Meet William

William became Bethlehem’s 14th Mayor following a 2021 election victory that saw him capture nearly 65 percent of the vote while sweeping all 37 city wards.  Since he took office in January of 2022, Bethlehem has continued its economic and cultural renaissance.

His Administration has focused on initiatives related to economic revitalization, maintaining a safe community, city fiscal health, housing affordability, sustainability, infrastructure, neighborhood investment, and parks development throughout the community. These collective initiatives with community and private sector support has found Bethlehem continuously named one of the 100 best places to live in America. A full list of the Reynolds Administration first term accomplishments can be found here.

Before being elected as Mayor, William became the youngest City Council member in Bethlehem’s history when he was elected in 2007 with a vision of redeveloping and revitalizing Bethlehem in the aftermath of the closing of Bethlehem Steel.  William became Council President in 2014 and a few years later launched Bethlehem 2017 – a set of policy initiatives aimed at making Bethlehem a more innovative community.  The centerpiece of Bethlehem 2017 included the creation of Bethlehem’s award-winning Climate Action Plan which was completed in 2020 and is currently being implemented within City Hall and throughout the City of Bethlehem.  Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan has also helped Bethlehem acquire over $15 million dollars in grant funding to support recreational and infrastructure investments throughout Bethlehem.
Mayor Reynolds is a 2024 graduate of the Bloomberg/Harvard City Leadership Initiative.  He currently also serves as Chairman of Bethlehem’s World Heritage Council following Bethlehem becoming the United States’ 26th World Heritage Site in 2024.  Mayor Reynolds has also served on Moravian University’s Board of Trustees and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s Transition Team.  J. William Reynolds graduated Magna Cum Laude from Moravian College in 2003. He resides in north Bethlehem with his wife Dr. Natalie Bieber and son, Leo.