ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong delivered a cheery State of the County Address Thursday night, crediting many of the movers and shakers in attendance for their efforts in creating a thriving community.
Speaking to a crowd of about 100 people in the suite level of Coca-Cola Park, Armstrong said regions across the country are keeping tabs on Lehigh County as it grows and prospers, thanks to its history of thoughtful collaboration.
“What do we have that everyone should be studying?” Armstrong said to the collection of elected officials, business leaders, union bosses and community advocates. “We have you — everybody in this room.”
But in veiled comments immediately afterward, Armstrong got serious as he defended his administration from allegations by Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley. Hours earlier, Pinsley called for an investigation by a third-party, alleging county officials tried to intimidate him in an effort to suppress an audit. At the time, the administration declined to comment, but Armstrong had more to say before an audience.
The comments marked a tonal shift from Armstrong, who has publicly led county government for seven years with a jovial attitude and bipartisan approach. The method has by-and-large worked. His administration has drawn praise from both sides of the aisle, and there have been few political maelstroms.
Armstrong's self-deferential approach was front and center for most of the evening. The bar served a specialty cocktail called an “Inappropriate Phil,” a mix of cranberry vodka and orange juice that poked fun at Armstrong for an off-color joke he told at his 2019 address. State Rep. Michael Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, introduced him with a fake biography that claimed Armstrong was born in 1868 in a log cabin.
Armstrong then took the podium wearing a novelty buffalo winter hat, noting that naked growth and expansion in the 19th century nearly wiped out the iconic animal and the Native American culture that depended on it. By contrast, he said, leaders in the Lehigh Valley's private and public sectors are trying to balance Lehigh County's economic growth with protecting the environment and preserving the region's high quality of life.
Lehigh County, he said, is a unique place where people of all backgrounds generally work together to build a better future. The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce provides spots for union leaders on its executive board, a rare occurrence in most spots of the country, he said. The county's Board of Commissioners includes members of both parties in its leadership team to improve dialogue and better focus on solutions.
Even the address's setting is a testament to that collaborative approach, he said. After Major League Baseball took control of the minor leagues last year, it mandated the Lehigh Valley IronPigs make $10 million of improvements to the ballpark or risk being relocated. Lehigh County, Northampton County, the state, the chamber of commerce and team ownership ultimately partnered to keep the team in Allentown, where it's been one of the top drawing franchises in AAA.
“We keep preaching that we need to get together to get issues worked out, to get projects done,” Armstrong said.
The county, he said, is trying to do its part. On an environmental front, the county partnered with Lehigh University to monitor air pollution in the region after smoke from Canadian wildfires choked the region's sky last summer. In a bid to control development and protect green spaces, the county has preserved 400 farms, the fourth most in Pennsylvania.
On the criminal justice front, Lehigh County became the first county in Pennsylvania to create a pardon program, Armstrong said. The program assists low-income individuals to clear their criminal records of nonviolent crimes so they can better compete for housing, education and job opportunities.
The public defender's office has also started a Community Outreach Day where members of the public can receive free legal advice and access a food bank and clothing drive, Armstrong said.
And while most Pennsylvania counties got out of the nursing home business, Lehigh County officials remained committed to operating Cedarbrook. While construction on a new wing at the South Whitehall campus has dragged on longer than anticipated, Lehigh County is intent on treating the home's residents with dignity and care.
“We're going to always support those people. Those people who were our people, who worked in our plants and our factories and our restaurants and now they need our help. And we're not going to bail on them,” Armstrong said.
Clash with the controller
Hours before, Pinsley held a news conference where he called on county officials to hire a third party to investigate if the county had attempted to intimidate him into not releasing a report. The non-mandatory audit, “The Cost of Misdiagnosis,” found that the Lehigh Valley had an unusually high diagnosis rate for child medical abuse compared to the rest of the state. The county uses these diagnoses when determining if a child should be removed from a household.
Pinsley said that while he was finalizing his report, he was notified Armstrong's 2024 budget would eliminate two staff positions in the controller's department. At around the same time, the county presented him with a letter instructing him to warn staff they could be sued if he released the report.
Pinsley said he told the county he would not release his report. Shortly afterward, Armstrong released his official budget proposal, which did not include the layoffs. Pinsley proceeded to release the report anyway. He said Thursday he is coming forward with the intimidation allegations now, five months after the fact, because three new commissioners are now in office.
When Armstrong finished his address, chamber President Tony Iannelli conducted a brief interview with him in front of the crowd. Iannelli noted that Armstrong maintained a sunny disposition throughout his remarks despite the breaking news.
“When you do what's right, people yell at you and scream at you and try to give you numbers that they distort,” Armstrong responded. “You need to remember back to what the facts are and go back to the facts. And as long as you have the facts on your side, let 'em have it. Give me your best shot.”
Armstrong did not refer to Pinsley by name at any point during his address or interview with Iannelli. He did confirm to reporters afterward that his comments to Iannelli did refer to Pinsley. He denied that talk about cutting any positions was anything other than an honest effort to balance the budget.
“The facts are we didn't take any position away from him. We did look at every department and how we can save money, like we do every year. The final thing that went to the board went to the board a week before his report came out,” Armstrong said. “His report had nothing to do with it.”
