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Dinner, Reelection Campaign of Mayor Gordon Payrow, Bethlehem, PA, September 22, 1969
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Dinner, Reelection Campaign of Mayor Gordon Payrow, Bethlehem, PA, September 22, 1969
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The original documents are located in Box D27, folder "Dinner, Reelection Campaign of
Mayor Gordon Payrow, Bethlehem, PA, September 22, 1969" of the Ford Congressional
Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D27 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary
and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
FORD is LIBRARY 03480
People and Payrow Dinner
SEPTEMBER 22, 1969
6:00 COCKTAILS
People and Payrow Dinner Menu
7:15 DINNER
Invocation by DR. RAYMOND S. HAUPERT
CHILLED MELON BALLS
President Emeritus Moravian College
RELISHES
ROLLS AND BUTTER
8:30 PROGRAM
Toastmaster - FRANK R. BARNAKO
ROAST PRIME RIBS OF BEEF AU JUS
Speaker - THE HONORABLE GERALD R. FORD
Minority Leader
ASPARAGUS POLONAISE
SWEET POTATO A L'ORANGE
of the House of Representatives
Remarks - THE HONORABLE H. GORDON PAYROW
LETTUCE AND TOMATO
Mayor
City of Bethlehem
CHOICE OF DRESSING
GLACE AUX CERISES
DINNER MUSIC
by
MATT GILLESPIE
BEVERAGE
People and Payrow Dinner Committee
MR. JOHN A. HESKE
MR. JOHN F. NASH
Chairmen
MR. ROBERT H. HOLLAND
MR. AND MRS. LEON McGEADY
MRS. BERNARD COHEN
DR. AND MRS. F. F. MEILICKE
MR. SAMUEL BLACK
MR. FRANCIS B. GOODWIN
MR. GORDON J. ALLAN
MR. AND MRS. DOUGLAS C. PAUL
MR. JAMES E. RAY
MRS. RICHARD L. AMENT, JR.
DR. AND MRS. JOSEPH N. CORRIERE
MRS. FRED T. BEES
MRS. WILLIAM H. MEUB
MR. AND MRS. EDWARD A. GILBERT
MR. AND MRS. THOMAS L. JACOB
MR. AND MRS. THOMAS H. B. BOOTHE, JR.
DINNER LAUNCHING THE REELECTION CAMPAIGN OF
MAYOR GORDON PAYROW, AT 7 P.M., MONDAY, SEPT.
22, 1969, AT THE HOTEL BETHLEHEM, BETHLEHEM,
PA.
How. threat american Isle
GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
I FEEL SO FLATTERED BY THAT MARVELOUS
INTRODUCTION THAT I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO HEAR
WHAT I AM GOING TO SAY.
SERIOUSLY, IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE HERE.
ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT A CITY THIS
SIZE IS THAT YOU CAN DRIVE DOWNTOWN IN ABOUT
FIVE MINUTES AND BACK HOME IN ABOUT THE SAME
TIME.
YOU KNOW, THEY TALK ABOUT LEISURE TIME
TODAY AND WHAT A PROBLEM IT IS TO MAKE GOOD
USE OF IT. LEISURE TIME IS NO PROBLEM IN A
METROPOLITAN AREA LIKE WASHINGTON, D.C. IN
WASHINGTON, WE USE IT ALL UP GETTING TO AND
FROM WORK.
WASHINGTON IS A UNIQUE CITY. IT'S THE
-2-
ONLY CAPITAL IN THE WORLD WHERE A FELLOW
MAKING $30,000 A YEAR AND SITTING IN A PLUSH
OFFICE CAN PICK UP A RINGING TELEPHONE AND
ANSWER: "POVERTY.. MAY I HELP YOU?"
MAYBE YOU' RE WONDERING WHAT CONGRESSMAN
JERRY FORD IS DOING HERE HELPING TO KICK OFF
MAYOR PAYROW'S CAMPAIGN FOR REELECTION.
THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE. I BELIEVE IN
GOOD GOVERNMENT AND I BELIEVE GOOD GOVERNMENT
BEGINS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. I BELIEVE YOU'VE
BEEN GETTING GOOD GOVERNMENT, AND I'D LIKE TO
SEE THAT CONTINUE. I BELIEVE THAT STRONG
LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS THE FOUNDATION OF A
DYNAMIC FEDERAL SYSTEM. I BELIEVE THAT A
NATION IS NO STRONGER THAN THE SUM TOTAL OF
ALL ITS PARTS -- THE SUM TOTAL OF ITS LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS AND ALL ITS PEOPLE.
FROM WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT GORDON
PAYROW AND ABOUT BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA
SINCE I BECAME DIRECTLY INTERESTED IN MAYOR
-3-
PAYROW'S REELECTION CAMPAIGN, THE PEOPLE OF
BETHLEHEM ARE VERY FORTUNATE INDEED. IF
EVERY COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES HAD THE
STRENGTHS OF BETHLEHEM, PA. -- HAD THE KIND
OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT AND THE KIND OF
PROGRESS YOU HAVE ENJOYED UNDER THE
LEADERSHIP OF GORDON PAYROW -- I WOULD HAVE
NO FEARS FOR THE FUTURE OF AMERICA.
