Editor’s note: As it does every year, The Morning Call asked the Lehigh Valley’s top elected leaders to look back at 2025 and look ahead at 2026. Responses are running this first week of 2026 from U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, the newly elected executives of Lehigh and Northampton counties, and the mayors of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.
Four years ago, I woke up before dawn on a cold January morning as the new mayor of Allentown. That day, I swore an oath and took on the responsibility to create a safe, clean, and healthy city that promotes the well-being of its residents. Over the next four years, I worked hard to understand this amazing place, collaborated to make it better, and tried new things for the benefit of all. That was Act 1.
On Jan. 5, 2026, we began Act 2, and our first 100 days will set the tone. Here are just a few examples of how we will show up.
Safety will always be our first priority, and in Allentown it is more than reducing crime through enforcement and community engagement. Over the first 100 days, we will welcome a new class of cadets to the Allentown Police Academy, celebrate promoted officers at a ceremony and break ground on renovations to the Public Safety Building. We will also install speed cushions near parks and schools to slow traffic down, install a second health vending machine to ensure access to life-saving products and inspect thousands of rental apartments to prevent people from living in conditions that will make them sick. We’re going to show up in our neighborhoods and on our city streets.
Getting ahead is hard in the current environment. Affordability is on everyone’s minds, and housing presents one of the greatest challenges to people in the Lehigh Valley. Right now, due to the hard work of our administration, there are over 1,600 units of housing under construction in Allentown. Some of those units will be ready to occupy in the first 100 days of my second term, and construction should begin on many more that are currently in planning.
The other side of affordability is a job, and you can count on us to show up for residents looking to get ahead. A $20 million grant from the Economic Development Administration is positioning our residents to build the skills that they need, access support systems and get themselves to good jobs in Allentown and across the Lehigh Valley. That effort is supported by grassroots organizations and residents, and in our first 100 days, we will fund 15 organizations to help 10 groups of residents who are leading the way.
Following the lead of Allentonians, empowering them to take on the challenges that they face in our neighborhoods, that’s our greatest work ahead. That’s where we really need to show up.
Our city employees — all 900 of us — will show up every one of those first 100 days for our residents. Police, firefighters, and paramedics show up in the worst moments to save lives. Traffic engineers, stormwater technicians, zoning officers, and code officials show up when you’re not thinking about them to keep the gears of the built environment turning and safe. Streets workers, parks employees and SWEEP officers show up in the odd hours to keep it clean. Sanitarians, community health workers, violence prevention coordinators, recreation specialists and risk managers show up for us all to keep our bodies moving and our hearts healthy. Even our human resources generalists, GIS analysts, procurement sourcing specialists and mayor’s office staff show up to help bring it all together.
There are a lot of us, and we will go well past 100 days, but we cannot do it alone.
I will count on organizations like Blue Zones Allentown to show up and bring us together for longer, better lives. The Allentown Parknership will show up to help us raise money to improve our incredible park system. The Downtown Allentown Alliance will show up on Hamilton Street to make sure that visitors have a brilliant visit to the most exciting center city in the Lehigh Valley. The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley will show up to support our kids in schools, our neighbors struggling with homelessness and our seniors looking for connection. And that’s just some of the organizations that we are counting on.
But we are all looking to residents for guidance. We’re counting on you to get involved, engage with your community, and be part of the life of the city.
Over the first 100 days of this term, I am going to double down on the formula that I have followed for the first four years: Show up. I am asking every employee of Allentown, every community-based organization and every Allentonian and Lehigh Valley resident to follow my lead.
Show up.
The first 100 days of 2026 include Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations, volunteering for the Point In Time Count for our homeless population, a flag raising at city hall for Dominican Independence Day, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, volunteer reading at elementary schools for Read Across America Day, a ceremony for Trans Day of Visibility, the Mayor’s Easter Egg Hunt, and more.
These are all things that you can show up for.
The first 100 days, all of 2026, and the rest of the next four years are going to be about showing up for Allentown. Let’s go.
This is a contributed opinion column. Matt Tuerk is the mayor of Allentown. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication. For more details on commentaries, read our guide to guest opinions at themorningcall.com/opinions.