Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Kiera Wilhelm for Bethlehem City Council

As a member of Council, Ms. Wilhelm will champion policies that serve the health and well-being of Bethlehem and all of its citizens, including those that:

• support diversity, inclusion, racial justice, and equality;

• promote sustainability, including more green spaces, improved public transportation, walkability, and the targets within Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan;

• increase affordable housing options and strive to end housing insecurity and homelessness;

• actively support and sustain a vibrant small business community, both as it recovers from the economic downturn and beyond.

Additionally, Ms. Wilhelm says she will prioritize more frequent, more accessible communication with the citizens of Bethlehem—via modes including an already enhanced and easier-to-navigate digital hub, a more robust social media presence, and, when it is safe, in-person conversations in the neighborhoods where people live and work. “I believe that better, warmer communication between a government and its citizens can lead to increased civic participation—an engaged community of residents who, having been thoughtfully informed and actively invited to participate, do,” she stated. “This can mean anything from increased voter participation, to more trees planted, to volunteering, community gardens, more public art, and so much more. Civic participation contributes to the health and well-being of individual citizens, and to the community as a whole.”

As Councilperson, Ms. Wilhelm will also support the administration’s ongoing goal of greater transparency and accessibility, both through systems, such as the Open Bethlehem portal, and direct actions: “I plan to be the type of City Council member I have admired—which is more or less the kind of human being I admire: somebody who listens, pays attention, seeks information and feedback, and responds with thought, care, and intention.”

Kiera Wilhelm for Bethlehem City Council

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

6 candidates, 4 seats

Bryan Callahan — Grace Crampsie Smith — Hillary Kwiatek

Rachel Leon — Adam Waldron — Kiera Wilhelm

place cursor on images for the candidate’s names

see below for a chart comparing the candidates

Bryan Callahan

Grace Crampsie Smith

Hillary Kwiatek

Rachel Leon

Adam Waldron

Kiera Wilhelm

Chart comparing City Council candidates

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

“Tonight my opponent mentioned that he has endorsements coming from ‘basically everyone on city council.’ Well, if you want more of the same, by all means vote for him! If, on the other hand, you think Bethlehem—and YOU— deserve a change, vote for me, Dana Grubb: the outsider with inside experience.”
March 1, 2021

Dana Grubb is a candidate with 27 years working for the City in a variety of high profile roles, such as Deputy Director of Community Development, Acting Director of Community and Economic Development, Grants Administrator, Housing Rehabilitation Finance Specialist, Civil Defense Director, Sealer of Weights and Measures.

• Richard ‘Bucky’ Szulborski – Former Bethlehem City Councilman and Northampton County Controller
  “I am endorsing Dana Grubb for Mayor of the City of Bethlehem because he has the knowledge of what is needed in City Hall and the commitment to the future of Bethlehem. He understands the issues and takes the time to listen to all sides before making a decision. Dana is a man of honesty and integrity.”

• Tom Mohr – Former Bethlehem City Councilman
  “I chose to run for City Council in 1989 and after my election to that office I met Mr. Grubb who was working within the Department of Community and Economic Development. Over the next 6 years I worked extensively with Mr. Grubb as he advanced within that department and City Administration. I found him to be personable, professional and knowledgeable. He was admired by his peers and subordinates and was exceedingly dedicated to the well being of the City and its citizens, traits that are present yet today. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to endorse Dana Grubb for Mayor of the City of Bethlehem.!”

• Dianne Bachmann – Retired Public Works Department Business Manager
  “Dana always had a great work ethic with wonderful compassion for people and the residents of Bethlehem.”

• Jeffrey Fritz – Retired City of Bethlehem Utility Superintendent
  “It is a great pleasure to say that I endorse Dana Grubb for Mayor of the City of Bethlehem. I have known Dana for many years through work and personal friendship and I’ve always found him to have the best interest at heart for the City and its residents. His sense of community is noteworthy through his passion for his work when he worked for the City and his continued love for it today. He will bring the City of Bethlehem an atmosphere of cohesiveness and trust among its employees with an administration that will have the best interest for them so it better serves the community. Dana Grubb is a man that I trust and I know will make a great mayor through his life long love for Bethlehem and its community, and make it a better community through inclusiveness. I ask you to support Dana at election time as the next Mayor of Bethlehem.”

• Tom Marshall – Retired Director of Recycling
  “Dana would make a fantastic Mayor due to his love of the city and vast integrity. During all of his years with the city he worked with virtually every office in the city. His knowledge of the inner workings of each department is outstanding. He is a fair and honest man who will put the city first above all things.”

