Upper Macungie supervisor candidates cite land use, public safety as top issues

UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — The single seat on Upper Macungie Township Board of Supervisors that's up for election in May has drawn two Republican and one Democratic candidates.

Board Vice Chairwoman Kathy Rader will not seek re-election.

• Three candidates will be on the ballot for a single Upper Macungie Township supervisor seat up for election in the May primary
• Two Republicans and one Democrat are on the ballot
• Current Vice Chairwoman Kathy Rader is not seeking re-election

The candidates are Democrat Jeff Fleischaker and Republicans Doug Gernerd and Dr. Greg Wheeler.

Upper Macungie is among the fastest growing municipalities in the state, with land development projects in the works and many warehouses moving in over the past decade.

Jeff Fleischaker

Fleischaker is a practicing attorney at Engel, Wiener, Bergstein, & Fleischaker in Allentown. Born and raised in Louisville, KY, he moved to the Lehigh Valley more than 15 years ago with his wife and three children.

He is vice chairman of the Upper Macungie Township Zoning Hearing Board, and said land use in the area will be his main focus should he be elected supervisor.

"I think land use is really important to the people of our township," he said. "Whether they know it or not, zoning and planning and conditional use applications and those things are critical to our enjoyment of our everyday life.

“I think I bring an experience to that, an understanding of both sides of the coin, having represented developers and I’m the solicitor for a zoning hearing board in Lower Milford. So I understand pretty intricately all sides of those equations."

Fleischaker also serves as President of the board of directors at the Jewish Community Center in Allentown.

"I'm in favor of a responsive and responsible government," he said.

"Standing up, making a decision and not backing away from it, making a decision and being responsible to it, allowing people to ask questions about it, and listening to concerns.”

Doug Gernerd

Gernerd also mentioned land use as a priority if elected, but said public safety is his main focus.

“I think the building enemy here in Upper Macungie Township has sort of sailed," he said. "We'd have to build a time machine and maybe go back 40 years and change some things in the zoning."

A father of two, Gernerd was born and raised in Fogelsville and recently retired from Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Emergency Medical Institute, but he still works part time as a medic for the city of Allentown.

With a background in public service as a retired chief of the Fogelsville Fire Department, Gernerd said he’s concerned that the teams of first responders have not grown with the township.

“I think the township has grown so fast that we forgot about public safety and then I'm looking at police, fire and EMS,” he said.

“From the police standpoint, we have a smaller police department than our neighboring township and we're bigger than that township in both size and population.”

Gernerd said that if elected, he also wants to also look at improving infrastructure in the area.

Dr. Greg Wheeler

Wheeler said he's running because, “I look around at the tough financial times that many families are facing in Upper Macungie Township and so I want to continue to maintain low taxes and fiscal responsibility.”

Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, Wheeler moved to Upper Macungie in 2008 to complete his Emergency Medicine Residency at St. Luke's University Health Network. He said he and his wife like the area so much they decided to stay and raise their three boys there.

“I also realize that we must plan for the continued growth of Upper Macungie Township," he said. "And therefore, I plan to optimize our budget to provide the necessary services for our community to be safe and prosperous."

Wheeler went on to say if elected, he vows to remain transparent with his constituents.