Borough Council

The powers and duties of Council are set forth in the Borough Code, Article X, Section 1005. Council primarily adopts Ordinance and Resolutions, authorizes expenses incurred by elected and appointed borough officers, approve loans and contracts. Through its committee system, Council reviews requests from its citizens and makes recommendation on programs and policies for Borough Council to consider. Council is comprised of seven elected registered voters, whose terms are staggered.

Members of Council may be reached by mail sent either to their individual addresses or at Borough Hall, 941 Long Street, Fountain Hill, PA 18015.  (See Government Directory)

Following is a list of current members of Council and their respective Committees assignments.

Lawrence E. Rapp, (D) Council President
Term Ends-2010
Phone: 610-691-1881
Ex Officio-All Committees-Police Committee, Chair

Helen Halleman, (D)
Term Ends-2010
Phone: 610-868-7471
Fire Committee, Chair

Norman E. Blatt, Jr. Vice President
Term Ends-2008
Contact Phone: 610-554-2828
House & Ordinance Committee, Chair

Fred Capuano (D)
Term Ends-2008
Contact Phone: 610-868-6089
Public Works Committee, Chair

Carolee Gifford (R)
Term Ends-2010
Contact Phone: 610-866-2098
Recreation Committee, Chair

Tavis Grotenhuis, (D)
Term Ends-2010
Contact Phone: 610-419-6668
Health & Sanitation Committee, Chair

Douglas Trotter, Jr. (D)
Term Ends-2008
Contact Phone: 610-868-7001
Finance & Personnel Committees, Chair

Junior Councilperson-Vacant
Currently Borough Council is looking to fill this seat.

Council Member Bios

Lawrence ‘Larry” Rapp

• Borough Resident-33 years.
• Married: Wife Helen. Sons-Michael & Stephen. Gandsons-Jon, Alex and Ryan.
• U.S. Navy Veteran- Vietnam War
• Retired Bethlehem Steel Corporation-Production Scheduling Division
• Self-Employed
• Fountain Hill Little League- Served for 25 years as Coach, Manager & Vice President. President for 8 years. Member of the Board of Directors.
• Co- founder of Fountain Hill Connie Mack Baseball Program-Served 10 years as Manager of Team. Managed 1999 PA State Champions.
• Vice President of Connie Mack Baseball-8 years.
• Current President of PA State Connie Mack Baseball Program
• Coached for 4 years-Baseball Saucon Valley School District.
• Borough Council-Serving my 6th Year. Last 3 years as Council President.

My belief is to give back to my community and to do what I believe is best for all of our citizens.

Norman Blatt, Jr.

Norman Blatt, Jr. has lived in the Borough since 1985. He resides at 764 Seneca Street. He has been a councilperson since 1993. Mr. Blatt serves on the Recreation, Fire and House & Ordinance Committees. He is a 1976 graduate of Elizabethtown College and graduated in 1981 with honors from Pepperdine University School of Law. He is an associate with the Allentown law firm of Scherline & Associates.

Frederick Capuano

My name is Fred Capuano and I am 59 years old and married. My wife’s name is Patricia and we have been married 37 years. We are proud parent of three boys and four grandchildren. I have lived in Fountain Hill 36 years and I am a member of the Fountain Hill Hose Company and Fountain Hill American Legion. I have held various positions with the Fountain Hill Little League, as President, Vice President and coach. I have served in the United States Marine Corps and I am a Vietnam Veteran. I was awarded the Purple Heart medal and the Vietnam service medal. I have several other awards such as the Good conduct, National Service Defense, and sharp shooter. I retired after 34 years with the United States Postal Service and worked 29 years as a part-time police officer for the Borough’s Police Department. I was elected to Borough Council in 2004 and believe in helping maintain a quality of life that our family enjoyed for 36 years in the Borough. I believe that everybody should give something back to the Community they live in.

Helen M. Halleman

As your elected official to Fountain Hill Borough Council since 2001, I deeply cherish the commitment I have made to my constituents because I hold a special place in my heart for the community of Fountain Hill where I have lived for fifty years as a property owner. As a wife, mother and grandmother I have many fond memories of enjoyment, working and volunteering in our borough.

After graduating from Bethlehem Catholic High School in 1947, I worked as a Pennsylvania Licensed Cosmetologist, owned and operated a beauty salon. I also earned Library Aide Certification through Northampton Area Community College and volunteered as the librarian in Saint Joseph’s grade school. My community involvement continues as a volunteer for the Lehigh Valley Hospital/Muhlenberg Auxiliary, Holy Child School (Fountain Hill) and Cedarbrook-Fountain Hill Annex.

My political involvement began with a Citizen’s Awareness Group and as a member of the Fountain Hill Zoning Board. With my election to Borough Council in 2001 I served on the Recreation, Fire, Police, House and Ordinance Committees. For 2005 I will continue my committee work on the Fire, Police, House and Ordinance Committees in addition to serving as a liaison to the Planning Board. Long-term public interest, quality of life for the residents of Fountain Hill and serving in those best interests for a safer, healthier place in which to live embodies my position as an elected official. To this end, I study, examine, research, attend seminars, evaluate, listen, offer new ideas and reflect on all decisions in the best interests of everyone involved. Being elected provides the authority yet with much responsibility to the citizens, the taxpayers, in our viable government. I am concerned about the future of our borough. Therefore, my obligation and duty as an elected official is four-fold: (1) keep taxes down (2) seek intergovernmental cooperation to keep costs down (3) enforce our ordinances and (4) promote business opportunities. I have served my community with honesty and integrity in the hopes of maintaining, “It’s a Thrill To Live on the Hill”!

Carolee Gifford-Elkington

• Born and raised in Fountain Hill
• Returned with husband Geoff Elkington, sons Peter and Daniel and daughter, Grace in 2001 to the family home on Moravia Street.
• Chaplain, Sacred Heart Hospital, Allentown
• Member Saint Ursula Parish, Fountain Hill
• Helped facilitate parish bereavement group for many years
• Catechetical instructor
• Completed internship and residency in Clinical Pastoral Education, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA
• Member of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains
• Deep believer in promoting community life in the borough, while respecting individual property rights.

Douglas Trotter, Jr. - Born and raised in Fountain Hill, I graduated from Fountain Hill High School and then from Lehigh University in 1959 with a BA in Political Science.  In 1969 I completed a second degree at Lehigh, a Med in Secondary School Administration.

After graduating from Lehigh in 1959, I entered the Armed Service, serving three years with the Army Security Agency. I completed my service in California, where I also met my wife Benita.  We have two sons; Douglas III in Seattle and Jon Scott who lives in Missoula Montana with our two grandchildren.

After our marriage my wife and I returned to Pennsylvania and soon thereafter I began my professional career in teaching and later in school administration in private schools I worked in New York and then returned to Pennsylvania, where I worked at the Perkiomen School in Pennsburg and then at  Moravian Academy for 21 years retiring in 2001.

As I was  nearing retirement I felt the need to give something back to my birthplace where growing up as a child and later as a teen had given me so many happy a experiences and cherished memories. My first opportunity to serve came with an appointment to the Zoning Hearing Board where I had the opportunity to serve as Chairman. Later I was appointed to Borough Council to fill an unexpired terra. I was then elected to a  4 year term in 2000 and re‑ elected in 2004 to my‑ current term.

The service has been n both challenging and rewarding; the rewards being found in the knowledge I've gained about how local government operates as well as the opportunity to collaborate many good public spirited colleagues on Council.

Tavis Grotenhuis