ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown City Councilman Josh Siegel said his goodbyes Wednesday night, as he resigned his seat after winning an election to represent the state's 22nd House District.
“City Council and the residents of Allentown will be losing a friend they could always count on,” council President Cynthia Mota said at Siegel’s last council meeting.
- Allentown City Council is looking to fill a vacancy left by Democrat Josh Siegel's resignation
- Siegel has resigned following his election win to represent the state's 22nd House district
- Applications for the role will be accepted through Dec. 14
On Thursday morning, with Siegel’s departure creating a vacancy, the city released specifics for how it will fill the void.
Pursuant to the city’s charter and council rules, council will accept applications to fill the vacancy through Dec. 14.
Applications should consist of a resume and statement outlining the reasons the individual will bring value to the city as a councilperson.
All applications will be public documents.
The applications then will be reviewed by council's president, or acting president, to make sure the applicant is qualified.
Then, during the week of Dec. 19, council will hold a public meeting to review the resumes and statements of qualified applicants and interview those candidates.
After the interviews, council will vote on the candidates and the votes will be read aloud. That will continue until a candidate earns a majority of votes.
Whoever is selected at that time would have a term that would run through Jan. 1, 2024. The new council member would be eligible for election in November 2023 to a four-year term.
For those interested, applications should be addressed to city council and emailed or delivered to the Deputy Clerk at Tawanna.Whitehead@allentownpa.gov.
Any questions can be directed to the city council office at 610-437-7555.
“It’s been the greatest pleasure of my life getting to serve with each and every one of you."resigning city council member Josh Siegel.
At Wednesday's meeting, Mota noted that Siegel fought for women’s reproductive rights, supported workers' rights and affordable housing.
“Basically, he was always looking to create opportunities for everyone,” she said.
Several on council shared well wishes and noted that, while they didn’t always see eye-to-eye with the 28-year-old lawmaker, they appreciated his hard work for the city.
“It’s been the greatest pleasure of my life getting to serve with each and every one of you,” a grateful Siegel replied.
“I will always be a friend to the City of Allentown, to the workers, to our employees who, I think, at the end of the day are the heart and soul of what makes this city function and work so well. You’re not losing me. I will always be available. I will continue to be a partner.”
