BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A pair of workshops for people interested in local office will run in January as the 2025 political cycle begins kicking into gear.
The Lehigh County chapter of the League of Women Voters will host its biennial candidate workshop Jan. 11 while the Lehigh and Northampton county Republican committees will host a similar event Jan. 18.
Mary Erdman, chair of the league chapter, said her non-partisan event is designed to give would-be politicians an introduction into what it takes to run for office.
Participants will receive a 100-page booklet on the ins and outs of a campaign — from getting on the ballot to organizing a staff to to connecting with voters.
Erdman said that many first-time candidates are caught by surprise when they learn the local parties will act more as advisers instead of leading the campaign effort.
"It’s really important for people to get off to a good start."Mary Erdman, League of Women Voters of Lehigh County
Given the importance of local races, the league wants to empower candidates so they can put their best foot forward, Erdman said. That way, voters can get a sense of their policies and stances and support the candidates that best match their viewpoints.
"It’s really important for people to get off to a good start. You don’t want them to take half the campaign just figuring things out," Erdman said.
Full slate of local races
The 2025 races may not grab national headlines the way the presidential and congressional races did this year, but they may have a greater effect on the Lehigh Valley's quality of life. Local voters will select leaders to oversee public safety, choose who educates the region's children, set the bulk of property taxes, determine local land use policy and preside over trials and court hearings.
The league's event will feature presentations from Lehigh County Chief Clerk of Elections Tim Benyo on the paperwork involved; Armchair Lehigh Valley journalists Kathy Reinhard and Bob Orenstein on how to interact with the media; and an address from state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh. Attendees do not need to be Lehigh County residents to enroll.
A bipartisan group of local elected and party officials, including South Whitehall Township Commissioner Jacob Roth and Lehigh County Commissioner Sheila Alvarado, will also discuss their experiences running for office.
Past attendees of the workshop include former Lehigh County Commissioner Bob Elbich and Lehigh County Judge Zachary Cohen, Erdman said.
GOP event
Glenn Geissinger, chair of the Northampton County Republican Committee, confirmed the joint Republican event will take place Jan. 18 but did not have other details. Lehigh County Republican Committee Chair Joe Vichot did not respond to interview requests.
Geissinger believed January's workshop would be similar to a 2023 event Vichot helped organize. That one was run by the Leadership Institute, a Virginia nonprofit organization that says it has been "training conservatives since 1979."
Geissinger said the Republican event is not meant as a critique of the League of Women Voters, but is intended to let the committees train the next generation of conservative leaders.
If you go
The Lehigh County chapter of the League of Women Voters will host a candidates workshop on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the third floor of the Tompkins College Center at Cedar Crest College. The event costs approximately $47 and includes a continental breakfast. To register, visit LWVLehighCounty.org.
Information on the Lehigh and Northampton counties Republican committees' candidate training event is not yet available but is tentatively slated for Saturday, Jan. 18.
