The members of the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce laughed a lot last week.

The occasion was the second annual Chamber Mayoral Luncheon Feb. 14. Speakers included Northampton Mayor Thomas Reenock, Whitehall Mayor Edward Hozza Jr., Coplay Mayor Joseph Bundra, Catasauqua Mayor Barbara Schlegel and Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski.

The mayors were invited to give a short speech highlighting their respective municipalities. Several of the speeches were infused with humor.

"I want to thank Ed Hozza," said Bundra, who gave the first speech. "Ever since they shut down the Hokendauqua-North Catty Bridge, it causes so much more traffic going through Coplay."

The first week the bridge was shut down, a tractor trailer followed the detour into Coplay and, while trying to make a turn, wiped out the traffic light, he said.

"It wiped out everything. It wiped out street lights, it wiped out poles, It wiped out signs," Bundra said. "So, again, Ed [Hozza], thank you."

Bundra said 2013 will be a good year for Coplay.

"We will have all our handicap curb cuts put in place. And that's a good thing," he said. "I don't think Whitehall can say that yet."

Reenock, whose humorous speech last year earned him the moniker "the comic" from chamber Executive Laura Long, also ribbed Hozza because of the construction. While talking about Northampton, he tried to give directions to those not familiar with the borough.

"This is very simple. Just follow the construction signs that these guys put up by closing the bridge down, doing the road," he said. "Ed [Hozza]'s got all [Route] 145 goofed up. We have to send them down through Emmaus."

Reenock spoke after Pawlowski, whose comments had been serious. Pawlowski spoke about the city's police department and how, after a third of the officers retired in 2006, the force is back up to a full complement of officers.

Northampton had been short two officers for two years. Recently, the vacant positions were filled, bringing the force up to a full complement of 12 officers.

"There's a slight problem though ... One [officer] went out with a bad shoulder. One went out with a [bad] knee. And I have another one on vacation," Reenock said. "I'm not gonna get technical. I'm just glad we have a force."

Pawlowski had also discussed the city's quest to find "innovative solutions" to its financial problems. One of those solutions was to sell bonds.

"We went the same path," Reenok said. "My council wanted to sell the whole borough."

While highlighting the positive events of the past year, Reenock told the audience about the Chinese visitors who came to see the Atlas Cement Memorial Museum.

Bundra brought over a rare train light with the intent of donating it to the museum.

"His timing was a little off, though," said Reenock. Museum Curator Ed Pany saw Bundra come in with the bag, "outmaneuvered" him and gave the light away to the Chinese delegation, Reenock said.

"So now they have our antique which was supposed to really shine up our museum," said Reenock. "I'm selling tickets for airplane rides if you want to go see it over in China because it's at their museum."

Schlegel's speech was also serious, but Reenock got the audience laughing by telling a story about her.

"There is a mayor here who was locked out of her office," he said. "I told her kick the door down. That's what I did."

Although Hozza's speech was also serious, he did joke about Reenock, with whom he recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby federal legislators to better control illegal guns.

The trip involved a lot of walking, which was difficult for Reenock, who has two artificial knees.

"How many times did you have to go through the scanner, Tom?" Hozza asked.

"Too many," replied Reenock from the table.

Hozza described trying to get around Washington and finally reaching their destination, the office of Congressman Charlie Dent.

"After spending the day with Tom, I walked in and asked the chief of staff if I could have asylum," Hozza said.