- Responsible Solutions for Pennsylvania, a New York-based super PAC, is sending out campaign materials before the Lower Saucon Township Council race
- The political committee has encouraged the township to vote Republican or face a tax increase, spending over $26,000 to put that message on mailers
- The super PAC's chairperson is a government affairs manager with the Bethlehem Landfill's parent company that's based out of Texas
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, Pa. — Responsible Solutions for Pennsylvania, a political action committee out of Westchester County, New York, that's over two hours away from Lower Saucon, is once again funneling money into the township council race in support of the Republican potentials.
The committee has paid over $26,000 to Fulcrum Campaign Strategies out of Tampa, Florida, to pull together materials to be distributed throughout Lower Saucon, according to recent public finance filings.
That includes $8,000 in “Get Out The Vote Efforts” and printing, $7,500 in digital advertising, $7,500 in political consulting and $3,283 for door hangers. That payment was made during the third week of October.
A recent mailer from Responsible Solutions for PA said the closing of the Bethlehem Landfill would cause Lower Saucon residents to face a doubling of taxes or potentially take a cut in emergency services if residents didn’t vote Republican in the upcoming election.
The supported Republican slate includes Mark Inglis, current council vice president and Bethlehem Landfill supporter; incumbent member Sandra Yerger, who voted against a key rezoning measure back in August related to a potential expansion of the dump; as well as newcomer Susan Blair, who's voiced some support for the landfill as a township revenue source.
Every member of that slate has agreed they’ve never made contact with Responsible Solutions for PA, nor have they accepted any money from the Bethlehem Landfill or any associated group.
A pre-primary filing from Responsible Solutions for PA shows a $15,000 contribution from Bethlehem Landfill’s parent company, Waste Connections, which is based in The Woodlands, Texas.
Along with that, the same document shows expenditures in the amounts of $13,066 for campaign mailings and text messaging, $3,359 for ”Campaign Letter” and postage, as well as $2,550 for “GOTV Telephone Calls and Telephone List.” Those came from Mercury Public Affairs, a company listed under the same address as the one that developed the 2023 campaign materials.
The contributions and expenditures were dated in the documents as from Jan. 21-26, 2022, a couple of months following the outcome of the former Lower Saucon Council election.
Responsible Solutions for PA, NY
WLVR has previously reported Responsible Solutions for PA funding upwards of $75,000 for similar materials during Lower Saucon’s last race. Other Lehigh Valley media sources have published that the committee had put upwards of $95,000 into a 2015 township election.
Andrew Moss is listed as the super PAC’s chairperson on an official political committee registration statement. He’s also the Northeast Division government affairs manager for Waste Connections.
Moss said Responsible Solutions for PA operates “to keep taxes low and quality of life high” for the people of Lower Saucon.
“Responsible Solutions for Pennsylvania agrees with the majority of citizens in Lower Saucon Township who are in favor of fully funding the police, supporting local schools and charities and preserving the land for future generations,” Moss wrote in an emailed statement.
A super PAC is an “expenditure-only” political committee that can bring in unlimited money from individuals, corporations, unions, and other PACs to support political activity — but it can't donate to a candidate's campaign directly.
“Responsible Solutions for Pennsylvania agrees with the majority of citizens in Lower Saucon Township who are in favor of fully funding the police, supporting local schools and charities and preserving the land for future generations."Andrew Moss, chairperson for Responsible Solutions of PA and Northeast Division government affairs manager for Waste Connections
Some residents see these financial contributions as a way of “buying the election” and later getting the proper votes to keep the landfill open and bringing in revenue for the township. Moss didn’t address a question sent that asked for his input on this particular feedback from the public.
A similar situation is happening in upstate New York, where a committee known as “Responsible Solutions for New York” has invested in campaign materials supporting Republican candidates in advance of the Seneca Falls Town Board election, according to the Finger Lakes Times.
Moss also is reported to be the owner of that political committee’s domain name.
The town’s landfill, Seneca Meadows, is the largest in New York State, and there’s been discussions about an expansion of its own that would extend the dump’s lifespan to 2040.
Getting you up to speed on the landfill
Back in August, Lower Saucon Council approved rezoning measures to change 275 acres of farmland near the landfill into a light industrial area, also allowing landfill uses by right instead of by a special exception as typically required.
This would include 86 acres of new disposal footprint near the Lehigh River, as opposed to the previously proposed 117 acres in the plans submitted to the township back in 2022. It’s said by officials that this expansion would add about two decades to the dump’s useful lifespan.
The township planning commission last week approved preliminary plans for the expansion, and landfill officials also can apply for its required permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection. That permitting process could take three to five years, landfill officials have said.
But before any final development plans can be submitted to the township, a pending lawsuit from residents opposing the expansion must be resolved.
The landfill's financial impact on Lower Saucon
At the previously mentioned meeting in August, Council President Jason Banonis presented a “Facts vs. Speculation” presentation regarding the landfill’s role in township revenue.
Banonis said the Bethlehem Landfill provides about 30% of the township budget annually, bringing in about $2.6 million last year. That placed it just behind earned income tax as Lower Saucon’s second-highest revenue source.
If the landfill ever closed, the township would stop pulling in that money and be put in a $5 million swing, while also raising taxes, Banonis said.
That presentation, at one point, was listed on the township’s website.
The current proposed township budget for 2024 shows $2.3 million in host fees expected to come from the Bethlehem Landfill.
The opposing Democratic slate in this coming election has described particular parts of that previously mentioned presentation as “misleading,” saying the township has breathing room within its reserve funds to find other avenues to replace landfill funding if ever needed.
The three Democrats have published a rebuttal to that presentation on its Saucon Valley Together website.
