Bethlehem Press

For the first time this year members of the Fountain Hill Borough Council had to call to order an executive session. The executive session was held in private before the council meeting, and outcomes were made public after the session was over. On Feb. 4, Mayor Jose Rosado announced that during the executive meeting all members of the council had come to a unanimous decision. The mayor, on behalf of the council, decided to terminate officer Grady Cunningham for conduct unbecoming of an officer.

A snow day taken Jan. 28 has impacted this year's Saucon Valley School District calendar.

Saucon Valley School Board members approved changing the district calendar. The board decided Feb. 12 to change June 10 to a full day of school and June 12 as an early dismissal.

In other business, the board decided to reserve its March 12 meeting for budget discussions.

Lehigh County Commissioner Scott Ott announced his candidacy for Lehigh County Executive in front of a room full of supporters at the Hamilton Family Restaurant, Jan. 24.

Ott, a Republican, is one of a new breed of politicians, who see a greatly reduced role for government in the future.

Currently, Ott is the only declared candidate for the Executive position.

City Councilwoman Karen Dolan has announced she will run for a third term.

"I love the work, and I believe my role on council is important," Dolan said in a statement. "A lot of people recognize my name for environmental and historic preservation work, but on council, I advocate for all quality of life issues: safe streets and walkable neighborhoods, maintained parks and job-producing economic development, reasonable tax rates and the highest quality city services we can afford."

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pa. and Emeril's Restaurants have partnered to present a unique Girl Scout cookie based dessert experience at Emeril's three restaurants housed in the Sands Bethlehem Casino Resort. Emeril's Chop House, Emeril's Italian Table and Emeril's Burgers and More will each feature specific desserts through March 3 at a $7 price point.

Northampton County council members had opposing reasons for declining a $700 gift from the county executive. By an 8-0 vote, council refused John Stoffa's $700 donation to the county's Department of Fiscal Affairs. Councilman John Cusick was absent from the Feb. 7 meeting.

While some council members viewed Stoffa's intent as a kind gesture that could not be accepted, others saw it as a ploy to absolve himself from guilt, and still others saw it not as a gift but as a reimbursement for misuse of taxpayer money.

During a special meeting Feb. 11, Bethlehem Area School Board members voted to approve a preliminary budget for 2013-14 by a 6-2 vote, with Basilio Bonilla Jr. and Irene Follweiler dissenting.

Lawyer and Democrat Juan P. Camacho has announced his candidacy for a seat on the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners. Camacho is running to represent the voters in District 3 which includes East and South Side Allentown, West Bethlehem, Catasauqua, Fountain Hill and Hanover Township.

Camacho is an attorney for Fries Law Office in the City of Allentown where he resides. Camacho is currently a member of the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board and serves on several nonprofit boards, including Casa Guadalupe Center, Renew Lehigh Valley and the Bar Association of Lehigh County.

Northampton County native Christen T. Borso has announces her run for one of five of the county at-large council seats.

Borso is a Liberty HS class of 1987 graduate. She graduated from NCC in 1991. Since then, she has devoted her time to starting and growing two small businesses here in the Lehigh Valley.

Mayor John Callahan gave his ninth and last state of the city address to a crowd of friends and officials at ArtsQuest SteelStacks the morning of Feb. 14.

After a decade, he said he felt compelled to compare today's hard truths with his own optimism from 2004, but that Bethlehem has made better improvements and a more transformative recovery from its industrial past than any other city in the region.