2019 Allentown mayoral special election
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 Results by precinct O'Connell: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | ||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Pennsylvania |
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 Government |
The Allentown 2019 special mayoral election was held on May 19, 2019 following the resignation of Democratic mayor Ed Pawlowski. Incumbent interim Democratic mayor Ray O'Connell defeated Republican challenger Timothy Ramos.[1]
Background[edit]
During the 2017 Allentown mayoral election, three-term mayor Ed Pawlowski was indicted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and faced fifty-four charges, including multiple counts of conspiracy, bribery, attempted extortion, making false statements to federal officials, mail fraud, and wire fraud with some charges dating as far back as 2012.[2] He refused to step down or stop campaigning for his fourth term as mayor.[3] He narrowly won the election, 39.37% to his Republican challenger's 36.74% with write in votes for city councilman Ray O'Connell reaching roughly 18%.[4]
Pawlowski was then found guilty on forty-seven charges shortly after the election on March 1, 2018. Forced to resign as mayor on March 9, 2018, he was sentenced to twenty years in federal prison.[5]
With the office of mayor vacant, a special election was held to fill the seat. Councilman Ray O'Connell was appointed interim mayor by the city council until the election.[6]
Campaign[edit]
There was only one primary, the Democratic primary, because Republican Tim Ramos ran unopposed. There were four Democratic candidates:[7]
- Interim mayor Ray O'Connell, who, during his brief time in office, had already become unpopular due to a 27% tax hike and a $10 million loan to cover the city budget;
- Cheryl Johnson-Watts, a Financial adviser and Allentown School Board director was a key critic of O’Connell's economic plan of increasing taxes and taking out loans to fix the budget deficit;
- Patrick Palmer, an insurance representative and political outsider who based his campaign on ensuring that low and medium density housing would be set aside during rezoning ordinance; and
- Michael Daniels, a former Constable who had not been licensed since 2017, and who ran as an anti-establishment candidate, calling for an increased police presence in the city.
Interim mayor O'Connell successfully defeated his three primary challengers, gaining 53% of the vote and advancing to the general election. He then defeated Republican challenger Ramos 66.73% to 32.99%.[1][8][9][10][11]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ray O'Connell (incumbent) | 2,608 | 53.0% | |
| Democratic | Cheryl Johnson-Watts | 1,215 | 24.7% | |
| Democratic | Patrick Palmer | 641 | 13.0% | |
| Democratic | Michael Daniels | 457 | 9.3% | |
| Total votes | 4,921 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ray O'Connell | 8,315 | 66.73% | |
| Republican | Timothy Ramos | 4,111 | 32.99% | |
| N/A | Write-ins | 34 | 0.27% | |
| Total votes | 12,460 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "2019 results" (PDF). www.lehighcounty.org. Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Opilo, Emily. "FBI agents search Allentown City Hall in connection with grand jury probe". www.mcall.com. Alden Global Capital. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Opilo, Emily. "Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski charged in political corruption case, says he won't step down". www.mcall.com. Alden Global Capital. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Opilo, Emily. "Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski wins fourth term despite charges". www.mcall.com. Alden Global Capital. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Hall, Peter. "Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski guilty on most charges in pay-to-play trial; must leave office". www.mcall.com. Alden Global Capital. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Kise, Jacob (March 30, 2018). "Ray O'Connell named interim mayor". WFMZ.com. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Shortell, Tom. "Lehigh Valley 2019 primary election: A procrastinator's voter guide". www.mcall.com. Alden Global Capital. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ a b "Lehigh Valley primary election results: May 2019". www.mcall.com. Alden Global Capital. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Bresswein, Kurt. "Allentown mayor bests Democratic challengers to set up election battle". www.lehighvalleylive.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Wagaman, Andrew. "Ray O'Connell cruises to victory in Allentown mayoral Democratic primary". www.mcall.com. Alden Global Capital. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Democrat Ray O'Connell declares victory in Allentown mayoral race". www.wfmz.com. Maranatha Broadcasting Company, Inc. Retrieved January 11, 2023.