More endorsements–

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

J. William Reynolds for Mayor

Episode 7: Technology for Our Future

Episode 7: Technology for Our Future

J. William Reynolds for Mayor

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

So, yes, we are in to March. And only a few days left for candidates to announce and to officially file for City Council in the May 18 election.

Right now we have 6 people running for 4 seats.

They are: Bryan Callahan, Grace Crampsie Smith, Hillary Kwiatek, Rachel Leon, Adam Waldron, Kiera Wilhelm.

Gadfly hopes all secure the required signatures and successfully complete the required paperwork.

Competition is good.

Have you been paying attention?

Have you started to get to know each of the candidates so that you can cast an informed vote?

How about a little test of the present state of your election consciousness?

Can you identify each Council candidate? Can you match name to picture?

Grace Crampsie Smith

Rachel Leon

Bryan Callahan

Kiera Wilhelm

Adam Waldron

Hillary Kwiatek

If not, shame on you.

If not, why not?

Click “Candidates for election” on the sidebar or on the link under this post to check your choices and for more information on the candidates.

Let the good election conversation begin!

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

J. William Reynolds and Dana Grubb

J. William Reynolds

Candidates for Mayor

We’re in to March.

Only a few more days to announce and officially file for the mayor seat.

Looks like it may stay a two-person race.

Time to get serious and to start weighing our candidates.

Click on the link above or below for a handy chart comparing the candidates and the platform issues they have identified.

Also time to think about what issues they haven’t identified and what questions you would like them to address.

Let Gadfly know, and he will seek responses from the candidates.

Let the good conversation begin!

Candidates for Mayor

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Dana Grubb for Mayor

Dana Grubb
Facebook
February 27

Dana Grubb is running for Mayor to best serve the residents of Bethlehem, not because he is a political insider or an aspirant to higher office. As a former construction worker, he understands the value of and necessity for building a strong foundation, so that the City and its citizens can rise from strength to strength.

In Dana’s twenty-seven years of City service he learned that one way ‘a better Bethlehem’ begins is with a common sense approach to management, reorganization, and efficiency within City Hall. This translates to a respected, motivated, and fairly-treated staff. Such a staff is then the basis for responsive, efficient and effective interaction between City employees and the residents they work for.

Dana Grubb is the ONLY candidate for Mayor with management experience, having had nearly 100 employees reporting to him when he was both Acting Director of Community and Economic Development and Deputy Director of Community Development. Dana knows how to hold others, as well as himself, accountable, and understands that fair treatment, equal opportunity and a zero tolerance policy for discrimination, favoritism and workplace intimidation are key to an administration’s success.

These are among the reasons that two former City Councilpersons and sixteen former city administrators, with an aggregate of nearly 420 years of service to the residents of Bethlehem, have endorsed his candidacy for Mayor!

Dana Grubb for Mayor

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

J. William Reynolds for Mayor

Episode 6: Coalitions Drive Change

Episode 6: Coalitions Drive Change

J. William Reynolds for Mayor

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Candidate for City Council incumbent Grace Crampsie Smith at the Lehigh Valley for All “Meet the Candidates” event February 17.

I’m in my second year of a two-year term on Bethlehem City Council. I’m running for the 4-year term. I’ve been a resident of Bethlehem for over 30 years. And I’m the grateful mother of three children, who pretty much have contributed to inspiring me to run for City Council to give back to the great community in which they were raised. My daughters Shannon and Bridget are going to graduate from Law School and Medical School in May, so I’ll have two people off my payroll. And my son Brendan is in his third year of college. And I am extremely grateful and proud of them. Professionally, I have a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Lehigh, and I have been a high school counselor at Easton Area High School for over 15 years. I have over 30 years experience in various area. I was an addictions counselor. I was an administrator of government-funded services for people with developmental disabilities and mental health diagnoses and their families. And I was an adjunct instructor at the community college level on the America for Disabilities Act and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act. Currently on Council I am chair of the Public Works Committee, and I am a member of the Public Safety and Community Development Committees. In my first year on Council I initiated and co-chair the current Affordable Housing Task Force. Homelessness and housing that is affordable is a passion of mine. I really got interested in this years ago, but more specifically in the past five years when I saw a significant increase in the number of my students and families who were homeless and transient. So the Affordable Housing Task Force consists of public and private entities, including developers, and our goal is to try to come up with recommendations to address the lack of affordable housing with in the City. Recently, I was thrilled to get the folks from State College and Pittsburgh to join our meeting and give an extensive presentation on their success with inclusionary housing. I also sponsored a resolution to insure insurance coverage to first responders to include post-traumatic stress disorder because that’s important. Councilman Reynolds and I have, through the pandemic, met on an ongoing basis with the local business associations and the Mayor to try to assist them to survive during this pandemic. Councilman Reynolds and I last year also met with the Police and the Administration and pushed for them to review our use of force policy to make sure that restraints were not included if they were going to be adverse like the things we saw last summer. We also formed a Community Engagement Initiative which included people from the community which involved people from the Police, the Administration, and the community to try to join together to look at ways that we can enhance the services of the police within the city. Again, Councilman Reynolds and I have been meeting with the ongoing with the Police Chief and the City regarding adequate and appropriate training for the police and to work toward coordinating with community and governmental services in the area of mental health, drug and alcohol, domestic violence, and other areas. I think that I have a unique perspective when it comes to the police issue because I come from a family of police. My father was a police chief, I have three nephews who are policeman, one of them is currently on the SWAT team at the U.S. Capitol, so he was actively involved in the insurrection unfortunately on January 6 but fortunately he is safe. And as I have said repeatedly, I come from a family of cops, but I also see that you can support the police but also address and fight systemic racism because they are not two mutually exclusive items. Basically, I feel that my personal attributes and my professional experience have been relevant on my role on City Council, and it’s been an honor. Even though this year has been a long, strange trip, I have enjoyed it. It’s been an honor and privilege to serve the great, diverse community of Bethlehem, and I hope I continue to get this opportunity to serve and to represent and to fulfill the initiatives I’ve started.