NEARLY 10 MONTHS AGO, I ADDRESSED THE
STATE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS OF THE UNITED
STATES AT THEIR ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN HONOLULU.
I TALKED WITH THEM ABOUT THE TERRIBLE COMPLEX
OF PROBLEMS WHICH HAS COME TO BE DESCRIBED AS
THE URBAN CRISIS. I SPOKE OF THE PRESSING
NEEDS THAT ARE CRUSHING AMERICAN CITIES, IN
WHICH TWO-THIRDS OF ALL OUR CITIZENS LIVE.
TONIGHT LET ME SAY THAT THE CHANCES OF
SOLVING OUR URBAN PROBLEMS ARE FAR BETTER IN
A SMALLER CITY LIKE BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA,
THAN IN A DECAYED METROPOLIS WHERE CONDITIONS
HAVE SO DETERIORATED AS TO BE ALMOST BEYOND
-4-
REDEMPTION.
I HAVE BEEN STUDYING YOUR CITY.
I
HAVE MADE IT A POINT TO LEARN EVERYTHING IT
IS POSSIBLE FOR ME TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR
COMMUNITY. PERHAPS I SEE YOUR CITY EVEN BETTER
THAN SOME OF THE TOWNSPEOPLE, BECAUSE THEY
ARE TOO CLOSE TO IT.
YOU OF COURSE HAVE PROBLEMS, MANY
PROBLEMS, BUT YOU LIVE IN A FINE TOWN. TAKE
A GOOD LOOK AT YOUR TOWN -- THE TOWN THAT
GORDON PAYROW HAS BEEN RUNNING UNDER YOUR
MAYOR-COUNCIL FORM OF GOVERNMENT SINCE 1962.
YOU HAVE THE FASTEST GROWING CITY IN
PENNSYLVANIA, THE INDUSTRIAL HUB OF THE
LEHIGH VALLEY.
YOUR PROPERTY TAX RATE OF 12 AND ONE-
HALF MILLS IS THE LOWEST REAL ESTATE LEVY OF
PENNSYLVANIA'S 52 CITIES. YOUR WATER RATE IS
THE SECOND LOWEST.
Bur. of 2nt. Rw. -
I'll write any place 2 please
YOUR PER CAPITA INCOME IS THE HIGHEST
-5-
AMONG PENNSYLVANIA 49 THIRD-CLASS CITIES.
YOUR TOTAL PAYROLL LAST YEAR WAS $341
MILLION.
NEW CONSTRUCTION IN YOUR TOWN WAS THE
THIRD HIGHEST IN DOLLAR VALUE IN THE STATE IN
THREE OF THE LAST SIX YEARS.
YOU'VE HAD VERY LITTLE RACIAL TROUBLE.
UNDER GORDON PAYROW'S LEADERSHIP, YOU
HAVE BUILT A NEW FOUR-BUILDING MUNICIPAL
GOVERNMENT COMPLEX COSTING A TOTAL OF $11.5
MILLION.
YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE SECOND
LARGEST IN THE STATE, BOASTS MANY MODERN
FACILITIES, INCLUDING A RECENTLY BUILT SECOND
HIGH SCHOOL.
YOU HAVE A FINE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL
SYSTEM, INCLUDING A HANDSOME NEW CATHOLIC
HIGH SCHOOL.
YOUR TOWN IS THE HOME OF THE WORLD-
FAMOUS BETHLEHEM BACH CHOIR, OUTSTANDING
INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING, TWO
-6-
HOSPITALS, THREE NEW LIBRARIES AND 81 CHURCHES.
THE AVERAGE VALUE OF SINGLE FAMILY
HOMES IN YOUR TOWN IS THE HIGHEST IN
PENNSYLVANIA.
YOUR LOCAL REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IS A
MODEL FOR THE STATE AND HAS ALREADY ELIMINATED
THE ONLY SUBSTANDARD HOUSING AREAS IN YOUR
CITY.
HISTORIC BETHLEHEM, INC. IS ABOUT TO
BEGIN A MAMMOTH RESTORATION OF YOUR CITY'S
RICH HISTORICAL RESOURCES.
BETHLEHEM STEEL HAS MOVED ITS
corporate Nacis are localed
in
CORPORATION OFFICES TO YOUR TOWN AND SOME
WEEKS AGO BEGAN CONSTRUCTING A NEW 23-STORY
OFFICE BUILDING, WITH A TWIN FACILITY PLANNED
FOR ABOUT 1975.
UNDER WHOSE LEADERSHIP HAVE YOU
EXPERIENCED ALL THIS PROGRESS? THAT'S RIGHT.
MAYOR GORDON PAYROW'S. HE IS SYMBOLIC OF
THAT SPECIAL SPIRIT YOU HAVE HERE IN BETHLEHEM
-7-
-- THAT SPIRIT THAT SAYS, "WE'LL MAKE IT
WORK."
