Two incumbents were reelected to serve another term in the Democratic primary race for Allentown City Council on Tuesday, but council President Daryl Hendricks may have lost his seat. Seven candidates — four newcomers and three incumbents — were competing for four seats on the seven-member council, the main legislative arm of the city, which is responsible for voting on the budget, approving contracts and passing key legislation. No Republicans filed to run, so the race is likely to be decided in the primary. At least one newcomer is guaranteed a seat next year as member Ed Zucal didn’t run for reelection, choosing instead to seek the Democratic nomination for mayor.

As of Wednesday morning with all county precincts reporting votes, unofficial results showed Cynthia Mota was in the lead with 3,352 votes, and newcomer Jeremy Binder right behind at 3,253. Natalie Santos was third at 2,955 and Cristian Pungo was fourth at 2,610. The rest of the field had Daryl Hendricks, Allentown’s city council president, at 2,585; Patrick Palmer with 2,465 votes; and Ben Stemrich with 2,268.

Hendricks did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. A lifelong resident of the city and a retired Allentown police officer, he was seeking his fourth term on the board. He serves as vice president of the board of directors of Dream Come True, a nonprofit that funds special experiences for chronically and terminally ill children in the Lehigh Valley.

Mota, vice president of City Council, is running for her third term. She owns CM Multiservice, a small business that helps recent immigrants become American citizens, and is the director of nonprofit Light on the Horizon. She is a frequent swing vote on City Council who often casts a deciding vote on disputed matters, including rejecting a proposed tax increase in 2024 and approving an investigation into discrimination in City Hall.

Santos is seeking her second term. First elected at age 21, she is the youngest council member in Allentown’s history. During her first campaign, she said she was inspired by the social justice protests of 2020 and ran on a progressive platform of addressing community needs in order to prevent crime. She is a graduate of Kutztown University and works as an insurance agent. Santos was running as part of a joint slate of candidates — along with Palmer and Stemrich — endorsed by the progressive Working Families Party.

Pungo is a construction project engineer for Alvin H Butz, a community advocate and a first generation Latino American immigrant, according to a news release announcing his candidacy. He is involved with several community initiatives, including United Way Emerging Leaders and the William Allen Arts Alliance.

Binder is a Lehigh Valley native who had stints living in Orlando, Florida, and Boston and has lived in Allentown since 2013. He owns the business consulting company Concentric Solutions, and previously worked in information technology roles for various companies.