ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Democratic Congressional candidate Bob Brooks came to Allentown’s Central Fire Station Wednesday to make a promise to the Latino community before the November election.
“My pledge to this community is simple: I will show up, listen, and fight for you and your family each and every day as your Congressman,” said Brooks.
His new initiative is “Bombero Bob.” Bombero means “firefighter” in Spanish, and Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said it’s a slogan they’ll make sure people remember.
“We’re going to be in supermarket parking lots, on 7th Street, on Tilghman Street, on the east side, on the south side. We’ll be at festivals and churches and in barber shops,” said Tuerk.
But Brooks’ opponent, Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, said Brooks is only interested in the Latino community for their votes. In a statement, Mackenzie said in part, quote:
“Bob Brooks and the Democrats are once again showing up two months before the election to pretend that they care about the Latino community. My team and I have been working on behalf of the local Latino community for the past year and a half.”
But Brooks said that’s not true.
“Start rumors, say negative, that’s the Republican way, right? That’s what they do, so he is doing that and continuing to put a false message out there. You ask any one of those people here today when I started working with them, and it was a long, long time ago,” said Brooks.
Victor Martinez, with La Mega 101.7 FM, said, if anything, it’s the other way around.
“Mackenzie has been a Congressman now for close to two years. Ask me how many times have I talked to Mackenzie in two years. Zero,” said Martinez. “I’m here because Bob showed up. He called, he asked.”
Brooks said he’s going to keep calling and asking, even after the election.
“We’re going to keep showing up at every event that they have. We’re going to keep talking to them, listening to their problems, and then, when we win, we’re going to go fight for them,” said Brooks.