Ballot spots secured in Allentown, Bethlehem, county races
The Democratic primaries in Allentown are officially crowded.
More than a dozen candidates who previously announced bids to run for mayor or city council filed enough nominating petitions by 4 p.m. Tuesday to secure spots on the May 18 ballot, according to an unofficial list released by the Lehigh County Voter Registration office.
Incumbent Ray O’Connell, who has served as mayor since Ed Pawlowski’s conviction on corruption charges in March 2018, is seeking four more years in office. The 71-year-old former school administrator and city councilman will face four challengers in the Democratic primary:
Ce-Ce Gerlach, 35, a secondyear city councilwoman and community activist who previously served two terms on the Allentown School Board.
Julio Guridy, 60, a city councilman for the past 20 years and the director of contract compliance for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
Stevie Jones, 27, a Kutztown University graduate and machine operator at Keystone Food Products who is new to the city’s political arena.
Matt Tuerk, 45, a former official with both the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. and the Allentown Economic Development Corp., who is seeking elective office for the first time.
Joshua Siegel, a City Council member who announced a mayoral bid in November, previously said he would exit the race. And Roger MacLean, a former council member and police chief who was flirting with a run, formally announced Tuesday that he would instead support O’Connell.
The sole candidate seeking the Republican nomination is Tim Ramos, who lost to O’Connell in the 2019 general election. Ramos is the vice president of the Lehigh County Republican Party and, along with his brother Steve, helped lead the regional branch of the Latinos for Trump organization last year.
It’ll be another uphill climb for Ramos; Allentown hasn’t elected a Republican mayor in 20 years.
All nine of the of the Democratic candidates who pledged to run for four positions on City Council secured spots on the ballot.
Incumbents Daryl Hendricks, 67; Cynthia Mota, 47; and Ed Zucal, 63, will face challenges from Tino Babayan, 51; Santo Napoli, 48; Patrick Palmer, 33; Justan Parker-Fields, 37; Erik Rodriguez, 25; and Natalie Santos, 21.
The sole candidate on the Republican ticket is Thomas Houck, 63, a retired city and federal police officer.
The Allentown School Board race has six candidates vying for four seats. After being ousted in 2019, longtime Republican school Director Robert E. Smith Jr. is back on the ballot. Smith, incumbent Phoebe Harris, LaTarsha Brown and Jennifer Lynn Ortiz all cross-filed. Incumbent Lisa Conover and Yahaira Aviles Washington will appear only on the Democratic ballot.
In the Bethlehem mayoral race, City Council member J. William Reynolds will face off against Dana Grubb, a former city administrator, in the Democratic
primary. The winner will face Republican John J. Kachmar, who was Lehigh County administrator in the late 1980s and early 1990s. If elected, he would become Bethlehem’s first Republican mayor in 24 years. Incumbent Robert Donchez is term-limited and cannot seek reelection.
At the county level, Lehigh Executive Phillips Armstrong will run unopposed in the Democratic primary as he seeks his second term in office. Glenn Eckhart, a former Lehigh County controller and most recently the chairperson of the Lehigh County Republican Committee, has emerged as the GOP’s candidate for executive. Democrats have won the last four races.
The Lehigh County commissioner races are brimming with new faces, as three incumbents opted not to seek reelection. The only incumbent who has served at least one full term, Democrat Geoff Brace, will face a primary challenge from community activist Millie Canales for the District 4 seat. The winner will face Republican Marjulee V. Colon in the general election.
In District 5, Democrats Joyce Moore and Omar Ray will face off for the chance to oppose Republican incumbent Jeffrey Dutt, who was appointed in November to fill the vacancy left by Nathan Brown.
In District 2, Republican Ron W. Beitler is poised to succeed longtime Republican commissioner Percy Dougherty, who decided not to seek reelection.
In District 1, Democrat Luke Savage and Republican Antonio Pineda will compete in the general election to replace Republican Marc Grammes, who decided not to run for reelection. And in District 3, Democrat Zachary Cole Borghi will face Republican Jacqueline Rivera. The winner will replace Amy Zanelli, who is running for a district judge position previously held by the late Wayne Maura.
Zanelli, who cross-filed, faces competition from Van A. Scott Sr. and Stacey Donadio. Scott also cross-filed, Donadio will appear only on the Democratic ballot.
Elsewhere in Allentown, Judge Patti Engler (cross-filed) faces a challenge from Linda Vega Sirop, a school board member. Judge Karen Devine will be challenged by William Hanna. Ronald Manescu will run for reelection unopposed.
Northampton County
No new candidates appeared to enter the Northampton County executive race by the 4:30 p.m. filing deadline. Barring any surprises, Democratic incumbent Lamont McClure will face off against Republican newcomer Steve Lynch in the general election.
Lynch, of Northampton, may test how far a local candidate can go by mirroring the approach of former President Donald Trump. The 42-year-old has no previous experience in government or managing large organizations, but has adopted much of the 45th president’s rhetoric. He attended the former president’s Jan. 6 rally but said he did not participate in the ensuing violence at the Capitol. His first news conference focused less on county government than on attacking Democrats, and also attacking Gov. Tom Wolf for his response to the coronavirus.
He’ll face McClure, a 14-year veteran of county politics who has proven to be an effective fundraiser and campaigner. McClure, who previously worked as a campaign manager for now-County Judge John Morganelli, defeated former Executive John Brown in 2017, using Brown’s ties to Trump in a negative campaign mailer.
It did not appear there were any contested primary races for Northampton County Council. The at-large County Council candidates are:
Democrat Patti Bruno, who has worked as a campaign manager for local Democrats.
Republican newcomer John Goffredo.
