ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Phil Armstrong is in the last of his eight years as Lehigh County executive, but he still has big plans.
He laid out a long list of accomplishments and pledged to finish his second term strong as he delivered his final State of the County address Thursday night at Coca-Cola Park.
Armstrong said he was proud of employees for making the county’s Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehab facility “one of the best nursing homes in the state of Pennsylvania.”
That achievement fulfilled his 2017 campaign promise “to take care of our seniors,” he said.
“I am so proud that we not only take care of them, we have a five-star rating in doing it,” Armstrong said. “That … is because of the people who run it and because of the people who work there.”
Armstrong also highlighted several criminal justice programs started during his two terms, including the Lehigh County Jail’s LEAP reentry program and the Pardon Project, which he said has helped more than 100 people and has a 98% success rate.
The county in May 2023 breathed new life into its Redevelopment Authority, which is helping Catasauqua officials with the Iron Works project and playing a role in the demolition of the Lehigh Valley Dairy in Whitehall Township, he said.
He also noted Lehigh County’s $4.5 million investment in 2022 to help the Lehigh Valley IronPigs make upgrades to Coca-Cola Park, which is owned by the county.
Pass-through funding is critical: Armstrong
Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley on Thursday afternoon said county officials should “plan for the worst” with President Donald Trump targeting deep federal funding cuts.
About two-thirds of the county’s $554 million budget for 2025 comes from state and federal sources. The county passes much of that money on to municipalities and uses some for Cedarbrook, public safety and many programs.
“We can't let that go away."Executive Phil Armstrong on the hundreds of millions in federal and state funding for Lehigh County
Pinsley plans to publish a series of reports on the potential effects of cuts sought by Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Armstrong on Thursday night did not refer to either by name while making a plea for “everybody in this room to understand how important these government pass-through [grants] are to counties, to cities, to municipalities.”
“We can't let that go away,” he said with his final words to the crowd.
Final goals
A project to add 240 beds at Cedarbrook is among the executive’s top priorities in his final 10 months in office.
He also wants to oversee the completion of a biking trail that will run several hundred miles from the nation’s capital to New York City.
“You can ride a bike from Washington, D.C., to New York City … except for 3.5 miles,” Armstrong said, alluding to the gap in Lehigh County. “We’re going to make sure that gets done.”
“I work to the bell."Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong
Armstrong said he and his staff are working to develop a program with county hotels that would “get a little more income to promote tourism for the area.” The program is based on an initiative in California.
He said he has no plans of coasting to the end of his term-limited tenure.
“I work to the bell,” the former teacher of 40 years told LehighValleyNews.com.
