BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Wandalyn Enix was approved Tuesday as the first Black city council member in Bethlehem history.
Enix, 74, is a retired Bethlehem teacher and Montclair State University professor.
Enix was among three nominees for the seat and was approved by council 6-0. Eleven people applied for the post.
She will be sworn in Feb. 15 at the next city council meeting and will take the seat immediately after.
She fills the council seat vacated by the resignation of William Reynolds, who was elected mayor and took office this year. Enix’s term on council will end on Jan. 2, 2024.
Enix’s family has lived in Bethlehem for more than a century, and in 2019 she told her family’s story to the Black Bethlehem Project, a partnership of Lafayette College and the Bethlehem Public Library.
Her story of being raised in Bethlehem is available to read and hear on the Black Bethlehem Project’s website.
Enix said she was honored to join Bethlehem City Council.
She and other applicants addressed council members prior to the vote.
“I think because of my many and different experiences in education and in this city … I could bring a different perspective to city council,” she said.
Enix said her education career spanned 44 years, almost 30 of them at Montclair State.
She said the city’s most pressing need is to create affordable and entry-level housing.
“Bethlehem is a great community,” she said.
