In 22nd House District, Allentown city councilwoman faces former school board member

Republican Robert Smith Jr., left, and Democrat Ce-Ce Gerlach are running for state representative from the 22nd District. / Photos by Donna Fisher

In a race marked by moving parts, Democrat Ce-Ce Gerlach will face Republican Robert Smith Jr. on Nov. 3 in the 22nd House District. The seat is now occupied by a Democrat who lost to Gerlach in the May primary election but defeated Smith in a special election in February.

Gerlach is an Allentown City Council member who was elected in 2019 and reelected in 2023. She served two terms on the Allentown School Board when Smith was also on the board.

“I am running for state representative because people are choosing between gas and groceries, while billionaires and huge corporations rake in record profits,” she said. “As a local legislator in my sixth year on Allentown City Council, I get stuff done and I’m not afraid to take on the powerful to do it.”

Smith works as a program specialist at New Vitae Wellness and Recovery in Limeport.

“I am running to fight for the future of all of our families. Enhance education for our children and grandchildren; property tax reform for our seniors and working families, support our veterans with brain injuries and intellectual disabilities. This is the public service job I want to serve for the people of the 22nd District. It is not a stepping stone or [that I] need a job. I want to serve the people,” Smith said.

Smith is making his fourth bid for the seat. He polled 36% of the vote in losing to Democrat Josh Siegel in 2022 when the district was reconfigured to account for population changes and had no incumbent.

In 2024, Smith mounted an unsuccessful write-in campaign in the GOP primary to get on the November ballot, leaving Siegel unopposed for reelection that November.

Last year, Siegel was elected Lehigh County executive and resigned from the state House, setting up a special election to fill the remainder of his term. That election was held in February, when Smith lost to Democrat Ana Tiburcio, who received 67% of the vote.

Smith was unopposed in the May 19 Republican primary, and Gerlach upended incumbent Tiburcio’s bid for a full two-year term by capturing 57% of the vote in the Democratic contest. In that race, Tiburcio had the support of the party establishment where Gerlach won the backing of progressive groups such as Lehigh County Democratic Socialists of America. Gerlach was also backed by Siegel.

After the primary, Gerlach’s campaign committee had $12,906 leftover, according to her latest campaign finance report for the period ending June 8. By comparison, Smith had $2,262.

The 22nd District has 17,865 Democrats, 6,764 Republicans and 8,712 other voters, most of whom are independents, according to the latests voter registration numbers from the Pennsylvania Department of State.

The district includes all of East Allentown, parts of Center City Allentown and three wards in eastern Salisbury Township: Allentown Wards 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (Districts 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6), 9, 10, 11 (District 2), 14 and 15; and Salisbury Township Wards 1, 2 and 3-2.

State representatives serve two-year terms and receive a base salary of $113,000. The House has 103 Democrats and 100 Republicans.

Background

Ce-Ce Gerlach
Gerlach, 40, of Allentown, is from West Virginia where she and her mother lived in public housing. She earned a degree in elementary education in 2008 from Cedar Crest College. Gerlach works for the Pennsylvania Justice Alliance as a facilitator. In 2021, she ran unsuccessfully for mayor in the Democratic primary.

A year ago, Gerlach commented publicly for the first time about being charged with failure to report for a 2020 incident involving a runaway teen she found at a homeless camp but didn’t tell required authorities about it. In a YouTube post, she said she was two weeks into a job at Valley Youth House and didn’t know if any beds were available for the teen. Her record was expunged after she completed the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders.

While on council, Gerlach introduced successful legislation that ranged from codifying pro-immigrant policies to making it illegal to declaw cats. An advocate for the homeless, something she said she experienced earlier in her life, Gerlach introduced an ordinance this year that would list procedures the city must follow when it clears homeless people from an encampment.

She voluntarily withdrew that ordinance and instead voted for a moratorium to allow the city to create policies that both council and city officials could agree on.

