Four Democrats announce plans to run in the state Senate’s 16th District By Charles Malinchak Four Democrats have announced plans to run in the May 19 primary election in the 16th state Senate District for a chance to unseat incumbent Republican Jarrett Coleman on Nov. 5. The candidates are Wayne Codner, mayor of Richlandtown Borough in Bucks County; Bradley Merkl-Gump, a teacher who lives in Perkasie; Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley; and Juan Vargas, owner of Nowhere Coffee Co. To get on the ballot, the candidates have until March 10 to collect 500 valid signatures from Democratic voters living in the district. The 16th District has a population of about 265,000 and spans from rural townships in northwestern Lehigh County, passing through South Whitehall, Upper Macungie and Lower Macungie townships, to suburban Upper Bucks County. Whoever wins has their work cut out. Republicans hold the registration edge with 46.5% of the voters. Democrats make up 34.8% of the voters while unaffiliated voters or independents represent 15.4%. Other party registrants make up 3.3% of the voters. Coleman was first elected in 2022, defeating longtime incumbent Republican Pat Browne Jr. by a mere 24 votes in the primary and Pinsley in the general election with 54% of the vote. The Democratic candidates bring a wide spectrum of backgrounds but share a common view that politicians need to listen to their constituents and that commonalities need to be found to enable government to function properly. Three of the candidates spoke to a crowd of more than 100 at a Feb. 16 No ICE No Kings rally at Druckenmiller Park in Sellersville, Bucks County. Pinsley did not attend since he had not announced his entry into the 16th race until later in the week. Earlier this month, the Democratic committees in Bucks and Lehigh conducted a straw poll suggesting one candidate be entered on the primary ballot. Lehigh County Democratic Committee chairperson Lori McFarland said the poll was conducted more to get a feel for how the electorate was leaning. She also said a one-person primary was a means of conserving money for the November election. The idea was scrapped with candidates deciding it was in the best interest of the public to have a choice. Here is a look at what the Democrats said in announcing their candidacies. Wayne Codner Wayne Codner, 59, was elected mayor of Richlandtown in 2021 and reelected in November. Previously, he was a borough councilman. He was born in Jamaica and raised in Easton. He and his wife have lived in Richlandtown since 2008 Codner served in the Marine Corps from 1985-89 where he attained the rank of corporal. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in African-American studies from Columbia University, an MBA from Penn State and an associate’s degree in respiratory therapy from Lehigh Carbon Community College. Codner owns a mobile veterinary surgical services company called Cool Vet. When asked why he is running, he said, “I see great potential in this area and it’s my desire to be part of that progression. I want to listen to the public.” “I’m ready to do the work to bring prosperity to the area while maintaining a safe and clean environment for residents,” he said. Considering the geographical differences of the district, Codner said his approach would be listening and finding common ground. “The common ground is 80 percent of those conversations,” he said. Codner would like voters to know, “I have worked hard my whole life and overcome many obstacles with hard work and I’ll do that for the community and I could do that for the entire 16th district.” At the Sellersville rally, Codner said, “Two days ago I was at an event and a young lady came up to me and said, ‘I’m scared. I mean I’m so scared I’m losing sleep and that hurt my heart.’” He said she was referring to masked ICE agents. “That’s why we’re here (the rally). That’s what our elected officials are supposed to do – make us safe again so we can go to sleep at night and walk around in our environment and feel safe. We shouldn’t be scared.” Juan Vargas Juan Vargas, 42, has lived in South Whitehall Township for nearly 14 years. He was born in the Dominican Republic and at age 8 moved with his family to Gaithersburg, Maryland. Vargas holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Loyola University. He is married and has three children who attend school in the Parkland School District. Nowhere Coffee has locations in South Whitehall and Allentown. Before owning the company, he worked at the global company Deloitte and at PPL and Victaulic in the Lehigh Valley. Vargas said he wants to focus on “wages, taxes and affordable/attainable housing.” He said the Senate’s Republican majority has left “too many of the real challenges facing our communities go unanswered. We need a state senator who puts working families and local communities first.” While the district is politically mixed, Vargas said, “What I found is that most people, regardless of party, are less interested in ideology and more interested in whether their lives are stable.” At the Sellersville rally, he supported abolishing ICE in its current form. “It must be rebuilt completely from the ground up.’’ Vargas said he is strong supporter of local police and fire departments since they are an integral part of the community and are accountable to the people they serve. “They don’t cover their faces. When I serve them coffee in the morning I know exactly who they are, what they’re up to and why they’re here,” he said. “And that’s important because trust in our local forces and first responders is paramount to our society.” He said being able to trust judicial institutions matter. “We cannot treat every immigrant, documented or undocumented, as a criminal. It makes no sense. There must be a distinction. There must be due process. There must be humanity. Like myself, they deserve a fair and transparent path to legal status without living in constant fear.” Bradley Merkl-Gump Merkl-Gump, 39, lives in Perkasie. The married father of two boys is an eighth-grade social studies teacher in the Perkiomen Valley School District. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history education from Shippensburg University and a master’s degree in education from Lehigh University. He was elected to the Pennridge School Board in 2023 when a slate of Democrats won all five seats, cutting into the Republicans’ 8-1 board majority. (In November, Democrats won three of four open seats, giving the board a 8-1 Democratic majority.) When asked why he is running, Merkl-Gump said, “I’m a civics teacher: serving others and being active in my community are part of my core values. Two years ago, extremists took over the Pennridge school board. When I was elected, we forced out Moms for Liberty, and I saw the positive impact elected officials can have on their community.” “Now, I’m watching many of my neighbors struggling, and I hope to be their voice and fight for real change in Harrisburg. I’ll bring a teacher’s perspective, a neighbor’s mindset, and a deep commitment to this community to the state Senate.” Merkl-Gump said Coleman is failing his constituents. “He isn’t present and has ignored the issues that matter most. While he’s busy playing partisan politics, people in our community are suffering. It’s time for a change,” he said. He said his top issues are affordability, health care and public education. “Hardworking Pennsylvanians are struggling to put food on their tables and make a better life for their children while the richest get richer. This just isn’t right. We need to create more jobs in PA and increase the minimum wage,” he said. He called health care a human right, saying, ”No one should have to choose between life-saving medication or rent.” Merkl-Gump said public education is the foundation of democracy and essential to the American Dream. “Our public schools need to be fully funded, and we must fix legislation, like the cyber charter scam, that diverts tax dollars to for-profit institutions.” Mark Pinsley Pinsley, 55, was the last to enter the primary race for the 16th, announcing on Feb. 18 that he would drop his bid to run in the 7th Congressional race to seek the state office. “As Trump and the Republican Party drive America down a dark road, I cannot step away from the fight. While the federal government remains gridlocked, it will be in Harrisburg and in state capitals across the country where we build the foundations of resistance and reform,” he said. “Your electric bill. Your health insurance coverage. Your school taxes. Your housing costs. These are not controlled in Washington. They are decided in Harrisburg.” He said Democrats have the chance of reelecting Gov. Josh Shapiro and claiming the state House and Senate. They hold a thin margin in the House. “The opportunity in Pennsylvania is real,” he said. “As Lehigh County Controller, I have flipped red seats to blue. I have taken on billion-dollar hospital networks, banks, and health care systems. I removed ICE from county property when they refused to pay rent and violated constitutional principles. I know how to get results on my home turf.” This is Pinsley’s third run for the 16th. Besides running against Coleman, he ran unsuccessfully against then-incumbent Browne in 2018. He also ran unsuccessfully in the primary election for state auditor general in 2024. He was elected county controller in 2020 and reelected in 2024. Pinsley, who grew up in Montgomery County, was elected as a South Whitehall Township commissioner in 2017, serving until he became controller. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves for six years. Pinsley is married with two children and lives in South Whitehall Township. The 16th District Lehigh County: Allentown (Wards 13 and 18 only); townships of Heidelberg, Lower Macungie, Lower Milford, Lowhill, Lynn, North Whitehall, South Whitehall (Districts 03, 06 and 08 only), Upper Macungie, Upper Milford, Upper Saucon, Washington and Weisenberg; boroughs of Alburtis, Coopersburg, Macungie and Slatington. Bucks County: Townships of Bedminster, Bridgeton, Durham, East Rockhill, Haycock, Hilltown, Milford, Nockamixon, Richland, Springfield, Tinicum and West Rockhill; boroughs of Dublin, Perkasie, Quakertown, Richlandtown, Riegelsville, Sellersville, Silverdale, Telford (Bucks County portion only) and Trumbauersville.