Local offices on the ballot this year will square off in debates throughout the month of April.
Lehigh Valley Public Media will host several debates for mayoral and county executive elections this year starting on April 17th and continuing into May, according to LehighValleyNews.com. The debates are expected to be free and open to the public and will cover some of the most tightly contested offices on the ballot. Primary elections for both offices will be held on May 20th across Pennsylvania.
The first debate on the schedule, the Democratic Primary for Allentown Mayor, will be held on April 17th at 6 pm and hosted at Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown. It will be the first showdown between incumbent Mayor Matt Tuerk and his challenger, City Councilman Ed Zucal. A third candidate, City Councilwoman Cynthia Mota, had initially filed the paperwork to run for mayor but dropped her bid in March, opting instead to seek reelection to the Allentown City Council. Less than two weeks ahead of the debate, there are no Republicans currently in the race to challenge Mayor Tuerk.
The Bethlehem mayoral debate is scheduled to be held on April 28th, also at 6 pm, and will be hosted at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem. The two Democrats on the ballot – incumbent Mayor J. William Reynolds and City Councilwoman Grace Crampsie Smith – will be facing off for the first time. Mayor Reynolds recently gave his State of the City address where he touted his administration’s “good governance and unity”, while criticizing the Federal Government. Reynolds, a first term mayor, began his term in 2022 after 14 years as a Bethlehem City Councilman. Like Allentown, there are no Republican candidates opposing Reynolds, which sets up the race to likely be decided in the May 20th primary.
County executive debates for Northampton County have been set for April 30th, at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem, between county Controller Tara Zrinski and Amy Cozze, the former county registrar responsible for overseeing the Northampton elections in 2020 and 2021. Current Northampton County Commissioner Tom Giovanni is running unopposed as a Republican for county executive. Giovanni, a retired businessman, announced his bid after intense criticism of outgoing county executive Lamont McClure and his administration. Giovanni blamed McClure for alleged issues with election machines and election integrity in 2019 and 2023, blasting McClure as “incompetent” and “dysfunctional.” Executive McClure will not be on the ballot seeking reelection, opting to not seek a third term.
Lehigh County executive candidates will debate at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 7th, also at the Univest Public Media Center. The two Republicans on the ballot, Mike Welsh and Roger MacLean, will meet for the first time, while Democrat Josh Siegel, a state representative, is running unopposed. MacLean served as Allentown Police Chief from 2006 to 2013 and is making his return to politics after being appointed interim mayor to finish the term of Edwin Pawlowski. Mayor Pawlowski was indicted in 2017 and sentenced to a 15-year prison sentence for a pay-to-play scheme trading city contracts for campaign cash.
