ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt has announced he will not run for a second term in 2025.
Dutt, of Emmaus, was appointed in December 2020 to fill the seat vacated when Commissioner Nathan Brown resigned.
Dutt said he will serve out the rest of his term through December 2025.
He has served as the board's vice chairman.
"I want to thank the citizens of Lehigh County for allowing me to represent them. I am appreciative of all the support I have received.”Lehigh County Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt
“I have had the honor and privilege of representing District 5, which includes parts of Allentown, Salisbury Township, Coopersburg, Upper Saucon Township and the Borough of Emmaus," Dutt said in a statement.
"I want to thank the citizens of Lehigh County for allowing me to represent them. I am appreciative of all the support I have received.”
Dutt noted he's been in office for eight years — before becoming a commissioner, he was a member of the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners 2015-19, when he resigned to move to Emmaus.
"I wanted to go in a different direction; go back to teaching and work as an adjunct professor."
For 18 years, Dutt has been an Allentown School District special education and history teacher at Allen and Dieruff High Schools.
He said he also wants to launch a podcast on religion and education.
Endorsing a successor
Dutt endorsed Patrick Leonard of Upper Saucon Township, whom he said will run for the Republican nomination for county commissioner.
Leonard has not publicly announced his intention to seek a commissioner's seat, but Dutt said he has been in communication with him, and said, "he will [announce] soon."
"He has honorably served the Upper Saucon Township community in both the general services office and as a supervisor. He will represent District 5 in the county well.”Lehigh county Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt speaking about Patrick Leonard
Dutt said Leonard "is a dedicated citizen who has served the Upper Saucon Township Community for many years. I am proud to endorse Mr. Leonard for commissioner.
"He has honorably served the Upper Saucon Township community in both the general services office and as a supervisor. He will represent District 5 in the county well.”
Leonard, who is Upper Saucon Township's director of General Services, has not publicly announced his candidacy. Efforts to reach him for comment Sunday were not immediately successful.
Dutt said that as a county commissioner, he "championed several resolutions and bills that benefitted the taxpayers of Lehigh County."
Dutt sponsored four “no raise” tax budgets so far in office and has been the board's Finance Committee chairman for the past three years.
He said he has worked with the administration to pass legislation to raise the pay for election workers in the county back in 2021.
He also been an advocate for mental health services for youth in the county.
Recently, he developed celebrations for veterans and worked with the Veterans Administration to increase outreach to the citizens in the county, he said.
