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University offered to buy the historic churches for $ 3.75 million, but did not specify how they would use the churches except that they would not be used for student housing. Reynolds made public pleas at a
January City Council meeting to consider selling to the city instead with the parking authority threatening to seize the properties under
458:, a local architect and general contractor purchased their former headquarters and intended to demolish it and construct a six story apartment complex on its site. In order to do so the property would need to be rezoned from commercial to residential use, and Reynolds led a push to block this change. Citing the
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which contributed $ 34.4 million of the city's budget of $ 118.4 million, saying that this money will be used to allow the city to continue capital projects without going into debt, and further stated it was a contributing factor in
Reynolds' ability to reduce the city's debt from $ 170 million to $
284:
Reynolds was elected in the
Bethlehem City Council in 2007 and took office in 2008. At the time he was the youngest person to be elected to this position. He was elected the President of City Council in 2016, and held this office until he became Mayor in 2022. At the time of stepping down he was the
438:
mill in 1995. Reynold, acting on the city's behalf, offered to buy the churches and their properties for 3.5 million dollars, however, the church refused the city's offer when it was discovered that the city would turn the properties into a parking lot for the
Bethlehem Parking Authority. Lehigh
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in the city, citing a spike in rent and an only 2% vacancy rate within the city. Reynolds has supported the expansion of the city's social services, such as renovating 25,000 of the city's 37,000 water meters, implementing a new computerized crime-data system, and increasing the number of social
285:
longest serving member of the City
Council. He was known for his activism for civil rights and equality, and his push for financial accountability for economic development programs. He has supported the City Council's efforts to decriminalize marijuana and reform the police.
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After hearing a $ 3.7 million bid from Lehigh
University and an equal counteroffer from the city, the church put the plan to sell the churches on hold indefinitely, unhappy with the prospect of the historic churches being demolished. Instead, they filed a petition with the
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cooperating on issues of housing, homelessness and sustainability. Additionally, at his state of the city address in 2023 Reynolds announced that the city’s revenue is on track to outpace its debt by 2026. Reynolds has stressed the importance of building more
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and St. Peter's
Evangelical Lutheran Church voted 120-9 to merge, with services being held in St. Peters until a new venue could be found for the congregation. The two churches where hubs for the city's
307:
As mayor, Reynolds hopes to keep
Bethlehem one of the "best places to live in America", and to continue to recover from the closing of the Bethlehem Steel Plant. He has also come out in support of the
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Party not fielding any candidates, besides a write-in, the
Democratic primary was treated as the election proper. Reynolds announced his intention to run for Mayor again on January 5, 2021.
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387:, which sought to buy the churches and demolish them for an expansion, and Reynolds and the city, who wished to buy the churches and demolish them to build affordable housing.
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to join the national anti-human trafficking task force. Reynolds stated that the reason the city rejected the proposal was due to fear that it would ostracize the largely
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Reynolds has been criticized for spending millions of dollars of public funds towards new affordable housing and diversity projects instead of using the funds to clean up
228:
from 2008 until 2022 and is currently the city's 12th and incumbent mayor. His term began in 2022 which is set to expire in 2026. He is eligible to stand for re-election.
353:
and having the maximum legal earned income tax. He has proposed creating more parks and a new community center in the city's south side. Reynolds has worked to increase
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for trash collection expired and mayor
Reynolds and the city council have been unable to reach an agreement on a new contractor despite meeting on the subject 97 times.
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383:, announced it would be merging its services in a cost cutting measure and seeking to sell three of their historic churches. The two most interested parties were
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Reynolds is married to Dr. Natalie Bieber. They both reside in North Bethlehem in the same neighborhood Reynolds was born. He is a member of the
443:, neither of which convinced the churches to reconsider the city's proposition. The churches accepted Lehigh's offer after their vote to merge.
304:
After securing the Democratic Party's nomination he ran against Republican John Kachmar, defeating him soundly, 64.3 percent to 35.7 percent.
462:, and the desire for the city to retain a semi-conductor manufacturer, the building is to remain as it is, until a new tenant can be found.
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announced that they were shuttering their American headquarters in Bethlehem due to the building be "dilapidated" and moving their office to
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518:. Reynolds is also a member of the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, a group that promotes cycling throughout the valley.
