Transparency or headline hunting? Unconventional audits take center stage in Lehigh County controller race

• Republican Robert Smith Jr. is challenging Democratic incumbent Mark Pinsley in the Lehigh County controller race.
• Smith contends Pinsley has focused on unconventional audits to boost his political career
• Pinsley defended his record, pointing to audits he says have identified waste and uncovered alleged abuse

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County voters will have their pick from two controller candidates with diverging philosophies for the office when they cast their ballots this fall.

County controllers are regarded as fiscal watchdogs — elected officials who ensure government resources are being spent appropriately and efficiently.

Typically, they perform audits to make sure funds are fully accounted for and that employees are following the proper procedures to protect taxpayer dollars.

Incumbent Mark Pinsley, a South Whitehall Township Democrat, has taken a broad interpretation of those responsibilities.

Pinsley has investigated county operations that aren't strictly financial in nature, such as how many Lehigh County Jail inmates are imprisoned because they can't post bail.

In August, he alleged Lehigh Valley Health Network has systematically overdiagnosed cases of medical child abuse.

Such discretionary audits, he contended, are fair game because they tie into how the county spends taxpayer money and interacts with vendors.

"There is money out there that can be better spent," Pinsley said. "There is money there right now that is being misspent."

A Republican challenge

Pinsley is being challenged by Republican Robert Smith Jr., a former Allentown School Board director and Allentown City Council member.

Smith accused Pinsley of being more interested in generating headlines than ensuring the county is operating smoothly.

In contrast, Smith touted his record as a consensus builder who reaches across the political aisle. If elected, he said, he would make efforts to improve relationships with other county offices.

People are more likely to work together to solve problems if you engage them and give them an opportunity to be a part of the solution, he said.

"You don't just do these political stunts," Smith said. "You find mistakes and you help people. You don't go for 'Gotcha!'"

Pinsley has had his share of public disputes with Democrats and Republicans alike.

Through his first term, he's tangled with county Executive Phillips Armstrong's administration, District Attorney Jim Martin and the county judiciary.

Pinsley acknowledged the clashes, but said his job is to be a check on the other branches of county government.

Pinsley said he's provided the departments and vendors he's audited with advance notice of his findings and doesn't set out to antagonize them. But it's his job to protect county resources and hold people and organizations accountable, not to make friends, he said.

The public has a right to know if its money is being spent wisely, and healthy democracies ought to address their disputes out in the open, he said.

"I get into heated discussions," he said. "A lot of that is because at the end of the day, people don't like transparency, whether it's my party or the other party."

Pinsley's audit of the county's prescription drug plan is just one example. In 2021, he released a report stating the county was overpaying for prescription drugs by locking in rebates ahead of time.

The county has since altered its health insurance package and has saved $3 million, Pinsley said. But county officials strongly disputed his findings at the time and have not credited him in their decision to alter their health plan, saying instead they followed the advice of their consultant.

Charges of political careerism

Smith argued that those discretionary audits are an effort for Pinsley to build name recognition as he seeks higher office.

Since he first won public office as a South Whitehall Township commissioner in 2017, Pinsley has lost two campaigns for state Senate and won the Lehigh County controller's office.

Smith alleged that even if Pinsley wins this November, he'll mount a campaign for county executive or auditor general before his term is over.

In contrast, Smith promised he would serve his full term as controller if elected.

"I'm tired of people using offices as stepping stones," said Smith, a program specialist with a Bucks County mental health facility. "I am not doing this for my political career."

Pinsley declined to make a similar promise, saying he is looking for ways to serve his community. Instead, he argued that he is the most qualified candidate in the race.

He has a masters of business administration degree and founded his own company, DermaMed Solutions, which supplies skin care products.

While Smith has crafted budgets for the city and school district, Pinsley said he has the professional training needed to oversee the office that audits the county's $520 million budget.

"I've been in finance in a long time," Pinsley said. "This is not his area of expertise."