ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi proclaimed his innocence Wednesday and said he will not resign in his first public comments since his arrest on drug charges late last month.
During Wednesday's Lehigh County Commissioners meeting, Cole-Borghi accused Bethlehem city officials and prosecutors of violating his rights to due process.
To date, he has not been provided with an affidavit of probable cause outlining his alleged crimes, he said.
“I am an innocent family man. I am a leader in the community, and I am a dutiful public servant who has been damaged by the mishandling of this investigation,” Cole-Borghi said in a prepared statement.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced last month that Cole-Borghi was one of 22 people arrested following a three-year grand jury investigation into an interstate marijuana ring.
Court records outlining the case remain sealed, but Holihan said that Cole-Borghi faces charges of possession with the intent to deliver a pound of marijuana and possession of marijuana.
"I am a leader in the community, and I am a dutiful public servant who has been damaged by the mishandling of this investigation.”Zach Cole-Borghi, Lehigh County commissioner accused of drug crimes
Authorities arrested Cole-Borghi on Aug. 28 at Bethlehem City Hall, where he worked as an open records officer. City officials say he is no longer an employee and they have provided no further details.
No other co-defendants have been identified in the case, but investigators have acknowledged others have been charged with more serious crimes, including RICO charges. Holihan previously said the investigation, which uncovered two concealed drug labs in Lehigh County, remains ongoing.
Cole-Borghi said he was fired from his Bethlehem job less than 24 hours after his arrest despite being presented no evidence of any wrongdoing.
“This is wrong, a violation of my constitutional due process rights and clearly political,” he said.
Cole-Borghi accused Bethlehem City Council members -- he did not specify which ones -- of libeling him by suggesting he had a lead role in the alleged ring. The charges against him do not reflect that.
“Not only do I intend to prove that I am innocent, I intend to identify and bring suit against anyone who maliciously conspired to destroy my reputation,” Cole-Borghi said.
Still chairs Courts & Corrections Committee
Cole-Borghi’s presence on the Board of Commissioners dominated an otherwise sleepy evening of county governance Wednesday.
Following his comments, the first-term commissioner received words of support from several members of the community as well as Commissioners Jon Irons and April Riddick.
The two commissioners noted that Black men like Cole-Borghi are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement.
“Commissioner Cole-Borghi has always been an honest, forthright, and effective community leader, and the most faithful representative of the working class and marginalized communities across Lehigh County,” Irons said. “His inappropriately public, and clearly political, involvement in this act of mass incarceration makes it undeniable that he has something to say and is an invaluable voice on ending mass incarceration in Lehigh County.”
Efforts to reach Holihan’s office for comment after-hours Wednesday were not immediately successful.
A call to resign
Not everyone in attendance at the commissioners' meeting showed their support for their embattled colleague. Commissioner Antonio Pineda noted that county commissioners do not have the authority to remove one of their own from office; he opined that Cole-Borghi should resign.
Commissioners, he said, have control over the budget, including the courts and the district attorney’s office. The board recently started its work to adopt a 2026 budget, he noted.
“There are so many potential conflicts of interest that even the appearance of them is a problem,” Pineda said.
Board Chair Geoff Brace introduced a resolution that would have removed Cole-Borghi as chair of the Courts & Corrections Committee in favor of the Administration & Human Resources Committee. His role leading the committee could lead to a conflict of interest, Brace said.
“There are so many potential conflicts of interest that even the appearance of them is a problem.”Antonio Pineda, Lehigh County commissioner
The motion failed. While Pineda called for Cole-Borghi to be removed from all committee duty, others felt that he should be allowed to retain his post.
“It’s an all-or-nothing situation. I hear, ‘He's innocent until proven guilty — but....' But, I don't think there are any ‘buts,’” said Commissioner Dan Hartzell.
Cole-Borghi, who had agreed in advance on the reassignment, recused himself from the vote.
Up for re-election
Following the meeting, Cole-Borghi thanked supporters who came to the meeting and embraced Riddick and Brace. He also shook hands with Mike O’Hare, a Republican member of the Lehigh County Board of Elections who called on him to resign during public comment.
Cole-Borghi said afterward that he was humbled by the support.
“I think it’s a testament to show what I’ve been doing as a commissioner. I’m going to continue to work, and I’m going to continue to run my race,” he said.
"I’m going to continue to work, and I’m going to continue to run my race.”Zach Cole-Borghi
Cole-Borghi is in the home stretch of a re-election campaign in District 3, which represents Catasauqua; Fountain Hill; Hanover Township, Lehigh County; the Lehigh County portion of Bethlehem and portions of Allentown. Voter registration in the district heavily favors Democrats, but he is being challenged by Republican Jacqueline Rivera in the November election.
Even if people wanted to remove Cole-Borghi from the ballot, it would not be allowed under state law. The deadline to drop out was Aug. 8, and O’Hare informed commissioners that ballots have been sent out for printing.
