ALLENTOWN, Pa. — It took off at a dead run.
That (in a nutshell, please pardon the pun) is the best way to describe the start of Dan Buglio’s election campaign for Lehigh County coroner.
Time was of the essence to connect with the people, because most of them had no idea the coroner has to run for office.
- Three candidates discussed the time and energy needed to run for public office
- For months, they focused on juggling campaign tasks around full-time jobs in the lead-up to the primary election
- All said they're driven by a desire to educate voters and help people understand county government and its services
“I would say probably 98 percent of the people were like, ‘Well, I didn't even know this was an elected position,'” Buglio said in a recent interview.
So for the past few months, he largely followed the same playbook as every other candidate in this primary election season: yard signs, community meetings, parades, dinners and door-to-door canvassing.
Today is the primary election in Pennsylvania, when voters choose their parties' candidates to run in November's general election.
But Buglio is no politician (though he's running as a Democrat), and typically received another response from would-be voters that no other candidate will ever hear.
“When I knocked on the door and the first thing I would say is ‘I’m the coroner,’ you know, I would get like, ‘Oh, my gosh, did somebody pass away?’
Roundup: Read LehighValleyNews.com's 2023 election coverage all in one place
“But people find it fascinating when you talk to them … so it's interaction, it's fun. But you know, a lot of them were like, ‘Wow, a coroner has to be elected? That's just not normal.’”
Like his political counterparts, Buglio had to follow the proper procedures to get his name on the ballot — a process in Pennsylvania that is one of the more burdensome in the country.
Individuals interested in running for office must be informed of the various legal aspects of the electoral process before organizing their respective campaigns.
Then, there’s a hectic petitioning season required by state law and a legal obligation all candidates hold in reporting campaign finance expenditures.
Finally, there’s the hard realization that no matter how much time and effort candidates put in, very few residents will bother to vote in a municipal primary.
Tuesday’s election likely will prove it again, following low turnout in 2021’s municipal primary — 23% in Lehigh County and 21% in Northampton County.
Using ‘every route available’
Buglio is looking to retain his job as coroner in the 2023 election cycle and will not face a Democratic challenger in the primary.
But it’s his first official run for public office. That’s because Lehigh County commissioners appointed him to the office’s top post last spring following the resignation of Eric Minnich.
“Running a campaign for the first time and actually being in a position, you know, this office is time-consuming, this position is time-consuming,” Buglio said.
“I have a staff of just under 20 people, a budget that I had to learn to do, just under $4 million. So, it’s a time-consuming job. And throw an election on top of that, trying to go out to get my name out there with the meet-and-greets and the people, it certainly is challenging, to say the least.”
On a typical day — weekends included — Buglio would use his evenings for door knocking, petition signings and sign deliveries. Most days he would leave the house at 5 a.m. and spend a 9- or 10-hour day at work, go home, switch vehicles, and not get home until 10 p.m.
It was all in the name of reaching constituents and asking for their votes.
And he was far from alone.
“I’ve been using every route available," said Sheila Alvarado, a Democrat running for one of four at-large seats open on the nine-member Lehigh County Board of Commissioners (the others are Dan Hartzell, Michael Blichar Jr., Jon Irons, Victor Martinez, April Riddick and Joe Setton).
"I’ve been to community neighborhood meetings, I’ve been knocking on doors.
“I’ve had friends and family spreading the word from the very beginning for people that had to register to vote in the primary or that needed to switch or update their affiliation or party registration."
“Because it’s a whole process, you know. It’s not only running the campaign as a candidate, but we’re also sort of educating people, you know, they have to be registered to a party in order to vote because Pennsylvania is a closed primary state.”
Alvarado, a legislative assistant for state Rep. Peter Schweyer, pointed out how so many of the hurdles faced by candidates are logistical.
“Time is of the essence when we’re running a campaign, so, you know, I’ve been a multitasker all my life and I’m very good at it," she said. "But I think this has been one of the most difficult things to do because we have to keep track of time."
“I don’t have a campaign manager, but I do have a PAC [political action committee]. And I have a chair and a treasurer that have helped in their capacities, but I don’t have a campaign manager. And I think when the managers are there, they help out in other ways that family or friends don’t.”
For Alvarado, that meant a delicate balance of juggling campaign tasks with other responsibilities.
“I work a full-time job," she said. “So, I can't campaign while I'm on the job, of course, you know, my job does not allow it. And I stick to that and the ethics of the job are very important to me."
"Whenever I am doing any campaign work, I'm doing it when I'm off the clock of my job. So I have to do everything after work or take out time off of my vacation time to get out door knocking or send emails and types of literature.”
