ALLENTOWN, Pa. — As candidates move to circulate and file nominating petitions, the race for Allentown City Council continues to heat up.
Councilwoman Natalie Santos will run for re-election, she announced in a release Monday.
Santos, a Democrat, joins four other candidates — Jeremy Binder, Luis Acevedo, Cristian Pungo and Ben Stemrich — in a contest for four open seats.
Pennsylvania's primary is May 20.
Santos became the youngest person ever elected to Allentown City Council when she won election in 2021.
"I have seen firsthand the challenges our city faces, but I have also witnessed the strength and resilience of our community."Natalie Santos
"As a long-term resident of Allentown, I have seen firsthand the challenges our city faces, but I have also witnessed the strength and resilience of our community," Santos said in the release.
"Over the past few years, I have fought to make Allentown a safer, more inclusive and more prosperous place for all residents.
"There is still work to be done, and I am ready to keep pushing for real solutions, and inspire other young people to run for local office."
Santos’ platform
In her release, Santos said she has prioritized initiatives aimed at affordable housing, small business growth and community-driven public safety efforts.
She said she has supported and would continue to champion policies that support working families “while ensuring transparency and accountability in local government.”
Also, engaging with residents and listening to concerns, she said.
In her first run for office, she made headlines as a first-generation college student at Kutztown University majoring in psychology and the Spanish language.
Allentown is a minority-majority city where 54% of the population identified as Hispanic in the latest census.
Santos, who is Latina, replaced longtime Councilman Julio Guridy on the city’s seven-person legislative body.
Recent votes
Council voted 4-3 last week to authorize a $15,000 increase for its solicitor to work as the “watchdog” over Philadelphia law firm Duane Morris LLC as it takes over a probe of City Hall.
The investigation is meant to analyze the city’s personnel and nondiscrimination policies and whether they’ve been property implemented over the last three years.
Santos joined fellow council members Ed Zucal and Ce-Ce Gerlach in voting against the funding.
A few weeks earlier, she was part of a unanimous vote approving Bill 4, a pro-immigrant measure that garnered a strong show of support from residents.
The bill codified Allentown’s long-term practices of not using city resources to enforce federal immigration laws and providing services to all, regardless of immigration status.
Gerlach said she and Santos pushed for the bill to create a “framework” for the city to respond to potential issues with immigration authorities.