There are 6 candidates running for 4 seats on City Council. The other candidates are Bryan Callahan, Hillary Kwiatek, Rachel Leon, Adam Waldron, Kiera Wilhelm.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Candidate for City Council incumbent Bryan Callahan at the Lehigh Valley for All “Meet the Candidates” event February 17.

As many of you know, I am a long-time educator in the Bethlehem Area School District. I teach at Northeast Middle School. I have been a union member my whole entire life. My very first job was in Local 54 down in Atlantic City. When I was in college I was a member down there. And then when I became a teacher I became a building rep at Freedom High School. And then after I became the building rep, I became the vice-president for the BEA for the high schools, for Liberty  and Freedom. I have also owned and operated a very successful small business here in Bethlehem for the last 12 years, and I am supported by a very long list of local unions . . . You know, all the building trades and many of the other unions in the City of Bethlehem and in the Lehigh Valley are long-time supporters of mine. Probably the most proudest thing I’ve done in my life is, unfortunately, a lot of you know that I lost my wife Lucia to cancer 14 years ago. I had  a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old at the time, and I’m so proud of them. I raised two great kids and have been very successful and are doing very well in their lives. And that’s really the crowning achievement of my life. You know, that I got them through the disaster of losing their mom. And it was a tough thing to do for the first 4-5 years, bit once they started getting off and driving and getting off on there own, things started easing off a little bit. And that’s really my pride and joy. I have B.A. in Journalism and Public Relations. I have a B.S. in Health and Physical Education. I also have my Masters in Education. I was the chair of the Finance Committee, Community and Economic Development, and Human Resources, and I’ve been on Public Works also. I am also on the Bethlehem Mental Health Board which I sit on. I will be running for my third term on City Council. As many of you know, I have a great love for and passion for our city. I’m a Nitschmann Lion and Liberty Hurricane till the day I die. There is a perception and an idea by a few people in our City that all that good that has happened in our City over the last 20 years was just inevitable. And they think that the rebirth and renaissance our City has been through in the past 20 years . . . that simply is not true. There are countless cities littered and scattered through the northeast and the midwest of the Unites States where progressive, forward thinking and leadership did not happen. I am proud of my years in service on City Council. I will finish up by saying that in the years I’ve been on I passed the wage equality ordinance that prevents the perpetuation of gender-based wage inequality, and I also proposed and passed the no gifts ban that prohibits City Council members from accepting gifts from those trying to influence public policy, along with improvements to the Rose Garden and the Municipal Golf Course and more funding for ADA ramps. Next month I’ll be bringing forward a new ordinance that give local businesses, especially minority, female, and veteran-owned businesses advantage in the bidding process in local jobs. . . . I also supported, and this is something I am extremely proud of, I probably gave more money to Democrats in Northampton-Lehigh county, good, hard-working progressive Democrats, than any candidate in the City. I take great pride in trying to help people out financially, so we can get those people elected to office.

There are 6 candidates running for 4 seats on City Council. The other candidates are Grace Crampsie Smith, Hillary Kwiatek, Rachel Leon, Adam Waldron, Kiera Wilhelm.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Candidate for City Council Hillary Kwiatek at the Lehigh Valley for All “Meet the Candidates” event February 17.

