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.

Al Schmidt’s appointment to the role will make Pennsylvania one of the few states where the state’s governor and chief election officer are of different parties.

"It causes me a lot of concern about how anything gets done. Is this just going to be two years of paralysis, which is a horrifying thought," said Wild, a Democrat who is still waiting to be sworn into her third full term representing the Lehigh Valley.

The two Pennsylvania Republicans are key figures in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to the House Jan. 6 Committee.

A Democrat who promised to govern as an independent was elected speaker of the narrowly divided Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday on the strength of about a dozen GOP votes.

California GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy is in a fight to secure the needed votes to become speaker of the House.

The new lawmakers from the Lehigh Valley joined more than 50 other new faces who were ceremonially sworn in to the General Assembly in Harrisburg.

More than a dozen conservative Republicans rebelled against Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, preventing a House speaker from being elected on the first two rounds of votes.

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania’s state House are scheduled to elect a new speaker Tuesday.

The new Congress, including Rep. Susan Wild and Senator-elect John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, will be sworn into office at noon on Jan. 3, 2023.

Incumbent Mayor Sal Panto Jr. and Easton City Council member Peter Melan said they both plan to run for the office in 2023.

Jarrett Coleman initially planned to stay on as a Parkland School Board member while simultaneously serving in the state Senate. He changed course last month. Good government advocates say such an arrangement creates the potential for conflicts of interest.

Elected leaders will jockey for control of the House for at least a few more weeks.