ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Republican field in the upcoming Lehigh County executive race grew more crowded Tuesday as former Allentown City Councilman Roger MacLean threw his hat into the ring.
MacLean, who served as the city's police chief from 2006 to 2013, said his time in law enforcement and local government made him uniquely qualified to oversee the county's $553 million operation. If elected, he said he would continue the county's commitment to farmland preservation, saying he wants to balance economic development while opposing the proliferation of warehouses in the region.
"Serving Allentown has provided me with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within our county. As Lehigh County executive, I will leverage this experience to ensure effective governance and uphold the values that make our community strong."Roger MacLean
"Serving Allentown has provided me with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within our county. As Lehigh County executive, I will leverage this experience to ensure effective governance and uphold the values that make our community strong," MacLean said in a news release.
Former Mayor Ed Pawlowski appointed MacLean, then a 34-year veteran of the department, as chief of police in 2006. He retired from the department in 2013 and joined then-District Attorney Jim Martin's staff overseeing the Lehigh County Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center.
MacLean switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in 2014 when he sought an appointment to a vacancy on Allentown City Council. He did not get the post but won the spot in 2015. He served a single term in office, which included a brief stint as acting mayor following Pawlowski's conviction on pay-to-play charges. He appears to have swapped back to Republican after holding elected office in Allentown, which heavily favors Democratic candidates.
The Republican primary for Lehigh County executive is shaping up to be the busiest it's been in decades. Along with MacLean, state Rep. Justin Simmons and former Allentown School Board director Mike Welsh have already announced their candidacies. State Rep. Joshua Siegel, a former city councilman, is the only Democratic candidate to have launched a campaign to date.
The executive oversees day-to-day operations of the county, which include the Lehigh County Jail, the county-owned nursing home Cedarbrook, the office of Children, Youth and Families and the Bureau of Agricultural Land Preservation among other services. Most of the budget is provided by state government for mandated social services. Local property taxes account for approximately $117 million of revenue.
