Money big Issue for Emmaus Council Candidates

Editor's Note: This article is the second in a four-part series covering the Emmaus Borough Council and East Penn School Board races, which will be decided through the Nov. 8 general election.

Money.

It seems to be the key issue among candidates for four-year terms on Emmaus Borough Council.

Six candidates are running for four of seven seats on the council on Nov. 8. Despite the circus surrounding controversial Web sites, there are some real issues for Emmaus.

As listed by the League of Women Voters of the Lehigh Valley, Lee Ann Gilbert is current council president, completing her third term. Born in 1961, she graduated from Emmaus High School and has been the chairperson of the Public Safety Committee for the last 12 years. She is a homemaker.

A Republican, she said the major issue will be “to provide the services Emmaus has come to expect while keeping the overall budget to a minimum.”

Brian Holtzhafer, a Democrat, has been on the council for four years. Born in 1973, he graduated from Emmaus High, has a post-graduate degree from Kutztown University and is working on a science education degree from Montana State. He’s a science teacher at Orefield Middle School in the Parkland School District.

Nathan Brown, running in both Republican and Democratic ledgers, attended Pottstown High School and Valley Forge Christan College as a pastoral major. Born in 1978, he became a manager technician for Fire Alarm and Security Systems and is a camera operator for Service Electric 2 Sports.

Newcomers include Giovanni Landi and John Donches, supported by the conservative .

Landi, born in 1970, is a graduate of Bethlehem Catholic and Lincoln Technical Institute. An Army veteran of the Persian Gulf War, he is a proposal engineer for FL Smidth, and told the League of Women Voters that, if elected, he will concentrate on “tighter constraints on non-essential spending. I believe we can improve not only on critical infrastructure like roads and water systems, but also improve items that affect the quality of our lives like park systems.”

John Donchez, born in 1953, is a Hellertown High, AA Auto Technology and Penn State College of Technology grad, who is currently self-employed. He is president of Emmaus for Locally Owned Water and originated the “Strike Out the Stadium’’ campaign in Emmaus Community Park.

“I will encourage and support a higher degree of public input during council meetings and the Web casting of all committee meetings,’’ said Donchez, running on both Republican and Democratic tickets.

Finally, Jeff Shubzda, who did not provide a personal profile for the League of Women Voters, is an independent.

He’s involved in the arts community and Web applications in Emmaus, and coaches junior high wrestling.