Re-elect Councilwoman
Priscilla deLeon

Open Letter to the Residents of Lower Saucon Township

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It has been an honor and privilege to serve the residents of Lower Saucon Township since 1988. I am happy to announce that I will seek re-election in 2023.  I am currently serving my ninth consecutive four-year term. I am committed to serving all the residents and would like to ask for your vote for another term.

 

Preserving Lower Saucon Township’s natural and historical resources is a top priority. You can count on me to stay on top of all the issues. I will continue to ask the tough questions - insisting on a more transparent and responsive government while balancing economic benefits with residents’ needs and opinions.

 

As a member of Lower Saucon Township Council, I am saddened by the current state of affairs in the township.

 

It is appalling to witness the lack of respect of taxpayers/residents who attend public meetings to share their concerns only to be silenced in three minutes by the council majority. This has eroded the civility, integrity, and confidence of the council body as well as the townships’ confidence in them. The constituents of LST have the right to continue to be heard and ask questions.

 

This can only be restored by electing a new majority on the council.

 

Council represents the people. It is very important for the residents to get involved by not only exercising their right to vote but by attending council meetings and providing valuable information which will help your elected officials make informed decisions.

 

In my many years on Council, I have tried to make certain that residents are treated fairly and consistently. I welcome and encourage community involvement and offer my help to those seeking advice to offer solutions and provide guidance through a common sense approach.

 

I am very dedicated to listening to your needs and respecting your rights when making decisions by balancing your needs with those of your neighborhood and the entire community. I am aggressive in the enactment of laws and policies that protect those rights and improve quality of life. I am not a rubber stamp. I feel that preserving our sense of place is very important by keeping us unique and preserving rural characteristics.

 

I will immediately vote to rescind Resolution #31-2023 - Agenda Policy & Code of Conduct Policy and vow to restore your right to public comment and questions after discussion of each agenda item to provide valuable information which will help your elected officials make informed decisions.

 

Because of language also included in Resolution #31-2023, my requests to have the Library or other issues placed on the agenda cannot be approved unless I have the assent of one other Councilperson. This is wrong and needs to be rescinded immediately. This dictate hampers a councilperson from doing what they were elected to do – to represent the people. Everyone has the right to be heard!

 

I pledge to work to improve communication with our neighbors and revive the community relationship developed over decades with Hellertown Borough. The Saucon Valley Partnership, which I helped create, was established with the goal of improving the quality of life for residents of the Saucon Valley area in the face of increasing pressures from economic and population growth in order to save tax dollars. The Partnership has not met since 2021.

 

One joint effort, the Saucon Valley Compost Center, which is well-liked by residents is no longer available. I promise to work diligently to rectify the discordance and distrust of the council majority and bring back the trust.

Council has the responsibility to provide checks and balances in the day-to-day operations of its administration to ensure the efficient conduct of municipal affairs. In dealing with these checks and balances, I will focus on strict compliance in the execution and administration of all laws and policies passed by the Council and hold the administration accountable for their day-to-day actions.

 

Rejoining the Hellertown Area Library and fully funding it is also a top priority. The 3-party Contract should have been negotiated to name HAL as Lower Saucon Township’s home library after January of 2022.

In the period from January 2022 through January 2023, LST has paid $108,411.88 to the township solicitor ($44,302) and special counsel ($64,109.88) regarding Library services. I am infuriated. This money could have funded a year of HAL services. After all this money that was spent, as of March 2023, LST still does not have a home library. We are currently involved in a lawsuit spending more taxpayers’ money on this issue.

 

At the January 3, 2023, Reorganization Meeting, council voted 4- 1 (deLeon-NO) to approve Resolution #10-2023 Township Labor Solicitor – Special Projects Attorney Fee Schedule. It directs that “…any special projects and/or assignments will be assigned by the township manager, in consultation with the township solicitor, on an as-needed basis...” It goes on to say, “… that any and all actions of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellot, LLC taken in 2022 with regard to library services in Lower Saucon Township, and all other associated issues, are hereby ratified, confirmed, and approved by the Council of Lower Saucon Township”. By their 4 -1 vote, Council abdicated their fiscal and ethical responsibilities and overstepped their boundaries by allowing the Solicitor and Township Manager to approve the spending of taxpayer dollars without Council’s prior approval.

