The late Dave Sanders was not appointed to Council. He later ran in his own right, falling only 76 votes short of capturing a Democratic nomination for Council.
Few Republicans applied for vacancies. Having seen how poorly they performed in the November 2011 election, can you blame them?
4. Many of the applicants who weren’t appointed were recruited for city boards, commissions and authorities. Just a few examples: Two were named to the Environmental Advisory Committee. Another went to the Human Relations Commission. A third was appointed to the city Planning Commission.
5. Being a native of Bethlehem should be no bar to appointment. In fact, I think it’s an advantage. Only natives (or long-time residents) truly know the flavor of the city. (Take for example Councilwoman Negrón, who moved here 30 years ago and has cultivated an outstanding record of public service.) Being on City Council doesn’t mean focusing on city government to the exclusion of other city-related activities. It means having a history of participating in civic organizations, food co-ops or business associations. Or working in constituent services for state representatives. Or Little League coaching, as Councilman Evans has done for many years.
Frank, Though I generally respect your opinions, you come off on this one as little more than a cheerleader for the insiders. I frankly don't understand what point you are trying to make. Evans is going to be approved. If your point is that we should all like it, you've failed to persuade me.
Your first argument is that he will be an excellent business administrator bc he gave a compelling power point about the golf course. Fed Ed gave great power points, too. this might make him an effective communicator, but does not make him an effective business administrator. He has no experience in public finance or public administration. His experience as a lender is 18 years old.
Tour second argument that Brong is great may or may not be true. my own interactions with him have been positive, but there are many city observers who have a very negative view of Brong and think he has been horrible for morale. You make an argument that GOP Exec John Brown would love, that you can reduce the workforce without reducing services. that is pretty much bullshit, at least in NC. I suspect it is bullshit in Bethlehem as well.
You fail to address what really bothers me. Evans is abandoning his students in the middle of a school year. What good teacher does that? This indicates he has no regard fir the welfare of his students, and is motivated solely by dollar signs. If he has such little regard for his students, what regard will he have for the citizens of Bethlehem?
Not quite sure why you focus so much on Evans' replacement. It's pretty clear that the insider club has already decided that Paige van Wirt will be snubbed. This will make her more attractive to voters interested in reform, so they are doing her a favor.
Evans will be confirmed. He should be because he is the Mayor's choice. His seat will go to another insider. They have the votes. I get this. But don't try to paint this as something we should like.
It's bad government disguised as something wonderful.
Someone once described Bethlehem gov't as nothing more than Bangor with lace curtains. That's a good description.
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