ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Stating that government is the vehicle to ensure liberty and justice for all, Geoff Brace was unanimously re-elected chairman of Lehigh County Board of Commissioners on Monday.
Brace, who abstained, was retained for a sixth year by an 8-0 vote at commissioners' during the body’s reorganizational meeting.
"People come and go. But the work of local government continues."Geoff Brace, chair, Lehigh County Board of Commissioners
“I’ve been here 12 years,” Brace, a Democrat, said. “There have been a lot of changes [on the board]. Every single person up here is different than 12 years ago.
“People come and go. But the work of local government continues.”
Commissioner-at-large Sheila Alvarado, a Democrat, defeated Republican Ron Beitler of District 2 by a 5-4 vote for board vice chair.
Prior to the organizational meeting, a swearing-in ceremony was conducted for five district commissioners: Antonio Pineda (District 1), Beitler, Zach Cole-Borghi (District 3), Brace (District 4) and first-time commissioner Sarah Fevig (District 5).
Lehigh County President Judge Douglas Reichley officiated the swearing-in ceremony.
Two new members
Fevig won the vacated seat of Jeffrey Dutt, who did not seek re-election.
She is Assistant Vice Provost for Financial Aid and Scholarships at The New School, in New York, and is a former small business owner.
Aside from Fevig and Cole-Borghi, who won re-election, the balance of the commissioners who were sworn in were unopposed in the general election in November.
“There’s a lot I’d like to say but I can’t say because it’d put me in jail. I look forward to not being sorry for speaking my mind."Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi
After being sworn in with his hand on a copy of the U.S. Constitution, Cole-Borghi said he chooses to serve for his wife and children.
“There’s a lot I’d like to say but I can’t say because it’d put me in jail,” he said. “I look forward to not being sorry for speaking my mind."
Last summer, Cole-Borghi was charged with felony drug possession with intent to deliver and a misdemeanor of possessing a controlled substance. He remains free on $50,000 bail.
He has denied the charges.
The charges announced over the summer followed a three-year grand jury investigation into an alleged interstate drug ring. Thirty-two individuals were arrested.
Democrats hold a 7-2 majority on the board; Beitler and Pineda are Republicans.
Appointments
Appointments to the Lehigh County Election Board were made for both Republican and Democratic candidates, with terms expiring Dec. 31, 2029.
Republican Michael O’Hare, a current member of the Lehigh County Governance Committee, was reappointed from among five candidates. He was recommended by the committee.
Dr. Jennifer Allen, an incumbent on the election board, was appointed on the Democratic side by a 6-3 vote. She was reappointed despite community organizer Kathleen Parsons receiving the committee’s endorsement.
The Lehigh County Governance Committee is a standing committee of the board of commissioners. It oversees the county’s internal governance, including board structure and roles.
