Bethlehem Committee of the Whole Meeting on Campaign Finance Report Amendments – October 7, 2025
Bethlehem Committee of the Whole Meeting – October 7, 2025
On October 7, 2025, the Bethlehem City Council Committee of the Whole met to discuss proposed amendments to Article 112 of the city code, which governs campaign finance reports. The primary proposal was to eliminate the city clerk's role in collecting and posting campaign finance reports, as this function is already performed by Northampton County, where the majority of Bethlehem residents reside. The committee voted unanimously to send the ordinance to full council for further consideration.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mr. Shire spoke in favor of lowering campaign contribution limits for city council races. He argued that the federal limit for congressional candidates ($3,500) should be adjusted for the lower cost of local races and smaller population. He calculated a proportional limit of $350 for Bethlehem city council candidates, based on a ratio of campaign costs (2.1 million vs. $20,000) and population (760,000 vs. 78,000).
Discussion Items
- Council President Michael Cologne presented the proposed amendments, explaining that the county now posts campaign finance reports online, making the city's duplication of this work unnecessary. The amendments would:
- Rename the ordinance from "Campaign Finance" to "Statements of Financial Interest."
- Remove the clerk's duty to notify candidates about filing deadlines, shifting that responsibility to candidates and elected officials.
- Remove penalties for non-compliance, as enforcement is impractical without a reliable way to contact candidates.
- Continue to require the city clerk to collect and post Statements of Financial Interest (annual ethics filings) for elected officials, as these are not posted by the county.
- Council members expressed support for reducing the burden on city clerks, noting the clerks are already overworked. Councilwoman Crampsy Smith (absent) and Laird (absent) were noted as not present. Councilwoman Wilhelm requested data on how often the campaign finance page on the city website is visited. Councilwoman Quietech (likely QuTech) noted that some neighboring cities have already moved to a similar model. Councilwoman Leon supported the change. Councilman Callahan had no objections but asked about redaction of addresses; it was clarified that addresses are not redacted on the county site, and the city also does not redact them (only signatures). Councilwoman Wilhelm raised concern for Lehigh County residents (the city straddles two counties), suggesting the city website should provide a clear link to the Northampton County site to avoid confusion.
- Council President Cologne offered to work with Councilwoman Wilhelm and the city clerks to draft clear language for the website redirect.
Key Outcomes
- Motion and Vote: A motion to send the proposed ordinance amendments to full council was made, seconded, and passed unanimously (5-0). Council members Callahan, QuTech, Leon, Wilhelm, and Cologne voted in favor; Crampsy Smith and Laird were absent.
- Next Steps: The ordinance will be introduced at a future full council meeting, requiring two readings (with opportunities for public comment and amendments). The intent is to implement the changes after the current election cycle, effective January 2026, to avoid disruption.
- Administrative Plans: The city website will be updated with a link to Northampton County's campaign finance reports, and Statements of Financial Interest will continue to be posted on the city site.
Meeting Transcript
He said, Yeah, of course I'm just not part. All right. Guys, we're gonna get started. Good evening, everyone. I will call this meeting of the committee to hold to order. I will ask Mr. Miller to call the role. Mr. Callahan. Present. Ms. Crampsy Smith. Ms. Quitech. Present. Ms. Laird. Ms. Leon present. Ms. Wilhelm present and Mr. Cologne. Present. Councilwoman Cramsy Smith is on vacation and councilwoman Laird has another commitment. So she won't have to be present to the committee meeting. Just a YouTube reminder if anyone is starting after 6 p.m. and you want to watch in real time, you're welcome to scroll ahead to the current recording of the meeting. Tonight we have one agenda item that's amending Article 112 campaign finance report. So tonight we will at the end of the meeting. This uh proposed amendments that should they pass are not on the agenda tonight for city council. So there will be plenty of opportunity for public comment prior to any future council meetings. One will vote on this. We're gonna have public comment on this at the end of the committee meeting. Um, just to give our members of the public a chance to hear what I have to say, hear whatever comments are to be made. So I'll welcome public comments right before we adjourn. We're gonna start with just a uh presentation. I I have the computer up. I'm gonna hop over to the lectern to use just to kind of um I'll give everyone some background as to where this came from, why proposed it, and then I'll demonstrate what we what's the current practice at the city level at the county level, and why I feel this is just a good operational change without really um sacrificing any transparency, and then I'll I'll come back down to the seat and open it up to questions from council for me, and of course, our council solicitor Stewart is here who can speak on some of the legal background and such as attorney steward helps. So I'm gonna hop over here. But so the um Article 112 campaign finance reports. I mean, we're all familiar with it. Everyone on council has had to submit reports as candidates, as uh elected officials, our our city clerk reminds everyone of different election cycles, but ultimately in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, an attorney steward, you can kind of give me a gesture if I I'm gonna speak at any point because I don't want to mislead anybody. Um, if I'm mistaken, uh, as I speak uh extemporaneously up here. Oh, can everyone hear me? Yeah, no. Okay. The so essentially in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, elections are administered at the county level, including housing campaign finance reports. Historically, the county north Bethlehem, of course, is housed in two counties, Lehigh and Northampton, Northampton County Elections Office houses all of our campaign finance reports. Everyone, whether it's council, controller, mayor, treasurer, and submits the reports there, they're housed there. When Article 112 was passed, which predates my time on city council, so uh over a decade ago, the county was not publishing on its website campaign finance reports, and now current practice and just modernization, that is now what is done at the county level.
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