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Reynolds is an avid cyclist and often rides with members of the community and fellow cyclist and Lehigh Valley Democratic mayor
410:
in Bethlehem. On May 7, Reynolds, serving as Chairman of the Bethlehem World Heritage Council, hosted a Saxon delegation led by
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1096:"'That love will never end': After 110 years, St. John's Windish Lutheran Church in south Bethlehem hosts its final service"
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1064:"The Bethlehem World Heritage Council hosted a delegation from Germany to highlight the joint World Heritage Nomination"
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1180:"Bethlehem City Council rejects anti-human trafficking partnership that would pair police with Homeland Security"
495:. Reynolds and Boscola argued that without the new permit, the chemicals would simply be dumped in a landfill in
273:
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population of the city. However, the city government has remained open to a proposal to join at a later date.
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Reynolds had unsuccessfully run for mayor in 2013 where he was narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary by
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to have the churches listed as part of the World Heritage Commission alongside historic Moravian churches in
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Despite this being against his and the city's initial wishes, Reynolds has welcomed the prospect of a new
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767:"Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds presents his first budget with no tax increase. Here's what's in it"
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picked up, with residents of Bethlehem being able to submit a proposed sister city in an online form.
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1032:"Moravian Church Settlement Site Submitted As First Multi-National Nomination to World Heritage List"
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776:
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1124:"Bethlehem churches finalize plan to merge, agree to sell their former properties on the South Side"
827:"'Success must be shared': Bethlehem mayor touts city's revitalization in State of the City address"
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in the city, creating a new office of Equality and Inclusion and working closely with the city's
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to tour the Bethlehem Moravian properties, as part of a celebration of the 300th anniversary of
1152:"Bethlehem City Council rejects rezoning that would pave the way for 6-story apartment complex"
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Following the trend of church closures and sales, after 110 years of continuous service, the
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798:"ARP funds to be spent on affordable housing, community recovery from COVID in Bethlehem"
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population with their closure reflecting their dramatic decline since the closure of the
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911:"Bethlehem hears recommendations for $ 1.9M in federal grant funds, resident concerns"
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Board of Trustees and is on the Bethlehem Area Public Library's board of directors.
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1000:"Vote to consolidate, sell 3 Bethlehem churches to Lehigh University is a week away"
465:
Around the same time, Reynolds and the city council rejected a partnership with the
939:"Bethlehem churches delay vote on merging congregations, selling property (UPDATE)"
492:
1240:"Bethlehem council urged to protect water, scrutinize landfill's discharge permit"
499:, but have accepted the protests and vowed to review the language of the permit.
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971:"Bethlehem mayor: 'Powerful forces' have different goals for church properties"
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1208:"Mayor J. William Reynolds, Janine Santoro, and the Search for a Sister City"
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855:"See how Bethlehem's mayor shared the spotlight for his State of the City"
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617:"Bethlehem Councilman J. William Reynolds announces his 2nd bid for mayor"
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110 million. As part of the budget for 2023, the city's contract with
644:"Donchez claims victory in Bethlehem mayor's race, Reynolds concedes"
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community. He also seeks to create a new sister-city of Bethlehem in
476:
At the same time the Reynolds lead search to find a sister city in
1212:
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51.8 percent to 48.2 percent, a margin of 184 votes. Due to the
1217:
883:"Bethlehem seeking to partner with sister city in Puerto Rico"
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rewrote the permit for discharge points which would allow
268:
from May 2003 through September 2009. He then worked as a
711:"J. William Reynolds will be the next mayor of Bethlehem"
276:
from September 2009 until his mayoral campaign in 2021.
264:
He served as a legislative aide to state representative
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which would prevent the demolition of the buildings.
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Liberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) alumni
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670:"Bethlehem mayoral race gains write-in candidate"
536:"J. William Reynolds sworn in as Bethlehem mayor"
375:During Reynold's tenure on February 1, 2023, the
483:Reynolds faced backlash on June 22, when he and
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335:All three are Democrats and together lead the
467:United States Department of Homeland Security
8:
563:"Meet Mayoral Candidate J. William Reynolds"
32:
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393:United States Department of the Interior
349:workers. Reynolds has touted the city's
684:"Bethlehem councilman to run for mayor"
527:
319:Reynolds has promoted cooperation with
979:. Maranatha Broadcasting Company, Inc
806:. Maranatha Broadcasting Company, Inc
709:Isaacson, Andrew (November 2, 2021).
