Tamaqua Mayor-Elect vows to be a voice for the people
By Caleb Brown (News Director)
Photo credit: David S. Clemson.
A sixty-year resident, veteran of the U.S. Navy, and a Captain in the Pennsylvania Department of
Corrections, David S. Clemson now gets to add Mayor of Tamaqua to his list of titles after
winning unopposed in the general election.
Back in action
Clemson was a frequent sight at council meetings. “I like knowing what’s going on in town,” he
said simply. Smith would praise incumbent Mayor Nathan Gerace as a “great kid,” stating he had
known him for “quite a long time,” but expressed that Gerace’s full-time job had been keeping
him busy.
When Gerace announced he would not be seeking reelection, Clemson saw it as a chance to say,
“I wanna do it.” With that, he came out of retirement and began his campaign. “I know I can not
make everybody happy, but I will try,” he said.
More than just a tie-breaking vote
Clemson realizes the reality of the position he has just been elected to. “The mayor has two
functions and that’s it,’ he said.
In Tamaqua, the mayor runs the police department and casts a tie-breaking vote on the council.
However, it’s not what he is unable to do that concerns Clemson, but what it can do. “I wanna be
the ears and the voice of the people,” he said. “If I can’t do it, I’m going to direct it to the people
who can.”
While campaigning, a lot of the complaints he heard from residents regarded the police
department. He spoke about one of his goals regarding it, saying, “I would love to see police get
more presence out there. Be out and about, park your car, walk a block or two, go out with the
people, speak to the people.”
Another issue he hopes to address are parked cars on street corners. It’s an issue he described as
a personal pet peeve. “Fire trucks can’t get around these corners, and if your house is on fire, you
sure want a fire truck to get around that corner.”
“If you enforce the little things, hopefully the big things won’t happen.” But a message he had
for the people was to complain. Clemson stated, “The only way that we know is if you complain.
You’ve got to complain to people.”
“Keep it simple”
Despite feeling stress during the primary election, Clemson said he enjoyed his time throughout
his campaign, saying it was a “very different” experience than what he had done before.
Furthermore, Clemson would describe the whole campaign as a “learning experience.”
“If you’ve never been in the political scene, it is a learning experience.” Whether that be learning
suggestions from residents he met out and about during the campaign, or by the backing of his
family, but in the end, he had this to say, “My motto in life is keep it simple,” he said.
Clemson made a point to state how he was looking forward to work with borough council, the
police department, as well as CRIZ staff. Before expressing excitement about the new things
coming to the borough, including the new dental school and police station.
Message to Tamaqua
Before concluding, Clemson gave a message to the residents of Tamaqua. “Please reach out to
me,” he said. He would state that the Borough Hall would have his phone number available for
residents who asked, and said he is active on social media.
Eagerly, he concluded by saying, “I can’t wait to jump into this job on January 1st.”