Allentown mayor (D), challenger (R) make final pitch to voters ahead of rematch

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Mayor Matt Tuerk and Councilman Ed Zucal met Tuesday night in a church basement for one of their few face-offs since a lopsided primary victory for the incumbent.

At a candidates forum at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church led by the Allentown Crime Watch Presidents’ Council, Tuerk laid out his goals for a second term, while Zucal urged voters to give him an upset win.

“What I want to do is spend more of the next four years unifying our city, bringing us together,” Tuerk said after identifying Allentown’s biggest challenge as “a lack of connection."

Residents have “grown disconnected” in Pennsylvania’s third-largest city, he said. He blamed “decades of demographic upheaval” for many quality-of-life issues, such as ”unsafe streets” and a lack of jobs, housing and parking.





https://www.lehighvalleynews.com/allentown/allentown-mayor-challenger-make-final-pitch-to-voters-ahead-of-rematch