{"id":5545,"date":"2025-10-17T09:42:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T09:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/5545\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T09:42:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T09:42:12","slug":"six-democrats-running-for-bethlehem-council-in-primary-armchair-lehigh-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/5545\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Democrats running for Bethlehem Council in primary | Armchair Lehigh Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Armchair Lehigh Valley content is published on lehighvalleylive.com<\/a> as part of a partnership with the website, which aims to give voters nonpartisan factual information. Armchair Lehigh Valley is run by publisher Katherine Reinhard and editor Robert H. Orenstein. For more information, or to subscribe: armchairlehighvalley.substack.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Correction: Hillary Kwiatek is director of marketing and communications in the finance & administration division at Lehigh University. This story has been updated to reflect her correct position.<\/p>\n

Bethlehem Democrats will choose among six candidates vying for four City Council seats in the May 20 primary election. Council is comprised of seven members who serve four-year terms.<\/p>\n

Two Democratic incumbents are running for second terms \u2014 Hillary Kwiatek and Rachel Leon. Other candidates are Celeste Dee, Jo Daniels, Justin Amann and Tina Cantelmi. Joseph F. Poplawski is the only Republican on the GOP ballot.<\/p>\n

Incumbent Kiera Wilhelm is not seeking reelection. Incumbent Grace Crampsie Smith is running for mayor and is also not running for another term on council.<\/p>\n

In recent interviews, Democratic candidates talked about issues ranging from affordable housing to public safety to infrastructure and parks. Information was obtained from interviews, campaign websites, LinkedIn and other sources.<\/p>\n

Justin Amman<\/p>\n

Amman<\/a> is running for his first term on city council. He is executive director of the Foundation for the Bethlehem Area School District and directs the theater program at Freedom High School. The graduate of Liberty High School, who is married and has two children, has deep roots in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the grandson of a Bethlehem Steel worker and the son of a nurse and a maintenance man,\u201d Amman said. \u201cMy story is the story of Bethlehem.\u201d<\/p>\n

He earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in history from East Stroudsburg University in 2015 and a master\u2019s in higher education administration from the University of Michigan in 2016.<\/p>\n

Amman said his foundation work has prepared him for council. Under his leadership, he said the foundation raised over $600,000 to support innovative classroom programs, scholarships for high school students, and districtwide initiatives like Project Lead the Way, a STEM program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see firsthand the challenges students face,\u201d Amman said. \u201cI work with high schoolers, but I also talk to CEOs and business leaders. I\u2019m in a unique position to listen, to lead, and to bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n

If elected, he said he wants to focus on safe streets, strong city services, thoughtful economic development and support of the schools.<\/p>\n

Amman said he would prioritize public safety, infrastructure and affordable housing \u2013 issues he believes are crucial to Bethlehem\u2019s continued success.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to equip our first responders and foster a culture of trust and respect\u201d between public safety and our residents, he said. \u201cAt the same time, we have to prepare for the growth that\u2019s coming to the Lehigh Valley. \u2026 and make sure housing is accessible and affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tina Cantelmi<\/p>\n

Cantelmi<\/a>, making her first bid for city council, is an artist with a bachelor\u2019s degree from Alfred University in New York. The Bethlehem native\u2019s family has lived in the area for more than 100 years.<\/p>\n

Cantelmi said she wants to bring a lifelong curiosity of government and her solution-minded approach to council. She is concerned by the region\u2019s rapid development, especially the surge in high-density housing without the infrastructure or affordability to match.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing 40 to 50% more traffic and very little attention to livability,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said places like Seattle have instituted creative public planning solutions, neighborhood design, traffic-calming roundabouts, public restrooms, and walkable grocery access that make cities more livable and resilient.<\/p>\n

She said Bethlehem can lead in the same way with affordable housing, traffic safety, and ensuring all residents have access to fresh food, local jobs, and green space.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot going on in our city,\u201d she said. \u201cGrowth is important but we have to be mindful about it and do it in a sustainable way. My hope is to plant seeds that will make Bethlehem an even better place. not just now, but for generations to come,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Cantelmi said she is also committed to service. Through her work with the Judith Adele Agentis Foundation, she\u2019s helped raise over $30,000 for palliative care and thousands of meals for families.<\/p>\n

