Photo by: Alex Garcia
ALLENTOWN REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR LUIZ D. GARCIA TO HOLD FUNDRAISING DINNER ON SUNDAY, APRIL 23, AT HAVA JAVA CAFÉ IN WEST END
Allentown Republican Candidate for Mayor Luiz D. Garcia will be meeting and greeting supporters at a fundraising dinner hosted by Friends of Garcia, Inc., from 5-8 p.m. on Sunday at Hava Java Café, 526 N. 19th Street in Allentown’s West End Theater District. There will be plenty of food, beverages, and music by DJ V, who will be playing some smooth jazz. To reserve your spot, please contact Ed White at 610-739-3414
Garcia is a 17-year Navy veteran and currently works for the City of Allentown as a Detective in the Juvenile Division while also serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve as a criminal investigator for NCIS in Washington, D.C. He previously served as a police officer in Norfolk, Virginia, and Reading, PA, before returning to his hometown in 2013.
Garcia is one of two candidates vying for the Republican nomination for Mayor of Allentown in the May 16 primary election. The other, Nat Hyman, is the owner of The Hyman Companies, Inc., d/b/a Landau Costume Jewelry, et al. However, Hyman has been a Republican only since January, when he changed his political party registration from Democrat to Republican just before announcing he was running for Mayor. Hyman has stated publicly that he still believes in the principles of the Democratic party, which could be a challenge in a primary where only registered Republicans are able to vote.
The winner of the Republican primary – either Garcia or Hyman – will face off against the winner of the Democrat primary, which features incumbent Mayor Ed Pawlowski, who has already served three four-year terms and is seeking a fourth consecutive term after unsuccessful bids for Governor and the U.S. Senate. Allentown currently does not have any term limits in its Home Rule Charter, something Garcia has pledged to change during his first 100 days in office.
Pawlowski is the subject of an ongoing FBI investigation into alleged pay-to-play politics in the City. He faces six Democratic challengers. Those include former Allentown School District administrator and current Allentown City Council President Ray O’Connell; former security company executive and current Allentown School Board member Charlie Thiel; former Mayfair Executive Director and current owner of the historic Benner Mansion Siobhan “Sam” Bennett; pastor and current Lehigh County Commissioner David Jones; recent college graduate Joshua Siegel; and former Wilson Borough Council member Nathan Woodring. Only Bennett has run for Mayor previously; she lost to former Mayor Roy Afflerbach and Pawlowski in two previous attempts.
The last Republican candidate to be elected Mayor of Allentown was William L. Heydt, who served two terms from 1994-2002.
For more information on Luiz, please visit his website at
www.luizgarciaformayor.com.
Information Provided By:
Ed White
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