Robert Smith (Allentown City School District, Pennsylvania)
Robert Smith was an at-large member of the Allentown City School District school board in Pennsylvania. He assumed office in 2011.
Smith (Republican Party) ran for election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent District 22. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Robert Smith was born in New York, New York. He attended New York University, Middlesex County College, and LCCC. His career experience includes working as a healthcare professional. Smith has been affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and Our Lady Help of Christians.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 22
Joshua Siegel defeated Robert Smith in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 22 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joshua Siegel (D)  | 63.8 | 6,442 |
 | Robert Smith (R) | 36.2 | 3,662 | |
| Total votes: 10,104 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 22
Joshua Siegel defeated Saeed Georges in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 22 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joshua Siegel | 63.9 | 1,716 |
 | Saeed Georges | 36.1 | 968 | |
| Total votes: 2,684 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 22
Robert Smith advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 22 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Robert Smith | 100.0 | 1,125 |
| Total votes: 1,125 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
2015
Five of the nine seats on the Allentown City Board of Directors were up for election in the general election on November 3, 2015. There was a primary election on May 19, 2015. The seats represent the district at-large.
Incumbents Ce-Ce Gerlach (D/R), Elizabeth Martinez (D), Robert Smith (D/R) and Charlie Thiel (D/R) won re-election to their seats. Newcomer Audrey Mathison (D) also won. Incumbent Scott Armstrong (R) and Mark Smith (R) were defeated in the general election.[2][3][4]
Candidates Jonah Adamcik (D/R), Carmen Cheriz (D), Frank Nickischer (D), Timothy Ramos (D/R) and Marc Telesha (D/R) were defeated in the primary elections.
Results
| Allentown City School District, At-Large, General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican |  Ce-Ce Gerlach Incumbent |
19.9% | 7,158 | |
| Democratic/Republican | Robert Smith Incumbent |
17.5% | 6,317 | |
| Democratic/Republican | Charlie Thiel Incumbent |
16.8% | 6,037 | |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Martinez Incumbent |
13.4% | 4,846 | |
| Democratic | Audrey Mathison |
12.8% | 4,596 | |
| Republican | Mark Smith | 10.3% | 3,704 | |
| Republican | Scott Armstrong Incumbent | 9.4% | 3,383 | |
| Total Votes | 36,041 | |||
| Source: 'Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Lehigh County Chief Clerk of Registration and Elections Timothy Bento," December 17, 2015 | ||||
| Allentown City School District, At-Large Democratic Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ce-Ce Gerlach Incumbent |
16.2% | 2,266 | |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Martinez Incumbent |
11.3% | 1,581 | |
| Democratic | Charlie Thiel Incumbent |
10.7% | 1,500 | |
| Democratic | Audrey Mathison |
9.8% | 1,366 | |
| Democratic | Robert Smith Incumbent |
9.5% | 1,335 | |
| Democratic | Mark Smith | 8.7% | 1,215 | |
| Democratic | Scott Armstrong Incumbent | 6.7% | 931 | |
| Democratic | Frank Nickischer | 6.7% | 931 | |
| Democratic | Marc Telesha | 6.5% | 909 | |
| Democratic | Carmen Cheriz | 4.8% | 666 | |
| Democratic | Timothy Ramos | 4.7% | 651 | |
| Democratic | Jonah Adamcik | 4.6% | 640 | |
| Total Votes | 13,991 | |||
| Source: Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, "Municipal Primary - May 19, 2015," accessed July 7, 2015Ballotpedia confirmed these results are official by phone. | ||||
| Allentown City School District, At-Large Republican Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Robert Smith Incumbent |
16.2% | 956 | |
| Republican | Ce-Ce Gerlach Incumbent |
15% | 884 | |
| Republican | Scott Armstrong Incumbent |
13.9% | 819 | |
| Republican | Charlie Thiel Incumbent |
11.5% | 676 | |
| Republican | Mark Smith |
11% | 646 | |
| Republican | Audrey Mathison | 7.7% | 451 | |
| Republican | Elizabeth Martinez Incumbent | 6.7% | 397 | |
| Republican | Jonah Adamcik | 6.7% | 394 | |
| Republican | Marc Telesha | 6.7% | 393 | |
| Republican | Timothy Ramos | 4.6% | 271 | |
| Total Votes | 5,887 | |||
| Source: Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, "Municipal Primary - May 19, 2015," accessed July 7, 2015Ballotpedia confirmed these results are official by phone. | ||||
Funding
Smith reported no contributions or expenditures to the Lehigh County Voter Registration Department in the election.[5]
Endorsements
Smith received an official endorsement from the Lehigh County AFL-CIO.[6]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Robert Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- Crime, inflation, education are 3 of the main issues right now. Crime, we need to give more resources to our first responders so they can do their job properly and efficiently. Inflation, we need fuel tax, increase minimum wage gradually, support small businesses by having less regulations to avoid another shutdown. Cannot raise minimum wage in one shot as this will heart small family businesses. Education, make sure Allentown gets fair funding; school district should get reimburse 10% by the Charter School, because $60 Million of the budget goes to them. We need to lower their share of pension cost to a reasonable amount.
- Inflation- fuel taxes, food, medication are a few items to mention. We need to dig for oil and fracking, we need to be self sufficient and not depend on foreign oil.
