Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Three seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are up for retention elections this cycle. Typically a "mundane affair," as described by political scientist Chris Borick, these races now have a lot of eyes on them, with parties looking to flip these judicial seats in swing states.

Lehigh County executive candidates Josh Siegel and Roger MacLean met in a debate Wednesday night hosted by Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem. Siegel argued the next executive needs to have big plans for the office, where MacLean positioned himself as offering more stability.

Republican Roger MacLean and Democrat Josh Siegel are vying for a four-year term as Lehigh County executive. The winner in the Nov. 4 election will succeed Democrat Phil Armstrong, who cannot run again because of term limits.

Operations at Lehigh Valley International Airport have not suffered from the government shutdown to date, according to Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority officials. However, an increase in air traffic controllers calling out sick during the last shutdown spurred a deal in 2019.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure released a statement Tuesday explaining he would not take a loan to pay the county's bills during the state budget impasse. He urged legislators to adopt a budget and restore the flow of funds.

“We were looking for answers that aligned with our vision as an association for the work that we want to do in the district,” said Allentown Education Association President Leslie Franklin.

Lehigh Valley Political Pulse host Tom Shortell wants to hear from you. Readers are encouraged to submit questions through the link in the article. They may be addressed on a future episode of the program.

Political scientist Chris Borick joined Tom Shortell again this week to try to make sense of the government shutdown and what it all means.

Senate Democrats have refused to fund the federal government unless Republicans agree to extend tax subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. U.S. Ryan Mackenzie supports the tax subsidies but echoed Republican demands that no deal can be struck until the federal government is funded.

Candidates for Southern Lehigh School Board participated in a forum Tuesday at the Univest Public Media Center organized by the League of Women Voters of Lehigh County. There are seven candidates on the ballot, vying for four seats.

Seven candidates are competing for four seats on Catasauqua Borough Council. The small, riverfront community more than doubled property taxes to avoid financial calamity last year.

Seven candidates are vying for five open seats on the Whitehall-Coplay School Board in the upcoming Nov. 7 election. Candidates said fiscal responsibility, transparency and curriculum were key issues.

Pennsylvania voters have until 5 p.m. on Halloween to request a mail-in ballot for the Nov. 7 election.

Parental rights are on the agenda in school races as moms versus moms battle for control to set policies on book restrictions, bathrooms, transgender students and teaching history.

Candidates have different takes on whether taxes should raised to support capital improvements, expanding kindergarten classes and teacher retention.

Six candidates are running for four four-year seats in Emmaus Borough Council. Candidates noted fiscal responsibility and managing the plan to fix PFAS contamination in the water as priorities.

Two Republican incumbents, Jacob Roth and Diane Kelly, are teaming up to campaign with township Public Safety Commission member Chris Peischl. Only one Democrat is on the ballot: former commissioner Thomas Johns.

In the race for Whitehall Township commissioners, Democrats Jeffery J. Warren, an incumbent, and Ken Snyder won slots on both the Democratic and Republican tickets. Others on the Democratic ticket are incumbent Randy Artiyeh and Victor Nassar; filling out the Republican ticket are Elizabeth Fox and LoriAnn Fehnel.

The township election is on Nov. 7. Six candidates are clashing over a looming development project.

Allentown voters will decide whether City Council members and the controller get substantial raises. Voters were denied opportunities to vote on term limits and a proposed alternative first response program.

Incumbent Mark Pinsley and challenger Robert Smith face off in the Lehigh County controller race this November. The office is tasked with serving as a fiscal watchdog of the county's half-billion-dollar budget.

Timothy Foley and Anthony Murphy, two Democrats, are challenging two Republican incumbents, John Inglis and Dennis Benner, in the Nov. 7 election. The township hasn't seen a tax increase in three decades.