Mayor's Race: Reynolds Gets Big Endorsements

UPDATED: 9:05 p.m.

Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan endorsed City Councilman J. William Reynolds to be the next mayor of the city at a campaign rally before about 100 supporters in Payrow Plaza next to City Hall on Friday afternoon.

“This city has always turned to a culture of invigorating leadership as opposed to a more cautious, status quo, stand pat, ‘let’s test the winds’ kind of approach,” Callahan said. “That was true when Don Cunningham was elected at the age of 31, 15 years ago. It was true when I was elected at the age of 34, ten years ago.

“On those occasions, every time, the insiders tried to falsely scare the voters by portraying youth as somehow irresponsible or inherently reckless.”

The mayor criticized Reynolds’ opponent, Bob Donchez, who early in the campaign sent out fliers with a picture of Reynolds as a 19-year-old wearing a baseball cap backwards and proclaiming “Reynolds not ready to lead.”

In a prepared statement disseminated by email, Donchez called Callahan “the ultimate hypocrite.”

“He ran the most negative campaign for mayor in Bethlehem's history against Jim Delgrosso, an honorable man, including even calling Mr. Delgrosso a liar on telephone calls,” the statement said. “And, he is running a negative campaign for Northampton County executive. This is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.”

The winner of this increasingly bitter Democratic primary on Tuesday will in all likelihood be the next mayor of Bethlehem, as no Republicans are running and no other candidates have announced an intention to run.

State Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-135, told Reynolds supporters that he has kept all of his advertising positive during his seven terms and 14 years in the state Legislature. “Campaigns should not be about tearing down your opponent,” he said.

Samuelson also gave a full-throated endorsement to Reynolds, who worked in the legislator’s office as an aide for six years.

Samuelson said he “saw first-hand his tremendous work ethic, his energy, his positive outlook, his thoughtful approach to solving problems, his attention to details as he helped my constituents, his commitment to the senior citizens he served, and his optimism about the future of our community.”

Donchez has had his own high-profile endorsements. State Sen. Lisa Boscola and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli announced their support for Donchez at his official campaign announcement.

At the last scheduled debate between the two candidates on Thursday, moderator Tony Iannelli asked about the conspicuous absence of Callahan in the mayoral campaign.

While Reynolds said that Callahan had said he was going to stay out of this campaign, Donchez said he would prefer that the current mayor remain neutral.

Callahan told Reynolds’ supporters that he “had no intention of getting involved in this year’s mayor’s race.”

He didn’t speak up when Donchez’s controversial flier arrived in city mailboxes.

“I was tempted then to speak out against that kind of desperate tactic,” he said. “I thought it was bad for our city and bad for our future, but I didn’t because I had my own race to run.”

He changed his mind last week, when he read that former Mayor Gordon Mowrer, who was 38 when he was elected mayor in 1974, had endorsed Donchez.

“Last week, I read that a prominent retired city official that I love and is a tremendous mentor of mine said he was supporting Willie’s 18-year-incumbent opponent, because it was his ‘turn’ to be mayor,” Callahan said. “That’s what they told me. That’s what they told Don Cunningham. It’s not about whose turn it is.”