I am a resident of the west side, and I work at Lehigh, so I am an employee on the Southside. And I love the whole city. I’ve lived here since 2000. I moved here with my family. I’ve been thinking about running for a while, but recently sat in a great Zoom session with Professor ______________ from Lehigh talking about what are the actions we can take to really make change. Lehigh is working toward being an anti-racist institution, and I would also like to see Bethlehem move in that direction. And some of the things she said really stuck with me. And that was if you want a just world, you need to have a just community. And this is the community that I live in and that I love, so that is my goal. I have a 4-part progressive vision for the City. I think that we are totally up to the challenge. First, recovering from the pandemic is the number one priority, but we can do that through an inclusive, transparent approach to economic development. I want to be on the Council to ask those questions. Will this project bring family-sustaining wages to people without college degrees? Are we just looking to build luxury condominiums? Or are we really going to look at how we can integrate affordable housing, affordable rental properties into those plans as well? So that’s really important to me because I believe we will only really emerge as stronger on the other side _______, the whole community along with us. Next, re-imagining public safety. This to me means not just looking at policing in a vacuum but integrating our approach to public health and our approach to policing. I do think that Chief Kott is on the right track in a lot of ways, but I would love to be there as well to ask how we approach that. There are a lot of new models in cities that are bringing out social workers, public health professionals who are disrupting the police engagement when people are in crisis over things that are non-violent and non-criminal. So I’d like to pursue that. I believe that we can be a vibrant and sustainable City for all, that includes supporting our small businesses, not just on the west side of the Southside but on the east side where there are so many great small business people. Also, all over the City we have great small businesses that I would like to be able to listen to, hear their needs, and see what Council can do. I also support the Climate Action Plan very much and being a model Green City will be a big part in our bounce back from the pandemic and our move into the future. Finally, I want to not just address racism and inequity in policing but in everything we do in the City, so I would want to identify and eliminate racist and discriminatory practices across all aspects of City government. Black lives matter and Latino lives matter, and that’s very important to me. I work at Lehigh. I have worked in non-profits and higher education doing fundraising and communications for twenty years. I was honored to serve with Councilman Reynolds on his Connect Bethlehem plan to learn how we can connect better as a City with community members.

There are 6 candidates running for 4 seats on City Council. The other candidates are Bryan Callahan, Grace Crampsie Smith, Rachel Leon, Adam Waldron, Kiera Wilhelm.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Dana Grubb for Mayor

In 1999, Dana Grubb was Bethlehem’s Grants Administrator and responsible for managing millions of dollars of grant money received by the City of Bethlehem. In addition, then Mayor Don Cunningham named him Acting Director of Community and Economic Development when the director became terminally ill: this meant Dana was in charge of the Health Bureau, EMS, Code Enforcement, Housing Inspections, Planning & Zoning, Housing Rehabilitation, Recycling, and Economic Development. Dana then took on a lead role negotiating with Bethlehem Steel on the Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which became critical to advancing the development of SteelStacks, the Levitt Pavilion, the Hoover-Mason Trestle, the Stock House Visitors Center, the Southside Bethlehem Green Way, public parking, roads, and public utilities on the former Bethlehem Steel site.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election 

Candidate for City Council Kiera Wilhelm at the Lehigh Valley for All “Meet the Candidates” event February 17.

Bethlehem has been in my heart for a long, long time. I went to Moravian College. I graduated in 1993, and I lived here for another year before I moved away to start my career in teaching. Which I did. I taught for five years in the Bucks County and Souderton school districts before I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to get my Master’s Degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I ended up staying in Cambridge for almost 14 years working in Education and Arts Administration and non-profit administration and development fundraising. And was called back to Bethlehem in 2013, and it was really exciting to me to return to a city that I had loved for such a long time and to people that I loved. I loved Cambridge as well, but what I realized when I moved back to Bethlehem was that Bethlehem offered the things that I loved about Cambridge, arts and culture, a great food and drinks scene, wonderful education institutions, and so many of those wonderful things that I felt that Bethlehem invited you to become involved in in a more heartfelt way. You could get your hands dirty here, and, in fact, that has been exactly what has happened to me, in particular through my current role. I have served for 4 years plus as director of Fig Bethlehem magazine. I just happen to have a copy of Fig right here with me. You may have seen it. If you don’t know Fig, I’ll tell you that our mission is to lift up local business. And that is a responsibility that I have taken very seriously and done so with great pride. And, in fact, I would say that it’s my role at Fig that brought me closer to Bethlehem, and sort of wove me in to the fabric of the city a bit more through meeting wonderful business owners and community leaders and volunteers and non-profit managers and just members of this community at large. And, in fact, what has happened is the more that I got to know, the more I wanted to know, the more I wanted to know, the more I wanted to get involved. And ultimately that’s why I’m here. I serve on Boards such as the YWCA Bethlehem, Touchstone Theatre, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Any Given Child. I was on the advisory committee for the Lehigh Valley Creative Economy Project. Side note — I also officiate weddings as part of the Lehigh Valley Celebrant Team. I believe Bethlehem to be, and I want to help it continue to become a city that is vibrant and thriving and sustainable — a forward thinking city that honors its past and builds on that as well. And that looks after all of its citizens. And there are so many ways to accomplish that. Some very important ones to me personally. I’ll start with helping small business because that’s where I spend my day-to-day. And not just helping business through this devastation of the pandemic. but in the long term creating a galvanized business community that is actively supported by its community. A business friendly community. I am deeply invested in housing, housing insecurity, and homelessness. Grace, I know you started the affordable housing task force — that’s so important. Sustainability is extremely important to me, a walkable, bikable city, streamline and normalize public transportation — all this speaks to vibrancy. And I feel very strongly about civic engagement, and I am proof of that pudding. I became involved because I knew more. And as a City Council person, I want to promote a Council that is inclusive and accessible and that communicates warmly with the people of the City and invites them in. Everybody should have a voice. As a City Council person, it’s my responsibility to listen closely, and I would be honored to serve this City in a greater role as a Bethlehem City Council person.

