ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The city's next leaders are now in their seats.
Mayor Matt Tuerk was sworn for his second term Monday by District Judge Michael D’Amore after four council members took their oaths at City Hall.
Incumbents Cynthia Mota and Natalie Santos are starting their fourth and second terms, respectively.
They were re-elected last year alongside political newcomers Cristian Pungo and Jeremy Binder.
“I will not let you down."Santo Napoli, after being elected City Council president
After taking his seat for the first time, Binder said it was “surreal” to see council’s chambers from a different perspective.
Binder, who owns an IT and security consulting firm based in the city, said the conversations he had with voters while campaigning last year “will shape” his and council's work over the next four years.
Pungo, a construction manager at Alvin H. Butz Inc., promised to represent all residents, no matter their immigration status.
“If you call Allentown home, we will serve you all the time,” he said.
The newly constituted council with its first acts unanimously elected Santo Napoli as president and Mota as vice president.
“I will not let you down,” Napoli said.
The new president said he wants “to set a new standard” for council, one that includes more productivity to benefit residents.
“Tonight's a night to celebrate; tomorrow we get to work,” Napoli said.
“There’s a lot of future ahead of us.”Mayor Matt Tuerk
Tuerk said he was optimistic he and the new council can find more common ground than in previous years.
“We’re going to need a city council and mayor to be on the same page every day,” he said.
“There’s a lot of future ahead of us.”
Council and the mayor currently are at odds over whether the city has a 2026 budget.
Tuerk insists his initial budget proposal took effect Thursday because council failed to override his veto.
Council argues any city budget requires its agreement.
Two decades of experience departs
Now-former council members Daryl Hendricks and Ed Zucal bowed out after vacating their seats for Binder and Pungo.
Hendricks departs council after 12 years, which included several runs as its president, including two of the past three years.
An Allentown native, he joined council in 2014. He was elected alongside Julio Guridy, who now runs the Allentown Housing Authority; Ray O’Connell, who served as mayor from 2018-22; and Mota, who was elected in November to a historic fourth term.
Hendricks ran for office in 2013 after serving more than 35 years in Allentown Police Department. He retired with the rank of captain shortly after his election that year.
“My goal was to be a good public servant, not a politician."Departing Allentown City Councilman Daryl Hendricks
Zucal served almost a quarter-century in the police department. He retired as a sergeant in 2016, the year before his first election to council.
Hendricks voted in January 2016 to pass a no-confidence vote in then-Mayor Ed Pawlowski and called for his resignation amid an FBI investigation into pay-to-play contracting schemes at City Hall.
Seven years later, Hendricks and Zucal voted to hire the same FBI agent who led that investigation — Scott Curtis — to probe claims of discrimination and racism by and against Allentown employees.
Throughout his tenure, Hendricks said public safety and economic development were among his top priorities.
“My goal was to be a good public servant, not a politician,” he said Monday.
Henricks said he was “humbled” by residents’ repeated support at the polls and proud to help lead the city through the coronavirus pandemic and “extensive growth.”
Zucal did not seek re-election to council as he challenged Tuerk for the mayor’s seat.
He fell short in the 2025 Democratic primary but found enough support among Republicans to take the race through the November general election.
Zucal, who is an Allentown school resource officer, said he plans to enjoy a break after serving the city for decades.
He told a crowded council chambers on Monday that he leaves with a “clear conscience and pride” for his work.
