Allentown mayor faces challenger in Democratic primary
Incumbent Matt Tuerk and City Councilman Ed Zucal are on May 20 primary ballot
In Allentown, incumbent Democrat Matt Tuerk is facing a primary election challenge from Councilman Edward Zucal in a race that could settle the outcome in November, as no Republicans are on the GOP ballot on May 20.
“I will continue to bring a fresh voice to City Hall, maintaining a focus on the power of partnerships and building coalitions, not tearing it down and trying to build it back up,” said Tuerk, who is seeking his second term, on his campaign website.
Zucal, a deputy Lehigh County coroner and retired Allentown police sergeant, was elected to council in 2017. He is making his first bid for mayor and is not seeking reelection to council.
“I want to make a difference in the city,” he told Armchair Lehigh Valley in December. “I want to be more available to the public. I’m not going to shut them out.”
Allentown is the state’s third largest city. More than half of the 125,000 residents are Latino. The city’s mayors serve four-year terms and are paid $95,000 a year.
Allentown mayoral race officially off the ground
Democrats Tuerk, Zucal face off in only Allentown mayoral debate
To see more photos of the debate, click here.
Tuerk wanted to do an internal investigation on allegations that were raised in a July 2023 letter from the Allentown branch of the NAACP. Zucal and other council members wanted to hire an outside investigator. They were also unhappy when they learned in fall 2023 that Tuerk had terminated three employees in the Human Resources department.
In December 2023, Zucal co-sponsored a no-confidence vote in Tuerk that passed 4-3. Zucal was on a panel that recommended hiring former FBI agent Scott Curtis to conduct an investigation, which council did in June 2024. Tuerk voided the contract and council, in turn, voted to hire a lawyer to sue him and Finance Director Bina Patel for not paying Curtis.
The lawsuit is on hold as Tuerk and council in January agreed to hire Philadelphia law firm Duane Morris to conduct an investigation and write personnel policies. Zucal was among the three no votes.
During an April 17 debate, Zucal said Tuerk is “too woke” for Allentown.
“This is a blue-collar city. … This is a city that’s made up of Pennsylvania Dutch, Irishmen, everything. So that’s what I mean by [when I say] we need to get back to what this city was originally,” he said during a Lehigh Valley Public Media-sponsored debate on April 17.
In response, Tuerk accused Zucal of using language that sounded like MAGA ideology but Zucal defended his record, saying he had been a Democrat his entire life and “does not believe in the MAGA system.”
Following are profiles of the two candidates. Information was drawn from campaign websites, the April 17 debate, past interviews, social media sites and media articles. Both declined requests for an interview.
Matt Tuerk
Tuerk is from East Stroudsburg. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international business at the College of Charleston and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina. He moved to Allentown in 2004 and has worked for the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. and Allentown Economic Development Corp. He is married and has two daughters.
His maternal grandmother was a Cuban immigrant, making him the first Latino mayor in the city.
Tuerk said he remains committed to his promise of an “Allentown for All” with safety, economic opportunity and community partnerships as his top priorities.
In listing his accomplishments, Tuerk said last year the city reached the lowest number of homicides since 1989. There were four in 2024, compared to 17 in 2023 and nine in 2022.
“Behind these numbers are families feeling more secure in their neighborhoods. This progress came through consistent leadership — having the same police chief [Charles Roca] for three straight years for the first time in over a decade,” Tuerk said in his November campaign announcement.
Tuerk said he launched a plan to improve traffic signals, pedestrian walkways and roadways near schools with an aim of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2030.
He cited the Da Vinci Science Center, which moved to the city’s downtown last year, as an example of a community partnership that created economic opportunity. He said the newly opened Archer Music Hall and Moxy Hotel will bring more people to the Allentown arts district.
Other accomplishments listed by Tuerk include the $20 million federal grant the city received to help residents access better jobs and Moody’s first A2 bond rating of Allentown.
Crime
Tuerk has touted his administration’s approach to curbing crime. In his State of the City address, he said that since the mid-2000s, robberies are down 90% and simple assaults are down over 20%. He credits technology such as cameras that can read license plates and devices that can locate and report gunfire to law enforcement within seconds of a shot being fired.
City investigations
During the debate, Tuerk said his administration “diligently investigated claims when they’ve occurred,” but wouldn’t elaborate further on personnel issues. He pointed to the recent hiring of former councilman Martin Velazquez as human services director and, in 2024, Kumari Ghafoor-Davis as people and culture specialist as steps the city is taking to improve the environment for City Hall workers.
Affordable Housing
Tuerk released an affordable housing plan in 2024 that aims to amend zoning codes, obtain more funding for existing programs, use funding to encourage private and nonprofit sectors to build more homes and create a regional plan to advocate for more changes at the state and federal level.
Tuerk pointed to new residential construction as beneficial to all residents of Allentown, despite them being labeled as luxury units. “These are units that are offered at market rates,” he said.
