ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk took city government on the road Thursday for the first in a series of community discussions he’s calling City Hall at the Table.
The event brought out about 50 residents, who spoke in small groups about what they feel are some of the city’s most pressing issues — including traffic, trash, nuisance nightclubs and other properties and the need for youth mentorship.
- About 50 residents met Thursday at Ritter Elementary School in Allentown to discuss issues and potential solutions
- The event was the first in a series of City Hall at the Table events held by Mayor Matt Tuerk
- The community discussions are set for the fourth Thursday of every month
Residents also discussed several school-related issues, such as bullying and limited accessibility for students with special needs.
After about 40 minutes, one person from each group reported back on their issues and potential solutions, while city employees took copious notes.
“We can do things differently. We can have the government that we want, not just the government that we’ve always had.”Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk
Tuerk said the City Hall at the Table events will help him and his staff connect with residents, let them “authentically engage with each other,” and give them opportunities to be “the authors of the future of the city.”
“We can do things differently,” he said. “We can have the government that we want, not just the government that we’ve always had.”
Bringing City Hall to the community
The community discussions are set for the fourth Thursday of every month, though a location has not been chosen for April’s event. Wherever it is, the mayor said he hopes residents will show up with new ideas for how to make the city better.
“What we’d like to do is quite literally bring City Hall out to the community,” Tuerk said.
“I know that there’s a lot of things that people right now need to come downtown for. We’re thinking about how we can deliver some of those services in a cafeteria of an elementary school.”
Resident Rebecca Ramos said she had never attended a city event before Thursday night. She said she was “pretty happy” she came after “hearing a lot of other people’s concerns or opinions of what’s going on around the city and knowing that I’m not the only one with the same concerns.”
Ramos said Thursday’s event will be just the start of her work to improve her city and help her neighbors.
“My next step is to keep on involving myself in community meetings and meeting new people … and trying to see if we can put our puzzle pieces together and hopefully fix the puzzle."Allentown resident Rebecca Ramos
“My next step is to keep on involving myself in community meetings and meeting new people … and trying to see if we can put our puzzle pieces together and hopefully fix the puzzle,” she said.
Tuerk’s City Hall at the Table events follow his previous efforts to bring more residents into the fold.
The mayor delivered his 2023 State of the City address in January at the Renaissance Hotel before presenting it twice more at William Allen and Dieruff high schools the next week.
During those events, Tuerk touted new projects that launched in 2022 and laid out his goals for his first term in office. Those goals included tackling the lack of affordable housing and reducing gun violence and other crimes.
Parking a priority
Resolving residents’ issues with the Allentown Parking Authority has risen to the top of Tuerk's priorities in recent weeks.
Residents at various city and neighborhood meetings repeatedly have voiced concerns about APA employees' aggressive enforcement and over-ticketing.
“The city wasn’t built for 65,000 cars — that’s what we have now. If we're going to really thrive together as a city, we’re going to have to get creative about how we live our lives.”Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk
Earlier this month, Tuerk requested money from the city’s 2023 unappropriated balance to fund a study of the Allentown Parking Authority's management and structure.
When requesting the funds, the mayor said the independent parking authority has “unchecked power” and "has pursued a path which suggests that it is driven by revenue.”
He said Thursday he wants residents to be “part of the solution” to the city’s parking woes.
He said he hopes residents will “be patient as we get all the data that we need and then be part of the process as we chart out a future with parking in the city.”
“The city wasn’t built for 65,000 cars — that’s what we have now,” Tuerk said. “If we're going to really thrive together as a city, we’re going to have to get creative about how we live our lives.”
