Young Professional running for Bethlehem City Council

This writer was excited to learn another young professional is going after a city council seat, this time in Bethlehem - J. William Reynolds. A 25-year-old aide to Rep. Steve Samuelson. Any other ambitious young pros out there running for office?

With three of seven council seats up for grabs, the May 15 Democratic primary will likely determine how those chairs are filled. Only one Republican, Esther Lee, is running.

All three incumbents -- Donchez, Mowrer and Magdalena Szabo -- are seeking re-election. They are challenged by Arcelay, Grubb, Heckman and J. William Reynolds, a legislative assistant to state Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Lehigh.

The 25-year-old Reynolds, claims that his youth makes him best qualified to monitor the development of the $1 billion BethWorks project and to help steer the city to the future. He said he is uniquely qualified to understand what it takes to keep young people interested in staying in Bethlehem.

''No one has as much personally on the line as I do,'' Reynolds said. ''The development of BethWorks is not going to determine my legacy. It's going to determine my life.''

Reynolds believes the city needs to evaluate its emergency service and road infrastructure needs and commit more resources to the city's financial health before cutting taxes with the casino host monies.

All seven candidates seem to agree on what the casino's impact on the city would be. On the plus side, new jobs. Negatively, they all predict increased traffic and an increase in the number of gambling addicts.

Asked what they would do about traffic problems, Reynolds said he would work toward encouraging more people to walk and that the planned South Side greenway might do that.