He said 1528 West apartments are an example of a successful development that houses seniors and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Pedestrian Safety
The city launched “Safe Streets for All” in April this year, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. Tuerk touted a $384,000 federal grant during his State of the City address, saying it will be used to improve public safety by installing speed cushions to slow traffic in neighborhoods and make critical improvements at intersections with high crash rates.
Economic Development
Tuerk said Allentown was awarded a $20 million recompete grant last year to revitalize some of Allentown’s poorest neighborhoods and connect residents to high-paying jobs. At the debate, Tuerk pushed back on criticism that only the center city section is getting new construction. “On Union Boulevard, you'll see actual new buildings being constructed [and on] Emmaus Avenue on the south side,” he said.
Taxes
Tuerk touted the administration’s ability to keep the city funded without raising taxes. “We're in our best fiscal position In decades,” he said. “[The team] has effectively delivered city services and managed our finances all while keeping our property taxes level.”
The $240 million budget for 2025 contained no tax hike, but raised annual trash fees by $190 to $605, according to Lehigh Valley News. For the 2024 budget, Tuerk proposed a 2% tax hike, which council rejected in favor of adopting one with no increase.
Tuerk warned that a tax hike may be unavoidable, considering rising prices and uncertainty of federal funding. “If we want to continue to have a functioning city, we may have to raise taxes,” he said during the debate.
Parks
Tuerk pointed to the new Irving Pool at Andre Reed Park, resurfacing basketball courts at Cedar Beach and upcoming rehabilitation of Bogert’s Bridge in Lehigh Parkway as ways his administration has improved the parks system. Earlier this year, the city hired Simone Collins Landscape Architecture to gather input and come up with a 15-year plan to improve Allentown’s parks and open spaces.
Ed Zucal
Zucal is a deputy Lehigh County county coroner and security officer for the Allentown School District. He is making his first run for mayor. Zucal retired as an Allentown police sergeant in 2016. He graduated from Northwestern Lehigh High School and attended Penn State. He is in his second term on council. He made an unsuccessful bid for Lehigh County sheriff in 2014. He is married and has three children, two step-children and grandchildren.
“The people of Allentown have lost the trust of city hall and their elected officials; investigations are shut down, questions are ignored, and legal fees pile up. It's time for change,” he said on his campaign website.
Zucal has criticized Tuerk’s tenure at the helm. “Quality-of-life issues are being completely ignored,” he said.
He has spoken at council meetings about an exodus of longtime employees, blaming Tuerk for their departures. He said the city’s park system is being neglected because employees have left. “There were good people who were running that program,” he said.
During the debate, Zucal said he “wouldn’t haven’t done anything differently” regarding the independent investigation, which has cost about $130,000 in legal fees.
Crime
Zucal said FBI statistics don’t paint a true picture of crime in Allentown. “There is a shooting or stabbing every other day,” he said.
He said morale is low on the police department and he would fire Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca if elected. “I believe I have inside knowledge on what needs to be done based on my 25 years with the Allentown police department,” he said. Allentown’s Fraternal Order of Police endorsed him in January.
Zucal said police should follow the “broken windows theory,” where responses to crimes like vandalism, graffiti and loud music are a means to prevent bigger crimes.
He also supports instituting a community policing program like Allentown had “in the ‘90s” when officers had mini-stations in storefronts and first-floor apartment spaces in certain neighborhoods. “When police work together with residents to address quality-of-life issues, it makes for safer, happier, and more prosperous communities,” he said.
Affordable Housing
Zucal agreed on the need for affordable housing. When asked about the 15,000-person waiting list for public housing or vouchers, he said, “I don’t know if there’s a way to combat that.” He added that the city should “provide a tax abatement program for developers” to encourage restoration of blighted properties.
Pedestrian Safety
Zucal, who chairs council’s public safety committee, said he thinks ”Safe Streets For All” is a great program but is concerned it focuses too much on drivers and not on pedestrian safety. He pointed out that more than 3,000 people violated school bus laws in Allentown this school year. Zucal also said that it’s possible car insurance rates could go up if Allentown is considered a “bad driving city.”
Economic Development
Zucal said “people are failing to come downtown [because] of storefronts closing, crime.” He added that having small businesses thrive is beneficial for the city because it increases business taxes.
Taxes
“Our taxes are too high,” Zucal said in his opening statement during the debate. He promised to keep taxes down as mayor by controlling city spending.
Zucal has been at odds over Tuerk’s budgets. He was among four council members who pushed back against Tuerk’s proposed 2% tax hike for the 2024 budget.
He said city residents are feeling the squeeze from rising costs. “Despite this, some elected officials, including Mayor Matt Tuerk, have proposed massive new tax increases to fund unnecessary spending,” he said.
Zucal said he would be more fiscally responsible than Tuerk. Besides his work on city budgets as a council member, he said he prepared annual budgets as the police department’s DUI program coordinator.
Parks
Zucal sees Allentown’s parks as declining after “being seen as some of the best in the country.” As mayor, he promised during the debate that Allentown’s parks will be preserved and “have police presence to keep families and children safe.”
Katherine Reinhard contributed to this report.