I can’t think of a business more emblematic of New Bethlehem, and more influential in the up and coming Southside business district, than Homebase Skateshop. Andy Po is a skilled businessman and advocate for the city’s youth culture. He has the ear of a lot of people who are not deeply engaged in city politics, so his endorsement and engagement with the Willie Reynolds campaign has the potential to bring out some new voters. It’ll take some work to turn the youngs into a real political coalition, but I’m glad to see Andy getting it started by reminding folks that it took sustained engagement with city politics to get the Skateplaza built:
Dear friends & supporters,
I am writing you on behalf of my friend, J. Willie Reynolds who will be running in the Primary Election for Mayor of Bethlehem this year. Willie and I have known each other since I moved to Bethlehem from San Diego when we attended Liberty High School. Willie played basketball while I skated in the courtyard outside the gym during the games. Even though we ran with different crowds at Liberty he was always supportive and open minded to what I did. By the time we graduated in 1999, I was proud to call Willie a friend.
Fast forward to Homebase Skateshop opening and all the years of pushing to get Bethlehem to build a skatepark for the kids in the community, Willie and I reconnected. Willie served on the City Council of Bethlehem- still does too. Every time I found myself in front of City Council talking about the benefits of skateparks, Willie was up there making sure everyone knew he too supported the idea. Every time he was asked by the press if he thought it was a good idea for the City to build the skateplaza, he gave his approval. Every time we had an milestone event that got us a step closer to the skateplaza opening, Willie was there to support. He has played a big role in getting the Bethlehem Skateplaza built for me, my business, my friends and generations of skaters to come. The community wasn’t always as opened minded about skateboarding as it is now. There were times where his vote to keep progress going on the skateplaza kept the dream alive.
But it’s not just about skateboarding, it’s about keeping the momentum moving forward with the same kind of forward thinking that we have seen in the City of Bethlehem. Forward thinking that brings about progress and growth to our community and the local economy. If you know me, you know I am not a political person but I have witnessed the condition of our City improve, our local business community grow and the quality of my life enriched under the lead of forward thinking leaders. I believe Willie Reynolds can be that type of leader.
Regardless if you live and vote in the City of Bethlehem, if you have seen the benefits the Bethlehem Skateplaza has done for us, please come out to Willie’s Campaign Kick-Off on February 21st at the Comfort Suites from 5:30-7:30pm and shake his hand.
Thank you,
Andrew Po Homebase Skateshop
Nice testament – not just to Willie, but to the City itself and the direction it’s headed.
Certainly not a time to implement anything this blog advocates.
I want the same things as Willie and Andy. This blog is about how to create a deeper more durable market for all the stuff everybody already likes about Bethlehem.
No, you want to destroy what makes Bethlehem special and remake it completely.
Connecticut man. They need you.
What’s behind Bethlehem’s turnaround in recent years is that people finally began to understand that competing with the suburbs on suburban terms is a mug’s game. Public policy changes have worked to the extent that they’ve gone all-in on Bethlehem being a city, and doing what cities are good at – creating deep markets for service businesses, entertainment and walkable housing. That is what they need to do more of going forward. Everything you like about Bethlehem stems from this.
You subscribe to the theories, “If a little is good, then a lot is going to be fucking great!” and “I don’t want to wait for anything, my mom told me I was special so fuck you I want it now.”
Both sound wonderful, but neither works too well in practice.
Yes, I do believe more infill development, population growth and reduction in car dependence is going to be great for Bethlehem. It’s not “theory”, this practice is paying off for forward-thinking cities all over the country.
Done over time, not all at once, work into it, earn it, etc. That’s what will make it work.
Your plan to do everything at once would destroy a great city.
Obviously this stuff takes time, and has to go through the sausage making process. I’m laying out the agenda for the next few decades.
Actually no, you stated a week or so ago that this was your agenda for the next 4 years.
Yes, people should get started on some of this stuff within the next 4 years. Obviously not all of it can get started, and not all of it can be completed. No contradiction.
Just getting around to reading this now Jon. Thanks for the repost and the kind words. Hopefully, over time- just like with the skateplaza- we’ll continue to see more positive changes in Bethlehem. In a way, I’m glad it took the 10 years to get the City to understand the idea and then build it because we could have been in the same spot as other cities who just built any old piece of crap skatepark to shut the kids up. Thankfully our city had the vision to understand the benefits of reinvesting in this demographic of the youth.