There are 6 candidates running for 4 seats on City Council. The other candidates are Bryan Callahan, Grace Crampsie Smith, Hillary Kwiatek, Rachel Leon, Adam Waldron.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

J. William Reynolds for Mayor

Episode 5: Neighborhood Investment and Revitalization

Episode 5: Neighborhood Investment and Revitalization

J. William Reynolds for Mayor

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Candidate for City Council Rachel Leon at the Lehigh Valley for All “Meet the Candidates” event February 17.

• Born and raised in South Bethlehem
• Donegan > Broughal > Freedom
• 10 years in the military
• Lived in Hawaii where she started a non-profit for struggling veterans and homeless
• Back to South Bethlehem, which she loves and is “home”
• Currently studying at NCC, majoring in Global Studies with a focus on environmental sustainability
• Learned courage and commitment in the military
• Has courage to stand up for people on the Southside who are often unheard
• Committed to Bethlehem in general but South Bethlehem in particular
• Loves it here
• Concerned about affordable housing
• Worked on Climate Action Plan, now on the Library Board

There are 6 candidates running for 4 seats on City Council. The other candidates are Bryan Callahan, Grace Crampsie Smith, Hillary Kwiatek, Adam Waldron, Kiera Wilhelm.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

ref: Things to think about election-wise

Thinking out loud again.

What’s in an endorsement?

How should we value endorsements?

Gadfly didn’t mention endorsements in his previous post with some thoughts about the upcoming election.

But seeing what’s happening almost daily on Mayoral candidate Dana Grubb’s Facebook page, he’s become intrigued by (so far) the different endorsement strategies in that campaign.

Now Gadfly has — more than once — heard Councilman Reynolds called a “career politician.” Usually disparagingly. As if there’s something wrong, something suspect, something nefarious in the way that this young man has steadily devoted himself to local public service for a dozen and more years while holding a full-time job. Which is nonsense.

But — almost to ratify the suspect “career politician” moniker — there’s candidate Reynolds celebrating the endorsement by someone further up the party food chain — our Congresswoman Susan Wild.

Of course, that endorsement, that kind of endorsement, can have tremendous value. It’s a kind of blessing, a kind of anointing. It’s saying that you are a good club member.

How different is candidate Grubb’s endorsement practice, endorsement strategy.

Candidate Grubb worked in Bethlehem City government for 27 years.

Now virtually every day, or so it seems, he has an endorsement from somebody he worked with during that long career.

These are for the most part what we might call collegial endorsements, lateral endorsements rather than hierarchical ones.

Gadfly is not sure how long candidate Grubb can keep up that stream of testimonials from, in effect, co-workers.

But it leads to an interesting question for us voters.

How do we weigh the impact of one endorsement from a party luminary against, say, twenty endorsements from peers?

How do we weigh an endorsement by Susan Wild v. endorsements by Richard “Bucky” Szulborski, Tom Mohr, Dianne Bachmann, Jeffrey Fritz, Tom Marshall  . . . ?

As I say, interesting question.

Something to think about.

What meaning, power, influence do endorsements have for you?

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Campaign season began in earnest this past week.

Candidates could start circulating petitions last Tuesday.

In order to be on the May 18 ballot, candidates must file petitions with voter signatures by March 9.

For instance, the candidates for mayor and Council each need 100 signatures of registered voters in the Democratic party. (Gadfly is not aware of any Republicans running.)

100 signatures sounds easy but probably isn’t. It certainly can be time-consuming.

There are multi-candidate petition-signing events going on.

You may be asked to sign.