Her beliefs have drawn criticism from fellow council members. When Gerlach and Siegel served on city council together, they were present at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020, which prompted three council members to propose censuring them but the resolution was withdrawn. Siegel and Gerlach defended their presence at the protest, saying they did nothing improper.

Robert Smith Jr.
Smith, 64, of Allentown, was born in Queens, N.Y. He attended Middlesex County College in New Jersey and New York University. He and his wife Eva moved to the East Side of Allentown in 1992 with their three children.

Smith served on the Allentown School Board for 16 years beginning in 2003 and was selected school board president five times.

He ran for a two-year and a four-year term on the school board in November 2025, but did not secure either seat. Past efforts include running for county controller, Allentown mayor and Allentown council (he lost but was later appointed to a seat).

Smith is active in the Republican Party and was an alternate delegate for Pennsylvania for the 2024 Republican National Convention where Donald Trump won the nomination.

Why are you running?
Gerlach: “I am a champion for the working and middle class – the underdog and anyone who regardless of political party feels that these current systems are not working for us. … I am running for state representative to make life better for you, put more money in your pocket and create a more equitable society where everyone has opportunity and justice.”

Smith: ”I have the experience and record of service to represent the entire district, not just one political party or a partisan agenda. I’m a maverick. I answer to the people, not party bosses. I will listen to every constituent, regardless of party affiliation and work to address the issues that matter to our community.”

Top issues
Gerlach: “Life shouldn’t be this hard. I will work to pass policies that make life more affordable for folks in the 22nd District. Housing is a human right. I will introduce legislation to stabilize the rents, fund home repairs and require workforce/affordable housing to be built.” Wants to ban grocery price rigging. “We are being squeezed for every last dollar by corporations who harvest our data to find out what the maximum price we will pay for an item.”

Supports taxing billionaires “their fair share,” adding that teachers, police and construction workers shouldn’t pay the same tax rate as them. Says small businesses are the backbone of the economy and many struggle just to stay open while “huge [billion] dollar corporations use loopholes to pay zero in PA corporate income tax.”

Smith: “I will work to promote responsible state spending, reduce unnecessary regulations for small businesses and support policies that help keep Pennsylvania affordable for working families, seniors and homeowners. For healthcare and veterans, I will advocate for veterans and all first responders by supporting adequate resources, reducing unnecessary barriers and improving access to essential services. I will support strong public schools, accountability and educational options that allow families choose the setting that best meets their children’s needs.”

Minimum wage
Gerlach: Supports gradually raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Notes that the actual living wage for people to survive in the Lehigh Valley is $23 an hour.

Smith: Supports a gradual increase while recognizing the impact that rapid increases can have on small businesses and employers. “Pennsylvania workers deserve the opportunity to earn a wage that keeps pace with the rising cost of living.”

Healthcare
Gerlach: Supports Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal for a $50 million program that would help subsidize premiums for low- and middle-income people who lost coverage when COVID-era subsidies for Affordable Care Act premiums were eliminated by Congress. “We also need to address the underlying costs of healthcare such as prescription costs and the insurance bureaucracy.”

Smith: “I would support greater transparency in healthcare pricing, efforts to reduce unnecessary costs and policies that encourage competitions and keep insurance premiums costs under control.”

Data centers
Gerlach: “I am the only candidate who has helped write and vote on legislation to regulate data centers. I worked with the city’s administration to make our data center regulations stronger by increasing setbacks from homes, schools and playgrounds, decreasing the types of areas they can operate in, increasing public communication requirements and requiring a decommissioning plan so that we are not stuck with empty unusable buildings if a data center closes. I pushed for a 6-month moratorium on Council to allow experts, staff and policy makers to slow down, take our time and develop effective policy. We need to ensure that the Municipal Planning Code, which is the zoning and planning rulebook for municipalities, is in alignment with the guidance from the state. This takes time and is not something to rush through.

“I support requiring renewable energy, public engagement, job creation and strong environmental standards. The decisions that we make now will impact generations to come.”

