By MARIEKE ANDRONACHE

Special to The Press

“Why do we need the protected classes?” Commissioner Ron Beitler asked during the Jan. 24 Lehigh County Commissioners’ meeting. “Why can’t discrimination just be discrimination based on whatever factors?

“It’s wrong in any and all cases across the board.”

Beitler and fellow commissioners spent more than 30 minutes debating the definition of “discrimination,” with two proposed bills on countywide nondiscrimination requirements for employment as the backdrop.

“It seems to me you are setting up a process where you’re never stopping, adding to an endless list of definitions as you’re trying to pare this down to specific things,” Beitler continued.

Commissioner John Irons expressed the importance of helping those who are suffering in some way from the protected classes.

“It comes out of the fact that we live in a de facto world where discrimination can and will continue to take place until there’s some level of protection,” Irons said.

Discussing his concerns on how to define what can be viewed as discrimination, Commissioner Dan Hartzell gave as an example adding the words “height” and “weigh” as forms of discrimination.

“I’ve heard that hardly, if ever, that would happen,” Hartzell said.

“OK then great. It’s just words on a page somewhere that you don’t need to enforce.”

Hartzell said much thought is needed on what constitutes discrimination for the two pieces of legislation proposed.

A vote on both Bill 2024-03 and Bill 2024-04 about nondiscriminatory requirements of employment is scheduled for Feb. 14.

On other matters, 10 years to the date when it first opened its doors, commissioners gave the green light to a $375,000 grant toward the warming station of the Allentown branch of the Lehigh Valley YMCA.

“Ten years ago tonight, the Y actually took the steps on working with the county to open its doors for the first time as an emergency shelter, on a much more limited basis than what is being done currently,” Chairman Geoff Brace remarked.

Four individuals were able to shelter under a Code Blue situation Jan. 24.

Brace concluded his remarks by praising the work of staff and volunteers who have kept the doors open since that faithful night, helping provide emergency shelter against the elements to several individuals through the years.