May 1, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Bethlehem Township’s Board of Commissioners will vote Monday on a new township manager to take over from the retiring Doug Bruce.
Bruce, 61, announced in December that he would retire from the township this month. He has been manager since 2018 and was assistant manager before that.
He worked for the City of Bethlehem earlier, was in the media-relations department at Moravian University (then Moravian College). He was a reporter at the former Bethlehem Globe-Times newspaper, where he and I were colleagues decades ago. Remarkably, he hasn’t aged a day. I have.
Bruce is a U.S. Navy veteran who served as a petty officer in the Iraq War.
The township is in good shape. It has seen lots of growth, but that is the case throughout the Lehigh Valley. Development is guided by law and property ownership, not much by any current government.
Bethlehem Township is a great place to live and that’s why more people want to be there. At the same time, growth irks some longtime residents.
Still, changing times bring potential problems. Bruce has been blunt about the challenges facing local government.
Here’s a paragraph from his 2026 budget statement:
Quote: Several years ago I wrote in a budget message: “This is the stark financial picture of Bethlehem Township … a mature, nearly built-out municipality where annual revenues have not quite been keeping up with annual expenses for the better part of a decade.” I think this continues to be the case. Despite the large projected fund balances of the past few years, which I believe to be a short-term anomaly, the annual balance between operating revenues and expenses remains too close for comfort.
His comment reflects not just on the township but on many local governments.
Whoever steps into the job faces daily challenges, but Bethlehem Township is in good shape. There will be more development, particularly along Easton Avenue.
Throughout the Lehigh Valley, the township managers I’ve met are among the most capable people in government. They have to be available around the clock. They have to know about a lot of different things, including law enforcement, zoning, finance, hiring, media relations, construction and everything else.
They have to deal with complainers, including people complaining about things that have nothing to do with townships, such as cable bills or the school system.
Township managers also have to educate new elected officials. I imagine telling new officials full of zeal being told this: “No, you can’t put a moratorium on development, you can’t eliminate zoning variances and you can’t restore the 1950s.” That’s just the start.
Running a township is a big job. Somebody is going to have to fill some big shoes in Bethlehem Township.
While Bruce is retiring from the township, he’s not the retiring type and will probably pop up somewhere else.
The Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, May 4, at the municipal building, 4225 Easton Ave.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 