BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Voters in Lehigh County's District 3 will choose between two familiar commissioner candidates campaigning under unusual circumstances this November.
Democrat incumbent Zach Cole-Borghi and Republican challenger Jacqueline Rivera last faced off in 2021, when they were both first-time candidates.
That year, Cole-Borghi cruised to a 17-point victory in the district, which represents Hanover Township, Catasauqua, Fountain Hill and parts of Allentown and Bethlehem.
This time around, the pair are campaigning around their relationships — or lack thereof — with the Democratic candidate for Lehigh County executive. In addition, the race has been complicated by drug charges filed last month against Cole-Borghi.
Sealed charges against Cole-Borghi
The District 3 general elections are usually lopsided. Voter registration data shows far more Democrats live in the community compared to Republicans. But this year's election was thrown for a loop after Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced criminal charges against Cole-Borghi in August.
At the time, Holihan said his office had arrested 22 people following a three-year investigation into an interstate drug ring. Cole-Borghi, the only defendant publicly identified, is charged with possession with the intent to deliver a pound of marijuana and possession of marijuana.
The court documents outlining the charges against him and his fellow co-defendants remain under seal more than a month after the announcement, which is unusual in criminal prosecutions. Holihan said the investigation remains ongoing.
"I am looking forward to defending myself and proving my innocence."Zach Cole-Borghi, Democratic candidate
Cole-Borghi, 35, has denied the charges, saying the allegations are "clearly political." Holihan is a registered Republican.
"I am looking forward to defending myself and proving my innocence. I would just wish the DA would give me an affidavit of probable cause or any kind of evidence showing that I committed a crime," Cole-Borghi said. "All I have are charges. In America, you need evidence."
Cole-Borghi was released from Lehigh County Jail after posting $50,000 bail following his arrest at Bethlehem City Hall, where he worked as a public records officer.
Cole-Borghi said he was fired following his arrest. He has threatened legal action against those who he says have maliciously defamed him.
Holihan said he publicly named Cole-Borghi so he could discredit rumors alleging the commissioner had a larger role in the operation.
Presence becomes an issue
Rivera, 40, of Bethlehem, said the charges are proof that Cole-Borghi has taken his position on the board for granted. She also pointed to his attendance at commissioner meetings as a problem, saying he's too often appearing remotely through Zoom.
"If you want to serve the people, you should be present."Jacqueline Rivera, Republican candidate
Lehigh County commissioners do not track Zoom attendance differently from in-person attendance.
LehighValleyNews.com reviewed Lehigh County's approved minutes from Board of Commissioner meetings and found Cole-Borghi missed nine of 122 meetings since taking office in 2022, which amounts to a 92.6% attendance record. Rivera said that if she's elected, she would push commissioners to change their Zoom policy.
"If you want to serve the people, you should be present," said Rivera, who works in Olympus America's finance department.
Cole-Borghi defended his record, saying that judging people only by their presence at the dais is misplaced. In between meetings, he routinely follows up with administration officials and individual commissioners to keep track of county practices and follow up on proposed legislation. He also questioned where Rivera's been, noting she hasn't attended meetings as a citizen online or in person.
"You're not just showing up in front of the camera every two Wednesdays and doing the work then," he said.
He pointed to his work crafting Lehigh County's anti-discrimination law as an example. While state and federal laws protect employees, applicants seeking housing and students from discrimination based off their race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status and sex, the Lehigh County law adds height, weight, source of income and gender identity as other protected classes. The law also prohibits potential employers from asking about a candidate's criminal history on an initial interview.
The legislation, he said, took 2.5 years to construct as he performed research and collaborated with other board members. The goal was to pass the strongest version of the bill possible, and he valued the input other commissioners provided. The bill ultimately passed along party lines by a 6-3 margin in February 2024.
"I didn't want to shove it down anyone's throat. I wanted it to be a collaborative effort," he said.
Embracing or fighting Siegel
Cole-Borghi said he's hoping he'll be able to take that approach with Josh Siegel, the Democratic candidate for Lehigh County executive this fall.
Cole-Borghi said he's particularly intrigued by Siegel's goal of creating more affordable housing. While commissioners batted around ideas for tiny houses in 2021 — before Cole-Borghi took office — there's been little to no progress on creating solutions in recent years, he said.
Siegel has proposed that Lehigh County and other potential municipal governments take out a $100 million bond to be used toward constructing new housing units. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has found the region has a housing deficit of 9,000, a figure which will only get worse as projections expect the population to balloon in the next 25 years.
Cole-Borghi said he has not reviewed Siegel's proposal, which is based off an existing program in Maryland. He does not have specific housing policies of his own but believes county government must get involved in housing given the soaring rents in the region.
"He's going to be a great executive for Lehigh County. I have no doubt about that," he said of Siegel. "We need an executive who's not scared to put county residents first."
Rivera, meanwhile, positioned herself as a check on a potential Siegel administration. She lauded outgoing executive Phil Armstrong, a term-limited Democrat, for his steady leadership. Taxes have gone up just once in the past eight years and are still lower than they were 11 years ago.
She accused Siegel of being an extremist who will propose overly ambitious programs that will necessitate tax hikes. She is skeptical of Siegel's interest in creating a 1% sales that would simultaneously lower property taxes, saying it will amount to county residents paying more in taxes.
She similarly called Siegel radical when it comes to hosting elections. Siegel has proposed launching a mobile ballot curing operation. Lehigh County already notifies voters if their mail-in ballot includes a technical error that would result in it not being counted. The notification allows voters to either visit the elections office in Allentown to correct their ballot — a process known as curing — or cast a provisional vote at their local polling place
Siegel has proposed adopting curing practices already in place in Montgomery County, where staff will drive to the voter's home and give them a chance to cure it then and there.
"I am very concerned about Siegel being an executive. We do need to strengthen the balance of power to on the board of commissioners," she said.
