Advocates for the bill banning conversion or restorative therapy for minors in the jurisdiction of the City of Bethlehem were happy when City Council voted 6 – 0 (Councilman Michael Colon was absent) to pass the bill.

“You are the 17th municipality in Pennsylvania to pass a similar ordinance,” said Adrian Shanker, a leader in the LGBT community. He is the founder and executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown. He serves on the advisory board for Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity among other responsibilities.

City council members also spoke in support of the popular bill.

“People in this room are empowered to get up and support” members of the LGBT community, said Councilman William Reynolds.

“It (conversion therapy for minors) will not happen in our community,” said Bethlehem City Council President Adam Waldron.

“I’m proud of City Council,” said Councilman Bryan Callahan. “We are one of the most progressive communities in Pennsylvania.”

“Among the Latino community,” said Councilwoman Olga Negrón, “this is huge.”

Negrón also proposed a resolution for Pennsylvania legislators to decriminalize marijuana within the state. City Council recently passed such legislation. In her letter to members of the City Council, she said, “I believe it imperative that we follow up with a (sic) resolution to our state legislators to let them know about our (sic) ordinance and urge them to move forward with a statewide decriminalization of marijuana.”

Other business

The federal tariffs on steel and aluminum have resulted in the city approving a transfer of $50,000 earmarked for street overlays to a new account for the Broad Street and Main Street traffic signal upgrade. The money will offset the increased cost of steel and aluminum for the project.

Council also added a proposed ordinance regarding fireworks to its agenda that will prohibit the use of “consumer fireworks” in the city between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

During open public comments Marcus Laurence, a member of the Wild Creek Watershed Coalition, urged council to “authorize an independent study to analyze more thoroughly the environmental impacts of the proposed industrial wind project to the Wild Creek Watershed, Bethlehem’s primary source of drinking water.”

The Carbon County-based Wild Creek Watershed Coalition “opposes the wind project because its research shows there are numerous negative environmental and community impacts” accord to a letter submitted to council. The “wind project” referred amounts to wind-powered electricity generating turbines.

Pastor Larry Vandever from the Coalition for Feral Cats of Lehigh Valley wants Bethlehem to adopt a trap, neuter or spray and return (TNR) policy for the city’s feral cats. Vandever offered a passionate defense for the local wild or feral cat population likening their lethal extermination to “murder.”

He said he would work for free as an animal control officer if the city would “end its ‘ostrich syndrome’ and adopt TNR.