Allentown City Council has appointed a local financial educator and founder of an area nonprofit to oversee and audit the city’s finances.
Jasmine Salgado, co-founder of the Valley Wealth Alliance, will serve the rest of former Controller Jeff Glazier’s term, which was set to expire at the end of 2027. She received the most votes from council members, who were tasked with conducting interviews and appointing a new controller at a Tuesday evening meeting in council chambers.
Other applicants included Evette D’Amore, an Allentown School Board member and purchasing agent for PennDOT, and Patrick Palmer, a member experience associate at First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union who previously ran for Allentown school board and for mayor.
Jeff Glazier, the city’s former controller, died in May. Controller is an elected position; however, because his term had not yet expired, City Council was tasked with appointing a replacement. Voters will choose the next controller to serve a full, four-year term in November 2027.
The controller is an office independent from both City Council and the city administration, and acts as a watchdog over the city’s finances. The controller is responsible for reviewing the city’s annual budget and all expenditures, preparing audits of city departments, and investigating financial losses or alleged mismanagement.
Salgado received votes from five council members: Ce-Ce Gerlach, Cynthia Mota, Jeremy Binder, Cristian Pungo and Natalie Santos. Council members Candida Affa and Santo Napoli voted for D’Amore.
During a public interview, Salgado made the case that her background in financial management, auditing, education and leadership made her the right fit for the controller position.
Prior to founding the Valley Wealth Alliance, Salgado served as financial administrator for the Baum School of Art, and office manager for a branch of H&R block. She holds an associate degree in accounting and management marketing from Allentown Business School, which closed in 2004.
“I think what I bring to this is a combination of experience, independence, and a genuine willingness to serve. You’ve heard tonight that I’ve spent more than 20 years working in finance. I work with the numbers from ground up, I’ve worked with auditors, I’ve managed budgets, and today, I lead an organization,” Salgado said.
The job is considered part time and pays a $76,000 salary. Salgado was immediately sworn in following her appointment by council.
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.