Jo Daniels<\/p>\n

Daniels<\/a> is an account executive at Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions. The Liberty High School graduate attended Morgan State University in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

She said her priorities are housing equity, public safety, and government and transparency. Daniels, who has lived in Southside Bethlehem her whole life, comes from a family deeply rooted in the city\u2019s history. Her father was Bethlehem\u2019s first Black firefighter and her mother was a union worker at Mack Trucks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what it means to fight for our city because my family always has,\u201d Daniels wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

Daniels said she is running to protect residents from \u201cunsafe rentals\u201d and to halt the expansion of Lehigh University\u2019s off-campus student housing into \u201calready vulnerable communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

She wants to increase shelter beds and services for the city\u2019s unhoused population; strengthen emergency response staffing and resources; and enact housing policies that protect working families from displacement by out-of-town investors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m committed to improving your quality of life, giving you a strong voice at City Hall, and working tirelessly to make your life easier and more enjoyable,\u201d she wrote on her Facebook page. \u201cI won\u2019t back down at the first sign of defeat, and I will never bow to corporate or political bullies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celeste Dee<\/p>\n

Dee<\/a> is a principal at Advantage Political Strategies who manages political campaigns. She ran unsuccessfully for council in 2023.<\/p>\n

The self-described \u201cmilitary brat\u201d earned a business management degree from the University of Texas, El Paso. She has worked for Capital One and NBC Universal. She is on the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween all those facets of my life, I\u2019ve gained an understanding of people from all walks of life, different cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her priorities include public safety, economic development, affordable housing and youth mental health.<\/p>\n

Dee supports a targeted approach to economic growth that emphasizes sustainable, community-based development over warehouse expansion. To increase affordable housing, she supports adapting best practices from other cities, forming public-private partnerships and incentivizing property owners who prioritize affordability.<\/p>\n

Another pressing concern for Dee is youth mental health. \u201cI would want to work closely with the school district to explore legislation or programs that give real teeth to anti-bullying policies and that provide kids with help in a form they\u2019ll accept,\u201d Dee said.<\/p>\n

Hillary Kwiatek \u2013 incumbent<\/p>\n

Kwiatek is <\/a>director of marketing and communications in the finance & administration division at Lehigh University. She has a master\u2019s degree in folk studies from Western Kentucky and a bachelor\u2019s degree in American history from Queens College in Queens, New York.<\/p>\n

In an email, she said council has accomplished a lot since she was elected in 2021 and continues to make progress on infrastructure, parks, public safety and housing. She touted the rebuilding of Fairview Park and the plans to renovate Friendship Park. She also has advocated for flood restoration at Saucon Park, backed the acquisition of the final section of the South Bethlehem Greenway and supported a grant for a parks master plan.<\/p>\n

Kwiatek said she championed the expansion of the Community Connections program, which partners the city\u2019s health bureau and police department on responses to nonviolent incident calls. She also supported hiring four additional paramedics and backed the addition of a second annual firefighter academy to increase the number of trained firefighters.<\/p>\n

Kwiatek serves on Climate Action Plan implementation committees and advocates for the electrification of the city\u2019s vehicle fleet and expanded infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.<\/p>\n

She serves on the steering committee for the Choice Neighborhood planning grant, which aims to expand housing in the neighborhood surrounding the Pembroke community; was on the advisory committee for the Opening Doors housing study and is part of the working group exploring Accessory Dwelling Units \u2014 sometimes known as in-law suites \u2014 as a way to increase the city housing supply.<\/p>\n

Rachel Leon \u2013 incumbent<\/p>\n

Leon serves as vice president of council as well as chair of the Public Safety Committee and liaison to the Library Board. She is a member of the Bethlehem Housing Authority\u2019s Board of Commissioners.<\/p>\n

She did not respond to an interview request but said on her campaign website <\/a>that she is a proven leader who \u201cchampions local businesses, affordable house and a future where every voice is heard.\u201d The Freedom High School graduate served in the Navy for 10 years<\/p>\n

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Armchair Lehigh Valley content is published on lehighvalleylive.com as part of a partnership with the website, which aims…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154],"class_list":["post-5545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}