As Gadfly reads the regulations, you can only sign a petition for one of the two mayoral candidates. Since there are four Council openings, you can sign petitions for four Council candidates.

There are now six people running for Council: Callahan, Crampsie Smith, Kwiatek, Leon, Waldron, Wilhelm.

Gadfly only learned of Rachel Leon’s candidacy at the LV4ALL event Wednesday and will post about her soon.

You need to sign your name exactly as it is on your voter registration.

The county election board will scrutinize the petitions.

Our democratic process is rollin’.

———-

Some things to think about:

• Turn-out in these off-year elections is smaller than others. That’s not good. Gadfly has been thinking about how important mayors are while watching interviews with Texas mayors in their crisis of this past week. And post-GeorgeFloyd events have put the spotlight and the pressure on lots of City Councils. We need to pay attention to this upcoming election for our own good.
• The importance of name recognition. The word to prospective candidates at the January 30 League of Women Voters workshop was that name recognition is key to success. Candidate Reynolds — councilman for a dozen years — has a lot of name recognition. Councilman Callahan — councilman for 8 years and brother to a popular past mayor — has a lot of name recognition. As voters, we should go beyond the name recognition and look carefully at what all the candidates are made of.
• Money. Candidates Reynolds and Callahan have a huge, huge advantage here. Money translates into options for gaining name recognition. As voters, we need to go beyond the flyers and yard signs and etceteras and look carefully at what all the candidates are made of.
• Gadfly has asked rhetorically “Where are the Republicans?” — meaning where are candidates outside the usual suspects: women, Blacks, Latinx, LGBTQ, and so forth. Note, especially, that there are 4 women running for Council. Theoretically, 5 of 7 Council members could be women next year.
• If mayoral candidate Reynolds wins, he will resign his Council seat and Council will select yet another person to fill out his term. There’s the possibility of a lot of new faces on Council next year.

Collaterally, Gadfly reminds you again that he will be folding his wings the day after the election, and he is hoping to hear from someone(s) to take over the Bethlehem Gadfly blog or to start a new one.

Every town needs a gadfly.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Candidate for Mayor Dana Grubb at the Lehigh Valley for All “Meet the Candidates” event February 17.

What I’d like to do tonight is outline three key areas of my platform:

Public safety and policing:

We need to customize policing and public safety to meet Bethlehem’s needs. I think Chief Kott’s vision for Bethlehem’s police force aligns pretty much with mine; to provide the best service and protection possible to residents, to various out reach measures. I’ve lived through two versions of community policing, and I think it’s been proven to work. It establishes very strong relationships within the community, and in the end it grows trust between law enforcement and the residents. I will implement more diversity in hiring and seek to employ more Bethlehem residents throughout all departments in City government. I worked there 27 years, and when I was hired, you had to be a Bethlehem resident. I’m not saying I want everybody to be a Bethlehem resident, but I think residency improves the buy-in to the community. I fully support programs that encourage young people to consider a law enforcement career in their hometown, programs such as the Junior Police Academy. Continue police training in crisis intervention and diversity recognition, as well as the appropriate interaction with resources dealing with mental health and substance dependence will be a priority for me. And there will be a zero tolerance policy across all city departments for discrimination and disrespect. Our laws will be applied uniformly and fairly.

Climate change:

Considering climate change, I support the city’s climate action plan, and I will pursue initiatives such as widespread and conveniently located electric charging stations for civilian and commercial vehicles. I will seek to amend zoning ordinances to require solar installations on the roofs of large new developments, and I want large warehouse developments to require off-street and energy stations to reduce diesel truck idling. Truck traffic and its attendant pollution disproportionately impacts the very young and the old in the community who are most vulnerable to assaults on their health. And it’s especially dangerous for those with fewer resources. As a long-time advocate of appropriate economic development in low-income communities, in the Southside in particular, I think it is critical that whatever benefits get allocated from the climate action plan  apply to all communities not just those that can afford solar panels and electric vehicles.

Affordable housing:

In my 27-year city career, I served as a finance specialist in the City’s housing rehabilitation program, later as grant administrator for all grant programs, including Community Block Grant and Home. My responsibilities included oversight of that same rehab program and the home ownership opportunity program that covered down payment costs for first-time home buyers. I also processed a number of HUD loans used to convert empty factory spaces into affordable housing units, all benefiting low and moderate income residents in Bethlehem. I recently crafted the closing assistance program called CAP, the guidelines for the non-profit housing opportunity program, which provides up to $12,000 in closing costs for low and moderate income first-time home buyers.

I think my experience matters. I have a lot to bring to the table because of that experience in City Hall and since as a small business owner.

Reminder that you can find a comparison of the mayoral candidates here.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Candidate for Mayor J. William Reynolds at the Lehigh Valley for All “Meet the Candidates” event February 17.

