Will Dems Make Clean Sweep on Allentown City Council?

Four Democrats and two Republicans will face off this November for four openings on Allentown City Council this November. Will City Council remain an exclusive, Democrats' only, club?

Mike D'Amore and Julio Guridy, Democrats both, are incumbents seeking re-election. They are joined by recently retired school administrator Ray O'Connell and young but energetic Mike Schlossberg, a certified urban revitalization specialist working for the Chamber of Commerce.

Republicans are fielding Lou Hershman, a former Democrat and grizzled veteran of city government. He has spent over thirty years as both Controller and Council member. Lou is joined by Joe Brudnak, about whom I know absolutely nothing. I hope that changes in the next few weeks when I meet him.

In the primary, this is how the candidates finished: D'Amore - 2,464; Schlossberg - 2,447, O'Connell - 2,221; Guridy - 2,056; Hershman - 1,609 (175 Republican write-in votes); and Brudnak - 1,283. As an incumbent city council President with close ties to the unions, D'Amore should come out on top. But Schlossberg's strong, second place, showing is a surprise, especially for a newcomer. He even edged out incumbent Julio Guridy. Is this an indication that Allentown Dems are more progressive now than they were a few years ago? If that were so, Guridy would have done much better. Schlossberg's relentless door-to-door campaign is probably what helped him more than anything.

Of the Democrats, Guridy is the most vulnerable. He actually lambasted members of the public during a recent city council meeting. He had hinted that opposition to a playground at Cedar Creek Parkway might be racially motivated. That resulted in some groans, and an upset Guridy lectured everyone, comparing city council chambers to a courtroom.

Lou Hershman has managed to surprise a few people, too. On primary eve, anonymous robo calls falsely blamed him for a pension deal that was actually brokered by Mayor Ed Pawlowski. Lou's campaign as a Democrat went down in flames, and he was counted out. Hershman believes city council needs to be more an administration watchdog, not a lapdog. Pawlowski knows this, and for that reason privately encouraged the robocalls, even going so far as to pick up the checks that funded them. Amazingly, candidates are too afraid to say this publicly. But Lou is still in the race. An experienced politician, he had an ace hiding up his sleeve and managed to capture the Republican nod as a write-in.

On my left sidebar, I have links to for each candidates. I have also spotlighted the five candidates I know in separate posts below. Throughout the campaign, I plan to add more and more information so that you can make an informed choice. You can also help with links to stories or by adding your own insights. I like Hershman. He brings fiscal experience that may prevent Pawlowski from falsely presenting budget figures. I also like Schlossberg's youthful exuberance and intelligence.