SALISBURY TWP., Pa. — Lehigh County's executive candidates engaged in rapid-fire sparring during their first debate Wednesday afternoon, trading barbs and insults that could define the campaign's final two months.
In a whirlwind 25-minute debate recorded for WFMZ's "Business Matters" program, Democrat Josh Siegel and Republican Roger MacLean did their best to paint the other as unfit to lead the county's $550-million operation over the next four years.
While Lehigh County has largely been free of partisan politics during outgoing Executive Phil Armstrong's tenure, the candidates embraced the fault lines that have defined national politics over the past decade.
Siegel accused MacLean, a former Allentown police chief and city councilman, of being a lackey of the Republican Party. Throughout the debate, Siegel repeatedly attempted to tie his opponent to President Donald Trump and his MAGA base, noting MacLean voted for Trump three times.
Gloves come off
MacLean, he said, is relying on Trump rhetoric of cutting waste and fraud from county government.
"He can't make the economics work. He's never had to do it. ... All he does is sit in Harrisburg and spend money."Roger MacLean, on opponent Josh Siegel
But Siegel, a former employee of the county controller's office, said county government is underfunded and operates on a shoestring budget. Any cuts MacLean would make would eliminate crucial services, he said. He compared the situation to the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency's roughshod manner of slashing the federal government.
"The budget is 90% personnel, which means you're cutting people. So you tell me, do you want to cut county detectives? You want to cut corrections officers? Do you want to cut nurses at Cedarbrook? Do you want to cut Children and Youth workers so more children can be unsafe?" Siegel asked.
MacLean said he would need to do a department-by-department review of county government after being elected before he could make any cost-saving proposals.
Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have now cut funding for Medicaid and SNAP benefits, leaving the county and state with less resources to assist vulnerable seniors and impoverished families, Siegel said. Pennsylvania will see its federal Medicaid funding drop by $53 billion; those loses could lead to shortfalls at Cedarbrook, the county nursing home, Siegel said.
When MacLean responded that he would be willing to go to Harrisburg or Washington to lobby for restored funding, Siegel accused him of failing to grasp basic politics.
"They thought it was appropriate to cut dollars from the federal budget in exchange for tax cuts for billionaires and wealthy corporations," Siegel said. "The money is not coming from them."
Rhetoric over police and Jan. 6
Throughout the debate, MacLean responded to Siegel's Trump rhetoric with mixes of humor and frustration.
Moderator and "Business Matters" host Tony Iannelli often offered MacLean opportunities to respond only for him to wave him off. He called much of Siegel's remarks baloney and sometimes said his tilts weren't worth responding to.
MacLean began his closing remarks by saying, "First of all, I have not talked to Donald Trump at all."
MacLean in turn tried to paint Siegel, a state representative and former Allentown city councilman, as a political opportunist who's never made hard decisions.
While Siegel has thrown out ambitious goals — MacLean focused on Siegel's proposal for regionalized police but his other proposals include exploring light rail and subsidizing housing — he has no realistic way of paying for it, MacLean said.
"He can't make the economics work. He's never had to do it. I've had to do it on the police department. I had to do it when I was with the city. I've done it in the past. I can do it again. All he does is sit in Harrisburg and spend money," MacLean said.
Siegel countered that he believes the county could save between $3 million to $4 million by changing its health care package, citing a proposal from Controller Mark Pinsley, one of Siegel's political allies.
Position on police
MacLean accused Siegel of flip-flopping on his support for police during his time in public office. While Siegel was on city council, some of his colleagues openly considered censuring him for his behavior during Black Lives Matter protests. A withdrawn resolution accused Siegel of making derogatory remarks about city police and elected officials; engaging in public protests calling for defunding the police; and releasing then-Mayor Ray O'Connell's phone number to angry protesters.
"He's been anti-police all along. Now all of a sudden he's for police," MacLean said.
Siegel said his stance on policing has evolved. He said he's never disrupted police operations and noted that he's voted to hire police as both a city councilman and a state representative.
"We're going to come back to normalcy."Tony Iannelli, "Business Matters" host and debate moderator
Siegel pivoted by questioning MacLean's support of law enforcement. Siegel's compared MacLean's support of Trump to supporting the events of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. As the conversation veered far from county affairs, Iannelli looked as if he had whiplash.
"We're going to come back to normalcy," he said as he reoriented the candidates.
Between accusations of immaturity and being a puppet, moments of policy did come through.
Siegel expressed interest in establishing a countywide sales tax to diversify the county's income. He noted that Allegheny County took a similar step and slashed property taxes as a way to protect seniors on fixed incomes.
Both men also supported the county's existing policy for requiring judicial warrants before turning over inmates at the Lehigh County Jail to ICE agents. Lehigh County previously settled a lawsuit after a judge found the county illegally held a New Jersey man at ICE's request because he was mistakenly identified as illegally in the country.
The next executive will oversee critical operations on a day-to-day basis, including the Lehigh County Jail; human services that protect veterans, seniors and children; Cedarbrook nursing home; open space and farmland preservation; and elections personnel. Election Day is Nov. 4.
The debate, hosted by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, will air at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 on "Business Matters" on Channel 69 WFMZ-TV.
