Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with reporters Tom Shortell and Brian Myszkowski.

The Democrats have been vocal about leading an about-face on a number of township issues, including the expansion of the Bethlehem Landfill and resident access to the Hellertown Area Library.

Northampton County held a swearing-in ceremony for recently elected council members, others on Tuesday.

Gavin Holihan took the oath of office Tuesday morning as Lehigh County's new district attorney. He said he'll divert resources away from penny-ante issues to focus on battling violent crime.

The 20-year-old is a youth director with Promise Neighborhoods of Lehigh Valley. She graduated from William Allen High School in 2021 and won election to the school board in the November general election.

The Pennsylvania Department of State is starting a new office to help train county election workers, Pa. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. It also plans to update its guidance for logic and accuracy testing that could have caught issues with the Northampton County voting machines.

In a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Rep. Milou Mackenzie asked the Department of State to provide Northampton County with instructions on how to avoid more Election Day mistakes with their voting machines.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure on Friday named a human resources department manager as his acting director of administration. She joined the county in May 2022.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Mark Pinsley announced Friday, Dec. 1, that he will run for auditor general in 2024. The position oversees financial and performance audits of Pennsylvania state government.

Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana has announced she will be running for a seat in council again, citing her work fighting for marginalized voices and minority rights.

Longtime Eastonian Sharbel Koorie has announced his candidacy for Easton City Council's District 2 seat.

On this week's episode of Political Pulse, Tom Shortell and Chris Borick discuss themes — including immigration — that are starting to carry over into local races.

Luis Acevedo is centering his third campaign for Allentown City Council around transparency and integrity.

In a statement released through U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie's office, ICE says Northampton County has a policy of not fully cooperating with the agency, placing agents and the public at risk. County Executive Lamont McClure disagrees.

Patti Bruno said she would fight to protect Gracedale, labor rights and election integrity if elected to an at-large seat on Northampton County Council.

Congressman Ryan Mackenzie has accused Northampton County of not cooperating with ICE, while County Executive Lamont McClure has argued the legislator does not grasp the complexity of the situation.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan endorsed state Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh, for Lehigh County executive. The decision drew the anger of county Republicans who want to formally censure Holihan for backing a candidate they describe as a far-left extremist.

The Northampton County Republican party introduced its 2025 candidates for county office in a press conference Tuesday.

Roger MacLean, who led the Allentown Police Department for seven years and briefly served as the city's acting mayor, is running as a Republican for Lehigh County executive.

On this week's episode of Political Pulse, Tom Shortell and Chris Borick talk about local traffic development and how residents feel about traffic issues.

Mike Welsh will run as a Republican to oversee day-to-day operations of Lehigh County government.