{"id":86876,"date":"2026-01-14T21:15:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T21:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/86876\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T21:15:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T21:15:06","slug":"bethlehem-swears-in-reynolds-for-his-2nd-term-as-bethlehem-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/86876\/","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem swears in Reynolds for his 2nd term as Bethlehem mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 Incumbent J. William Reynolds, a Democrat, on Wednesday was sworn in for a second four-year term as mayor of Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

In a ceremony at Bethlehem Town Hall \u2014 surrounded by loved ones, former mayors and officials from the city and around the region \u2014 Reynolds said he couldn\u2019t speak for what America would look like as a country in, say, a decade from now.<\/p>\n

But he spoke confidently on his administration\u2019s work to come locally, saying City Hall will keep present and future generations in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have more parks, we\u2019re going to have the community center, we\u2019re going to invest in education, we\u2019re going to build trust.”<\/p>\n

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no doubt about what\u2019s going to happen over the next four years,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have more parks, we\u2019re going to have the community center, we\u2019re going to invest in education, we\u2019re going to build trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to attract great people to work in this place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to value the idea that our work extends beyond us.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘What make[s] this city run’<\/p>\n

Reynolds touted his administration\u2019s work of the past four years, including progress toward roadway and other infrastructure upgrades.<\/p>\n

Also, a 10-year park improvements master plan, and the completion of studies on housing stability in the city and feasibility of a proposed South Bethlehem Community Center.<\/p>\n

Related work will continue over the next four years, Reynolds said, as the administration also will be focused on, among many things, building that community center, making city streets safer and more accessible and continuing collaboration with Bethlehem Area School District.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what department or bureau you\u2019re in, your service, your kindness, your belief in a new vision and new paths forward are what make this city run.”<\/p>\n

Janine Santoro, Bethlehem director of equity and inclusion, speaking to city staff, past and present<\/p>\n

Janine Santoro, city director of equity and inclusion and one of Reynolds\u2019 staff members, said the work of multiple administrations and others in City Hall, past and current, has compounded into Bethlehem\u2019s success as seen today.<\/p>\n

For example, she said that work led to an official World Heritage designation honoring the city\u2019s Moravian history, and Bethlehem\u2019s formalization of its now-sixth sister-city relationship, with Patillas, Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what department or bureau you\u2019re in, your service, your kindness, your belief in a new vision and new paths forward are what make this city run,\u201d Santoro said.<\/p>\n

‘Continued clarity and transparency’<\/p>\n

City Council President Rachel Leon, who was elected in 2022, said of her time alongside Reynolds over the years: \u201cWe\u2019ve had the ability to agree with discernment and to disagree with grace and integrity.”<\/p>\n

“So I expect the same going forward in the next four years,\u201d Leon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m extremely confident in his ability to lead the city, and in these times, whether certain or uncertain, I think Bethlehem\u2019s future is very bright.”<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had the ability to agree with discernment and to disagree with grace and integrity. So I expect the same going forward in the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethlehem City Council President Rachel Leon, speaking on her time serving alongside Reynolds over the years<\/p>\n

She said the city\u2019s elected officials, City Council and Reynolds alike, should strive for \u201ccontinued clarity and transparency\u201d with its constituency in the years ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not a reflection of the fact that I think that is not the case; I think we have come a very long way,\u201d Leon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I continue to look forward to pushing toward that as a continued goal on all parts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that community engagement has proven to be something that has been a priority, and I would like to continue to see that at the center of all decisions that are being made.\u201d<\/p>\n

City Councilperson Justin Amann, one of the panel\u2019s two newest members, told LehighValleyNews.com<\/a> after the ceremony that he looked forward to working with Reynolds and the administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job is to be here to support that work and challenge that work when it needs to happen,\u201d Amann said.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1769.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Will Oliver<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

LehighValleyNews.com<\/p>\n

Incumbent J. William Reynolds, a Democrat, alongside his wife, Dr. Natalie Bieber, addresses the crowd after taking his oath of office for his second four-year term as mayor of Bethlehem on Jan. 14. 2026.<\/p>\n

‘Creating a beloved community’<\/p>\n

In prayer Wednesday, the Rev. Janel Rice, senior pastor of Central Moravian Church, said Bethlehem should remember the call from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., especially ahead of the federal holiday on Monday named in his memory, in that \u201cwe honor to work and live toward creating a beloved community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMay we be resilient to lift each other up when times are difficult and to celebrate when times are joyful.”<\/p>\n

Rev. Janel Rice, senior pastor of Central Moravian Church<\/p>\n

\u201cMay we be resilient to lift each other up when times are difficult and to celebrate when times are joyful,\u201d Rice said.<\/p>\n

Reynolds in 2007 was the youngest person in Bethlehem history to be elected to City Council, where he served three terms, including four years as its president.<\/p>\n

In the mayoral primary election this past May, Reynolds easily secured the Democratic nomination over then-City Councilperson Grace Crampsie Smith. <\/p>\n

He ran unopposed in November to win another term as the city\u2019s 14th mayor.<\/p>\n

Reynolds is the president of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, a nonprofit that \u201cstrengthens and empowers effective local government through advocacy, education and support for our members,\u201d according to its website.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also chairperson of the Bethlehem World Heritage Council.<\/p>\n

Reynolds graduated magna cum laude from Moravian University with a degree in political science.<\/p>\n

He lives in North Bethlehem with his wife, Dr. Natalie Bieber, and their son, Leo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 Incumbent J. William Reynolds, a Democrat, on Wednesday was sworn in for a second four-year…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86877,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,164,155,13966,43384,154,43383,43385,16622,2712,171,43386,2931],"class_list":{"0":"post-86876","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-city-council","10":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","11":"tag-bethlehem-mayor","12":"tag-bethlehem-mayor-inauguration","13":"tag-bethlehem-news","14":"tag-bethlehem-town-hall","15":"tag-janine-santoro","16":"tag-justin-amann","17":"tag-mayor-j-william-reynolds","18":"tag-rachel-leon","19":"tag-reynolds-sworn-in","20":"tag-willie-reynolds"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86876","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=86876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}