Making a personal connection
Jacqueline Rivera, a Republican candidate for Lehigh County commissioner, saw her campaign as an opportunity to inform and educate voters.
“I feel like the best thing about campaigning is speaking to the voters,” Rivera said. “Because I do feel like as someone from the community, that I resonate with the people, and I feel like when they're talking to somebody that they resonate with, they do feel more engaged in the political process and more motivated to vote.”
Rivera is making her second run for county commissioner, having lost a tough race in 2021 for District Three.
This time around, with enough candidates for all four ballot spots (the others are Rita Sisselberger, Gary S. Fedorcha and Paul Moat), there will be no contested primary on the GOP ballot.
“When I first ran in 2021, I knew going into that race I'm a first-time candidate," Rivera said. "It's a 3-to-1 Democratic district and I'm a Republican, but I'm still going to work hard to get to as many people as possible."
"And I was proud that I got 40 percent of the vote. And a Republican hadn’t won that seat in over 20 years."
“And this year, it's countywide, where I felt like there is a better opportunity to win and be able to represent the community at the county level. I know it's a crowded field, but I do feel like because of running in 2021, I kind of build a foundation with the community.”
The importance of being on the ground and meeting constituents was a common refrain from all three candidates, but the strategy wasn’t simply shaking hands and getting face time with as many voters as possible. It was about making a personal connection.
“They said, ‘It's good that you're coming in person, that it’s you,'” Alvarado said. “I even heard from one of the women who opened the door and she said, ‘It's good that it's yourself, you know that it is you coming out to talk to me about who you are and why you are running.’”
Rivera echoed that sentiment and more of what she’s heard from voters in neighborhoods across the county.
“I feel like that they are tired of seeing people that are getting involved just for political gain, for an agenda,” she said. “And it kind of loses sight of actually doing what you were elected for, you know, totally broken promises."
"People say so many things during a campaign, and then they break their promises as an elected official. So that kind of creates the distrust and I'd like to change that. You know, you’ve got to be authentic and honest with people, because those are the things I feel like really resonate.”
You’ve got to be authentic and honest with people because those are the things I feel like really resonate.Jacqueline Rivera
'For the betterment of our community'
At times, in separate interviews, all three candidates spoke of moments that reflect larger, more systemic issues in the Lehigh Valley. Their work, they said, also is driven by a desire to change their communities.
When Buglio was appointed coroner, he started a community outreach program and described it as a big success.
“We have requests for PowerPoints, facility tours, autopsy viewing," he said. "It’s been remarkable."
More than that, he said it’s changed perceptions about what a coroner is and does, and the work that goes on at the Lehigh County Forensics Center.
“When I came into this, I made roles, changed things and bent rules," he said.
"You know, I went out on a limb with the New Tripoli firemen, who tragically died in the line of duty. And I made sure I got those boys home … I was told that I couldn’t do it. And I did it."
“You know, I worked with Schuylkill [County]. I worked with the solicitor, got some letters drawn up. I said, ‘We're gonna bring our boys home.’ And you know, that was never done before. I was told you can't do that. It's a jurisdictional issue.’"
“I hope it never happens again, you know? But if it would, God forbid, in my time here, I would do it again.”
Buglio’s approach and open access to his office are more than a personal political touch. It’s done with an understanding that county government and its services don’t often get much attention from the public.
“County government, to a lot of people, is sort of the shadow government,” Alvarado said. “People don't know what they do, and how they function and how important it is to our community."
“When you bring up a few of the departments that fall under the government, they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, I know, Children and Youth are here, the courts, I know the courts.’ They know the jail, the county jail, they know all these different things, but they don't know that they all fall under the same, you know, umbrella of the government."
“I just hope that we have really changed the minds of those people in our community and given them enough information that they can make an informed decision, which is what I always come back to."
"I tell people all the time, you have to read up on who are the candidates, what their thoughts are, what you know, what they want to fight for when they get into office and make sure that they are loyal, that they have integrity and they're going to fight for the betterment of our community.”
For all three candidates, it’s also about showing that effective local government provides overall quality of life for people who live here.
“It shouldn't be just about when you're campaigning,” Rivera said. “When you're an elected official, you should be [working] just as hard in the community, so people can see you when you're connecting with them still, and improving through action, and that you didn't just do that during the campaign, you know?"
"You're also an elected official, and you're still connecting to the people and you're accessible to them."
“I think that's what's important about the voters making their elected officials accountable because if you make sure that they're accountable, that is going to push them to do the right thing.”
