Political skirmish at Musikfest

DEMOCRATS TRY TO RIG ACCESS

MERCHANTS CONCERNED BUSINESS'S HARMED

Democrats Musikfest stand

The 2018 mid term election has now become an issue at Musikfest. The Democrats have been setting up a stand to hand out literature and register voters for several years. This is not unusual, politicians and parties have been using fairs,carnivals, and other public events to disseminate information for decades.

The Republicans decided they should also represent their candidates and do voter registration at Musikfest this year. They went to the organizers and applied for a permit, they were refused. They then obtained legal representation and jumped the many hoops to qualify for a permit. They were finally handed a permit at the very moment Musikfest was to start.

Republican Musikfest stand

They set up their small conservative table and banners and were questioned by the democrats as to if they had a permit. The Democrats were asked if they had a permit. The Republicans asked the city to see the Democrats application and permit. They were denied, being told they would need to file a Freedom of Information request and they would respond in 30 days.

Then some of the merchants complained about the unsightly appearance of the Democratic stand. they also complained of loud music, trash and bad behavior. They complained that they wait all year to reap the benefits of Musikfest and their place of business is now blocked by the trashy Democratic stand. This controversy has been escalating on social media now for several days. below is one example from facebook.

Gina Scrafano is in Main St Bethlehem.

August 4 at 1:09 PM

As many of you know my boyfriend worked his butt off to open his small business this past year. One of the main reasons he chose this location on Main Street was because of Musikfest- arguably the most important revenue driving 10 days of the entire year for a business owner on Main Street in Bethlehem. Below is a picture of what the City of Bethlehem and ArtsQuest is allowing to take up his entire sidewalk space that he is responsible for maintaining and insuring 365 days a year. Can you even see his store? If you were a small business owner at this location how would you feel? Especially given the current political climate of our country? You can’t win with politics, no matter what it turns 50% of people away and as a business owner you want to appeal to 100% of people! Politics don’t belong at Musikfest and they’ve never been allowed in the past. What changed? The vendor is not permitted for what they are doing and the City is failing to enforce it.