MAYOR PAYROW IS THE EMBODIMENT OF THE
SENSE OF COMMUNITY YOU HAVE HERE IN BETHLEHEM
-- THE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTARISM THAT IS SO
NECESSARY IF A COMMUNITY IS TO SOLVE ITS
PROBLEMS.
YOU HAVEN'T SOLVED ALL OF YOUR PROBLEMS.
OF COURSE NOT. BUT YOU CAN POINT TO
TREMENDOUS ACHIEVEMENTS IN BETHLEHEM, AND A
LOOK AT MAYOR PAYROW'S RECORD OF PUBLIC
SERVICE GIVES AN OUTSIDER LIKE ME PLENTY OF
INSIGHT INTO WHY THOSE ACHIEVEMENTS WERE
POSSIBLE.
MAYOR PAYROW HAS GIVEN THIS CITY HONEST
GOVERNMENT, EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT, ECONOMICAL
GOVERNMENT AND EXCELLENT SERVICE.
ECONOMY HAS BEEN THE WATCHWORD AS
MUNICIPAL PURCHASING WAS CENTRALIZED, A COST
RECORDING SYSTEM WAS ESTABLISHED FOR ALL CITY
-8-
DEPARTMENTS, AND A CENTRALIZED DUPLICATING
BUREAU WAS ESTABLISHED.
EFFICIENCY WAS THE AIM WHEN MAYOR
PAYROW ESTABLISHED A PERPETUAL INVENTORY
SYSTEM IN THE CITY STOREHOUSE.
CONTINUED GOOD SERVICE RESULTED WHEN
CITY EMPLOYES' MORALE WAS KEPT HIGH BY BASING
ALL CITY EMPLOYMENT AND PROMOTIONS ON MERIT,
AND BY ESTABLISHING A JOB CLASSIFICATION AND
INCREMENT PLAN FOR ALL CITY EMPLOYES. GOOD
SERVICE ALSO FLOWED FROM MAYOR PAYROW'S EFFORTS
TO UPGRADE CITY WORKERS THROUGH A VARIETY OF
TRAINING PROGRAMS AND COURSES.
EQUITY AND EFFICIENCY FOLLOWED FROM
MAYOR PAYROW'S LEADERSHIP IN THE EQUALIZATION
OF PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS AND CODIFICATION OF
ALL CITY ORDINANCES.
YOUR CITY IS FINANCIALLY SOUND UNDER
MAYOR PAYROW'S DIRECTION. MAYOR PAYROW HAS
LED BETHLEHEM OUT OF A DEFICIT IN 1961 TO AN
OPERATING SURPLUS OF $2 MILLION-PLUS FROM
-9-
1962 TO THE PRESENT. THAT'S THE REASON YOUR
CITY HAS A VERY STRONG DOUBLE-A CREDIT RATING
FROM STANDARD AND POOR'S AND AN "A" RATING
FROM MOODY. THIS IS THE BEST CREDIT RATING
BETHLEHEM HAS EVER ACHIEVED, AND IT CAME
ABOUT DURING MAYOR PAYROW'S ADMINISTRATION.
YOUR CITY HAS GROWN UNDER MAYOR PAYROW.
YOUR COMMUNITY HAS EXPANDED BY 1,229
APARTMENT UNITS SINCE 1962, AND HOMEOWNERS
HAVE SPENT NEARLY $6 MILLION TO IMPROVE THEIR
DWELLINGS HERE IN THE LAST DECADE.
YOUR CITY HAS BENEFITED THROUGH
IMPROVEMENTS IN YOUR PUBLIC WORKS, ELECTRICAL
AND FIRE BUREAUS. CAPITAL EQUIPMENT ACQUIRED
BY THOSE BUREAUS IN THE LAST SIX YEARS IS
VALUED AT NEARLY $420,000.
MAYOR PAYROW HAS BEEN DEEPLY CONCERNED
ABOUT THE HEALTH NEEDS OF BETHLEHEM'S
CITIZENS. YOUR BI-CITY HEALTH BUREAU -- THE
ONLY ONE IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA--
-10-
IS SOLID PROOF OF THAT.
MAYOR PAYROW HAS DEMONSTRATED HIS
ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN PLANNING FOR YOUR
CITY'S FUTURE AND IN BUILDING A GREATER
BETHLEHEM. BETHLEHEM IS FIRST IN THE STATE
OF PENNSYLVANIA IN FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS AMONG
THIRD-CLASS CITIES, AND MAYOR PAYROW HAS
ENLARGED YOUR PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT BUREAU
STAFF TO DRAW PLANS FOR BETHLEHEM'S FUTURE
GROWTH.
COLLECTION OF DATA FOR THE COMMUNITY
RENEWAL PROGRAM HAS BEEN STARTED.
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY HAVE FLOURISHED
HERE UNDER MAYOR PAYROW'S ADMINISTRATION.