Incumbent Democrat Ron Heckman.
Republican Scott Hough, who unsuccessfully challenged state Rep. Steve Samuelson last year.
Democrat newcomer Emmanuel Jah-El.
Incumbent Democrat Bill McGee.
Republican newcomer Annamarie Robertone.
Republican newcomer Nicole Romanishan.
Republican newcomer Kristin Laura Soldridge.
Incumbent Democrat Lori Vargo Heffner.
Incumbent Democrat Tara Zrinski.
Councilmember Peg Ferraro, one of the longest-serving council members in county history, will not seek reelection.
Morning Call reporter Andrew Wagaman can be reached at 484-553-7413 or awagaman@ mcall.com.
Bethlehem City Council has four seats up for grabs this year and five candidates.
The candidates, all Democrats, include newcomers Hillary Kwiatek, Rachel Leon and Kiera Wilhelm, and incumbents Bryan Callahan and Grace Crampsie-Smith. Incumbents Olga Negron and Council President Adam Waldron are not running for reelection.
Leon did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.
In addition to the race for council, three candidates are running for mayor: two Democrats, former city Administrator Dana Grubb and Councilmember J. William Reynolds, and Republican and former Lehigh County Administrator John Kachmar. If Kachmar is elected, he would be the city’s first Republican mayor in 24 years. If Reynolds wins the bid for mayor, it would create a fifth opening on council; his term expires in 2024.
Hillary Kwiatek, 56
A West Bethlehem resident, Kwiatek works at Lehigh University as a communications specialist.
If elected, Kwiatek’s priorities include creating jobs with family-sustaining wages while recovering from the pandemic. The city must also increase the availability of quality, affordable housing, she said.
Kwiatek wants to create a partnership between the city’s public health and police departments. Health care workers can be dispatched instead of police to respond to mental health, substance abuse or other nonviolent incidents, she said.
She also would prioritize the city’s climate action plan, creating neighborhood parks and family activities, supporting diverse small, local businesses and addressing racism and inequity in the city.
Kwiatek has volunteered as president of the Friends of Bethlehem Public Library, led the building of a KABOOM! Playground, served on the Connect Bethlehem group to help the city better understand its communications needs, and was an officer and precinct committee person on the Bethlehem City Democratic Committee.
Kiera Wilhelm, 48
A graduate of Moravian College, Wilhelm is the director of Fig Bethlehem magazine, a publication that supports and promotes local businesses and organizations in the Lehigh Valley.
If elected, Wilhelm will support issues like diversity, racial justice and equality, and promote sustainability, including the addition of green spaces in the city and improved public transportation, walkability and targets outlined in city’s climate action plan. Wilhelm also supports increasing affordable housing options, ending housing insecurity and policies that support Bethlehem’s small-business community.
Wilhelm said she would prioritize frequent, accessible communication with residents through an easy to navigate digital hub, a more robust social media presence and, when it is safe, in-person conversations in the city’s neighborhoods.
Wilhelm serves on the development/marketing committee for the YWCA Bethlehem, the marketing committee for the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the steering committee for the historic Charles A. Brown Ice House Tonight performance series. She is a member of the Bethlehem Food Co-Op.
She was a member of the advisory group of the Lehigh Valley Creative Economy Project and has served on committees and task forces for Bethlehem Area Public Library, Touchstone Theater, Godfrey Daniels and Any Given Child Bethlehem.
Bryan Callahan, 58
After speculation that he may run for mayor, Callahan announced he will seek his third term on City Council instead.
A full-time educator in Bethlehem Area School District at Northeast Middle School, Callahan said the time isn’t right to run for mayor. He recently opened Callahan’s Driving School and Testing Center with his brother, former Mayor John Callahan, which will require a significant amount of time.
As a member and chairperson of City Council’s finance committee, Callahan said he’s fought to keep taxes in check and supported refinancing high-interest debt, which increased the city’s Standard & Poor’s bond rating to an A+ stable rating in five years.
In his first two terms, Callahan supported a wage equality ordinance that prevents genderbased wage inequality, and he supported a gift ban that prohibits City Council members from accepting gifts from those trying to influence public policy. He was also a proponent of improvements to the Rose Garden in West Bethlehem and the municipal golf course.
He also voted for ethics training for City Council members, the North Side 2027 initiative to help revitalize neighborhoods, the open data group that improves openness and transparency in government, and he supported ordinances to ensure city contractors pay a fair wage to their employees.
He plans to bring forward an ordinance that gives local businesses, especially minority, female and veteran-owned businesses, an advantage when bidding on local jobs.
Grace Crampsie-Smith, 58
Appointed to council in 2019 to fulfill the four-month, unexpired term of Councilmember Shawn Martell, Crampsie-Smith went on to win a two-year term effective January 2020 that was created when Eric Evans resigned to become city business manager.
Crampsie-Smith said she is seeking reelection so she can continue promoting her agenda of assuring public health and safety, balancing economic development with housing that is inclusive and affordable, and encouraging sound fiscal management.
She initiated and co-chairs the Affordable Housing Task Force, which creates recommendations to address and alleviate the lack of affordable housing for working and middle class city residents.
She also sponsored a resolution to provide insurance coverage for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder for first responders. This year, she and Reynolds formed a community engagement initiative to discuss police reform and social justice.
Crampsie-Smith is a counselor at Easton Area High School. She is a member of the NAACP Community Advisory Board, Lehigh Valley Regional Housing Advisory Board, Northside 2017, Lehigh Valley ROAR, Lehigh Valley 4 All, Bethlehem City Democratic Committee, Northampton County Council of Democratic Women, Northampton County Democratic Committee, Bethlehem Food Co-op and American Legion Auxiliary.