HELLERTOWN, Pa. — One word that made its way into many of the responses at Wednesday’s Saucon Democrat forum was “gem.”
Be it Hellertown and Lower Saucon’s park space, historic landmarks or culture and collaboration as a whole, the local council and school board met to discuss their communities ahead of the May 20 primary election.
The event — at the 1761 Heller-Wagner Grist Mill House on Walnut Street in Hellertown — featured questions around candidates’ ideas for cost-cutting, recreational opportunities, support for emergency responders and mending relations between the neighboring municipalities.
Hellertown Borough Council
The race features five Democrats running for four open seats.
Candidate Larry O’Donnell said he would like to see an expansion of the borough’s parks and recreation facilities and associated amenities, continued investment in EMS and first responder services and improved communication and citizen engagement as a whole.
Since personnel is such a huge cost for the borough, he said, maybe there should be a push to attract more volunteers with proper incentive and training.
“I think that we can explore volunteerism in the borough and in the larger community," O'Donnell said.
"And instead of increasing personnel costs, health care costs, et cetera, we can harness the spirit of Hellertown and our greater Lower Saucon community to help those costs.”
O’Donnell said he was encouraged by changes already made by the police department following the appointment of its newest chief.
The former chief, Robert Shupp, recently was sentenced to up to 23 months in prison for stealing money from the borough.
Candidate Gail Nolf said the borough should take care of its basic needs first and push to bolster community partnerships. She said she has confidence in the new police chief.
Involved in community service since 1979, Nolf has previously served on council, has worked 26 years as a Bethlehem Area School District educator and as a volunteer firefighter with local Dewey Fire Company.
“I truly heartfelt believe that if you live in a community, you should contribute to it,” Nolf said.
Candidate Cathy Leibensperger has been a scorekeeper for Saucon Valley Wrestling for 45 years and is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
She said she's a community-minded candidate.
Among her main concerns is maintaining safety along the borough’s bustling Main Street.
Leibensperger said locals should buy into what the new police chief is doing, let go of the past and move to the future.
“We’ve done what we felt had to be done, as far as his punishment, and I think now it’s time for the borough to move forward and to buy into what the new chief is putting into place here,” she said.
Incumbent Council President Tom Rieger said, “My entire life, I’ve been ingrained in community support, and I believe that if you live here, you’ll get as much out of it as you put into it.”
He’s been council president for nearly a decade, and seen tensions rise in that time among neighbors and other broader community partnerships.
He said he’s on board with supporting the new police chief in every way possible, and that the borough can control the future but not the past.
And though it’s been a number of years since a tax increase for the borough, Rieger said that will “start to catch up to us.”
Incumbent Councilwoman Theresa Fadem was absent because of sickness.
Saucon Valley School Board
There are four open seats.
Candidate Megan Lomangino said she moved to the area five years ago, going “headfirst into all of the things.”
She’s served with the Saucon Valley Schools PTO as treasurer for two years and now is the group’s president.
As a stay-at-home mom the past several years for her three boys under 10, she said, “I take immense pride in all the things that we’re able to do that not only support the students and the teachers, but also the families in our community.”
With a background in early childhood and elementary education, Lomangino said she’s concerned about administrative turnover and its impact on students.
Candidate J. Christian Tatu has worked in education almost 25 years and has been a professor and administrator at area colleges. Tatu is now an English teacher at Bethlehem’s Liberty High School.
“I’m not running for school board because I have any particular axe to grind; I don’t have a specific agenda,” he said. “But that said, I am committed to listening to all of our stakeholders, including parents and teachers.
"And I’d also like to see that the board maintains and exercises their oversight over top-level personnel.”
Recognizing Saucon Valley School District as among the best districts locally and statewide, he said it’s more urgent than ever to maintain that excellence.
He mentioned concerns about automation and a perceived over-reliance on technology in the classroom.
Hellertown Mayor
Hellertown Mayor David Heintzelman, who’s running unopposed, said the borough is a great place to be, has a top-notch chief of police and great council leadership.
Heintzelman said he hopes the next council considers raising taxes 0.5 of a mill, as “that light is burning out” among ever-increasing costs and demand for services.
“I was not planning on running again but chose to because no one else, I guess wanted to do it,” he said, as some of the room laughed.
“But I am honored to get the votes, and I will do my best to be the best representative I possibly can.”
Lower Saucon Township Council
The race has two open seats.
Candidate Chad Heimbecker has lived in the area for more than a decade and has two children, ages 11 and 14.
Holding degrees in biology and computer science, Heimbecker has had his own IT and web design consulting business for about 20 years.
He also has 30 years of experience in the roadway safety industry and has served on the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee.
He said he was compelled to run because of to the political landscape locally and looks to “give back, restore trust, respect, stability, civility” in the township council chambers.
Heimbecker recognized that Bethlehem Landfill revenue has been beneficial for the township, but environmental costs such as air and water quality also have added up and the township needs other avenues for revenue.
If the landfill on Applebutter Road were to later close, he said, he’d like to cap it and put a recreation facility on top.
Candidate Gary Gorman, the husband of Cathy Gorman, the township’s director of finance for the past 18 years, said he wants to help continue preserving open space.
Goman said he understood holding the landfill’s feet to the fire, but also saw that it does provide a large portion of funding for the township in host fees.
He said he has proper de-escalation skills that would apply within the council chamber chaos, as he’s worked as a Child Protective Services investigator for both Northampton and Lehigh counties.
“I believe that we need to enhance our relationships with our communities,” Gorman said.
Candidate Hunter Gress, 21, graduated from Saucon Valley High School in 2022.
As far as his age, he said to not give it too much thought, because he’s putting the community at the forefront of his campaign.
“I don’t want that to be a detractor for anyone looking at voting for me," Gress said. "I like to think I’m bringing some new ideas to the table, bringing a fresh perspective.”
He’s a volunteer with Lower Saucon Fire Rescue, an Eagle Scout and now a union welder at Norfolk Southern in Allentown.
Gress said he grew up going to meetings and watching his father during his time on council.
He said he liked Heimbecker’s idea of capping the landfill with a recreation facility if it was to ever end up closing.