THIS HAS BROUGHT A BROADER TAX BASE AND NEW
JOBS, WITH DEVELOPMENT OF THE BETHLEHEM RISK
CORP., A START ON THE SHELL BUILDING FOR
INDUSTRIAL GROWTH, AND THE OPENING OF EIGHT
NEW BANKS IN BETHLEHEM IN THE PERIOD 1961
-11-
THROUGH 1968.
YOURS IS A BUSTLING, BOOMING TOWN.
I
SHOULD THINK YOU WOULD BE TREMENDOUSLY PROUD
OF BETHLEHEM AND ALSO OF THE FINE MAYOR UNDER
WHOM ALL THIS PROGRESS HAS TAKEN PLACE. THERE
IS NO CAMPAIGN SLOGAN THAT RINGS MORE TRUE
THAN GORDON PAYROW'S. I JOIN WITH YOU IN
SAYING, "REELECT GORDON PAYROW AND KEEP THE
NEW BETHLEHEM MOVING."
NO, I AM NOT FINISHED. I HAVE MORE TO
TELL YOU -- MUCH MORE -- BUT I CAN ONLY TOUCH
ON PART OF IT.
AMONG THE CITY SERVICES MOST VALUED
BY PEOPLE ARE FIRE AND POLICE PROTECTION.
MAYOR PAYROW'S RECORD IS ONE OF CONSTANT
EFFORT TO IMPROVE FIRE AND POLICE PROTECTION
SERVICES. I HAVE CHECKED IT OVER. I WAS
PLEASED TO SEE THAT THREE NEW FIRE HOUSES
HAVE BEEN BUILT DURING MAYOR PAYROW'S
ADMINISTRATION, THE NUMBER OF POLICE AND
-12-
FIREMEN HAS BEEN INCREASED, AND THE NUMBER
OF POLICE NIGHT PATROLS HAS BEEN INCREASED.
HERE'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT FACTOR IN
HOLDING DOWN THE INCIDENCE OF CRIME. YOU
HAVE HAD A NEARLY 70 PERCENT INCREASE IN
STREET LIGHTING INSTALLATIONS SINCE 1961.
I WAS ALSO MUCH IMPRESSED THAT
BETHLEHEM UNDER MAYOR PAYROW WAS DECLARED THE
SAFEST CITY IN THE NATION BY THE NATIONAL
SAFETY COUNCIL. THAT'S THE KIND OF TOWN IN
WHICH TO RAISE YOUR CHILDREN.
I COULD LIST ALL OF THE PUBLIC WORKS
PROJECTS BUILT UNDER MAYOR PAYROW BUT I WAS
NEVER MUCH OF A WATERMAIN AND SEWER MAN. AS
A FORMER HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE ATHLETE, I'D
RATHER TALK ABOUT YOUR FINE RECREATION
FACILITIES -- YOUR TENNIS COURTS, BASKETBALL
COURTS AND ICE RINK AT SELL FIELD AND
DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEHIGH CANAL. AS A FATHER,
I VIEW WITH GREAT FAVOR YOUR TEENAGE
-13-
ENTERTAINMENT CENTER AT ILLICKS MILL, YOUR
SUMMER TEEN DANCES AT THE MUNICIPAL ICE RINK,
YOUR TEEN COFFEE HOUSE, AND THE EXPANSION OF
YOUR VARIOUS PARKS AND OTHER RECREATIONAL
FACILITIES.
I LOOK AT YOUR NEW BETHLEHEM, AND I
SAY TO YOU THAT THE PAYROW ADMINISTRATION HAS
RESTORED CIVIC PRIDE IN YOUR TOWN.
YOU PROBABLY RECALL THAT WHEN MAYOR
PAYROW WAS FIRST ELECTED IN 1961 HE CAME INTO
OFFICE AGAINST A BACKDROP OF INEFFICIENCY AND
CORRUPTION.
SINCE THAT TIME I UNDERSTAND THAT
BETHLEHEM HAS EXPERIENCED A VERITABLE
"RENAISSANCE"-- A REBIRTH SYMBOLIZED BY THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE MAGNIFICENT NEW CITY
CENTER. YOUR TOWN'S REBIRTH ALSO WAS ATTESTED
TO BY THE FACT THAT THOUSANDS ATTENDED YOUR
CITY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY TWO YEARS AGO.
-14-
I PERSONALLY FEEL CONFIDENT THAT YOU
WILL REELECT GORDON PAYROW AND THAT YOU WILL
KEEP THE NEW BETHLEHEM MOVING.
I SAY THAT BECAUSE I KNOW ALL OF YOU
LOVE YOUR TOWN. YOU HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT
BY BECOMING INVOLVED IN THE LIFE OF YOUR TOWN.
THE FACT THAT MAYOR PAYROW HAS A TASK FORCE
OF 177 VOLUNTEERS IS PROOF THAT THE CITIZENS
OF THIS CITY ARE CONCERNED. THE FACT THAT
YOU HAVE 21 BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS STAFFED BY
146 VOLUNTEERS SPEAKS OF THE FINE CITIZEN
INVOLVEMENT YOU HAVE HERE.
