Tom Nolan to Run Unopposed in BT Comm'r Race

Tom Nolan

Tom Nolan, an engineer at Lehigh Heavy Forge, is the incumbent Commissioner in Bethlehem Township's first ward. He faced two Republican opponents in this year's primary.  One of them is former Commissioner Art Murphy, who works for Selvaggio and Son. The other, newcomer Wayne Buller, was being promoted by a tea party offshoot calling itself the Republican Action Team, RAT.

The fear was that Murphy and Nolan could siphon off votes from Nolan to enable Buller to win. But that never happened. Nolan was supported by 188 Republican voters, compared to 76 for Murphy and 52 for Buller.

According to the elections office, Nolan also captured the Democratic nomination, too, as a result of a write-in campaign. There were 45 write-in votes, and enough of them went to Nolan to make him the winner in that race as well.

Nolan this is both the Republican and Democratic nominee in Bethlehem Township's first ward. Barring an independent or a write-in campaign, his victory is all but assured.