In order to help pay down the Marcincin-Smith debt, the Mayor is prepared to turn the Lehigh Valley into a New York and New Jersey dump. We neither advocate nor support increasing taxes to pay for the landfill debt. Let us build into the landfill's cost-structure financial incentives for producing less waste and recycling. This would not only be good for Bethlehem in and our interests, but for our children's and grandchildren's interests as well. Government is no different than your household or your personal life.
Resources are limited.
There is only so much time and so much money. Every hour or dollar you spend on one thing is an hour or dollar you can't spend on something else. There is much to be done in Bethlehem. Just like other cities in the northeastern United States, Bethlehem has seen its tax and job base decline, particularly with the closing of Bethlehem Steel operations in the city. Likewise, the need for trash disposal and its real costs cannot be avoided.