THIS IS THE CHALLENGE TODAY IN TOWNS
AND CITIES ACROSS THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF
AMERICA -- TO GET THE CITIZENS OF OUR
COMMUNITIES INVOLVED, TO MAKE THEM CARE.
WE MUST BUILD OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES IF
WE ARE GOING TO BUILD A GREATER AMERICA AND
GROW TO NEW GREATNESS AS A NATION AND A
PEOPLE.
-15-
I SAY TONIGHT THAT CITIZENS ACROSS
AMERICA MAY WELL LOOK TO BETHLEHEM,
PENNSYLVANIA, WITH ITS FINE RECORD OF
PROGRESS UNDER MAYOR PAYROW AND ITS GREAT
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT FOR LESSONS IN CIVIC
IMPROVEMENT.
AS FOR THE CITIZENS OF BETHLEHEM, THEY
NEED ONLY REDEDICATE THEMSELVES TO THE NEW
BETHLEHEM AND CONTINUE TO JOIN HANDS WITH
GORDON PAYROW TO KEEP THE NEW BETHLEHEM
MOVING. THANK YOU.
-END-
Distribution 20 copies Mr. Ford
M Office Copy
REMARKS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
REPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AT A DINNER LAUNCHING THE REFLECTION CAMPAIGN OF MAYOR GORDON PAYROW
AT THE HOTEL BETHLEHEM, BETHLEHEM, PA.
7 P.M. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1969
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen: I feel so flattered by that marvelous
introduction that I can hardly wait to hear what I am going to say.
Seriously, it's wonderful to be here. One of the great things about a city
this size is that you can drive downtown in about five minutes and back home in
about the same time.
You know, they talk about leisure time today and what a problem it is to make
good use of it. Leisure time is no problem in a metropolitan area like Washington,
D.C. In Washington, we use it all up getting to and from work.
Washington is a unique city. It's the only capital in the world where a
fellow making $30,000 a year and sitting in a plush office can pick up a ringing
telephone and answer: "Poverty. .may I help you?"
Maybe you're wondering what Congressman Jerry Ford is doing here helping to
kick off Mayor Payrow's campaign for reelection.
The answer is simple. I believe in good government and I believe good
government begins at the local level. I believe you've been getting good govern-
ment, and I'd like to see that continue. I believe that strong local government
is the foundation of a dynamic federal system. I believe that a nation is no
stronger than the sum total of all its parts -- the sum total of its local govern-
ments and all its people.
From what I have learned about Gordon Payrow and about Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
since I became directly interested in Mayor Payrow's reelection campaign, the people
of Bethlehem are very fortunate indeed. If every community in the United States
had the strengths of Bethlehem, Pa. -- had the kind of municipal government and the
kind of progress you have enjoyed under the leadership of Gordon Payrow -- I would
have no fears for the future of America.
Nearly 10 months ago, I addressed the state legislative leaders of the United
States at their annual conference in Honolulu. I talked with them about the
terrible complex of problems which has come to be described as the urban crisis.
I spoke of the pressing needs that are crushing American cities, in which two-
thirds of all our citizens live.
(more)
- 2 -
Tonight let me say that the chances of solving our urban problems are far
better in a smaller city like Bethlehem, Pa., than in a decayed metropolis where
conditions have so deteriorated as to be almost beyond redemption.
I have been studying your city. I have made it a point to learn everything
it is possible for me to know about your community. Perhaps I see your city even
better than some of the townspeople, because they are too close to it.
You, of course, have problems, many problems, but you live in a fine town.
Take a good look at your town -- the town that Gordon Payrow has been running
under your Mayor-Council form of government since 1962.
You have the fastest growing city in Pennsylvania, the industrial hub of the
LeHigh Valley.
Your property tax rate of 12½¹/2 mills is the lowest real estate levy of
Pennsylvania's 52 cities. Your water rate is the second lowest.
Your per capita income is the highest among Pennsylvania's 49 third-class
cities.
Your total payroll last year was $341 million.
New construction in your town was the third highest in dollar value in the
state in three of the last six years.
You've had very little racial trouble.
Under Gordon Payrow's leadership, you have built a new four-building municipal
government complex costing a total of $11.5 million.
Your school district, the second largest in the state, boasts many modern
facilities, including a recently built second high school.
You have a fine parochial school system, including a handsome new Catholic
high school.
Your town is the home of the world-famous Bethlehem Bach Choir, outstanding
institutions of higher learning, two hospitals, three new libraries and 81
churches.
The average value of single family homes in your town is the highest in
Pennsylvania.
(MORE)
- 3 -
Your local redevelopment program is a model for the state and has already
eliminated the only substandard housing areas in your city.
Historic Bethlehem, Inc. is about to begin a mammoth restoration of your
city's rich historical resources.
Bethlehem Steel has moved its corporation offices to your town and some
weeks ago began constructing a new 23-story office building, with a twin
facility planned for about 1975.
Under whose leadership have you experienced all this progress? That's
right. Mayor Gordon Payrow's. He is symbolic of that special spirit you have
here in Bethlehem - that spirit that says, "We'll make it work."
