ALLENTOWN – The four-year mayor’s term and two three-year terms on the Allentown Borough Council will be on the ballot on Election Day, Nov. 5.
The council terms presently held by Thomas Fritts and Rob Schmitt will end on Dec. 31, as will the mayor’s term presently held by Greg Westfall.
Candidates who will run for office with a political party affiliation had to file a nominating petition by April 1. Schmitt, who will run as a Democrat, was the only Allentown resident to file a nominating petition.
Schmitt has been a councilman for six years. He said that during his first term, “I worked hard with all involved parties to draw attention to and fix the failing Allentown sewer treatment plant. Today, despite some setbacks, we are now on track to see a new facility completed by 2020.”
He said Allentown had crumbling sidewalks, roads and infrastructure.
“Residents reached out to me and to others on council to seek solutions. We listened and have begun to systematically address these issues through regular maintenance and repairs and, on a larger scale, through the Historic Streetscape Project which features the new brick-lined sidewalks in our beautiful downtown district, benches, and charming street lighting – all paid for through grant money,” the councilman said.
Schmitt said that during his second term on council, he has “tackled our multiple water issues – the water meter replacement program, repairs and improvements to the water plant, and the forthcoming renovation project on the borough water tower.”
He said he, along with the mayor and his fellow council members, have worked “to preserve the Allentown First Aid Squad and help them to forge a new long-term sustainability plan … I have been a strong advocate for the Hope Fire Company and have worked with this mayor and council to partner with Upper Freehold to purchase a new truck to replace the old, no longer serviceable Engine 82-82. I fought hard against truck traffic, border encroachment by our neighbors and runaway overdevelopment, and led the way on preserving what little open space the historic village has left.”
Schmitt is a lifelong resident of Allentown.
A resident who wants to run for office as an independent candidate has until June 4 to file a nominating petition and secure a spot on the Nov. 5 ballot.
On April 2, Westfall told the Examiner he plans to run for a second four-year term as mayor as an independent candidate. He said capital projects totaling $7 million are in the works – a new sewer treatment plant, improvements to Allentown’s water tank and the second phase of a streetscape project.
In November 2015, Westfall ran as an independent candidate and defeated Democrat Wil Borkowski in a race to succeed Republican Stuart Fierstein, who did not seek re-election after serving as mayor for more than two decades. Westfall took office in January 2016.
Schmitt and Fritts won three-year council terms in the November 2016 election. Fritts won his first term after falling just short of winning a council seat in November 2015. Schmitt won his second term at that time.
