The race for Lehigh County executive pits Democrat Josh Siegel against Republican Roger MacLean.
Siegel, a former Allentown City Council member, is a state representative for the 22nd House District, which encompasses Allentown and Salisbury Township. If he wins the county job, a special election to replace him in the state House would be held in early 2026.
The candidates are vying to succeed Phillips Armstrong, who has held the seat since 2018 and can’t run again because of term limits. The executive oversees the county administration and prepares the annual budget.
The Morning Call asked MacLean and Siegel to weigh in on a few of the issues they may face if elected. Here are their answers, which have been edited for punctuation, length and clarity.
Roger MacLean
Q: The stalemate over the state budget has forced local governments to use emergency funds to temporarily cover programs reimbursed by the state. Lehigh County has a $25 million fund for this purpose. Does that fund need to be larger in the event of an extended stalemate, and if so, how would you increase it? Would you consider a tax increase?
A: The stalemate in the state is a perfect example as to why we need an emergency fund. With the size of the county budget, I would like to see a larger emergency fund to avoid borrowing but, having said that, I will repeat what I have said previously, that I will look at all programs to make sure they are effective and if we are getting the best value for the taxpayers’ dollars. A tax increase is the last thing I would look at to increase the fund.
Q: Warehouse growth has been a major issue in recent years. Now, the county faces the prospect of large data centers opening in the area. These can require enormous amounts of water and energy. What role can the county play in ensuring data centers are an asset and not a drain on resources?
A: When I was on Allentown City Council and a proposal would come before the body, my question to the public works director would always be do we have the sewer and water capacity to handle the proposed development. It’s a very important question that each and every municipality has to ask with any development. While each municipality has their own regulations, I think it is incumbent on the county to be active with each of them and work collaboratively to bring employment opportunities to Lehigh County.
Q: County officials met with the president judge, sheriff and others to discuss protocols for ICE enforcement at the Lehigh County Courthouse. While the county is limited in what it can do, are you in favor of establishing policies at other government buildings, and what would those policies be?
A: I think the protocols set forth by the president judge and sheriff are the blueprint for the county. I would not establish any protocols that are contrary to those.
Q: What other issue facing the county do you consider the most important?
A: I have said all along that the budget is definitely an issue that needs to be watched and examined very closely. Employee hiring and retention in certain areas, like the jail and other departments, is also in my opinion a major issue. Hiring of quality candidates is an issue with the county as well as cities and counties across the country. We have to be creative in attracting qualified, quality employees.
Josh Siegel
Q: The stalemate over the state budget has forced local governments to use emergency funds to temporarily cover programs reimbursed by the state. Lehigh County has a $25 million fund for this purpose. Does that fund need to be larger in the event of an extended stalemate, and if so, how would you increase it? Would you consider a tax increase?
A: I believe that given the frequency of state budget standoffs and the disastrous impacts of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP totaling over $1 trillion in the Big Beautiful Bill, the county needs to prepare for a fiscally uncertain future and significant decrease in federal funding. I believe it’s wise to grow our stabilization fund to reflect the need for local resilience in the face of financial hardship; increasing it to $30 million is a responsible approach to ensure we protect local taxpayers and county employees.
On the issue of taxes, I believe it should be a measure of last resort and done to protect the vital services we provide. The reality is that the state and county government is going to lose billions in funding from the federal government because of the Trump administration putting services we provide in jeopardy from our county-owned nursing home Cedarbrook to our children and youth to public safety. The Trump administration has forced state and local government hands, making it inevitable that we will eventually have to pick up more of the costs. We must ask ourselves whether we’re willing to invest in those services and step up to fill the gap or put our most vulnerable children and seniors in harm’s way.
I’m also the only candidate running that has ideas and strategies for shifting away from burdensome property taxes and protecting seniors on a fixed-income and reducing the overall property tax rate.
Q: Warehouse growth has been a major issue in recent years. Now, the county faces the prospect of large data centers opening in the area. These can require enormous amounts of water and energy. What role can the county play in ensuring data centers are an asset and not a drain on resources?
A: While the county lacks direct zoning power, it has a responsibility to act as strategic leader and bring municipalities together to think and plan regionally. I believe that more communities can look to South Whitehall Township as a model for proactive planning intended to limit the spread of data centers to key areas and focus more on manufacturing and advanced industries that create good jobs and strengthen the local economy. I’ll bring municipalities together to plan and proactively rezone to ensure that we don’t overbuild data centers as we did with warehouses and protect local residents from utility cost increases. I’ll work with developers to ensure they use best practices such as on-site energy generation like solar and management of the heat their servers generate. We must hold them accountable so that ratepayers and taxpayers don’t foot the bill for their impact.
I believe they have much to offer in the way of creating good union construction jobs and helping ensure that Pennsylvania plays a role in building the next economy, but want to see them do their part to generate renewable energy and contribute to protecting our environment.
Q: County officials met with the president judge, sheriff and others to discuss protocols for ICE enforcement at the Lehigh County Courthouse. While the county is limited in what it can do, are yo in favor of establishing policies at other government buildings, and what would those policies be?
A: I firmly and fully support any and all efforts to deport dangerous and violent undocumented offenders. I want them arrested and removed from the county as fast as possible. However, like most Americans, I’m appalled and disgusted by what I see as ICE’s deeply un-American and unconstitutional excesses and violations.
There are two distinct policies I believe Lehigh County should pass to balance public safety with protecting against cruel and callous immigration enforcement. The first is an ordinance that stipulates the county will never join 287(g), a federal program where local police or sheriffs are deputized to work with ICE to carry out deportations and raids … Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and using local resources such as sheriffs to conduct immigration raids exposes us to financial liability, hurts taxpayers and undermines trust in county government and local law enforcement.
The second act the county should pass is modeled after Montgomery County’s most recent law that prohibits county employees from cooperating with ICE unless legally required to do so through a judicial warrant. We should collaborate with ICE only when we must because of a judicial warrant in the name of public safety and law and order.
Q: What other issue facing the county do you consider the most important?
A: I believe the housing crisis and the affordability crisis is the most important issue facing the county. I believe that we’re in danger of pricing our future generations of children educated in our schools and colleges, forcing grandparents to move away from their grandkids and pricing out the men and women who serve our communities as firefighters, police officers and nurses. I believe the county needs to move urgently to build more affordable housing, create more homes for first-time homebuyers and lower the cost of rent.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/10/11/election-2025-lehigh-executive/
