Bethlehem mayoral hopeful William Reynolds, Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas judge candidate Maraleen Shields and magisterial district judge for West Bethlehem and Fountain Hill aspirant Van Scott attended a meet-the-candidate forum at the studio of PBS Chanel 39 in Bethlehem Oct. 30.

Reynolds led off with a general statement, “We don’t necessarily have systems that work for everybody. A lot of our systems broke down.”

He called for “strong connections” between the school district, social service providers, and the rest of our community.”

“I’ve been doing this long enough. I’ve been a City Council member for 14 years and one of the things I’ve learned is that nobody does this alone.

Reynolds is a full-time teacher at William Allen HS in Allentown.

Maraleen Shields said she is “uniquely qualified” to be on one of the three seats currently being contested on the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas. “I have been practicing on the civil side for about 20 years. She said she is a shareholder at Fitzpatrick Lentz and Bubba, PC.

Shields said she has been talking about representation on Lehigh County courts to include gender parity.

“Lehigh County was founded in 1812 and in 209 years there has never been an African-American male or female in any court in Lehigh County. I think that’s a problem.”

Shields made a point about what justice feels like for people. “If you can’t see yourself reflected in the court, it’s very difficult to believe that that system is for you.”

Van Scott opened his remarks by emphasizing his Bethlehem roots, making reference to his single mother who raised the family and thanking Lehigh University students who tutored him. He also thanked the Boys and Girls Club for there part in raising him. He reminded the crowd of his experience as an army veteran and as a Bethlehem Police Officer for 21 years.

He said he is currently an adjunct professor at DeSales University and a teacher at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute. He said he has been a police resource officer at Liberty HS and East Hills MS.

“Being a judge is very important. No politics [should be] involved. It’s about being fair and impartial and having integrity and knowing the law and abiding by the law,” Scott said. He also pointed out that he is “a man of color.”

A questioner from the audience referred to the United States a “Christian country” which brought a response from Shields.

“I don’t accept the idea that the United States is a Christian nation,” responded Shields. “One of the things we have to uphold, and I’m very serious about it, is the idea of church and state. Our laws cannot change based on the religion of the people that are in power.”

“That’s why I don’t talk about my faith is that my faith has nothing to do with this job. We are supposed to be guided by laws and facts, not by anyone’s particular faith.”

Reynolds said, “We talk a lot about how in America we have this freedom of religion, but it’s not just your ability to practice that religion freely but it also is the responsibility of American citizens to treat everyone’s religion with the same amount of respect.”

Scott said, “The separation of state and religion is very important.

Barbara Redding, the secretary of the Allentown NAACP, asked a general question to the candidates: “Why did you think it important to come here today to represent yourself?”

Scott responded, saying, “I was born and raised in Bethlehem and I’ve always wanted to give back and pay it forward and this position [I am running for] is very important. I think it is important to be here to let you know where I come from and what kind of person I am.”

Scott said, “It’s all about character, integrity, honesty and courage. Bethlehem is basically a rainbow city and that’s very important.”

Reynolds responded to Redmond’s question with, “I look forward to opportunities like this. It is an opportunity to come and share what my vision is for the City of Bethlehem and also to hear from other people.”

“It’s our job to show up. It’s our job to answer questions. It’s our job to be held accountable. Our job is to be honest with people and look them in the eye. And meet them in their space.

Shields responded with a touch of reverential humor. “Esther Lee asked me to show up and I never say no when Esther Lee asks me to go anywhere.”

Lee is a highly-regarded community leader in Bethlehem. As the president of the Bethlehem Chapter of the NAACP, she was a co-host of the event.

“I was not born and raised in Lehigh County or in the Lehigh Valley,” Shields said, “and I know I’m in race with people who will let you know that they were. That creates a hurdle. I don’t have generations of people who know me. That means I work harder. My experience has not been one of privilege. I grew up in North Bradock, Pa., in a working-class family. We worked for everything.

“I want people to know that just because they were not born in Lehigh County or Northampton County that this too can be for them. It’s not simply about birthright. It’s about who is willing to show up and work hard for this community. That’s why I show up.”

John Kachmar, the Republican candidate for mayor of the City of Bethlehem, said in an interview that he had not been invited to the forum, but did offer some insight into his position regarding city government.

He said he didn’t believe the current city government had made enough of an effort to hire Hispanics and other minorities.

“I have a problem with the politicization of racism,” Kachmar said. “You need fair and equitable hiring practices. The city does not have a record of having a fair and equitable record of hiring people of color, different races and backgrounds.”

Kachmar said the administration’s past tax-raising record and projections for future taxes are flawed.

Rayah Levy, who has made extensive research into the black diaspora in Bethlehem, challenged Scott metaphor of Bethlehem being “a rainbow.” Levy said she has noticed the black population of Bethlehem does not grow.

“I know the reason for that. It’s because when they [Black Americans] come to Bethlehem they can’t find jobs, and that when they do find jobs, sometimes they can’t stay. It is often because they found jobs in Philadelphia or New York. How can you as candidates increase the population?

“Let’s not keep using these buzz words ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’ when its not really [accurate] in Bethlehem. I have not seen that. How can we do something to make them feel welcome and to want to stay and build a family and stay here in Bethlehem.”

“If you take a look, “Reynolds responded, “at the African-American population in the City of Allentown and Easton and compare it to the City of Bethlehem, some of it goes back to the fact that Bethlehem Steel for a long time wouldn’t hire any African-Americans. And now it is a generational problem.”

“We like to talk about our history in the City of Bethlehem,” Reynolds, “but it’s too often we end up hearing about one identity portion of history. The fact that the Moravian’s founded Bethlehem is a wonderful, wonderful thing. My family is Moravian. But for over a hundred years if you weren’t a Moravian, you weren’t allowed to live in the City of Bethlehem.”

“In the mayor’s office for the first time, one of my first acts will be to appoint a director of equity and inclusion.”

Scott said he would “attempt to lure and get minorities, African Americans, Asians and Hispanics into the police department and show them that we are a great city.”

The moderator for the evening was Dr. Richard C. Jay, the former principal of Freedom HS. The forum was sponsored by the Bethlehem Chapter of the NAACP represented by Esther Lee and the Chinese Council represented by Sophia Sie who said her organization champions human rights and works to make communities stronger.