Meet Mayoral Candidate J. William Reynolds

Bethlehem Mayoral Race

Candidate: J. William Reynolds

Age: 31

Family:  My parents are John and Rachel Reynolds, both professors. They raised me and my 4 siblings—Scott, Molly, Joey, and Elizabeth—right here in Bethlehem. We grew up right across the street from Liberty High School.

Political party affiliation: Democrat

Tell us about your educational background:

I attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary School and Northeast Middle School. I graduated from Liberty High School in 1999 and then went on to Moravian College. I majored in political science, minored in history and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2003.

Tell us about your professional/business background: 

I started out my professional career working as a Legislative Aide in the Bethlehem Office of State Representative Steve Samuelson. I worked with Representative Samuelson for 6 years as the Chief Legislative Aide where I handling various legislative and constituent duties. Currently, I am working at William Allen High School in the Allentown School District teaching 9th grade Social Studies. 

Why are you running for mayor of Bethlehem? 

I am running for mayor because I believe in the future of Bethlehem. I believe in the idea that people live in our neighborhoods because Bethlehem offers a high quality of life, a thriving downtown area and schools that they want to send their children to. My parents bought a house here 30 years ago, in a middle class neighborhood that allowed me to walk to school. I was very fortunate growing up and I would like to give back to the city all that it has given me. We are at a critical time in Bethlehem and we need a strong, progressive leader who will be able to make tough decisions in the best interest of the future of the City. I believe I am that leader.

What qualifies you to serve as mayor? 

In 2007 the citizens of Bethlehem first placed their faith in me as a public servant when I was elected as a City Councilman. I am proud of the work I have done on City Council since then and am confident that I can continue to lead Bethlehem forward as Mayor. Since I took my position in office I have made a commitment to sustainable neighborhoods, fiscal responsibility, and economic development. While on city council I have supported initiatives and projects that have helped bring almost one billion dollars of private investments to the City of Bethlehem. Currently I am the Vice-President of City Council and Chair of the Finance Committee. I am also actively involved in many of our city’s programs including the Bethlehem Food Co-Op Finance Committee, the Calypso Elementary School Leadership Team, the Young Rotarians Club of Bethlehem, Moravian College Alumni Board, and I serve on the Bethlehem Area Public Library’s Board of Directors as well as being a member of the Board of the Bethlehem Neighborhood Center.

What do you see as the mayor’s primary role and responsibilities? 

I believe that my primary role is to create a better future for Bethlehem; a future that is characterized by strong and safe neighborhoods, good jobs, thriving businesses, and quality schools, which welcome diversity, with progressive leadership and an overall high quality of life.  I feel it is my responsibility to develop and maintain sustainable neighborhoods.  My Winning Our Neighborhoods plan encompasses a step-by-step plan for Bethlehem’s neighborhoods. A plan that brings together residents, local business owners, school representatives and community police in order to establish connections between neighborhoods and schools, address neighborhood safety issues and encourage community involvement and support. There is also no question that Bethlehem faces some financial challenges and one of the most important responsibilities I have as an elected official is to spend tax dollars in the most efficient and effective way possible. I have already spent much of my time on City Council working to cut unnecessary spending. I will continue working to reduce our city’s budget if elected mayor. While I am working to reduce spending, I also have to plan on ways to bring more money into the city through Economic Development. Supporting new small businesses and expanding on already existing businesses in Bethlehem creates economic growth, while simultaneously benefiting other existing employers such as restaurants and shops, as well as support and supply services. People will not move to a neighborhood or start a business in an area if they do not feel safe, which leads us to my next responsibility, A Safe Bethlehem. Bethlehem has always had safe neighborhoods but we need to maintain this level of safety by supporting our community policing programs and taking anticrime initiatives.  

Tell us about three major challenges facing Bethlehem and how you would address them. (Please be as specific as possible.):

The major challenges facing Bethlehem are creating strong middle-class neighborhoods by promoting increased citizen participation, public safety, and accessibility to government, as well as increased economic development and fiscal responsibility.

In order to create strong middle-class neighborhoods, we want to not only attract middle-class individuals and families, but provide strong, safe neighborhoods that make them want to stay in Bethlehem. I plan on doing this by implementing my Winning Our Neighborhoods plan to establish connections with in the neighborhood and encourage community support. The plan includes changing the way City Council members are elected to create a hybrid of at-large and districted council seats as well as neighborhood committees, protecting our water supply, implementing strong code enforcements, and creating a ServeBethlehem program to increase community activism and volunteerism.

Economic development is also critical for the future of Bethlehem. By creating the environment in which business can flourish we will strengthen the tax base and keep resident from rising property taxes. I plan on expanding the use of current economic programs such as Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance, which grants tax incentives to encourage business growth. I have also been in strong support of public-private partnerships for growth such as PI, Partnership for Innovation technology center. PI is an 8,000 square foot facility in a renovated building that is over 100 years old, and it has brought 40 new professionals into the South Side International Business District. I would also like to create more connections between our Colleges and Universities and current employers, so we can provide students with the skills they will need to make businesses thrive. 

And while Bethlehem’s budget has improved following the recession and we have ended the past 2 years in the black, we must still continue to focus on fiscal responsibility to protect tax payers. City government must keep taxes low, spend wisely and be fiscally responsible. I promise to continue reviewing the budget in order to maximize efficiency and plan on proposing one centralized office in city hall for account receivable and payable, rather than by department. I also plan on looking into cutting down energy consumption and costs by exploring the conversion of street lights to LED lighting. We have already reduced our carbon footprint in the past couple years which has benefited us both financially and environmentally. Another aspect of fiscal responsibility is an aggressive pursuit of increased economic development, which I feel is the third biggest challenge that Bethlehem faces.

How much are you spending to run? How is your campaign being funded?

My campaign has raised nearly $80,000 to support my campaign for Mayor and get my message out to voters. My campaign has received financial support from a wide range of individuals including family, friends, co-workers, small business owners, and business leaders in Bethlehem, across the Lehigh Valley, and the state.

What, if any, endorsements have you received?

I am proud to have received the endorsement of The Express-Times editorial board, Equality Pennsylvania, and many prominent leaders in the City including members of City Council, the Bethlehem Area School Board of Directors, and state leaders including State Representative Steve Samuelson.

Do you use social media? If so, please provide links to your Facebook and Twitter.

I have a campaign Facebook page and Twitter @jaywreynolds