Lehigh County Row Offices

Lehigh County Clerk of Judicial Records

The race for the newly created Row Office is between current Clerk of Court and Democrat Andrea Naugle and current Recorder of Deeds and Republican Marie Dean. The new office will be a combination of the Clerk of Courts, Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills. I voted against the creation of this office last fall, and still think it will be a mistake.

There has not been too much campaigning in this race.

The Morning Call ran an article in today's paper regarding all of the row offices up for election in Lehigh County.

I feel that Andrea Naugle is better situated to handle the new responsibilities that this office will create. Currently, the Clerk of Courts office handles both the Civil Division/Family Divison and the Criminal Division, which is going to be the bulk of the new office.

For Clerk of Judicial Records I recommend Andrea Naugle.

Lehigh County Sheriff

Sheriff Ron "Trooper" Rossi is the Democratic Nominee and incumbant.
Republican Joseph C. Vargo is the opponent and currently a Sargent in the Allentown Police Department.

Rossi has been a good and decent public servant. He is a popular figure in Lehigh County and will be hard to beat. He claims staying within his budget as one of his achievements.

Vargo believes the Sheriff's department needs better and more adequate training. He also believes the deputies need to be more visible in the community and out there tracking fugitives.

While I think Vargo has some good ideas, Rossi has an understanding of what running this office entails. He understands that the Sheriff's office involves more than protecting judges and running the x-ray machine. Deputies serve process in civil and criminal matters, execute on judgments and handle gun permits, in addition to many other jobs.

For Lehigh County Sheriff I recommend Ron "Trooper" Rossi.

Lehigh County Controller

Thomas Slonaker, the Democratic nominee, is running against incumbent and Republican Peter Shaffer.

Slonaker is the former Treasurer of Whitehall and has degrees in business, including his MBA, and would be willing to be more than a part-time Controller.

Shaffer is a CPA and is the two term incumbent. In addition, he runs his own accounting firm. Shaffer claims he spends approximately 35 hours per week as the Controller.

Slonaker wants the Controller to help forecast the County's financial future.

Both men are well qualified and would be fine choices.

I recommend Thomas Slonaker for Lehigh County Controller.

City Election Update

The fall election season is upon us, finally!

Voters in the City of Bethlehem will be electing a new council person and a new controller.

The City Council are as follows:
Democractic Ticket: Robert Donchez, J. William Reynolds and Gordon Mowrer
Republican Ticket: Esther Lee

Reynolds is the 26-year old legislative aide to State Rep. Steve Samuelson. He pulled off his major victory in spring when he came in second in a crowded Democratic primary that included an incumbent councilwoman, a former councilman and a former county councilman.

Lee is the party hopping head of the local chapter of NAACP. She was a Democrat in the past and has been a Republican for the past few years. Earlier this summer she led the protest against the Ludacris performance at Musikfest. She was also a member of the Bethlehem Defense Fund, a group which unsuccessfully attempted to stop the Sands-Bethworks project.

Donchez, the recently retired Allen High School teacher and winner of the Democratic primary, will be running for his 4th term on Council. He has recently joined State Rep. Joe Brennan's office as a Legislative Aide.

Mowrer, who finished third in the primary, will be seeking his 2nd consective term, after previously serving as Mayor and on City Council in the 1960s and 1970s. He is currently a local Moravian minister and was a strong anti-casino voice on Council.

Analysis: Are there any Republicans in Bethlehem to vote for Esther Lee? I will go out on a limb here and predict that the Democrats sweep. Reynolds will become the youngest council person in Bethlehem history.

City Controller Race:

The City will have a new controller for the first in a long time. Wallace DeCrosta was the long time controller passed away last year. The remainder of his term was filled by Alan Blair, who was the assistant controller. I think people forget the importance of this position until something happens like it did in NorCo's Clerk of Courts office or with Marge Szulborski in Upper Macungie. People need to make informed decisions when voting a controller.

The candidates for Bethlehem Controller are:
Democrat David Digiacinto, a former member of the Bethlehem Authority; and
Republican Meg Holland, who owns Meg Holland & Associates, a local accounting company.

I admittedly know little about either candidate. Ms. Holland's resume is quite impressive, though.

I think I will need to pass on the analyis of this race until I can look at each candidate more closely. Look for a post in the future.