 

At the January 3, 2022, Reorganization Meeting, Council voted 4- 1 (deLeon-NO) to approve Resolution #10-2022, Township’s Labor Solicitor fee Schedule.  In the past, Council included wording that required the prior consent of Council for consultant projects. That language was removed from the Resolution.

 

This is not being good stewards of our taxpayers’ money and not in the best interests of the taxpayers to pay for expenses without prior Council approval. That is why we pass budgets and other documents before they are incurred. The removal of “prior consent of Council” from consultants’ fee schedules is unprecedented in my time on Council. It is Council’s responsibility to be a fiscal watchdog!

 

My focus, as in the past, is on keeping Lower Saucon unique by preserving the rural character of our beautiful Township. I am aggressive in the enactment of laws and policies that protect those rights and improve quality of life. I continue to insist on strict compliance with the letter and the spirit of the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance of the Township by controlled growth and preservation of open space.

 

Feeling very strongly about preserving our heritage through historical preservation and environmental protection, I never forgot Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, called the Environmental Rights Amendment which was ratified in 1971. I work hard to support the beliefs that people have a right to clean air, pure water, and the aesthetic values of the environment. I am active in the preservation of the natural, scenic, and historic elements of the community. As elected officials, we are entrusted to protect these rights for future generations.

 

I favor legislation protecting environmentally sensitive areas - especially carbonate geology areas, steep slopes and woodlands, stream valleys, and natural habitats. I make sure the funds generated by the Open Space Referendum are used to protect these sensitive natural areas as well as agricultural, recreational, and historic land.

 

On December 21, 2022, I voted NO to the rezoning of 275.7 acres of Rural Agricultural land to Light Industrial for the benefit of Bethlehem Landfill. A dangerous precedent was set with this new zoning approval to allow businesses and industry to set the direction for the township, inviting the exploitation of Township resources.

 

The November 18, 2022 Lehigh Valley Planning Commission review letter says it best, “While expansion of the landfill can support the fiscal health of the Township, it is strongly recommended that the Township prioritize retention of natural features as an essential characterizing attribute of the area near the Lehigh River”.

 

In 2015, during the Lower Saucon Township Council race, IESI Landfill (now Bethlehem Landfill) PAC spent over $148,000 to try to defeat me and my 2 running mates. I won by 5 votes. (this is why every vote counts)! In 2019, the PAC spent about $80,000 to support the 3 Republican LST council candidates who subsequently won the 3 LST council seats.

 

In 2010, a large non-profit organization attempted to change the Lower Saucon Township zoning ordinance to permit the development of a continuing care retirement community on land that was designated for residential development. I helped guide the residents through the process of how to properly voice their concerns about the proposed project helping them understand how to present their position to the planning commission and the council.

 

Council must always act as a body and vote publicly when convened at an advertised public meeting. I refuse to participate in the polling of council members outside of a council meeting, which would be in violation of the Sunshine Law.

 

Always insisting on a detailed budget to maximize the efficiency of your tax dollars through approved expenditures, I continue to look for ways to lower taxes without losing services, such as supporting the administration to apply for private and government grants.

 

Economic development is crucial to our survival, and I support commercial development that serves the needs of the Township citizens.

 

After moving to the village of Steel City in Lower Saucon Township in 1985, I became very involved in the community. I was one of the organizers of the “Anti-Quarry Committee,” leading the fight against a proposed stone quarry in the “Narrows” section of Riverside Drive, which led to me to run for elected office in 1987.

 

Lower Saucon is a gem of a community. I love living in the Saucon Valley. My record of over 35 years on LST council is a testament to my dedication and service. I am committed to continue serving ALL the residents for another 4-year term and ask for your vote and support.

 

Respectfully,

Priscilla deLeon

“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.” Ansel Adams

 

                                                                  Do it once, do it right!

