The Bethlehem Co-Op Boondoggle Rejects My Request to Attend Meeting; See Their Response

Oct. 3, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

The Bethlehem Co-Op Boondoggle … excuse me, the Bethlehem Co-Op Market … has kindly responded to my request to attend their annual meeting on Monday.

“No.”

So after repeating a few facts about why this boondoggle merits public scrutiny, I’ll post their response in full.

The Co-Op is years past its opening date, has more than $1 million in debt, took $3.1 million from taxpayers (to open a grocery store?) and has gone through some style drift and a name change.

The store at 250 E. Broad St. is more of a fund-raising operation than a grocery outlet. The taxpayers are by far the biggest contributor, though nobody asked us. Most of all, it’s not open despite many promised opening dates.

I contend the public should be allowed to listen to the annual meeting because the public is the biggest (involuntary) investor.

I do thank them for their courteous response, but I deplore the disdain for the public interest. Their response, by the way, was copied to the City of Bethlehem, Mayor J. William Reynolds, state Sen. Lisa Boscola, Co-Op Chairman Domenic Breininger, and Kali Gibson, a Co-Op board member.

The response:

Dear Jeff,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Co-Op’s upcoming Annual Meeting on Monday, Oct. 6. Per our bylaws, the Annual Meeting is reserved for member/owners only and is not open to the general public.

That said, the Co-op is committed to transparency and to providing opportunities for both member/owners and the general public to stay informed and ask questions. A few of the ways we do this include:

• Regular Communications: We distribute a twice-monthly newsletter and weekly Sunday updates by our Board Chair via email. These reach more than 4,000 recipients and are available to anyone who provides a valid email address.
• Board Meetings: Our board meets on the third Monday of each month. These meetings are open to the public and include time at the end for questions and comments from attendees. The next meeting is scheduled for October 20, and you are welcome to join us like you did on Sept. 15.
• Community Engagement: Earlier this year, we hosted public site tours during the months of May and June. One of them included a town-hall style meeting where financial updates and questions were addressed. Similar opportunities will continue to be offered in the future when they can be accommodated.

While attendance at the Annual Meeting is limited to member/owners, these other forums are designed to ensure that information is accessible and that questions from the broader community can be addressed. We invite you to engage with us to learn more and answer your questions.

Co-operatively yours,

Todd

Todd Mertz

Board Vice Chair

******

I did listen in on the last monthly meeting and may do so this month, depending on my schedule.

I can think of better things to do, but my motto is, “I read/listen to boring things so other people don’t have to.”

The public is owed full clarity. I’ve asked Mayor Reynolds, the seven members of City Council, City Controller George Yasso, Sen. Boscola and others to tell the Co-Op to “let the sun shine.”

The public has given them $3.1 million. The public deserves to know everything.

Let’s find out where our money went.