Matthew Tuerk

Matthew Tuerk was born March 18, 1975, in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. His grandmother was a Cuban immigrant who settled in East Stroudsburg in 1946. Tuerk was raised speaking English but was surrounded by Cuban traditions and food during his childhood. His family moved from East Stroudsburg to Boulder, Colorado, in 1984. He minored in Spanish and Latin American studies, during which time became particularly interested in Latino culture, learning to speak Spanish and traveling to Latin America. ==Career==

Tuerk spent four years working for an outdoor advertising company in Panama, and later also spent time in Nicaragua. In 2013, Tuerk joined the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), where he worked for seven years. He began with the organization as its first director of research and innovation. Two years later, in 2015, he was named vice president of economic development and marketing. In 2019, he was appointed vice president of business attraction, retention and expansion. At LVEDC, he worked in a variety of functional areas, including administration, communications, economic development, entrepreneurial startup support, investor relations, marketing, and research. In October 2020, he resigned from LVEDC, and announced his candidacy for mayor of Allentown a week later. He also sought to connect with voters who requested mail-in ballots in what, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was the first municipal primary to allow no-excuse voting by mail. Tuerk raised more money than any of his three primary candidates, In the May 2021 primary, Tuerk received 2,064 votes, defeating O'Connell and Guridy by less than two percentage points, and Gerlach by three points. == First mayoral term ==

On January 3, 2022, Tuerk was sworn in as Allentown mayor, becoming the first Latino mayor in the city's history. Pedestrian fatalities & safe streets initiative Tuerk has made safe streets and pedestrian safety initiatives a priority for the city, and vowed to end pedestrian related fatalities in the city. Through the support of federal representatives, the city received grant funding towards the development of a strategic plan. The city had witnessed five pedestrian-involved accidents in 2022. It stated that Tuerk failed to respond to acts of discrimination and racism and his administration did not properly manage complaints about these acts from city employees. At city council meetings, residents and employees demanded an investigation and urged council to hire an outside firm. The city council voted of 7–0 to authorize the city to hire an outside firm to fully investigate these allegations and prepare a report for the purposes of transparency for city residents. 2024 budget impasse On October 16, 2023, Tuerk presented his 2024 budget which called for a 6.9% property tax increase and increased city trash fees by $120 annually. The budget called for 21 new positions in the city, even as city officials acknowledged that revenue growth in previous years had not been sufficient to balance city finances. When it was clear that the City Council wouldn't approve his proposed budget, Tuerk made a last second attempt to lower the proposed increase to 4.57%. This proposal failed to win over council members. On November 4, 2023, Allentown City Council voted 5–2 to reject the mayor's proposed budget and pass a budget with no tax increase, citing concerns about rising costs and inflation. The City Council also allocated the last of the American Rescue Plan funds, with money being allocated towards the renovation of public safety facilities and community organizations and nonprofits. Allentown residents at the meeting complained that the city had failed to provide funding for local non-profits and council members responded by allocating additional rescue plan funding to local community organizations. On November 8, Tuerk vetoed the City Council's proposed budget, leaving the city without a budget for the upcoming year. He then suggested a 2% tax increase. Genesis Ortega, the city's communications director, said they might have to cut popular city programs like the Lights in the Parkway, a traditional holiday lights display that attracts tens of thousands of visitors, and Fourth of July fireworks, if tax increase was not passed. On November 15, 2023, City Council met to attempt to override Tuerk's veto. The effort failed with a 4–3 vote in favor of overriding his veto, meaning that the city remained without a budget. With the deadline looming, Council met on December 12, 2023, to make a final attempt at passing a budget. By a vote of 4-3 City Council voted down the mayor's final proposal of a 2% increase. The City Council opted to take $762,000 from the city's general fund revenue to fund the budgetary gap brought on by passing a budget without a tax increase. Tuerk opted not to veto the council's proposed budget allowing it to take effect. Tuerk warned residents would see higher tax increases in the future and expressed disapproval over council's decision to use general fund revenue to fund government operations, calling their actions short-sighted. Vote of no confidence On November 21, 2023, in the midst of the city's budget impasse, Tuerk fired Karen Ocasio, a city employee who had filed multiple complaints regarding discrimination and was an early supporter of City Council's investigation into allegations of racism and mismanagement. On December 6, 2023, Allentown City Council met to consider the vote of no confidence against Tuerk. The vote of no confidence resolution made specific claims against Tuerk and his administration alleging the following as justification for the vote stating "Tuerk’s ineffective leadership has placed the government of the City of Allentown in a critically unfavorable light in the community." The resolution further stated that the mayor "has lacked leadership in key areas — handling personnel responsibilities and management; managing a budget within parameters established by a majority of council members, and failing community engagement that includes the entirety of community interests." At the urging of city residents, the vote of no confidence was successful through a council vote of 4–3. Tuerk became the second mayor of Allentown in less than 10 years to have a vote of no confidence issued against him. The city planned to use the funds to invest in the 1st and 6th wards of Allentown which feature some of the poorest census tracts. The city intended to use the funding to address barriers such as transportation, childcare, and training. ==Personal life==

Tuerk's wife Karen is a lecturer in environmental science at Muhlenberg College. They have two children. He speaks four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. ==References==