7 Allentown City Council candidates vie for 3 nominations in Democratic primary
Three incumbents look to remain on council
In the May 16 primary, seven candidates, including three incumbents, are seeking the Democratic nomination for three seats on Allentown City Council.
Incumbents Candida Affa, Ce-Ce Gerlach and Santo Napoli want to retain their seats. The other four candidates are Luis E. Acevedo, Randy Bushe, Tino Babayan and Sarina Torres.
With no Republicans on the ballot, the three Democratic nominees are virtually assured of a seat on council, keeping the seven-member council entirely Democratic. The mayor, Matt Tuerk, is also a Democrat.
Napoli was chosen in January from 11 people who had applied to fill a vacancy on City Council created when Joshua Siegel resigned after his election to the state House from the new 22nd District. Acevedo, Babayan and Bushe also applied for the vacancy.
Allentown, the third largest city in Pennsylvania, has a population of 126,000 residents, with nearly 55% being Hispanic or Latino and 14% Black, according to U.S. Census data.
The city’s poverty rate is 23.3% – more than double the national rate of 11.6%. The annual income for a family of four in the city is less than $35,801, according to the Census Bureau.
The candidate field reflects the diversity of the city, and they support programs, such as job creation, affordable housing and measures to address homelessness. They also talk about measures to end gun violence and offer differing solutions to reduce crime.
Information about candidates was gleaned from campaign and afiliated websites, Facebook pages and other websites. Candidates are listed in the order they appear on the ballot.
Incumbent Ce-Ce Gerlach
Gerlach, 37, served two terms on the Allentown School Board from 2011-19. She was elected to City Council in 2019 and is seeking her second four-year term.
While on the school board and council, she has been a progressive voice, championing programs to help the city’s low-income residents. She criticized the city’s Neighborhood Improvement Zone, saying $1 billion in downtown development has not benefited those who need help the most. Through Allentown Jobs First, she worked to ensure residents had a fair shot of landing jobs for businesses opening in the downtown area.
Gerlach, who wrote in The Morning Call about her experience of being homeless, advocated for affordable housing in the city, criticized slumlords and pushed for the formation of a city Commission on Homelessness.
While acknowledging the importance of police in responding to crime, she wrote on her campaign website that police need assistance from other professionals: “Police officers are asked to do too much in terms of social services where other professionals could fill in the gaps such as social workers or mental healthcare professionals.”
She was one of four council members last year who formed a majority to reject a mayor-endorsed plan to contribute $1.5 million from the city’s federal American Rescue Plan funds toward improvements at Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs AAA baseball team.
She graduated from Cedar Crest College with a degree in elementary education. She works as a facilitator for PA Justice Alliance, a social justice organization. She also operates a concessions business.
As a Valley Youth House caseworker in 2021, she was charged by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office with endangering the welfare of a child and failing to report a suspected child abuse case, according to reports from media, including The Morning Call. The DA’s office learned that her supervisor had not provided the proper training for Gerlach, which led to the more serious endangering charge being dropped. Gerlach was then placed in a probationary program for first-time offenders, where her record would be cleared after two years.
Gerlach’s campaign committee, Friends of Ce-Ce Gerlach, began the year with $11,100 remaining from a previous campaign and added $10,719, for a total of $21,819 for the period ending May 1, according to the campaign finance report. It spent $20,666, mostly on campaign materials such as yard signs and mailers, leaving a balance of $1,153.
She is endorsed by Make the Road Action PA, a group that advocates for progressive causes.
Luis E. Acevedo
Acevedo, 51, was born in Brooklyn and moved to Allentown in 2003. He is the Nazareth manager for RJ Walker, a plumbing, heating and cooling parts supplier.
He sits on the board of directors of Star Community Health, which runs community health centers in the Lehigh Valley. He had served on the board of the Puertorrican Culture Preservation in Allentown. He also volunteers for and helps organize the annual Puerto Rican Parade in the city.
He believes council must be more responsive to its residents and must address the problem of crime, making the city safer for people. Council should take steps to ensure that affordable housing is available for people, city residents have opportunities for jobs and the city government offers support for small businesses.
His campaign raised $1,068 and spent $989 from Jan. 1 through May 1, leaving him with a balance of $79, according to his campaign finance report. His campaign was boosted, however, by a $5,000 in-kind contribution for radio commercials from VP Broadcasting, which owns the Spanish-language radio station in Allentown.
Rodney Bushe
Bushe, 35, was born in Ohio but grew up in Allentown, attended city schools and graduated from Muhlenberg College. A real estate agent, he has also worked as a community health worker and community organizer.
As a City Council member, he would work to establish fair rent prices, promote affordable housing, fund programs to aid homeless residents, encourage business investments by city residents, and “reimagine the way we look at public safety and think of effective approaches to violence that plagues our beloved city.”
“I have extensive progressive leadership experience and I have spent a great deal of time building relationships across diverse groups. It is not only time for me to pay that forward but the time is now to bridge the gaps,” he wrote on his campaign website.
He was endorsed by Make the Road Action PA, which advocates for progressive causes.
Bushe raised $2,405 and spent $1,667 through May 1 of this year, according to his campaign finance report. He gave $1,000 to his own campaign. All of his expenses went to Faces International, a marketing agency in Allentown. The campaign owes the firm another $3,333, according to the report.
