“So you wanna run for City Council”

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

So you wanna run for City Council Game Show!
Lehigh Valley Stands Up
Moderated: Jon Irons
December 10, 2020

As you can see from the previous posts this morning, the Lehigh Valley Good Neighbors Alliance is aghast at “Slick Willie” Reynolds’ participation in a Zoom event — a “Game Show” — hosted by Lehigh Valley Stands Up called “So you wanna run for City Council.”

It behooves us to learn more about this event and Councilman Reynolds’ participation in it.

You can see for yourself via the link above.

The game was run on Kahoots, which looks like a popular educational tool.

The game was moderated by low-key LVSU member Jon Irons, a familiar public commenter at City Council meetings. There were a dozen participants, two Gadfly knew professionally, and one whom you can see was cooking in her kitchen the entire time. Except very brief comments by winners of the game at the end, participants did not speak.

LVSU compiled 20-some mainly multiple-choice questions relating to City Council membership.

• Should you run for office?
• I would vote for a city council candidate who supported which of the following statements.
• Which of the following are great reasons to run for city council?
• What professional qualities do you need to run for city council?
• What qualities make for a successful councilperson?
• What types of people does it help to have in your network to run for council?
• What are some skills you should have to prepare to run for council?
• Add some qualities or ideologies you would like to see in city council members.
• What’s it like to work for council?
• What is the most time consuming part of a council member’s work week?
• What type of career background is REQUIRED to run for city council?
• What are some responsibilities of council members?
• How much does a city council member earn for their work?
• What is another IMPORTANT non-legislative role that city council members have?
• What is a way that elected officials can engage with and grow from constituent feedback and meetings?
• What are some fundamentals for thinking about a campaign for local office?
• How many signatures does it take to get on the ballot for a city-wide race?
• How many votes are needed to win a city council race in Bethlehem?
• How much cash money should a candidate raise to fund a city council race?
• What is one of the most expensive parts of a city council campaign?
• What are some ways to get started with a campaign for city council?
• Are you feeling ready or willing to run for office?

Our Councilman Reynolds and Allentown City Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach were present to expand on answers to questions. They had no other role in the program. They participated almost not at all. Here’s an example of Councilman Reynolds responding to a question about time management. (1 min.)

There was no political commentary or discussion during the event.

Information about LVSU’s 3-point political platform was quite brief and presented at the end.  The 3-point platform is police accountability, affordable housing, voting rights. None was expanded upon. There was no overt attempt to proselytize. Invitation to join was offered. (4 mins.)

Should “Slick Willie” have passed on this opportunity to foster active public participation in the political process?

Was his behavior anti-American?

Is Lehigh Valley Stands Up not good company?

What are you thinking about a morning devoted, in effect, to the Lehigh Valley Good Neighbors Alliance?

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See Lehigh Valley Good Neighbors Alliance under topics on the right-hand sidebar.