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Hello!

I'm Ce-Ce Gerlach, and I'm currently running for Mayor of Allentown, Pennsylvania. This is a long email, but I think it's important to personally introduce myself and tell you what I'm all about!

Growing up biracial in a poor majority Black neighborhood with a white mom, I learned from a very early age that not everybody is born with the same opportunities. My mom raised me on her own in public housing. We survived on food stamps and public assistance.

Although I excelled in school because my mom pushed me to work hard, it was difficult for me to truly envision what success would look like for a person of color. But a close family friend down in West Virginia (I consider him an uncle) painted a totally different picture — he was a Black man who came from nothing and had built himself a comfortable, middle-class life. This was the first time I realized that there are options despite your circumstances.

When I was about 12, I met Brian, my mentor at the Boys & Girls Club, who encouraged me to stay in school and keep up with band and basketball. His positive influence helped me remain driven and stay out of trouble. We'd have summer basketball camp, and Brian would always say, "Each one, teach one." When I graduated, I took those words to heart when I moved to Allentown for college to become a teacher.

While in college, I remained an active member in the local Boys & Girls Club here in Allentown and got involved in the Obama Campaign. That's where my passion for political activism and community development really started to intersect. Later, I volunteered in the school district before deciding to run for the Allentown School Board, where I remained for 8+ years.

But eventually, I started to feel pigeon-holed. Having been so greatly impacted by public assistance, youth resources, and recreational opportunities in my own adolescence, I knew how important these things were in shaping our communities outside of the classroom. And I wanted to have a stronger impact on building policies that would incorporate these programs into our neighborhoods.

So that's why I decided to run for City Council, where I'm currently elected. But my time in city government has made me realize that something is fundamentally missing in Allentown. We are lacking a vision. A drive and boldness to move forward and to be better. Those in positions of power are too comfortable with the status quo, and we need a mayor who is going to stand up and take action. It's time to evolve with the ever-changing, progressive movement of our country if we're going to keep up. And that's exactly what I plan to do as your mayor.

• Instead of merely talking about how diversity is our strength — I plan to make inclusive policies that ensure people of color have access to affordable housing and living wages.
• Instead of simply extending thoughts and prayers to those who have lost loved ones to gun violence or suicide — I plan to invest in initiatives that focus on mental health support, gun violence prevention, and addiction treatment.
• Instead of waiting for the federal government to take climate action — I plan to work with scientists and experts on ways that we can implement incentivized and sustainable plans to do our part in the climate crisis.
• Instead of accepting things the way they are — I plan to meet with the people of our city, block by block, and address the individual needs of our neighborhoods.

In order to build a stronger, safer, more equitable and sustainable city, we need to start with bold plans, then actually taking action. And that's why I'm running for mayor — to roll up my sleeves and get the work done. But I need you in this fight with me.

It's time that our local leaders reflect who we are as a city and make decisions based on people, not politics. TAKE ACTION NOW: Sign your name to join Team Ce-Ce and help bring progressive change to Allentown >>

Thanks for helping me grow this movement. Together, we can do better for Allentown. But I can't win this fight without you!

Let's do this!

Ce-Ce

We need progressive action to move Allentown forward and build a more inclusive, equitable future. Pitch in now to help Ce-Ce revamp our city — block by block!