Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

The borough heard from five passionate applicants, some brand new to politics — and rejected them all in favor of an eight-year council veteran. Still, they encouraged the other applicants to run for election and even offered to help with paperwork.

Northampton County Council voted Monday to keep Lori Vargo Heffner as the body's president. Though some members called for the council to have a more harmonious 2025, change seemed unlikely after Monday's vote.

Northampton County Commissioner Ron Heckman said Monday he will not seek another term on the county council, while Commissioner John Goffredo announced he will run to keep his seat for four more years.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and 433 other members of the U.S. House took the oath of office Friday afternoon following a dramatic roll call vote that awarded U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson the speaker's gavel.

Ryan Mackenzie is scheduled to take the oath of office Friday to become the Lehigh Valley's next representative in the U.S. House. But those plans may be put on hold if the chamber can't rally around a speaker.

Former President Jimmy Carter urged Lafayette College students to create a greater, more peaceful America during a speech on the Easton campus in 2013. His longtime foreign affairs adviser Robert Pastor was an alumnus.

Jenna Fliszar, who owns Fliszar Law Office on Hamilton Boulevard, said her work in criminal defense, municipal law and child advocacy means she would bring “a balanced perspective to the bench.”

U.S. Rep.-elect Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has a background in labor policy. He served as the Republican chair of Pennsylvania's House Committee on Labor and Industry.

Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta said he acted appropriately when he allowed Northampton County Republican Committee Chair Glenn Geissinger to file a private criminal complaint against four members of his party.

Planning Commissioner Frank Graziano III has announced a run for Easton City Council District 1, a seat currently held by Roger Ruggles.

Stoneback Rose was born in Easton. She has worked in marketing for the last dozen years, organizing community events on the side.

Disputes over partisanship led local organizations to schedule competing workshops for potential political candidates.

Director Patrick Foose has recently clashed with other board directors and has been the lone dissenting vote on several issues related to transparency on the board.

Allentown City Council elected previous president Daryl Hendricks as the council president while outgoing president Cynthia Mota was elected to the vice president position

Ken Greene and Frank Pintabone are current Easton planning commission members looking for a seat on Easton's city council.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin will not be seeking reelection after nearly 25 years in the office

Levinson was originally appointed to the East Penn School Board in September 2018 and was later elected to a full four-year term in 2019.

Parkland School Board Vice President Marisa Ziegler announced her reelection campaign Tuesday.

Democrat Josh Shapiro will become the 48th governor of Pennsylvania at Tuesday's inaugural ceremony at the state Capitol, taking the oath of office on a cold winter day in the nation's fifth-most populous state on the heels of his blowout win in November's election.

Members of the governor-elect's transition team were required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), so the public may never know how it progressed or who paid for it.

A retrospective of Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf's years in office reveals the challenges he faced.

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