Six Democrats running for Bethlehem Council in primary
By Kathleen Parrish
Correction: Hillary Kwiatek is director of marketing and communications in the finance & administration division at Lehigh University. This story has been updated to reflect her correct position.
Bethlehem Democrats will choose among six candidates vying for four City Council seats in the May 20 primary election. Council is comprised of seven members who serve four-year terms.
Two Democratic incumbents are running for second terms — Hillary Kwiatek and Rachel Leon. Other candidates are Celeste Dee, Jo Daniels, Justin Amann and Tina Cantelmi. Joseph F. Poplawski is the only Republican on the GOP ballot.
Incumbent Kiera Wilhelm is not seeking reelection. Incumbent Grace Crampsie Smith is running for mayor and is also not running for another term on council.
In recent interviews, Democratic candidates talked about issues ranging from affordable housing to public safety to infrastructure and parks. Information was obtained from interviews, campaign websites, LinkedIn and other sources.
Justin Amman
Amman is running for his first term on city council. He is executive director of the Foundation for the Bethlehem Area School District and directs the theater program at Freedom High School. The graduate of Liberty High School, who is married and has two children, has deep roots in the city.
“I’m the grandson of a Bethlehem Steel worker and the son of a nurse and a maintenance man,” Amman said. “My story is the story of Bethlehem.”
He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from East Stroudsburg University in 2015 and a master’s in higher education administration from the University of Michigan in 2016.
Amman said his foundation work has prepared him for council. Under his leadership, he said the foundation raised over $600,000 to support innovative classroom programs, scholarships for high school students, and districtwide initiatives like Project Lead the Way, a STEM program.
“I see firsthand the challenges students face,” Amman said. “I work with high schoolers, but I also talk to CEOs and business leaders. I’m in a unique position to listen, to lead, and to bring people together.”
If elected, he said he wants to focus on safe streets, strong city services, thoughtful economic development and support of the schools.
Amman said he would prioritize public safety, infrastructure and affordable housing – issues he believes are crucial to Bethlehem’s continued success.
“We have to equip our first responders and foster a culture of trust and respect” between public safety and our residents, he said. “At the same time, we have to prepare for the growth that’s coming to the Lehigh Valley. … and make sure housing is accessible and affordable.”
Tina Cantelmi
Cantelmi, making her first bid for city council, is an artist with a bachelor’s degree from Alfred University in New York. The Bethlehem native’s family has lived in the area for more than 100 years.
Cantelmi said she wants to bring a lifelong curiosity of government and her solution-minded approach to council. She is concerned by the region’s rapid development, especially the surge in high-density housing without the infrastructure or affordability to match.
“We’re seeing 40 to 50% more traffic and very little attention to livability,” she said.
She said places like Seattle have instituted creative public planning solutions, neighborhood design, traffic-calming roundabouts, public restrooms, and walkable grocery access that make cities more livable and resilient.
She said Bethlehem can lead in the same way with affordable housing, traffic safety, and ensuring all residents have access to fresh food, local jobs, and green space.
“There’s a lot going on in our city,” she said. “Growth is important but we have to be mindful about it and do it in a sustainable way. My hope is to plant seeds that will make Bethlehem an even better place. not just now, but for generations to come,” she said.
Cantelmi said she is also committed to service. Through her work with the Judith Adele Agentis Foundation, she’s helped raise over $30,000 for palliative care and thousands of meals for families.
Jo Daniels
Daniels is an account executive at Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions. The Liberty High School graduate attended Morgan State University in Baltimore.
She said her priorities are housing equity, public safety, and government and transparency. Daniels, who has lived in South Side Bethlehem her whole life, comes from a family deeply rooted in the city’s history. Her father was Bethlehem’s first black firefighter and her mother was a union worker at Mack Trucks.
“I know what it means to fight for our city because my family always has,” Daniels wrote in an email.
Daniels said she is running to protect residents from “unsafe rentals” and to halt the expansion of Lehigh University’s off-campus student housing into “already vulnerable communities.”
She wants to increase shelter beds and services for the city’s unhoused population; strengthen emergency response staffing and resources; and enact housing policies that protect working families from displacement by out-of-town investors.
“I’m committed to improving your quality of life, giving you a strong voice at City Hall, and working tirelessly to make your life easier and more enjoyable,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “I won’t back down at the first sign of defeat, and I will never bow to corporate or political bullies.”
Celeste Dee
Dee is a principal at Advantage Political Strategies who manages political campaigns. She ran unsuccessfully for council in 2023.
The self-described “military brat” earned a business management degree from the University of Texas, El Paso. She has worked for Capital One and NBC Universal. She is on the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
“Between all those facets of my life, I’ve gained an understanding of people from all walks of life, different cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds,” she said.
Her priorities include public safety, economic development, affordable housing and youth mental health.
Dee supports a targeted approach to economic growth that emphasizes sustainable, community-based development over warehouse expansion. To increase affordable housing, she supports adapting best practices from other cities, forming public-private partnerships and incentivizing property owners who prioritize affordability.
Another pressing concern for Dee is youth mental health. “I would want to work closely with the school district to explore legislation or programs that give real teeth to anti-bullying policies and that provide kids with help in a form they’ll accept,” Dee said.
Hillary Kwiatek – incumbent
Kwiatek is director of marketing and communications in the finance & administration division at Lehigh University. She has a master’s degree in folk studies from Western Kentucky and a bachelor’s degree in American history from Queens College in Queens, New York.
In an email, she said council has accomplished a lot since she was elected in 2021 and continues to make progress on infrastructure, parks, public safety and housing. She touted the rebuilding of Fairview Park and the plans to renovate Friendship Park. She also has advocated for flood restoration at Saucon Park, backed the acquisition of the final section of the South Bethlehem Greenway and supported a grant for a parks master plan.
Kwiatek said she championed the expansion of the Community Connections program, which partners the city’s health bureau and police department on responses to nonviolent incident calls. She also supported hiring four additional paramedics and backed the addition of a second annual firefighter academy to increase the number of trained firefighters.
Kwiatek serves on Climate Action Plan implementation committees and advocates for the electrification of the city’s vehicle fleet and expanded infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.
She serves on the steering committee for the Choice Neighborhood planning grant, which aims to expand housing in the neighborhood surrounding the Pembroke community; was on the advisory committee for the Opening Doors housing study and is part of the working group exploring Accessory Dwelling Units — sometimes known as in-law suites — as a way to increase the city housing supply.
Rachel Leon – incumbent
Leon serves as vice president of council as well as chair of the Public Safety Committee and liaison to the Library Board. She is a member of the Bethlehem Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners.
She did not respond to an interview request but said on her campaign website that she is a proven leader who “champions local businesses, affordable house and a future where every voice is heard.” The Freedom High School graduate served in the Navy for 10 years.