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The field of candidates for Allentown mayor has once again grown. Allentown School Board member Charlie Thiel announced this week in an email to supporters that he will run for the job in 2017. Thiel has yet to hold a news conference on his bid, but has been campaigning this month ahead of an expected formal announcement in January. Thiel's email, which was accompanied by a request for financial contributions, states that his campaign began on Dec. 1. "While we have made great strides in the past few years, our city's progress has been bogged down in controversy, corruption, conflict and too much drama," the news release states. "It is time for competence and stability in city hall." Thiel, 50, a Democrat, has served on Allentown School Board since being appointed in 2013 to fill a vacancy left by Julie Ambrose. He won a race to keep his seat in 2015. Prior to his appointment, Thiel twice ran unsuccessfully for city council as a Republican in 2003 and 2005. Until recently, Thiel worked as vice president for business development with Allentown-based security company Communications Systems Inc., the city's current security camera contractor. He is a former pastor and currently president of the Allentown Chamber of Commerce. Thiel moved to Allentown in 1991, according to his news release, and is a West End resident. "I have a background working with organizations with young people, and I have a background in business and a background in the community for a long time," Thiel said. "You take all those different aspects together — especially the opportunities I've had in recent years with CSI in developing skills and leadership — that can translate over into the role of mayor." Thiel's announcement states that former State Rep. Jennifer Mann will be serving as his campaign chair. Thiel joins an already crowded field of Democrats vying for Allentown's top political position. Siobhan "Sam" Bennett, 59, the proprietor of a local bed and breakfast, and David Jones, a Lehigh County commissioner, already have made their runs official. Joshua Siegel, 23, a college student at Seton Hall University, announced in November. All four candidates are vying to oust embattled Mayor Ed Pawlowski. Pawlowski, whose third term expires in early 2018, remains under a cloud as a federal investigation continues into alleged pay-to-play practices. Six people have pleaded guilty since Allentown City Hall was raided by the FBI in July 2015, each implicating an official matching only Pawlowski's description. Pawlowski has not been charged. The incumbent has not publicly stated if he will seek a fourth term. No Republican has announced an intention to run, setting up the Democratic primary on May 16 as the main contest. To get on the ballot, a candidate must file petitions with signatures from city residents by March 7. Read the original article here.