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Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Laird leads the way as Dems push forward in Bethlehem City Council race

Bethlehem, City Hall, Bethlehem, Northampton County
Donna S. Fisher
/
For LehighValleyNews.com
This is Bethlehem City Hall and Payrow Plaza at 10 E. Church Street, Bethlehem, Pa.. Picture made in February, 2023.

  • Democrats appear to have won the open seats for Bethlehem City Council
  • Colleen Laird garnered the highest number of votes, according to unofficial results
  • Republican candidate Jim Follweiler shared concerns over a voting machine 'glitch'

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — As of about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Democrat Colleen Laird is once again leading the charge for Bethlehem City Council, holding the most votes across both Northampton and Lehigh counties with 8,336, according to unofficial election results.

Fellow Democrats Michael Colón and Bryan Callahan look to have secured the second and third open council seats with 8,225 and 8,049 votes, respectively. Alongside Laird, the three pushed past Republicans Jim Follweiler (4,193), Thomas Ginthner (3,711) and Devin Brunges (3,269).

Poll numbers will remain unofficial until certified in several days. Northampton County is expected to have a number on provisional ballots come Thursday.

“For over a decade, I have devoted myself to learning to love my hometown, finding the good that exists in my own community and creating the good where I think there could be more,” Laird said. “Throughout this campaigning process, I’ve seen so many other people who are also striving to find the good and be the good in their community.”

Laird said that while there’s many different trains of thought on how to find that good, she came to find that everyone ultimately just wants happiness, health and community prosperity — and she wants to help make that happen, she said.

“Throughout this campaigning process, I’ve seen so many other people who are also striving to find the good and be the good in their community.”
Colleen Laird, apparent leader of Bethlehem City Council race

Republican candidate Jim Follweiler said the voting equipment glitches don’t bode well for public trust in democracy.

“We should have faith in elections,” Follweiler said. “This again breaks that trust, and nobody will be accountable for this breaking of our election integrity and system.”

Bryan Callahan said losing during the 2021 primary election after eight years on council was just another way to gain a broader perspective on his time in the position.

He said if elected this time around, he’d hold fast to transparent council discourse.

“I’m going to ask the tough questions when they need to be asked — the questions that the taxpayers want to know about,” Callahan said.