Mayor Payrow is the embodiment of the sense of community you have here in
Bethlehem - the spirit of voluntarism that is so necessary if a community is to
solve its problems.
You haven't solved all of your problems. Of course not. But you can point
to tremendous achievements in Bethlehem, and a look at Mayor Payrow's record
of public service gives an outsider like me plenty of insight into why those
achievements were possible.
Mayor Payrow has given this city honest government, efficient government,
economical government and excellent service.
Economy has been the watchword as municipal purchasing was centralized, a
cost recording system was established for all city departments, and a Central-
ized Duplicating Bureau was established.
Efficiency was the aim when Mayor Payrow established a perpetual inventory
system in the city storehouse.
Continued good service resulted when city employes' morale was kept high
by basing all city employment and promotions on merit, and by establishing a
job classification and increment plan for all city employes. Good service also
flowed from Mayor Payrow's efforts to upgrade city workers through a variety of
training programs and courses.
Equity and efficiency followed from Mayor Payrow's leadership in the
equalization of property assessments and codification of all city ordinances.
Your city is financially sound under Mayor Payrow's direction. Mayor
Payrow has led Bethlehem out of a deficit in 1961 to an operating surplus of
$2 million-plus from 1962 to the present. That's the reason your city has a
very strong double-A credit rating from Standard and Poor's and an "A" rating
(MORE)
- 4 -
from Moody. This is the best credit rating Bethlehem has ever achieved, and it
came about during Mayor Payrow's administration.
Your city has grown under Mayor Payrow. Your community has expanded by 229
apartment units since 1962, and homeowners have spent nearly $6 million to
improve their dwellings here in the last decade.
Your city has benefited through improvements in your public works, elec-
trical and fire bureaus. Capital equipment acquired by those bureaus in the last
six years is valued at nearly $420,000.
Mayor Payrow has been deeply concerned about the health needs of Bethlehem's
citizens. Your Bi-City Health Bureau -- the only one in the commonwealth of
Pennsylvania -- is solid proof of that.
Mayor Payrow has demonstrated his ability and willingness to work with the
Federal Government in planning for your city's future and in building a greater
Bethlehem. Bethlehem is first in the state of Pennsylvania in Federal Aid
programs among third-class cities, and Mayor Payrow has enlarged your Planning
and Development Bureau staff to draw plans for Bethlehem's future growth.
Collection of data for the Community Renewal Program has been started.
Business and industry have flourished here under Mayor Payrow's administra-
tion. This has brought a broader tax base and new jobs, with development of the
Bethlehem Risk Corp., a start on the Shell Building for Industrial Growth, and
the opening of eight new banks in Bethlehem in the period of 1961 through 1968.
Yours is a bustling, booming town. I should think you would be tremendously
proud of Bethlehem and also of the fine mayor under whom all this progress has
taken place. There is no campaign slogan that rings more true than Gordon Payrow's.
I join with you in saying, "Reelect Gordon Payrow and Keep the New Bethlehem
Moving."
No, I am not finished. I have more to tell you -- much more -- but I can
only touch on part of it.
Among the city services most valued by people are fire and police protection.
Mayor Payrow's record is one of constant effort to improve fire and police pro-
tection services. I have checked it over. I was pleased to see that three new
fire houses have been built during Mayor Payrow's administration, the number of
police and firemen has been increased, and the number of police night patrols
has been increased.
Here's another important factor in holding down the incidence of crime. You
(MORE)
- 5
have had a nearly 70 per cent increase in street lighting installations since
1961.
I was also much impressed that Bethlehem under Mayor Payrow was declared
the safest city in the nation by the National Safety Countil. That's the
kind of town in which to raise your children.
I could list all of the public works projects built under Mayor Payrow but
I was never much of a watermain and sewer man. As a former high school and
college athlete, I'd rather talk about your fine recreation facilities - your
tennis courts, basketball courts and ice rink at Sell Field and development
of the Lehigh Canal. As a father, I view with great favor your teenage enter-
tainment center at Illicks Mill, your summer teen dances at the Municipal Ice
Rink, your Teen Coffee House, and the expansion of your various parks and other
recreational facilities.
I look at your New Bethlehem, and I say to you that the Payrow Administra-
tion has restored civic pride in your town.
You probably recall that when Mayor Payrow was first elected in 1961 he
came into office against a backdrop of inefficiency and corruption.
Since that time I understand that Bethlehem has experienced a veritable
"renaissance" -- a rebirth symbolized by the construction of the magnificent
new City Center. Your town's rebirth also was attested to by the fact that
thousands attended your city's birthday party two years ago.
I personally feel confident that you will reelect Gordon Payrow and that
you will keep the new Bethlehem moving.
I say that because I know all of you love your town. You have demonstrated
that by becoming involved in the life of your town. The fact that Mayor Payrow
has a task force of 177 volunteers is proof that the citizens of this city are
concerned. The fact that you have 21 boards and commissions staffed by 146
volunteers speaks of the fine citizen involvement you have here.