We’ve made a lot of progress in our City since Bethlehem Steel shut down, but there’s a lot more work to do. I feel strongly that we need a vision for our community especially coming out of the pandemic if we are going to grow and prosper this year and beyond. I’ve long felt that we need to continue our economic redevelopment and revitalization efforts . . . and we’ve got to keep building a City where everyone matters. We need to implement our Climate Action Plan to make our City healthier and more sustainable, and, more than anything, we need a vision for what we can be. Our optimism in Bethlehem has always overcome the negative and cynical voices among us . . . Our best days are in front of us if we can rely on our creativity, imagination, and passion to guide our future . . . The pandemic has shown us that we need to design better systems and increase cooperation in our community between our cities, our counties, our school districts, and our healthcare networks, and think about where our systems have failed to protect our most vulnerable. Progress is only possible when we are able to create coalitions of individuals and institutions that are committed to change. I think our efforts with climate action and neighborhood revitalization have shown the work that I am capable of in that area. The only real limitation we have as a city is whatever  we put on our selves. This isn’t about who we were or who we are but who we can be as Democrats, as families, as a City.

Mayoral candidate Reynolds answered a question about his plans for the Southside:

I think when you look at the Southside what you see is a lot of private investment going on, but it also is where we see a lot of systems, in my opinion, that failed . . . service requests. snow removal, and potholes, and things like that, and there’s so much less on the Southside than in other areas. It’s not because the problems are less but because we have a digital divide there . . . don’t have access to high-speed internet . . . We need to look at how do we just not build systems for the West side or the North side . . . but what can we do for the City on the Southside as how do we create a fairer city and give everybody in our city access to the opportunities people have throughout our city.

Reminder that you can find a comparison of the mayoral candidates here.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

J. William Reynolds and Dana Grubb

J. William Reynolds

Candidates for Mayor

It’s early.

But let’s start comparing our candidates.

Click on the link above for the first draft of a chart comparing the issues our candidates identified.

Let the good conversation begin!

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Join the meeting here!

With Kiera Wilhelm’s announcement for City Council, we now have a game in Bethlehem’s two major elective races.

As of this moment (still plenty of time for others to join the game!), here’s what the fields look like:

Mayor

Dana Grubb
Willie Reynolds

City Council (4 seats)

Bryan Callahan
Grace Crampsie Smith
Hillary Kwiatek
Adam Waldron
Kiera Wilhelm

So now it’s our job, our responsibility in the next three months before May18 to get to know the candidates as best as possible so that we can make informed choices.

You know, “informed” choices, not choices on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, good looks, alma mater, friend of a friend, yard sign design, and the rest of the etceteras.

Here’s an opportunity to get to know the candidates.

Lehigh Valley for All has this “Meet the Candidates” event tonight.

We can’t be sure who will show up.

But everybody who does in races across the Lehigh Valley will get a few minutes to make his or her pitch.

Eventually, LV4ALL members will vote to endorse candidates in each position and work to elect them.

Work to elect them!

It’s grassroots politics — and fascinating to watch.

And participate in.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Kiera Wilhelm
617.388.0495 / 484.725.5966
kieraforbethlehem@gmail.com

BETHLEHEM, PA – Kiera Wilhelm has announced that she is seeking election to Bethlehem’s City Council in 2021.

For the past four years, Kiera has served as Director of Fig Bethlehem magazine, a print/digital publication whose mission is to support and promote local businesses and organizations in Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley. “In my role as Director of Fig, I am charged with representing our local small business community, and I do so proudly. Many of our small businesses have been devastated by the pandemic, and I am inspired every day—now more than ever—by their dedication and commitment, and I want to do more. Connecting with so many hard-working business owners, particularly in the past year, has fueled my desire to run for City Council. Their needs are diverse, and diverse opportunities to help our small businesses exist—Council can and should serve as an accessible resource in getting them the help that they need.”

As a member of Council, Ms. Wilhelm will champion policies that serve the health and well-being of Bethlehem and all of its citizens, including those that:
• support diversity, inclusion, racial justice, and equality;
• promote sustainability, including more green spaces, improved public transportation, walkability, and the targets within Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan;
• increase affordable housing options and strive to end housing insecurity and homelessness;
• actively support and sustain a vibrant small business community, both as it recovers from the economic downturn and beyond.

Additionally, Ms. Wilhelm says she will prioritize more frequent, more accessible communication with the citizens of Bethlehem—via an enhanced and easy-to-navigate digital hub, a more robust social media presence, and, when it is safe, in-person conversations in the neighborhoods where people live and work. “I believe that better, warmer communication between a government and its citizens can lead to increased civic participation—an engaged community of residents who, having been thoughtfully informed and actively invited to participate, do,” she said. “This can mean anything from increased voter participation, to more trees planted, to volunteering, community gardens, more public art, and so much more. Civic participation contributes to the health and well-being of individual citizens, and to the community as a whole.”