Smith: Supports repealing the data center tax incentive. Supports a thorough review of the impact data centers would have on the economy, electricity costs, water resources, infrastructure and local communities. “If an incentive is not producing the promised benefits, it should be reconsidered.” Supports Republican Sen. Jarrett Coleman’s bill that would allow local municipalities to place an 18-month pause on data center approvals.

Immigration enforcement
Gerlach: “I’m proud to say that because of the law I wrote, Allentown is a ‘Welcoming City’ for immigrants.” Supports requiring ICE agents to identify themselves and banning them from wearing masks. Opposes the construction and operation of privately owned immigration detention centers. Opposes municipalities entering into contracts with private companies to detain people. Supports “ending any and all contracts with ICE in which we hand over information about people without a judicial warrant.”

Smith: “I believe we must respect the rule of law and cooperate with federal authorities when legally required. Any legislation should be carefully written so that it does not interfere with legitimate criminal investigations, emergency situations or the constitutional authority of the federal law enforcement. I believe Pennsylvania communities should have a meaningful voice in decisions involving immigration detention facilities, particularly when those facilities could have a significant impact on local infrastructure, public safety, emergency services and taxpayers. I will support legislation that establishes strong state standards and meaningful local oversight.”

On ending school property taxes
Gerlach: “We need to take the burden off senior citizens and hardworking homeowners by changing the taxing system so that those who have benefited the most from our economy increase their share of funding to the public education system. It is not clear what would replace the revenue currently generated by property taxes. Schools rely on funding from property taxes currently. For schools to function we need a stable, progressive and constitutionally sound statewide funding system.”

Smith: “Rather than eliminating school property taxes immediately without a clear replacement, I support eliminating school property taxes for seniors age 70 and older, with appropriate income and residency safeguards to make sure the benefit reaches those who need it.”

School cell phone bans
Gerlach: Supports idea of a ban, but says she doesn’t believe Harrisburg should micromanage every detail of the implementation. Says the state needs to fund and equip schools to implement a ban. “Burdening schools with more unfunded mandates doesn’t help anyone.”

Smith: “I support bell-to-bell restrictions on student cell phone use during the school day with reasonable exceptions for medical needs, emergencies and other circumstances approved by school administrators. The classroom should be a place for learning, and students should be encouraged to develop the focus and communications they need.”

Taxing skill games
Gerlach: Is open to Shapiro’s proposal of a 52% tax on gross revenues in addition to strong licensing, enforcement, age restrictions and responsible-gambling protections. Would prioritize the estimated $1.2 billion annual tax revenue from this tax going toward property-tax relief and public education.

Smith: “I would support a reasonable tax structure that generates revenue for Pennsylvania without making the legal skill-game industry economically unsustainable.”

Voting
Gerlach: Supports allowing election offices to begin pre-canvassing of mail-in ballots prior to Election Day. Does not support requiring IDs to vote. Supports increasing the number of drop boxes for mail-in ballots and satellite voting offices to provide even greater access for residents. “I also support automatic registration when a person turns 18 years old.”

Smith: “I support allowing counties to pre-canvass mail in ballots up to seven days before Election Day, with strong safeguards to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the election.” Supports current requirements that require an ID when someone votes for the first time at a polling place.

Reproductive rights
Gerlach: Supports an amendment to enshrine reproductive rights into the state’s Constitution. “While on City Council, I co-sponsored three bills to protect the reproductive rights of people in Allentown. The government should not tell a person what to do with their body. That decision is between the person and their doctor.”

Smith: “I do not support enshrining the proposed language on reproductive autonomy in the Pennsylvania Constitution.”

Gun rights
Gerlach: “Gun violence is a public health issue. Gun control is part of the solution alongside increased youth programming, mental health services and violence prevention.” Supports universal background checks and banning firearms to persons who violated protection from abuse orders. Says municipalities should be able to adopt stronger gun-safety measures when their residents believe those measures are necessary.

Smith: Was endorsed by Gun Owners of America. “I will not support any further laws that infringe on our 2nd Amendment rights.”