This is the challenge today in towns and cities across the length and
breadth of America - to get the citizens of our communities involved, to make
them care.
We must build our local communities if we are going to build a greater
America and grow to new greatness as a nation and a people.
I say tonight that citizens across America may well look to Bethlehem, Pa.,
with its fine record of progress under Mayor Payrow and its great citizen
(MORE)
- 6 -
involvement for lessons in civic improvement.
As for the citizens of Bethlehem, they need only rededicate themselves to
the New Bethlehem and continue to join hands with Gordon Payrow to Keep the
New Bethlehem Moving. Thank you.
#######
REMARKS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
REPUBLICAN LEADER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AT A DINNER LAUNCHING THE REELECTION CAMPAIGN OF MAYOR GORDON PAYROW
AT THE HOTEL BETHLEHEM, BETHLEHEM, PA.
7 P .M. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1969
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen: I feel so flattered by that marvelous
introduction that I can hardly wait to hear what I am going to say.
Seriously, it's wonderful to be here. One of the great things about a city
this size is that you can drive downtown in about five minutes and back home in
about the same time.
You know, they talk about leisure time today and what a problem it is to make
good use of it. Leisure time is no problem in a metropolitan area like Washington,
D.C. In Washington, we use it all up getting to and from work.
Washington is a unique city. It's the only capital in the world where a
fellow making $30,000 a year and sitting in a plush office can pick up a ringing
telephone and answer: "Poverty .may I help you?"
Maybe you're wondering what Congressman Jerry Ford is doing here helping to
kick off Mayor Payrow's campaign for reelection.
The answer is simple. I believe in good government and I believe good
government begins at the local level. I believe you've been getting good govern-
ment, and I'd like to see that continue. I believe that strong local government
is the foundation of a dynamic federal system. I believe that a nation is no
stronger than the sum total of all its parts -- the sum total of its local govern-
ments and all its people.
From what I have learned about Gordon Payrow and about Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
since I became directly interested in Mayor Payrow's reelection campaign, the people
of Bethlehem are very fortunate indeed. If every community in the United States
had the strengths of Bethlehem, Pa. -- had the kind of municipal government and the
kind of progress you have enjoyed under the leadership of Gordon Payrow -- I would
have no fears for the future of America.
Nearly 10 months ago, I addressed the state legislative leaders of the United
States at their annual conference in Honolulu. I talked with them about the
terrible complex of problems which has come to be described as the urban crisis.
I spoke of the pressing needs that are crushing American cities, in which two-
thirds of all our citizens live.
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Tonight let me say that the chances of solving our urban problems are far
better in a smaller city like Bethlehem, Pa., than in a decayed metropolis where
conditions have so deteriorated as to be almost beyond redemption.
I have been studying your city. I have made it a point to learn everything
it is possible for me to know about your community. Perhaps I see your city even
better than some of the townspeople, because they are too close to it.
You, of course, have problems, many problems, but you live in a fine town.
Take a good look at your town -- the town that Gordon Payrow has been running
under your Mayor-Council form of government since 1962.
You have the fastest growing city in Pennsylvania, the industrial hub of the
LeHigh Valley.
Your property tax rate of 12½¹₂ mills is the lowest real estate levy of
Pennsylvania's 52 cities. Your water rate is the second lowest.
Your per capita income is the highest among Pennsylvania's 49 third-class
cities.
Your total payroll last year was $341 million.
New construction in your town was the third highest in dollar value in the
state in three of the last six years.
You've had very little racial trouble.
Under Gordon Payrow's leadership, you have built a new four-building municipal
government complex costing a total of $11.5 million.
Your school district, the second largest in the state, boasts many modern
facilities, including a recently built second high school.
You have a fine parochial school system, including a handsome new Catholic
high school.
Your town is the home of the world-famous Bethlehem Bach Choir, outstanding
institutions of higher learning, two hospitals, three new libraries and 81
churches.
The average value of single family homes in your town is the highest in
Pennsylvania.
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- 3 -
Your local redevelopment program is a model for the state and has already
eliminated the only substandard housing areas in your city.
Historic Bethlehem, Inc. is about to begin a mammoth restoration of your
city's rich historical resources.
Bethlehem Steel has moved its corporation offices to your town and some
weeks ago began constructing a new 23-story office building, with a twin
facility planned for about 1975.
Under whose leadership have you experienced all this progress? That's
right. Mayor Gordon Payrow's. He is symbolic of that special spirit you have
here in Bethlehem -- that spirit that says, "We'll make it work."
Mayor Payrow is the embodiment of the sense of community you have here in
Bethlehem -- the spirit of voluntarism that is so necessary if a community is to
solve its problems.
You haven't solved all of your problems. Of course not. But you can point
to tremendous achievements in Bethlehem, and a look at Mayor Payrow's record
of public service gives an outsider like me plenty of insight into why those
achievements were possible.
Mayor Payrow has given this city honest government, efficient government,
economical government and excellent service.
