Early in his term, Callahan vetoed a schedule to fund a $7.39 million bond to cover a federal civil rights suit. The veto was rarely used in Bethlehem to that point, and council overrode the measure 6–1. In 2004, when the city was considering a $66 million refinancing, city water authority Chairman Ronald Donchez said Callahan pressed so aggressively for one particular bank that Donchez considered resigning. Six years after Callahan took office, developers had invested $2 billion in Bethlehem, creating more than 5,000 jobs, and violent crime in the city dropped by 25 percent.