A message to candidates, readers

As we approach the Nov. 7 Municipal Election, the Bethlehem Press, in the interest of fairness, will halt publication of columns by local government officials and letters to the editor submitted by those running for office.

The last week for publication of columns by local government officials running for office is the Oct. 4 edition. We will, of course, continue to cover the local races, in news stories generated by our own reporters.

Letters to the Editor, written by members of the community in support of a candidate or by the candidate, need to be received by The Press no later than by 5 p.m. Oct. 22. Rebuttal letters needed to be received by 5 p.m. Oct. 29.

Brunges seeks city council seat

Devin Brunges believes government must be a servant of the people.

“There is an impression that special interest groups and nonprofits run the City of Bethlehem,” he said. “Our citizens are no longer satisfied with not being heard or represented in THEIR city government.”

Brunges’ platform is simple: Equality, community and transparency.

“I am not a traditional politician. I am a retired U.S. Army Major. I served in the field artillery. My long career includes being the ‘mayor’ of a small remote U.S. Army installation assigned to NATO. When not wearing my mayor hat, I was the tactical commander of a highly specialized NATO special weapons detachment.”

After military service, Brunges wore many hats in the corporate and nonprofit arena. His secondary specialty of public affairs led to a career in journalism, eventually leading to being an editor for a small hometown newspaper. That experience transitioned to an executive position with the Boy Scouts of America and a position as the East Coast sales director for a photography company. After working around the globe and across the U.S. in various capacities, Brunges decided it was time to become closer to his grandchildren and moved to Bethlehem in 2017.

Today, Brunges is semiretired and works locally in the transportation industry.

Finnigan seeks Hanover supervisor seat

Jay Finnigan, Hanover Township – Northampton County, is seeking his second term as a member of the Hanover Township Board of Supervisors. Jay was elected vice chairman in 2003 and chairman in 2004. He has served as the township manager since 2006, after leaving the board.

Jay was previously employed by D & B, Inc. (Dun & Bradstreet) for 25+ years, lastly serving as Director, Sales Policy & Planning in the Bethlehem facility. He had previously held management and sales positions in Boston and Springfield, MA; New York, NY, and Hartford, CT.

“My goal is to continue to make Hanover one the most desirable communities to live and work in the Lehigh Valley,” Finnigan commented. He continued, “Families want to move to Hanover, as evidenced by the increasing value of home sales and the low number of days on the market.”

“You can’t hold an elected office and not engage the township staff on a regular basis,” Finnigan said as a reason for running. “Showing up for one or two meetings a month and believing that is acceptable, isn’t acceptable! Claiming a lack of transparency when you’ve met with the township manager twice in five and a half years is totally unacceptable.”

Follweiler seeks city council seat

Jim Follweiler, candidate for Bethlehem City Council, says he will provide balance to city council and fight for transparency based in equal opportunity and treatment for all.

He said he will focus on Bethlehem’s core missions (roads, parks, police, fire and EMS, water and sewers), preserving neighborhoods and promoting economic well-being and better jobs.

Follweiler is a retired Army Colonel, deployed to Afghanistan and the Middle East, served two tours with U.S. Central Command, was an Armor/Cavalry Officer and Defense Logistics Agency Logistician, and taught Army ROTC at Lehigh University, Bucknell and the University of Virginia.

He grew up in West Bethlehem, was a Liberty graduate and bagpiper, and married Freedom graduate Irene (Donohue) Follweiler who serves as the Bethlehem Recreation Commission chair and YMCA water instructor.

Follweiler is broadly educated with a MBA in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., a Masters (MA) in History from Lehigh University with a focus on the history of technology and environmental history and a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance with a religion minor from Susquehanna University.

O’Brien seeks school board seat

Cindy O’Brien is a candidate for school director candidate in the Bethlehem Area School District. If elected, she pledges to support three things: academic excellence; parental rights, and the safety and security of the Bethlehem school community.

For taxpayers, O’Brien pledges fiscal responsibility with hard-earned tax dollars.

O’Brien earned a teaching certificate in French at Moravian College in 2009. She has a B.A. in journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a diploma in French from the University of Nancy II in Nancy, France.

“I have written op-eds for the Morning Call since 2003,” she said. “My op-eds have been a way for me to problem solve in a public forum. For example, during COVID-19, I wrote an op-ed that presented safe, healthy alternatives to masking school children. At the time, children in the Bethlehem Area School District were required to wear masks in school. Many parents were upset about this and complained at Bethlehem school board meetings.” O’Brien thought there must be a way to free children from mask requirements without putting them and their teachers at risk for COVID-19. That op-ed on healthy alternatives to masking school children is an example of the kind of problem solving that is needed on the Bethlehem school board, she said.