Economy has been the watchword as municipal purchasing was centralized, a
cost recording system was established for all city departments, and a Central-
ized Duplicating Bureau was established.
Efficiency was the aim when Mayor Payrow established a perpetual inventory
system in the city storehouse.
Continued good service resulted when city employes' morale was kept high
by basing all city employment and promotions on merit, and by establishing a
job classification and increment plan for all city employes. Good service also
flowed from Mayor Payrow's efforts to upgrade city workers through a variety of
training programs and courses.
Equity and efficiency followed from Mayor Payrow's leadership in the
equalization of property assessments and codification of all city ordinances.
Your city is financially sound under Mayor Payrow's direction. Mayor
Payrow has led Bethlehem out of a deficit in 1961 to an operating surplus of
$2 million-plus from 1962 to the present. That's the reason your city has a
very strong double-A credit rating from Standard and Poor's and an "A" rating
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from Moody. This is the best credit rating Bethlehem has ever achieved, and it
came about during Mayor Payrow's administration.
Your city has grown under Mayor Payrow. Your community has expanded by 1,229
apartment units since 1962, and homeowners have spent nearly $6 million to
improve their dwellings here in the last decade.
Your city has benefited through improvements in your public works, elec-
trical and fire bureaus. Capital equipment acquired by those bureaus in the last
six years is valued at nearly $420,000.
Mayor Payrow has been deeply concerned about the health needs of Bethlehem's
citizens. Your Bi-City Health Bureau -- the only one in the commonwealth of
Pennsylvania is solid proof of that.
Mayor Payrow has demonstrated his ability and willingness to work with the
Federal Government in planning for your city's future and in building a greater
Bethlehem. Bethlehe is first in the state of Pennsylvania in Federal Aid
programs among third-class cities, and Mayor Payrow has enlarged your Planning
and Development Bureau staff to draw plans for Bethlehem's future growth.
Collection of data for the Community Renewal Program has been started.
Business and industry have flourished here under Mayor Payrow's administra-
tion. This has brought a broader tax base and new jobs, with development of the
Bethlehem Risk Corp., a start on the Shell Building for Industrial Growth, and
the opening of eight new banks in Bethlehem in the period of 1961 through 1968.
Yours is a bustling, booming town. I should think you would be tremendously
proud of Bethlehem and also of the fine mayor under whom all this progress has
taken place. There is no campaign slogan that rings more true than Gordon Payrow's.
I join with you in saying, "Reelect Gordon Payrow and Keep the New Bethlehem
Moving."
No, I am not finished. I have more to tell you -- much more -- but I can
only touch on part of it.
Among the city services most valued by people are fire and police protection.
Mayor Payrow's record is one of constant effort to improve fire and police pro-
tection services. I have checked it over. I was pleased to see that three new
fire houses have been built during Mayor Payrow's administration, the number of
police and firemen has been increased, and the number of police night patrols
has been increased.
Here's another important factor in holding down the incidence of crime. You
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- 5 -
have had a nearly 70 per cent increase in street lighting installations since
1961.
I was also much impressed that Bethlehem under Mayor Payrow was declared
the safest city in the nation by the National Safety Countil. That's the
kind of town in which to raise your children.
I could list all of the public works projects built under Mayor Payrow but
I was never much of a watermain and sewer man. As a former high school and
college athlete, I'd rather talk about your fine recreation facilities -- your
tennis courts, basketball courts and ice rink at Sell Field and development
of the Lehigh Canal. As a father, I view with great favor your teenage enter-
tainment center at Illicks Mill, your summer teen dances at the Municipal Ice
Rink, your Teen Coffee House, and the expansion of your various parks and other
recreational facilities.
I look at your New Bethlehem, and I say to you that the Payrow Administra-
tion has restored civic pride in your town.
You probably recall that when Mayor Payrow was first elected in 1961 he
came into office against a backdrop of inefficiency and corruption.
Since that time I understand that Bethlehem has experienced a veritable
"renaissance" -- a rebirth symbolized by the construction of the magnificent
new City Center. Your town's rebirth also was attested to by the fact that
thousands attended your city's birthday party two years ago.
I personally feel confident that you will reelect Gordon Payrow and that
you will keep the new Bethlehem moving.
I say that because I know all of you love your town. You have demonstrated
that by becoming involved in the life of your town. The fact that Mayor Payrow
has a task force of 177 volunteers is proof that the citizens of this city are
concerned. The fact that you have 21 boards and commissions staffed by 146
volunteers speaks of the fine citizen involvement you have here.
This is the challenge today in towns and cities across the length and
breadth of America to get the citizens of our communities involved, to make
them care.
We must build our local communities if we are going to build a greater
America and grow to new greatness as a nation and a people.
I say tonight that citizens across America may well look to Bethlehem, Pa.,
with its fine record of progress under Mayor Payrow and its great citizen
(MORE)
- 6 -
involvement for lessons in civic improvement.
As for the citizens of Bethlehem, they need only rededicate themselves to
the New Bethlehem and continue to join hands with Gordon Payrow to Keep the
New Bethlehem Moving. Thank you.
#######