- Education - we need to do something about the cost of college education. Students are coming out of college with big debts that cannot be repaid. School choice is important as it allows parents to send their kids to where they can perform at the greatest potential.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Smith participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Decrease the drop out rate .Every student counts, and sometimes its tests, trouble at home, we need to do everything possible to make sure every student gets a diploma. Students may not want to go to college, but they need that diploma even if they decide college is not for them, they may go right into work force in a technical carrier which is outstanding too. I have been on board 12 years, most experienced candidate in race ,the next board will also have to do a super attendant search, and replace top three leadership positions.[7] | ” |
| —Robert Smith (2015)[8] | ||
Smith also included the following statement with his responses:
| “ | All union contracts need to be negotiated- teacher, secretaries, and paraprofessionals. Fair but decent contracts, and we need to restructure our business office so bills are paid on time, budget is accurate, and audit is on time.[7] | ” |
| —Robert Smith (2015)[8] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Idaho. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "They should not be implemented." | |
| "No" | |
| "Yes" | |
| "No" | |
| "Our students need to be well rounded, imaginative ,and common sense focused for the future careers whatever that may be. We do not need robots with great memories that can excel on keystone tests. A student that can play an instrument, sing beautifully or create artistic paintings may not excel on tests. We need to take the creative artistic contributions. from students and include that in the equation their final grades." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "We need to help Principle with any resource they are lacking, we need to provide professional development to all our teachers, and set up special tutoring program for our students. Parent liaisons need to work with parents to see if there are issues at home affecting student performance. I as president of board would visit with superintendent and observe first hand ,and listen to staff concerns." | |
| "Yes" | |
| "Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district." | |
| "I personally answer every email or call from parents, and try to help behind the scenes whenever possible. Sometimes parents just want someone to listen to their concerns, and I am a good listener. I also would visit neighborhood groups and keep people up to date on what's happening in school district" |
What was at stake?
2015
There were five seats up for election in the Allentown City School District. While the incumbents of those seats ran for re-election, a political action committee started by Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski (D) backed only two of the incumbents. The candidates supported by the PAC filed to run in the Democratic and Republican primaries but were identified by the PAC as Democrats.[9]
The PAC was shut down after the FBI began an investigation into contributions made by a local developer that were allegedly in exchange for city contracts.[10]
Issues in the election
Citizens for a Better Allentown PAC
Despite most candidates running in both parties' primaries as a result of cross-filing, partisan lines were clearly drawn in the 2015 primary election for school board. Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, along with State Reps. Michael Schlossberg (D-22) and Peter Schweyer (D-132), created a political action committee called Citizens for a Better Allentown to support candidates running for the five open school board seats and three open city council seats. The candidates supported by the PAC were Elizabeth Martinez, Audrey Mathison, Marc Telesha and Charlie Thiel. All of the candidates supported by the PAC were identified as Democrats.[9]
Incumbents Ce-Ce Gerlach, Scott Armstrong and Robert Smith were not endorsed by the PAC. Armstrong and Smith identified as Republicans, but Gerlach identified as a Democrat. All three incumbents have had disagreements with the mayor in regard to his Neighborhood Improvement Zone project, which promoted downtown revitalization through tax incentives.
Armstrong had the following response to the news that he was not being supported by the PAC:
| “ | The mayor controls the city, now he wants to control the school district? Pawlowski is supporting those people because he can get exactly what he wants from them.[7] | ” |
| —Scott Armstrong, 2015, [11] | ||
Smith told reporters that he did not take it personally, and Gerlach gave no comment regarding the situation.[11]
Three of the candidates endorsed by Citizens for a Better Allentown won nominations and advanced to the general election. Elizabeth Martinez and Audrey Mathison both won a nomination in the Democratic primary. Charlie Thiel won nominations in both primaries. Marc Telesha did not advance to the general election.
Shortly after the primary election, the FBI began an investigation into Mayor Pawlowski and his involvement with potentially unlawful city contracts. A local developer pleaded guilty in September 2015 to contributing to the mayor's PAC in exchange for contracts from the city.[10]
Since the FBI investigation began, the PAC was shut down and the candidates who were previously supported by the PAC received no more funds. A local political consultant who allegedly supplied the information to the FBI that led to the indictment of the developer shut down his office and moved out of his house the day after the FBI issued subpoenas to people within the city. As of October 2015, the mayor had not been charged with any crime.[12]
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 11, 2022
- ↑ Allentown City School District, "Allentown City School District Board of Directors," accessed March 11, 2015
- ↑ Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, "Unofficial List of Candidates, Municipal Election, November 3, 2015," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, "Election Results," accessed November 4, 2015
- ↑ Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed February 3, 2016
- ↑ Lehigh Valley Labor Council, "PA AFL-CIO Endorsed Candidates for 2015," accessed October 30, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Robert Smith responses," May 13, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Citizens for A Better Allentown, "Who We Are," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Morning Call, "Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski implicated in FBI probe," September 10, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Morning Call, "Pawlowski, other top Allentown Dems form PAC to fund local candidates," January 28, 2015
- ↑ The Morning Call, "Under FBI's cloud, Allentown election season is subdued," October 29, 2015
