to win every precinct in a competitive election—a distinction he maintained through his 2009 re-election bid. Third term re-election campaign In the May 21, 2013 primary election, Pawlowski, running for a third consecutive term as mayor on the Democratic ticket, not only won the Democratic nomination but also the Republican nomination through a grassroots write-in campaign initiated by a number of local Republican activists and businessmen. Pawlowski is the first mayor in the history of the City of Allentown to earn both the Republican and Democratic nominations for mayor and as such Pawlowski ran on a cross-filed ticket in the general election. Candidacy for U.S. Senate On April 17, 2015, Pawlowski announced his intentions to run for the U.S. Senate as the Democratic candidate, running for the seat held by incumbent Senator Pat Toomey. Pawlowski went on a brief announcement tour and picked up numerous endorsements along the way. The Metropolitan Regional Council of Carpenters and the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 542, both in Philadelphia, announced their support of Pawlowski, as did the Lehigh Valley Building Trades Council. Pawlowski was also endorsed by fellow mayors Bob Donchez of Bethlehem, Sal Panto of Easton and Vaughn Spencer of Reading; Pennsylvania state Reps. Michael Schlossberg, Peter Schweyer, Dan McNeill and Thomas Caltagirone; and Adrian Shanker, chairman of the LGBT Caucus of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Pawlowski suspended his campaign four days after the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a search in City Hall and questioned officials in connection with a grand jury investigation. Controversies Lease concession Ed Pawlowski and the majority of Allentown City council advocated throughout 2012 and 2013 for the lease of the city's publicly owned water and sewer systems to cover soaring pension costs for high-ranking police officers negotiated under the previous administration. The proposal to lease the city's water and sewer systems for 50 years came under significant public scrutiny, especially considering successful legal action by surrounding municipalities that left the city with considerable budget shortfalls involving Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Several meetings were held with the public in relation to the lease of water systems, the first being in July 2012. The final vote on whether the water lease would be approved and who would be permitted to purchase it relied on Allentown City Council. Residents expressed concerns over the safety of water systems in private hands, evidence from prior sales in other cities that