Public safety, farmland preservation major talking points in Lehigh County commissioner race

• Four Lehigh County commissioner seats are up for grabs in November, and at least three newcomers will be elected
• Democrats are looking to protect their 6-3 majority on the board, a historical rarity in the county
• All eight candidates agreed the county has been well managed and support farmland preservation efforts

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County voters are guaranteed to bring significant changes to the county Board of Commissioners this election, as at least three new members will join the county’s governing body.

Commissioners Bob Elbich, Dave Harrington and Zakiya Smalls, three Democrats completing their first terms, have all opted not to seek re-election.

The only incumbent on the ballot is Dan Hartzell, a Democrat seeking his third term.

That leaves voters to choose from among Hartzell and seven newcomers to county government.

Republicans Gary Fedorcha and Rita Sisselberger all have served on area school boards, but the other candidates — Democrats Sheila Alvarado, Jon Irons and April Riddick and Republicans Paul Moat and Jacqueline Rivera — are looking for their first terms in public office.

All candidates agreed Lehigh County is operating well. The county property tax millage rate is lower now than it was 10 years ago, and the board helped distribute millions of dollars to help businesses and families endure the coronavirus pandemic.

All of them also supported continuing the county’s commitment to farmland preservation. Since the county has no direct control over local zoning and land use, preservation is among the few ways the county can limit unwanted development.

Touting Cedarbrook and community ties

Hartzell said he’s the only candidate on the ballot who can lay claim to that track record.

Among the votes he’s most proud of, he said, are his support to expand Cedarbrook, the county-owned nursing home. Over his eight years in office, he’s delivered deciding votes to keep the $68 million project moving forward.

“It started while I was here, and I'd like to be around to see it completed,” said Hartzell, a retired Morning Call reporter and columnist.

The expansion will modernize Cedarbrook's South Whitehall Township campus. The creation of a new wing will lower the number of residents per room and create a more accessible entrance.

Work is scheduled for completion next summer.

Democrats Riddick and Alvarado have campaigned on their community ties.

Riddick has spent more than three decades volunteering for organizations such as Allentown Athletic Association and the former Dress 4 Success, which connected low-income women with wardrobes for job interviews.

County government, Riddick said, provides essential services for families in need, helping seniors and those searching for mental health care.

But few residents have a strong grasp on what county government actually does, she said. She said she hopes to be a bridge to the community and help people access programs that can improve their lives.

“I want to be the person who can educate them and let them know what commissioners stand for,” Riddick said.

Meanwhile, Alvarado said she’s spent much of her career helping people navigate society’s safety net.

As an aide to state Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, she assists people in the Allentown area with accessing resources through non-profits and state and local governments.

Before that, she worked in a similar role for Community Action Development Allentown.

The positions, she said, give her an intimate look at the challenges working families face, what programs are available for them and what areas need more support, she said.

“I have a heart to serve. I go the extra mile to make sure the person who has the need gets the help they need,” Alvarado said.

Working for the county's betterment

Irons, a data manager for the non-profit Communities in Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania, said he wants to find ways to make mental health care more accessible for county residents.

He was part of a group that tried to create a Mobile Community Response Team in Allentown through a voter referendum. Under that plan, a team of social workers would have responded to some 911 calls instead of police.

The referendum was blocked on technical grounds, but Irons said he would look to create something similar at the county level. Many regions already have programs where social workers are on call to respond to emergencies, he said.

The county is already among the Lehigh Valley’s major providers of mental health support, so it would make sense to have it take a lead role, he said.

“In the end, it’s about ‘Are we trying to be reactive to issues of public safety, or are we being proactive?'” Irons said.

The Republican candidates all opposed the Mobile Community Response Team and vowed to fight any effort to "defund" the police.

While the Allentown referendum would not have touched the city’s police budget, outgoing Commissioner David Harrington did try last year to cut funding to the district attorney’s office to fund a program intending to reduce evictions for families with children.

Sisselberger, a former Southern Lehigh School Board director, was critical of Harrington’s plans for the DA’s office, but stressed that it wasn’t a personal attack or political reflex.

She applauded some of his other recidivism goals, including connecting inmates at the jail with classes from Lehigh Carbon Community College. By connecting low-level offenders with resources to develop life skills, the county can better the lives of its residents and create a safer community, she said.

If elected, she said, she would stick to her principles but look to build strong relationships with her fellow board members, regardless of their party. Good government should adopt bright ideas wherever they come from, she said.

“I think we all have to be team players," Sisselberger said. "We are all going to work together for the betterment of our county.”

Change and understanding

Moat, a facility manager who lives in Whitehall Township, vowed he would be a staunch supporter of law enforcement.

He said that adopting policies such as cashless bail, sending social workers to active 911 calls and cutting funding to the district attorney’s office could turn Lehigh County into Philadelphia, with surging crime rates.

Moat was the only candidate who questioned the integrity of the county’s election process. While commissioners have limited control over elections, Moat said he would like to see the county move away from using scanners to tabulate hand-marked marked ballots.

“I think we definitely need to change," he said. "I would like to go to paper ballots. I don’t trust these machines.”

Rivera, an Allentown resident who ran for county commissioner two years ago, said she would focus on the county’s operations and labor force if elected.

The hot job market has made it difficult for most employers to retain their employees, and the same goes for Lehigh County, she said.

But when Lehigh County fails to retain its workers, it can have a negative impact on services for seniors and at-risk children.

While she thinks the county has done well to balance retaining its employees and guarding tax dollars, it’s not something the county can afford to lose sight of, she said.

“I think it's about understanding and being empathetic about what type of times we are going through,” Rivera said. “If [employees] are feeling underappreciated and feeling overwhelmed, they're not going to stick around.”

Fedorcha said he’s earned a record as a fiscal conservative over his 30-year tenure on Northern Lehigh School Board. While he said it would be irresponsible for him or any candidate to vow not to raise taxes, he said he would reign in any unnecessary spending.

That includes opposing talk of creating a county health department.

Since the pandemic, commissioners have considered expanding Allentown’s city health department. But Fedorcha said it would amount to an expensive boondoggle that would only assist the county’s urban core.

“Are my people going to go down there?” asked Fedorcha, a Slatington resident. “No.”

Democrats now hold a 6-3 majority on the board, a rarity in county history. Other than the past four years and a period in the early 1980s, Republicans have mostly dominated county politics.

The GOP needs to win just two seats to flip the board this election.

Lehigh County commissioners set the budget, pass laws and establish priorities for county government. While the county executive oversees the day-to-day operations, commissioners hold the power of the purse over operations such as the Lehigh County Jail; Cedarbrook and Lehigh County Court.