LVEDC has invited congressional candidates Marty Nothstein, Tim Silfies, and Susan Wild (respectively) to participate in a forum.

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) will host a forum with each of the candidates running for Pennsylvania’s new 7th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

LVEDC has invited Marty Nothstein (Republican), Tim Silfies (Libertarian), and Susan Wild (Democrat) to participate in a congressional forum on Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Coca-Cola Park in Allentown.

LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham will serve as moderator during the forum, which will include questions and a discussion focused on economic development. Additional details are available at the LVEDC event page.

The event will not be structured like a debate, but rather as a sharing of thoughts and ideas in response to questions from stakeholders in economic growth and job creation in the Lehigh Valley.

Nothstein is an Olympic cycling champion, an Olympic silver medalist, and a three-time world champion in sprint and keirin. He was elected to the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners in 2015, and currently serves as the board chairman.

Silfies had a 14-year career in television journalism, most recently as the business reporter for WFMZ. He previously worked at the Fox New Channel and Fox Business Network, worked for such journalists as Greta Van Susteren and John Stossel.

Wild is an attorney who served as the first female solicitor for the city of Allentown. A community advocate who describes herself as a fighter for the working class, Wild was previously recognized by Gov. Tom Wolf for leadership and contributions to Pennsylvania.

Notstein, Silfies, and Wild are vying for the House seat left vacant by Charlie Dent, who had represented Pennsylvania’s 15th congressional from 2005 to 2018, before he announced his retirement and decided not to seek re-election.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a new congressional map for the 2018 elections, and the 15th District was redrawn and renumbered the 7th District. The district has a population of 705,688, encompassing all of Lehigh and Northampton counties and part of Monroe County.