Bipartisan call for debate ahead of 22nd House District primary
Two of the three candidates for the 22nd District state House seat are calling for a debate ahead of their respective primaries.
Republican Robert E. Smith Jr. and Democrat Ce-Ce Gerlach have called on local media and civic organizations to host a debate before the May 19 primary.
Smith is unopposed in the Republican primary, and in the Democratic primary Gerlach will face Rep. Ana Tiburcio, who represents the district.
Tiburcio defeated Smith in a February special election to replace Josh Siegel, who resigned to take on his new role as Lehigh County executive.
The 22nd District includes East Allentown, parts of Center City Allentown and three wards in eastern Salisbury Township.
The winners of the two party primaries typically debate in the run-up to the general election. However, Smith and Gerlach said they want to debate as soon as possible. Tiburcio has not responded to requests to join the debate, according to Smith’s and Gerlach’s campaigns. Tiburcio’s campaign did not respond to an email inquiry about the potential debate.
The 22nd district has 31,669 registered voters, according to the most recent state data. In the February special election, Tiburcio received 1,474 votes and Smith received 717 for a total of 2,191 votes cast.
George Rivera from Smith’s campaign said the special election had a 6.9% voter turnout and that percentage is too small. Even though Smith is running unopposed in the Republican primary, the candidate feels a debate would generate interest among voters, Rivera said.
“We’re trying to create excitement and engagement and focus because, at the end of the day, voting is a civic process,” he said.
Gerlach said other Lehigh Valley primary races have debates scheduled and the 22nd should too.
“Voters deserve to hear from the candidates who are running,” she said.
Gerlach said she spoke with Smith a few weeks ago at an event and they agreed they should participate in a debate before the primary. She said she hopes Tiburcio joins them if they find a host for the debate.
“If we are asking voters to trust us, we owe them a debate,” Gerlach said.
Smith, Gerlach and Tiburcio previously served on the Allentown School Board. Smith is a program specialist at New Vitae Wellness and Recovery in Limeport. Gerlach is a current member of the Allentown City Council and she works as a case manager for a local nonprofit organization. Tiburcio was a school board member until she resigned in March.
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