Incumbent Candida Affa
Affa, 79, is seeking her third term on City Council, first being elected in 2015.
She owned and operated Candida’s Bar in Allentown for 37 years, closing it in 2017. The gay bar became a gathering place for LGBTQ activists. After holding meetings in the bar during the AIDS crisis, Affa in 1986 co-founded Fighting AIDS Continuously Together (FACT) of the Lehigh Valley, which has raised more than $2 million to support people affected by HIV.
She was the prime sponsor of a nuisance abatement law in 2017 to eliminate excessive noise from after-hour bars.
She supports increased funds for police, fire and emergency services. She also “will continue to advocate for appropriate public safety funding & community policing programs to partner with our citizens and protect our neighborhoods.”
She was one of four council members last year who formed a majority to reject a city plan to contribute $1.5 million from the city’s federal American Rescue Plan funds toward improvements at Coca-Cola Park.
Affa has lived in Allentown for more than 45 years and married Kim Danish, her partner of 25 years, in December 2014.
“I'm proud to have spent the last 8 years advocating for progressive reforms in Allentown,” she wrote on her campaign Facebook page. “From leading the charge to decriminalize marijuana, banning conversion therapy, and giving support to those affected by the HIV Aids Crisis, I am committed to fighting for all of Allentown's residents.”
Affa’s campaign raised $20,500 this year through May 1 and spent $7,772, including $3,333 in legal fees to successfully fight a challenge from Bushe to her nominating petitions, according to her campaign finance report. She entered the final weeks of the campaign with a balance of $12,278.
Major contributors include Fraternal Order of Police Queen City Lodge #10 ($9,500), Allentown Firefighters Local 302 ($1,000) and Allentown developer Nat Hyman ($500).
Tino Babayan
Babayan, 53, is making his second attempt to be elected to City Council, having lost in the Democratic primary two years ago.
A Syrian immigrant and businessman, he has also been a youth soccer coach for more than 25 years. He is a board member on the city’s Council of Youth
On his campaign Facebook page, he outlined his priorities: Support police, fire and emergency services; invest in violence prevention and youth programs; adopt property tax breaks for seniors; work to provide incentives for builders to create affordable housing; crack down on slumlords; hold Allentown Parking Authority accountable for writing excessive parking tickets.
He said that as a youth coach he knows the importance of sports in children’s lives in keeping them safe and learning lessons they can use as adults.
His campaign slogan, which he used in his 2021 campaign, is “Honor the past, change the present and prepare for the future.”
Babayan’s campaign raised $8,696 through May 1 and spent $2,347, his campaign finance report notes. Among his contributors were Julio Guridy’s 2021 mayoral campaign committee ($500), Queen City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #10 ($1,000), Allentown Firefighters Local 302 ($350), IBEW Local 375 ($2,500) and Allentown developer Nat Hyman ($250).
Incumbent Santo Napoli
Napoli, 50, was appointed in January to fill the remainder of Siegel’s term. In 2021, he was unsuccessful in the City Council Democratic primary.
Napoli owns assembly88, a menswear store in downtown Allentown, and has been chair of the Downtown Allentown Business Alliance since 2017. He was instrumental in creating the Allentown Merchant Program gift card for downtown stores.
He was one of three council members last year who voted in the minority to supported a city plan to contribute $1.5 million from the city’s federal American Rescue Plan funds toward improvements at Coca-Cola Park.
Key parts of his message to voters include promoting redevelopment and job creation in all parts of the city, expanding opportunities for small businesses, and investing in city services to become more efficient and whose employees must reflect the diversity of the city.
He also supports measures to reduce crime and build strong neighborhoods, which should lead to positive community-police relations. He wants to hold landlords accountable and protect residents from poor housing conditions and absentee landlords.
“If we want equitable economic development and job creation in Allentown, then City Council needs someone who understands how to invest in our community,” he said on his campaign website.
“Since 1999, my businesses have created 315 jobs right here in Allentown. I know that if I bring my 25 years of business experience to Council, we can encourage more entrepreneurship and small business development throughout the city.”
Napoli’s campaign raised the most money of any candidate in the race – $22,575, according to his campaign finance report that reflects the period from Jan. 1 to May 1. He spent $4,879, leaving a balance of $17,725. Most of the money came from PACs, including FOP Queen City Lodge ($9,500) and Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors PAC ($10,000).
Sarina Torres
Torres, 22, is making her first bid for elected office.
In an interview with WDIY-FM, Torres said she worked on the campaign of Natalie Santos, who at age 21 was the youngest person elected to Allentown City Council two years ago.
On her campaign Facebook page, Torres wrote that she has lived in Allentown for much of her life and was raised by her grandparents after living in foster care homes.
When she was 19, she started Sarina’s Berries, a small business that sold chocolate-covered strawberries. She is enrolled at Kutztown University and also works at a restaurant.
As a council member, she would support small business assistance programs, affordable housing, transparent government and green programs for the city. Making the city safer and combating gun violence are also priorities.
She said City Council needs younger members. “I decided to run for City Council because there’s not enough representation of young people in our government,” she said on WDIY.
The United Youth Party in Breinigsville raised $2,491 on behalf of Torres’ candidacy, mostly with unspecified donations through Act Blue and Cash App, according to campaign finance reports for the period Jan. 1 to May 1. The group has spent $2,389 on photos and other campaign-related expenses.
She was endorsed by progressive group Make the Road Action PA.