EASTON, Pa. — An Easton City Council member has taken a position on a statewide nonprofit that advocates for third-class cities, and through his participation is already looking to make an impact.
Frank Pintabone, who took office this year and was sworn in just a few weeks back, has accepted a seat on the Pennsylvania Municipal League, which “strengthens and empowers effective local government through advocacy, education, and support for our members.”
Mayor Sal Panto Jr. announced Pintabone’s appointment to the PML’s general assembly, along with their legislative committee and community development and infrastructure committee, at city council’s Jan. 24 meeting.
Panto said the PML is “very, very important to us,” as well as other municipalities across the commonwealth, as the organization provides assistance with legislative advocacy, education and training.
The organization also provides a valuable resource in fostering connections between municipalities and other institutions that can benefit them, such as in August 2023, when the PML helped promote the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s request for proposals for mixed-use development projects aimed at third class cities – something that might benefit Easton.
Before he even had a seat at the table, Pintabone received an introduction to the PML when he attended a conference hosted by the group at Wind Creek in October 2023.
“I took in every session I could,” Pintabone said. “I picked the ones that I thought were most important to the city of Easton, like the affordable housing breakout session, secure public safety, things like that. I met with different council members from all over the state, different mayors, different business managers. And you learn different things, what's happening in different places, you network with people and try to build relationships.”
According to Pintabone, one of the most valuable lessons he has learned from Panto — the two are Democrats — is to build strong relationships with other officials in order to help streamline the process of securing grants, outreach, and other amenities.
Pintabone said he is looking to soak up all the knowledge he can from conferences and routine interactions with other PML members, with the hope that he can apply some of it to the workings in Easton.
Panto has emphasized that lobbying is an integral element of the PML, one which he hopes Pintabone will be able to utilize to secure grant funding for Easton. In particular, the mayor has indicated procuring radar for the city’s police force could help increase pedestrian safety.
“The hardest thing right now is making the streets safe for people to walk and bike, because it's terrible,” Panto said.
“For me, it's all about bettering the city of Easton. And if I can help other municipalities throughout the commonwealth on the way, sharing some things that we're doing that's working, like we did in working with the showers, I'm all for it."Easton City Councilmember Frank Pintabone
PML members have been strong advocates for the use of radar, citing, “Radar is acknowledged by law enforcement personnel as the safest, most accurate and efficient speed timing device. Despite this fact, Pennsylvania is the only state in the country that does not allow for the local use of radar. As a result, speeding on neighborhood roads is consistently the most common concern voiced by our constituents.”
With Pintabone’s participation, the PML and its membership may be able to help Easton overcome the hurdles in order to attain a radar system.
And while the new council member can certainly help his hometown by fostering relationships that benefit Easton, he is also very interested in sharing the city’s successes with other municipalities to spread the love.
Pintabone noted he was able to meet with Reading Mayor Eddie Moran during the PML conference, where they bonded over discussions concerning the homeless population in their respective areas.
“I was talking about Easton and I mentioned to them about the showers that [Greater] Shiloh [Church] was doing in the parking lot with the portable showers. They were very happy to hear that they were so interested,” Pintabone said.
As it happens, the team had some spare time during a networking session, and they were able to visit the shower site with Panto and Moran’s chief of staff.
“They got to see our unhoused population, our people in need, use the showers, they got to speak to some people, they got to speak to people from Shiloh,” Pintabone said, adding the officials were thankful to see such a successful program in action.
In fact, Reading may be looking into a similar program for their own homeless population in the near future, Pintabone noted.
Pintabone said he is looking forward to building fruitful relationships in his new position, and is eager to bring innovation to Easton while helping other municipalities improve as well.
“For me, it's all about bettering the city of Easton. And if I can help other municipalities throughout the commonwealth on the way, sharing some things that we're doing that's working, like we did in working with the showers, I'm all for it,” Pintabone said.
