February has arrived, bringing us one month closer to the spring of 2026. With the record-setting cold this winter, I’m sure I’m not the only one in town looking forward to consistently warmer weather.

As I mentioned last month, I had the honor of appearing on WFMZ’s show “Business Matters” with Tony Iannelli, which we taped Dec. 10, 2025, and was broadcast Jan. 26. Appearing with three other mayors on the panel, we had an enjoyable round-robin talk, discussing our world as mayors and the current issues we encounter.

Unfortunately, due to the restraints of sharing time with three other guests, I couldn’t extol all of the wonderful assets and resources we have here in Northampton. So, here’s a list of “The Things I Would Have Loved To Mention on ‘Business Matters’” should I have had the time.

Our Atlas Cement Company Memorial Museum is the only museum in the country dedicated to the cement industry, our local cement mills and the men and women who worked there. Our treasured history rides on the back of these workers, led by the Atlas Cement Company, which provided the cement for the Panama Canal and Empire State Building, to name a few sites.

Our police department continues to expand its community outreach programs, providing child ID cards during the Uptown Street Fair, the spring fishing derby and the upcoming bike run this spring.

We have one of the largest and best-trained volunteer fire departments in the Lehigh Valley, always providing the highest level of community service.

We host a plethora of entertaining community events throughout the year, including Community Days, the Uptown Street Fair, the Hometown Holiday Festival, Paw Prints on the Canal, the Jack Frost Parade, movies in the park and the upcoming mayor’s bike run led by the police department bike patrol.

Our Northampton Area Food Bank and the high school’s food pantry provide hundreds of meals and food staples to those lacking these basic necessities, helping to greatly reduce their hunger anxiety.

Our public works department diligently works to continually keep our aging infrastructure in shape, the parks clean and green and our streets safe and passable during our unpredictable winter weather.

We have a borough council dedicated to the safety and ever-improved quality of life for us here, maximizing your tax dollars to better the borough.

You have a mayor who’s very proud of this town and fully committed to being your best ambassador possible, always looking ahead on how we can “build a better Northampton.”

As Iannelli jokingly mentioned during the show, “I talk too much.” When your town gives you this much to talk about, you just can’t help yourself. I love to talk about Northampton. This town gives me so much material to brag about, respectfully of course, that I know I won’t run out of topics anytime soon.

I’ve mentioned before, the more I talk with other mayors and town managers across the state, I’m reminded of how good we have it here in Northampton. I hear of many obstacles these towns have to overcome, ones that we have no idea even exist because of our good planning and implementation. Yes, we still have plenty of room for improvements, but they’re in the line of making the good we have better, not starting from scratch.

Should you want to see the show, just go to the WFMZ website, hit the Business tab, then Business Matters. The list of shows will appear with Our Thriving Towns and Municipalities at the top of the list. Enjoy the show!

For the Herculean effort and 12-hour shifts they put in after this last extensive snowfall, a big thank you goes out to our public works department for the job they performed. It was not an easy task, nor was everyone happy with the time it took to clear their streets, but remember, we do have nearly 30 miles of roadway within the borough.

I do appreciate the patience that was shown by most of you, understanding the scope of this task and all the problems such large snowfall presents. We’ll continue to improve and do better, as best we may.

In the meantime, stay warm, Northampton!