Allentown City Council candidates stump for votes, look to differentiate at downtown forum

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A League of Women Voters forum Tuesday night in Allentown featured the five men running for Allentown City Council, after both women seeking the office were left off the panel.

Incumbent Daryl Hendricks and challengers Jeremy Binder, Patrick Palmer, Cristian Pungo and Ben Stemrich laid out their qualifications for the job and their priorities if elected to a four-year term.

Incumbents Cynthia Mota and Natalie Santos did not participate in Tuesday’s forum because they missed a registration deadline for the event at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church.

The five candidates on stage spoke of the city’s need for more affordable housing and public safety improvements, but they tried to differentiate their plans.

Hendricks, who is seeking a fourth term, highlighted several developments that are adding much-needed apartments in the city and credited Mayor Matt Tuerk’s administration for cross-training building inspectors to reduce costs.

Stemrich called for Allentown residents to be prioritized when affordable housing units are built and offered.

“I think we also need to prioritize holding local developers more accountable and provide less incentivization and demand a little bit more,” Stemrich said.

“It may slow development in an area where we definitely do need to keep up development, but we have to find more community-oriented, long-term solutions when it comes to housing. Safety, as well."

Meet residents 'where they are'

Palmer said he would push council to do more to help people who are homeless or couch-surfing to avoid living outside.

A former Allentown School Board director, Palmer said he “grew up the typical Allentown kid,” frequently moving to new homes and schools.

He said he would lean on those experiences and his “understanding” of what many are going through to help council meet residents “where they are.”

“Our biggest issue is not listening,” Palmer said.

Pungo told the audience of several dozen people that he would “leverage” his experience as a construction manager with Alvin H. Butz Inc. to help the city better serve residents.

He said he’s “very motivated” to give back to the city.

“I want to feed into the same community that gave me those opportunities as a young Latino raised here in Allentown,” Pungo said.

Binder, the first person to announce his candidacy this cycle, said he would “focus on … returning to what neighbors and communities need,” including public safety, streets, trash and noise.

“I believe so deeply in the power of community,” he said, adding he’d try to encourage better relationships among council, local organizations and residents.

“I believe that safe and healthy neighborhoods will happen when people talk to each other, people come together, people communicate,” Binder said.

He said he’d look to use his 25 years of experience in the technology industry to “improve city services, increase transparency and keep residents informed.”

'The rules are there'

Speaking to LehighValleyNews.com as she left the event, Mota said she never saw an invitation to the forum but understood why she was not allowed to participate.

“The rules are there and they need to be followed,” she said, before answering the same questions asked to candidates on stage.

Mota highlighted 12-plus years on council, during which she said she’s “served with integrity, with dignity and respect.”

She also listed affordable housing and public safety as her top priorities, and called for a return to community policing, where residents know officers who work in their neighborhoods.

Natalie Santos did not respond Wednesday to a message from LehighValleynews.com seeking her answers to the questions posed Tuesday night.

The primary election is Tuesday, May 20. Voter registration ends May 5.