7:
743:. Bridge Tower Media. March 14, 2022
642:Radzievich, Nicole (May 22, 2013).
427:St. John’s Windish Lutheran Church
14:
1342:Mayors of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
377:United Proclamation of the Gospel
91:Bethlehem City Council President
50:Mayor of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
1294:"Bike Ride With Mayor Reynolds"
118:2008 – January 3, 2022
102:2016 – January 3, 2022
615:Satullo, Sara (May 18, 2021).
244:in Bethlehem and received his
1:
690:. wfmz news. January 6, 2021
561:Nerl, Daryl (May 15, 2013).
542:. wfmz news. January 3, 2022
416:Minister-President of Saxony
214:J. William "Willie" Reynolds
1273:. Bethlehem City Government
339:of the major cities of the
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1347:Moravian University alumni
1030:Smith Augello, Stephanie.
274:Allentown School District
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107:Bethlehem City Councillor
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1005:www.lehighvalleylive.com
944:www.lehighvalleylive.com
232:Early life and education
333:Salvatore J. Panto, Jr.
238:Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
236:Reynolds is a lifelong
226:Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
177:Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
148:Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
1352:Pennsylvania Democrats
741:Lehigh Valley Business
588:Reynolds, J. William.
491:to be dumped into the
280:Bethlehem City Council
737:"J. William Reynolds"
596:. J. William Reynolds
497:Lower Saucon Township
460:CHIPS and Science Act
1062:Augello, Stephanie.
1010:Advance Publications
949:Advance Publications
777:Alden Global Capital
715:thebrownandwhite.com
623:. Lehigh Valley Live
621:lehighvalleylive.com
594:jwilliamreynolds.org
456:Serfass Construction
337:Three City Coalition
309:American Rescue Plan
240:native and attended
38:Reynolds in May 2022
717:. Lehigh University
509:Moravian University
408:World Heritage Site
254:Moravian University
242:Liberty High School
189:Moravian University
26:J. William Reynolds
16:American politician
1245:Lehigh Valley News
650:. the morning call
412:Michael Kretschmer
355:affirmative action
351:Bond credit rating
346:Affordable housing
289:Mayor of Bethlehem
168:Dr. Natalie Bieber
1094:Golter, Graysen.
1037:finance.yahoo.com
969:Althouse, Steve.
937:Bresswein, Kurt.
860:The Express-Times
853:Bresswein, Kurt.
489:forever chemicals
385:Lehigh University
314:Republic Services
246:bachelor's degree
220:. He served as a
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222:city councilman
216:is an American
155:Political party
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590:"Meet William"
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452:North Carolina
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1327:1982 births
1267:"BIOGRAPHY"
1074:PR Newswire
1042:Yahoo! Inc.
478:Puerto Rico
370:Urban decay
363:Puerto Rico
80:Preceded by
1321:Categories
1047:1 February
1045:Retrieved
1015:1 February
983:1 February
954:1 February
810:1 February
782:1 February
522:References
299:Republican
218:politician
203:Politician
200:Occupation
184:Alma mater
138:1982-06-01
648:mcall.com
567:patch.com
446:In 2020,
331:'s mayor
323:'s mayor
321:Allentown
250:education
173:Residence
114:In office
98:In office
59:Incumbent
1135:24 April
1107:24 April
922:24 April
894:24 April
866:24 April
838:24 April
688:wfmz.com
540:wfmz.com
420:Herrnhut
1251:25 June
1223:25 June
1191:25 June
1163:25 June
916:WFMZ-TV
888:WFMZ-TV
569:. Patch
432:Windish
401:Denmark
270:history
1305:18 May
1079:18 May
414:, the
329:Easton
327:, and
260:Career
165:Spouse
150:, U.S.
252:from
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23:Mayor
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1225:2023
1213:WDIY
1193:2023
1165:2023
1137:2023
1109:2023
1081:2023
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956:2023
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