As Councilperson, Ms. Wilhelm will also support the administration’s ongoing goal of greater transparency and accessibility, both through systems, such as the Open Bethlehem portal, and direct actions: “I plan to be the type of City Council member I have admired—which is more or less the kind of human being I admire: somebody who listens, pays attention, seeks information and feedback, and responds with thought, care, and intention.”

A graduate of Moravian College, Kiera lived in Bethlehem from 1989-1994 before moving away to begin her career in teaching. In 2000, she received her Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She remained in the Boston area, working in education and nonprofit arts administration, development, and fundraising before returning to Bethlehem in 2013. She has served as Director of Fig Bethlehem magazine since 2016.

She currently 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. Kiera is a member of the Bethlehem Food Co-Op. She was a member of the advisory group for the Lehigh Valley Creative Economy Project, and has served on committees and task forces for the Bethlehem Area Public Library, Touchstone Theatre, Godfrey Daniels, and Any Given Child Bethlehem. Kiera officiates weddings and other milestone life celebrations as part of the Lehigh Valley Celebrant team.

Latest in a series of posts on candidates for election

Cribbed this from Bernie O’Hare’s Lehigh Valley Ramblings blog.

Clears the air a bit. But do you think anyone else will join Messrs. Reynolds and Grubb in the mayoral race? Deadline for filing still pretty far off: March 9.

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There has been much speculation about my running for Mayor of Bethlehem.  Over the last year I’ve met with many residents, homeowners, business owners and union leaders who have encouraged me to run for Mayor. However, the time for me to run for Mayor is not right.

As many of you know, I lost my beautiful wife Lucia to cancer 14 years ago. Our kids were 12 and 9 at the time, so my first and foremost obligation is to my two kids.  I am a fulltime veteran educator in the Bethlehem Area School District at Northeast Middle School. I love teaching the students of our City and I believe I’ve made a real difference in the lives of many of them.  I have also owned and operated a very successful small business for the past 12 years and just opened a new brick and mortar business, Callahan’s Driving School and Testing Center with my brother John. This new business requires a significant amount of my time to ensure its success.  While being Mayor of our great City would have been the honor of a lifetime, it is a fulltime commitment and thus I will not be placing my name on the ballot for the Mayor of Bethlehem.

I will be running for re-election for my third term on City Council. As many of you know, I have a great love and am very passionate about our City. I am a Nitschmann Lion and Liberty Hurricane until the day I die. There is this perception and idea by a few people in our city that everything that has happened, all the good that has happened in our city over the last 20 years, was just inevitable. They think the rebirth and renaissance our City has been through over the last 20 years would have just happened by itself…that is simply NOT true! There are small towns and cities littered and scattered throughout the Northeast and Midwest of the United States that are examples of what happens when you don’t have progressive forward thinking leadership willing to keep pushing for better.

I am proud of my service on Council.  As a member and a Chair of the Finance Committee I have fought to keep taxes in check and by refinancing some high interest debt the Standard and Poor’s bond rating for the City of Bethlehem rose 4 times from a BBB Stable rating to a A+ Stable rating in just 5 years.

In my first two terms I introduced, proposed and passed the Wage Equality Ordinance that prevents the perpetuation of gender-based wage inequality, the No Gifts Ban that prohibits City Council Members from accepting gifts from those trying to influence public policy, along with improvements to the Rose Garden and Municipal Golf Course and more funding for ADA Ramps.

I also supported and voted for the Ethics Training Ordinance for City Council Members, the Community Engagement Initiative, the North Side 2027 initiative to help revitalize neighborhoods, the Open Data Group that improves openness and transparency in government, supported ordinances to ensure City contracts pay a fair wage to its employees, two new fire engines to support our fire fighters, body cameras and new Motorola radios for our police, a new EMS vehicle and funding for the Climate Action Plan.

In the next month I will be bringing forward a new ordinance that gives local businesses, especially minority, female and veteran owned businesses an advantage when bidding on local jobs.

My record of supporting critical smart economic development and fighting hard to hold the line on taxes (I voted 6 out of 7 times against tax increases) will continue.  I will also fight to make certain we fund our public safety resources at the level needed to keep our neighborhoods safe and our property values up.  Growing our tax base, keeping our neighborhoods safe and holding the line on taxes are critical so that Bethlehem remains affordable and the best City in Pennsylvania to live, work and play!

I look forward to the campaign and sharing my vision for Bethlehem.