Mayor Salvatore J. Panto Jr. | |
---|---|
Mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania | |
Assumed office January 2, 2008 | |
Preceded by | Phil Mitman |
In office 1984–1992 | |
Preceded by | Phil Mitman |
Succeeded by | Thomas F. Goldsmith |
Personal details | |
Born | 1953 Easton,Pennsylvania |
Political party | Democratic Party |
Alma mater | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (Bachelor's) Lehigh University(Master's) |
Website | www.easton-pa.com |
Salvatore J. Panto Jr. is an American politician from Pennsylvania who is the current mayor of Easton,Pennsylvania,and has served for seven non-consecutive terms. First for two terms from 1984-1992,and another four terms from 2008 to present. [1] [2]
Panto is an Easton native. He received a Bachelor's degree from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and a Master's degree from Lehigh University. In 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Public service from Lafayette College. [3]
Panto was elected mayor at the age of 31 in 1983 making him the youngest mayor in Easton's history. In that Democratic Primary Election he came in first against three other candidates including a former two term Mayor and the Democratic Party's designated candidate. During his first tenure he focused on making the city cleaner and safer. He expanded the city's police and fire department and hired more code enforcement officers. [1] [3]
When he returned to the office of mayor in 2008 the city of Easton was on the verge of filing for Act 47,the municipal equivalent of bankruptcy. However,Panto was able to re-organize city finances to create a surplus budget every year during his second tenure without increasing the real estate tax for sixteen years. [1] His 2007 campaign theme was "Clean and Safe. In 2007 he ran on a campaign to end the rampant drug dealing and gang violence and gun violence plaguing the city. "An advocate for public parks,Panto has expanded the city's park network and also invested $4 million in the city's waterfront parks. In 2017 he received a $850,000 subsidy from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to improve the National Canal Museum and the 520 acre park next to it. [4]
Panto was twice elected the President of the Pennsylvania Municipal League and during his tenure he founded the PennPRIME Municipal Insurance Trust and served as the fist Chairman of the Board. He is the former Chairman of the National League of Cities (NLC) Energy,Environment and Natural Resources Committee and was elected to two terms on the NLC Board of Directors. He currently serves on the NLC Advisory Board.
Panto has also been lauded for his management of the COVID-19 pandemic during which he shut down city hall,furloughed 81 city employees and had all municipal duties performed over video call. [5] [6] This online municipal government system,combined with a $6,000,000 shortfall in the city's budget due to a near total loss of the city's tourism revenue for the nearby casino and the Crayola Experience. [7] Panto was able to salvage the situation by slashing the city's taxes resulting in a large influx of New Yorkers moving to the city to avoid New York City's cost of living and earning the city the moniker "little Manhattan." [8]
On May 16,2023,Panto defeated Melan,a member of City Council,capturing 70% of the votes in the Democratic primary,and with the Republicans not being competitive in Mayoral elections since 2007,this was largely treated as the election proper. Panto has no Republican challenger on November 5,2024. This next term will mark his 7th term as Mayor,and 5th consecutive term,making him the longest tenured mayor in Easton's history. However,he vowed this 7th term would be his last,and that he would not seek re-election to an 8th term in 2028,which would make him Mayor for 28 years,20 of which consecutively. [9] On April 1,Panto partnered with Lafayette College during Literacy Day,reading to a elementary school class in an effort to increase children's interest in books. [10] He is also one of 6 Pennsylvania mayors to attend the 91st meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors. [11]
Panto has received many awards including the Preservation Pennsylvania Municipal Official's Award and the Governor's Local Government Official of the Year Award and was also awarded the Easton Schoolman of the Year Award and many others.[ citation needed ]
Panto received his Bachelors Degree form Kutztown University and his Masters Degree from Lehigh University and has an Honorary Doctorate from Lafayette College.[ citation needed ]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Salvatore J. Panto Jr. (incumbent) | 2,982 | 95.67% | |
N/A | Write-ins | 135 | 4.33% | |
Total votes | 3,117 | 100% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Salvatore J. Panto Jr. (incumbent) | 1,631 | 69.85% | |
Democratic | Peter Melan | 704 | 30.15% | |
Total votes | 2,335 | 100% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Salvatore J. Panto Jr. (incumbent) | 2,839 | 81.53% | |
Republican | Timothy D. Reilly | 628 | 18.04% | |
N/A | Write-ins | 15 | 0.43% | |
Total votes | 3,482 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Salvatore J. Panto Jr. (incumbent) | 1,282 | 75.86% | |
Democratic | Taiba Sultana | 402 | 23.79% | |
Democratic | Write-ins | 6 | 0.36% | |
Total votes | 1,690 | 100.0% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Salvatore J. Panto Jr. (incumbent) | 1,807 | 98.64% | |
N/A | Write-ins | 25 | 1.36% | |
Total votes | 1,832 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Salvatore J. Panto Jr. (incumbent) | 1,047 | 99.71% | |
Democratic | Write-ins | 3 | 0.29% | |
Total votes | 1,050 | 100.0% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Salvatore J. Panto Jr. (incumbent) | 2,513 | 80.54% | |
Republican | Mike Krill | 607 | 19.46 | |
Total votes | 3,120 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Salvatore J. Panto Jr. | 2,370 | 64.88% | ||
Republican | Gary Bertsch | 1,283 | 35.12% | ||
Total votes | 3,653 | 100% | |||
Democratic gain from Republican |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Salvatore J. Panto Jr. | 914 | 60.13% | |
Democratic | Michael P. Fleck | 606 | 39.87% | |
Total votes | 1,520 | 100% |
Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951. Its county seat is Easton. The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was the county of Northamptonshire in England, and the county seat of Easton was named for Easton Neston, a country house in Northamptonshire.
