Bethlehem City Council Attracts GOP Write-In Candidate

James Follweiler, the Bethlehem Republican Mayoral Candidate in 2003 and a 2005 City Council candidate, has decided to enter the City Council race as Republican write-in candidate.  Three seats are up for grabs. Republicans Tom Ginthner and Devin Brunges are currently on the ballot for the Republican nomination. Five Democrats are seeking their party's nomination as well. They are Richard "Ricky" Butler, a Marine turned mortgage broker; Bryan Callahan , a driving school owner and former City Council member; Michael Colon, a two-term City Council member and Gracedale admissions manager; Celeste Dee, a political consultant for Democratic candidates; and Colleen Laird, Moravian's chief information officer and former board member of Bethlehem's Food Co-Operative.

Follweiler states he was prompted to run after watching a recent Democratic debate and reading news accounts concerning the Democratic candidates. He thinks Bethlehem residents need and deserve different choices and perspectives. 

“The additional life experiences I gained since my previous campaigns will significantly contribute to my better serving our city,” said Follweiler in a news release. He is a retired Colonel from the U.S. Army Reserve and also served as a federal civilian with the Department of Defense (DoD) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  “With my military and FEMA service behind me, I am now ready to step up in service to my hometown city,” he stated.

Since his 2005 campaign, Follweiler served numerous years on active military duty including a deployment to Afghanistan and service with U.S. Central Command.  Following his military service, as a federal civilian, he continued serving the DoD and also FEMA as a regional Logistics Branch Chief and Response Division Deputy, providing the life saving and life sustaining support immediately following disasters.  He has assisted people in potentially their worst of situations.  He deployed to support several large-scale disaster responses including to Georgia after Hurricane Irma, to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, and to Florida for Hurricane Michael, in addition to regional responses including several West Virginia flooding events.  

Follweiler taught Army ROTC at Lehigh University. He earned a Master’s Degree in History from Lehigh University and also holds a Master of Business Administration degree.  His undergraduate degree was in Business Administration with a Finance emphasis.