- Democrats won both contested seats on Northampton County Council, unofficial results show
- Council is on track to see a 6-3 Democratic majority come next year
- Voters also overwhelmingly approved establishing term limits for county council members, the county executive and county controller
EASTON, Pa. — Democrats appear poised to win both contested seats on Northampton County Council, unofficial results show, giving the party a firm majority on the body.
With 63.6% of the vote, Democrat Ken Kraft defeated Republican William “Bill” Rowe to serve District I, covering Bethlehem and southern Northampton County.
Democrat Jeff Warren received 56.6% of votes in unofficial results, besting Republican Casey Foreman to represent District III, covering part of the county west of Route 33 and north of Bethlehem.
Come January, Democrats will hold a 6-3 majority on the body for the first time since April, when Council President Kerry Meyers announced he was switching parties to Republican.
As a result, the council is poised to approve County Executive Lamont McClure's proposal for a health care clinic for county employees, run by New Jersey-based Integrity Health.
McClure said the county is all but guaranteed to save money on employee health care by building the clinic, but the council voted down a contract with Integrity in July after several members expressed doubts.
McClure promised last month that if Kraft and Warren win seats on council, he will resurrect the employee health center proposal "in January."
Also Tuesday, voters overwhelmingly approved establishing term limits for county council members, the county executive and county controller.
The ballot questions sought approval to limit the county executive and controller to two consecutive four-year terms; members of county council could serve three consecutive terms. More than 80 percent of those who cast ballots voted in favor of each of the three measures, according to unofficial results.
Warren won his first election in 2007, for a four-year term on Easton City Council; after moving to Hanover Township with his family a few years later, he successfully ran for the township’s board of supervisors.
Kraft, formerly the Northampton County Prison's public safety administrator, said he was running for “re-election” to council, to reclaim the seat he held from 2011-18.
