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2023 election preview: Five people on ballot for Lehighton Council seats

There are five people running for four open Lehighton Borough Council seats in the Nov. 7 municipal election. The candidates were asked to respond to the following questions in 75 words or less.

Steven Hawk

Background: I was born and raised in Lehighton, graduating from Lehighton Area High School in 1993. After high school, I received a B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology. I have been working for over 20 years in the civil engineering field, focused on environmental project management and stormwater management. I am currently raising my family and a small herd of dogs in the borough.

Why are you running for office: I honestly have little political ambitions. I was a write-in candidate for a seat on borough council. If elected, I would bring value to the council from my background in engineering and project management. I would be an open-minded decision maker.

Tina Henninger

Background: Local business owner, wife, mother, grandmother, volunteer, Carbon resident for 20 years,

Why are you running for office: I see so much potential here in Lehighton, so much so that I’ve invested my time and money in the community and have encouraged others to do the same. I want to see our area thrive and prosper economically while still keeping that small town feel that we all cherish.

What is the biggest problem facing the borough and how would you solve it: Blight and neglect; and they have the same root cause, apathy. We need our residents to care about their community once more. We need to give them something worth caring about. We need to make it easier for community groups, borough government and private businesses to work together toward a common goal. Most people will tell you it’s about lack of money but there are ways around that, there is no way around apathy. If no one cares then nothing will be done.

Additional comments: No matter who wins, I fully intend to continue working with our local businesses and the borough to bring positive attention and more revenue to Lehighton. I coordinated an event at the end of October that brought 7,000 people into Lehighton and they were delighted with the small town feel, wide streets and green park. There is so, so much potential here, we just need to pull together to make a difference.

John Kreitz

Background: I moved into Lehighton in 1991 and started Kreitz Refrigeration, Heating & Air-Conditioning in 1997. After having tried two other businesses and failing, my father inspired me when he said “why don’t you just stick to what you know.” So after starting business in 1997 I was able to meet a lot of people in our town. I learned the majority of the people are wonderful but they have been misled or lied to. This was not something that aligned with my morals, or would ever be a practice in my business. The truth matters to me and my customer’s appreciate that.

Why are you running for office: The reason I’m running for Borough Council is my love for this town and its people. Knowing the peoples frustration with our decaying town really bothers me. I served on council from 2012-2015, and I presently serve on our Planning Commission. So I understand the borough and how it functions.

What is the biggest problem facing the borough and how would you solve it: I see a lot of changes in our borough some good and some bad. I see a lot of bad roads, decaying infrastructure, and unnecessary spending. When I’m elected I will work with other council members to have a balanced budget to insure paving and infrastructure projects can be paid for long term. I will work on cutting wasteful spending. We are in tough times and people are living pay check to pay check. Some people have lost jobs since COVID, so we as a constitutional body of the people cannot have tax increases if we don’t hold people accountable for current tax revenue.

David Zimmerman

Background: I was born and raised in Lehighton and have lived at the same location on Third Street with my wife and two children since 2006. I have been a partner in my family business, Zimmerman’s Dairy Inc., for nearly 30 years. I am a partner and founder of a nonprofit community theater group The Pale Moon Players and currently sit on the board at The Lehighton Boys & Girls Band Hall as Treasurer.

Why are you running for office?: I like helping people. I like being presented with problems and figuring out ways to solve them. I especially like the idea of bringing council together, getting everyone on the same page and working as a team to solve the problems our borough faces. I believe I have the analytical and communication skills to help make that happen.

What is the biggest problem facing the borough and how would you solve it?: We have a problem with blight. There are some properties that need to be fixed up or torn down. In addition to health concerns and reduced property values, these properties cast a shadow on how great our town and its people really are. By working closely with the landowners and using tools in place from the state, I believe we can turn these properties around and beautify our borough.

Additional comments: I look forward to working on the budget. I think all the components of the budget need to be looked at closely. I believe there may be better ways to allocate the funds we have.

Grant Hunsicker did not respond.