Pay-to-play and old fashioned political corruptions have been big stories in recent months, especially in Allentown and Reading. A bit of extortion here. A bit of bid-rigging there. In Reading, an honest-to-goodness bribe. Given this climate, few noticed what was going on in Lower Saucon Township. That’s where one corporation attempted to buy an election, and very nearly succeeded.

IESI is the corporation that owns the Bethlehem Landfill, and it wants to expand. In order to do that, it needed a compliant Council. In October, the Bethlehem Press reported that the landfill had quietly dumped $95,600 into the Lower Saucon Township Council race, according to campaign finance reports on file at the Northampton County elections office. Its goal was to remove landfill opponents Priscilla M deLeon and David Willard, who were incumbent Council members. It was supporting incumbent Tom Maxfield and challenger Sandra Yerger.

On election eve, campaign finance reports indicate that the landfill had dumped another $28,700 into the race. The company reported its expenditures. All very legal.

This strategy succeeded in part and failed in part. Landfill opponent Dave Willard was narrowly defeated, but so was landfill proponent Tom Maxfield. Priscilla deLeon managed to hold on to her seat by defeating Maxfield by a scant five votes. Sandra Yerger, who ironically is an environmentalist, was swept into office with the landfill’s money.

According to the annual report that IESI just filed with the elections office, it spent another $21,596.67 after the election, on Nov. 30, 2015, for what it calls “individual employee services.”

Adding it all up, IESI spent $146,796.67 to buy a local government. Legally.