                                                        Vote for Victoria, Laura, and Priscilla

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Endorsements

       Lehigh Valley Roar

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Past Council Committees (to list a few)

• Audit Committee

• Budget Advisory Committee, 2016

• Saucon Valley School District's Facilities Surplus Properties Task Force Committee

• Ad Hoc Committee with Hellertown Borough

• Ad Hoc Committee with the Fire Companies

• Council liaison to the Township’s Pension Committee

• Council liaison to the Saucon Valley Conservancy

• Council liaison to the Landfill Committee

• Current Township’s representative on the Hellertown / Lower Saucon Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce

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Council Accomplishments (to list a few)

• Councilwoman, Lower Saucon Township Council, 36 years (1988 – 2023)

• Past Council President

• Past Council Vice President

• Supported paying off all Township debt

• Encouraged the creation of the popular Saucon Rail Trail

• Initiated the Jr. Council program 2002

• Opposed the development of the Phoebe CCRC in the Meadows Road area 2010

• Introduced Crimewatch after learning about it through a local business man

• Initiated an Opioid Forum

• As a pro-active approach, LST is a partner in PAIR Police Assistance in Recovery (along with several other Northampton County Police Departments entered with Bethlehem Health Bureau)

• Opposed the PennEast Pipeline

• Initiated the creation of the Township’s website - posting meetings, minutes, etc.

• Proposed the creation of a Lower Saucon Township Task Force in 2006 resulting in the re-opening of the “Narrows” of Riverside Drive closed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004

• Opposed the FAA radar tower proposal next to the Bethlehem Star on South Mountain due to the failure to evaluate sufficiently other locations and conflicts with the Environmental Assessment Criteria established by the Federal Government itself in addition to its visual, cultural, environmental, and historical impacts

• In 2000, led the effort to implement a building moratorium while the Comprehensive Plan was updated establishing the protection of the environment as an important part of the Township’s Land Use planning process

• Helped sponsor the new Zoning Ordinance to allow the smooth implementation of the goals of the Comprehensive Plan 1988

• Helped obtain funding for the extension of public water to the Hellertown Park area

• Held the landfill accountable for well water contamination and fought for the extension of public water to the Applebutter Road area

• Supported the acquisition of the Orban tract for much-needed sport fields and recreation activities

• Supported the construction of the new municipal complex and public works expansion, which now provides for expanded Township services and meeting room

• Supported the formation of the Environmental Core Committee, now the Environmental Advisory Council -- a real partner to the Planning Commission and Council

• Initiated the K-9 program

• Encourage Block Watch Neighborhoods

• Investigation of recent odor complaints in the Applebutter Road, Ringhoffer Road and Steel City area

• Encouraged the investigation of residents’ odor complaints regarding MFS, Inc., an insulation plant on Easton Road

• Natural Resources Inventory

• Cell Tower Ordinance

• Groundwater Protection Overlay Zone to help protect the public water supply for Hellertown and Springtown

• Township’s first public sanitary sewer system

• Improvements to the existing Township parks and the nature trail at the Heller Homestead Park

• Road improvements to the former “Kamikaze” intersection at Hickory Hill Road, Bingen Road and South Mountain Drive with traffic light

• Solutions to stormwater problems

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Other Accomplishments & Awards (to list a few)

• Received the PA Federation of Democratic Women Outstanding Elected Democratic Women Award, 2017

• Received the Distinguish Service Award, presented by the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, 2016

• Current president of the Historic Barn & Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania

• Founding board member and past president of the Saucon Valley Conservancy, Inc., founded in 1993

• Past board and advisory member of the Lower Saucon Township Historical Society

• Appointed by Northampton County Council to serve on the Northampton County Gaming Revenue and Economic Redevelopment Authority and was chosen as its Secretary (2010-2012)​

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Education/Career Overview

• Bangor Area High School

• Philadelphia General Hospital School of Radiologic Technology

• Employed for over twenty years as a radiologic technologist in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas

• Member of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. (Retired - radiography)

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