List of mayors of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

The Mayor of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a political position dating from 1917, arising from the merger of Borough of Bethlehem and the Borough of South Bethlehem, which came together as the city of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. J. William Reynolds is the current mayor having been sworn in on January 3, 2021.[1]

Term limits

In October 1973, just before the 15th mayoral election as the city was about to elect its 6th mayor, the council voted in favor of an ordinance limiting Bethlehem mayors to two full four-year terms (in addition to a partial term as an interim mayor if applicable). The ordinance was never submitted to, or challenged by, the voters. At the time, Bethlehem was the only city in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia that had term limits for mayor. This ordinance was ruled illegal by the Northampton County Court shortly after and mayor Paul Marcincin, who had voted in favor of the ordinance in 1973 when he was on the city council, used the court ruling to run for a third term in 1985. However, the city council challenged the legality of his third term and the case was brought before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which, in 1987, struck down the Northampton County Court ruling and restored the 1973 ordinance. Marcincin would step down resulting in the first interim mayor in Bethlehem's history, as well as solidifying the two term limit for mayors.

Mayors of Bethlehem
Number Mayor Party Term Begins Term Ends Term Length Notes
1st Archibald Johnston Republican 1913 1921 8 years A Roosevelt Republican and Vice President of Bethlehem Steel, Johnston was the last mayor of the borough of Bethlehem and first mayor of the city of Bethlehem.[2]
2nd James Yeakel Republican 1922 1930 8 years Johnston's handpicked successor. During Yeakel's term, crime ran rampant in the south side and his indifference resulted in his defeat when seeking a third term.[3]
3rd Robert Pfeifle Democrat 1930 1950 20 years Pennsylvania Dutch and the city's first Democrat mayor, Pfeifle launched a massive campaign to close speakeasies, brothels, and confiscate illegal liquor during Prohibition.[4]
4th Earl E. Schaffer Democrat 1950 1962 12 years Mayor Schaffer planned the construction of a new City Hall complex, expansion of recreation facilities and laid the groundwork for the strong-mayor government, however, none of these would be finished before he left the office.[5]
5th H. Gordon Payrow, Jr. Republican 1962 1974 12 years Mayor Payrow was the first mayor to serve under Bethlehem's strong mayor form of government. Oversaw the construction of the new City Hall and library.[6]
6th Gordon Mowrer Democrat 1974 1978 4 years Mayor Mowrer has been credited with restoring the historic character of Bethlehem and preserving the city's downtown. Under his term Victorian streetlights were introduced.[7]
7th Paul Marcincin Democrat 1978 January 14, 1987 9 years Mayor Marcinin was elected mayor in November 1977 after being a member of city council for 12 years. In 1985 he ran for a third term due to the ambiguity of the legality of the city's term limits. After a lengthy legal battle his third term was deemed illegal and he stepped down.[8]
(Interim) Gordon Mowrer Democrat January 14, 1987 November 1987 10 months Former Mayor Mowrer was appointed interim mayor by the council when it was determined that Mayor Marcincin's third election was illegal.[6]
8th Kenneth Smith Republican 1988 October 1997 9 years Mayor Smith bore the brunt of the unemployment crisis that followed Bethlehem Steel closing its steel mill. He accepted the post of vice president of public affairs at Lehigh University and resigned four months early.[9]
(Interim) Paul Marcincin Democrat October 1997 January 1998 4 months Former Mayor Marcincin was appointed interim mayor for the remainder of Smith's term.[8]
9th Don Cunningham Democrat 1998 March 2003 5 years Mayor Cunningham oversaw over $1,000,000,000 in redevelopment of the former Bethlehem Steel plant. He resigned to become Secretary of the Department of General Services under Governor Ed Rendell. He also served as Executive of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.[10]
(Interim) James Delgrosso Democrat March 12, 2003 January 5, 2004 10 months James Delgrosso was appointed by the council to serve until a special election could be held. During said election he would be defeated in the Democratic primary.[11]
10th John B. Callahan Democrat January 5, 2004 January 7, 2014 10 years Mayor Callahan was remembered as "uncompromising" and "abrasive" often clashing with the city council. He was credited with bringing the city 5,000 new jobs and reducing crime by 25%.[12]
11th Robert Donchez Democrat January 6, 2014 January 3, 2022 8 years Mayor Donchez ran a Technocratic mayoralty, hiring professionals in fields to head specific departments as opposed to staffing his office with politicians.[13]
12th J. William Reynolds Democrat January 3, 2022 Current A former high school history teacher and city council president, incumbent mayor Reynolds has centered his mayoralty off increasing the standard of living in Bethlehem.[14]

References
  1. "J. William Reynolds sworn in as Bethlehem mayor". wfmz.com. wfmz news. January 3, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  2. "Bethlehem Mayor Johnston Biography".
  3. "Roaring 20s Cop Killing Remembered in Bethlehem".
  4. Radzievich, Nicole. "'Crime buster' mayor honored from Bethlehem's bawdy days". www.mcall.com. The Morning Call. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  5. "Bethlehem renames ice rink for late Mayor Earl Schaffer".
  6. Radzievich, Nicole. "Former Bethlehem Mayor Payrow dies ** Built city government complex. His "vision' is remembered". www.mcall.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  7. "Gordon Mowrer retires as Councilman".
  8. "Mayor's Invocation".
  9. "Whatever became of ... former Bethlehem Mayor Ken Smith". www.mcall.com. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  10. "Ad Watch: Lehigh County Executive". The Morning Call. October 8, 2005. p. B3.
  11. Olanoff, Lynn (2009-10-09). "James Delgrosso, former interim Bethlehem mayor and longtime councilman, remembered for Bethlehem Steel rezoning, fiscal responsibility". The Express-Times. Archived from the original on 2009-10-11. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
  12. Radzievich, Nicole (October 2, 2010). "Bethlehem's 'closer' tries to seal the deal with voters". The Morning Call. p. A1. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  13. Sara, Satullo (February 2, 2017). "Bethlehem mayor seeks another 4 years". lehighvallylive.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  14. "J. William Reynolds". Lehigh Valley Business. Bridge Tower Media. March 14, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
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