Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds, and Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. speak at a panel moderated by LVEDC President and CEO Don Cunningham during LVEDC's annual meeting on March 21, 2023.

Regional collaboration to address regional issues was the theme addressed by the mayors of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton during a panel discussion that wrapped up Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s 2023 Annual Meeting on March 21 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

Moderated by LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham, the panel covered a range of issues facing municipal governments in the Lehigh Valley, but focused on the idea that local government must work together to fix problems.

The mayors of the Lehigh Valley’s three cities – Sal Panto Jr. of Easton, J. William Reynolds of Bethlehem, and Matt Tuerk of Allentown – recently announced the creation of a 3-city coalition to work on shared solutions to common concerns.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk speaks at LVEDC's annual meeting on March 21, 2023.

“The problems facing the three cities know no municipal boundaries,” Reynolds said.

Panto reinforced the idea that local government issues don’t have clear geopolitical boundaries.

“We are from the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania,” he said. “We have regional issues that need to be solved with regional solutions.”

The Lehigh Valley is at its best when it works in partnership, Tuerk said.

“We are going to continue to promote the region as a destination and a great place to live. And will we do that as an entire Lehigh Valley,” he said.

Among the shared issues the mayors identified are sustainability, social services, housing and education.

“Public education is the great equalizer,” Reynolds said. “Our schools put people in an opportunity to be successful as adults.”

Panto and Tuerk agreed that the Lehigh Valley has a strong educational system and that municipal leaders must work side-by-side with school administrators to support students and keep them engaged.

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds and Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. speak at LVEDC's annual meeting on March 21, 2023.


“It’s absolutely essential that we all stay involved with our kids,” Tuerk said. Asked to identify what he would address if he had a magic wand that could fix one specific problem, Tuerk said he would make sure that schools have all the resources they need to succeed.

Panto said additional human services that could address social problems such as homelessness and children going to bed hungry is the problem he would fix.

Reynolds cited housing access as the most pressing issue the Lehigh Valley faces. He said that while the region continues to grow, some people who want to move to the Lehigh Valley struggle to find affordable places to live.

LVEDC’s Annual Meeting drew a record audience of more than 700 and featured an economic policy address by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the first sitting governor to speak at LVEDC’s Annual Meeting. Another highlight of the event was a conversation on the region’s dynamic talent market featuring the stories of four young people who followed their individual career paths to success in the Lehigh Valley.