The Lehigh Valley’s success is no accident. Forward-thinking and visionary leaders, from former county executives and mayors to state senators, helped transform the valley from economic decline and an uncertain future to a modern manufacturing hub with thriving downtowns, great schools, and endless potential.

I know when our region comes together, we can overcome our challenges and accomplish big and transformative things.  It’s time for a new generation of leadership in the County Executive’s Office with a unifying vision that can build on our progress and address the new challenges we face.  

This election isn’t about just the next eight years, but building the foundation to guide our region for decades.  These challenges require new solutions, bold leadership, and collaboration to address.  If the job of previous leaders was to reverse our decline, today is about ensuring that our momentum doesn’t stop and the ingredients to our success don’t suffer.

Our region faces rising housing costs, rapid growth, continued loss of open space and farmland, and increasing congestion on our roadways.  Quality of life and public safety remain top concerns for our residents.  I worry about a crisis of confidence that has come to define our times.

People are losing faith in institutions, leaders, and democracy itself to deliver for them and solve their problems.  We’ve become defined by party identity in the most toxic ways.  People feel anxious, isolated and alone in their struggles and challenges.  There is a longing for a sense of belonging and purpose that is bigger than us and the desire for connections to community and others.  We live in an era of silos, with social media and technology driving us further apart.

I believe that local leadership is critical to addressing this crisis, that cities and counties have become the new laboratories of democracy and are on the frontlines of rebuilding trust and credibility with communities.  It’s important that the next generation of mayors, county executives, city councils, and county commissioners govern well and effectively and communicate their successes; that they validate people’s pain and angst and show they’re working to address those concerns. 

I want Lehigh County to be a model and inspiration for other communities across the nation.  I’m beyond confident that we can tackle the challenges ahead – but to meet this moment, we cannot embrace timidity or tinker around the edges.  We must act boldly and lead with urgency.  Leadership is not about low-hanging fruit or the path of least resistance, it’s about meeting challenges head-on and having the courage to suggest solutions, no matter how difficult they might be.

As the next County Executive, I’ll bring together public and private partners to collectively solve our greatest challenges, from unaffordable housing and public safety to caring for our seniors and preserving our open space.  We’ll rebuild connections and cut through partisanship and create a community where every person achieves their fullest potential, feels purpose, and finds meaning.  We can do it without leaving anyone behind, scapegoating our neighbors, or creating divisions. 

I believe as One Lehigh, there’s nothing we can’t do, together and united.