Phillipsburg is a town located along the Delaware River that is the most populous municipality in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 15,249, an increase of 299 (+2.0%) from the 2010 census count of 14,950, which in turn reflected a decline of 216 (−1.4%) from the 15,166 counted in the 2000 census.
Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) river that joins the Delaware River in Easton and serves as the city's eastern geographic boundary with Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Jeanette F. Reibman was an American lawyer and politician who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 18th district from 1969 to 1994. She also served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the Northampton County district from 1955 to 1966.
College Hill is a residential neighborhood in Easton, Pennsylvania. The neighborhood is situated on the hill overlooking downtown Easton which was once known as Mount Lafayette, and before that, Mount Washington. Lafayette College borders the neighborhood on its southwest side. The northern boundary of the neighborhood is Forks Township. The boundary lies along Chestnut Ridge, a steep hill that rises to 700 feet. College Hill has a total of three historic religious institutional buildings, three parks, and the remains of Rinek Mansion grounds.
Phil Mitman is an American politician and former Mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania. Mitman served as the mayor of Easton for two, nonconsecutive four-year terms: His first term lasted from 1980 to 1984. Mitman was once again elected Mayor of Easton in November 2003 after being out of active politics for nearly twenty years. He served from January 2004 to January 2008. Mitman was a member of the Republican Party. However, he became a member of the Democratic Party shortly after the election of Donald Trump.
Susan Wild is an American lawyer and politician from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A Democrat, she is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district. The district is in the heart of the Lehigh Valley, and includes Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and Bangor. Wild spent the last two months of 2018 as the member for Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district after Charlie Dent resigned in 2018. She also co-chairs the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force and is vice chair of both the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus and the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. Wild is the first woman to represent the Lehigh Valley in Congress.
Zach Mako is an American politician who has served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 183rd district since 2017.
The 2021 mayoral election in Allentown, Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 2021. The primary election was held on May 18, 2021.
J. William "Willie" Reynolds is an American politician. He served as a city councilman of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 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.
Henry J. Schultz was an American politician who served as mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania from 1976 to 1980.
The Allentown 2019 special mayoral election was held on May 19, 2019 following the resignation of Democratic mayor Ed Pawlowski. Incumbent interim Democratic mayor Ray O'Connell defeated Republican challenger Timothy Ramos.
The 2009 mayoral election in Allentown, Pennsylvania was held on November 3, 2009, and resulted in the incumbent mayor Ed Pawlowski, a member of the Democratic Party, being re-elected to a second term over Republican Party candidate Tony Phillips.
The 2005 mayoral election in Allentown, Pennsylvania was held on November 8, 2005, and resulted in the Democrat Ed Pawlowski, being elected to his first of four terms over Republican challenger and former mayor, William L Heydt.
The 2001 mayoral election in Allentown, Pennsylvania was held on November 6, 2001, and resulted in the Democrat and former state senator Roy Afflerbach, being elected over Republican challenger and businessman, Bob Lovett. Since this election there has never been a Republican mayor of Allentown.
George Smith was an American politician who served as a Democratic mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania for two terms between 1960 and 1968. He also served on the Easton City Council from 1975 until his death in 1986 at the age of 79.
Thomas Fredric Goldsmith was an American politician who served as Republican mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania from 1993 until his resignation in 2003 to serve on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board until 2011.
William Beidelman (1840-1903) was an American politician from the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and saw combat at the Battle of Gettysburg, which was the war's turning point in the Union's favor but also its bloodiest battle.