Josh Siegel, a state representative and Democratic candidate for Lehigh County executive, is facing criticism for Facebook posts following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
In the race for Lehigh County executive, Republican Roger MacLean and Democrat Josh Siegel are running against each other.
Democratic incumbent Phil Armstrong is term-limited and has served eight years in office.
The candidate that is elected in November will oversee a $558 million operation and work on initiatives for seniors, veterans, and running elections. The executive will oversee the Lehigh County Jail, the county-owned nursing home, and more.
Approximately 78% of the county’s funding comes from the state and federal governments. Pennsylvania’s state budget is running several months late, and the next county executive will need to address these challenges.
The county is also facing less funding from the federal government, with cuts to Medicaid and SNAP funding passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill package that was signed into law by President Trump in July.
According to its proposed budget for 2026, local property taxes and fees are expected to bring $120.8 million in revenue to the county.
Republican Roger MacLean, a former Allentown city councilman and police chief, is aiming to keep taxes low for residents and increase their quality of life.
He plans to keep the county government running efficiently without instituting any significant changes to its operations or structure.
“I hope we’re getting the best value for the taxpayer’s dollar, but until I get in there, I have no way of judging that,” he said.
MacLean added that his “philosophy is, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. If it’s running fine, let it go. We need to make sure that it continues to run fine.”
MacLean would be the first Republican to serve in the position in 20 years.
State Representative Josh Siegel, a Democrat, plans to address the housing shortage and property taxes should he be elected to the position.
He plans to take a strong stance against President Trump and the Republican Party for their actions in Washington.
“All politics is national. People view much of what we do through a national lens, and they want to know where you stand on what’s happening in this country,” Siegel said.
Siegel said county leaders should consider creating a local sales tax. He has also proposed that the county look into regionalizing police and fire operations at the county level.
Under that proposal, Allentown and Bethlehem would continue to operate independently, while townships and boroughs would merge into a county-level system. Siegel said this proposal would decrease overall costs for the county by more than 10%, while improving response times in some places.
Siegel is also prioritizing addressing the housing shortage in Lehigh County. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission recently discovered a housing deficit of 9,000 units in the region. Siegel proposed the county take out a $100 million bond to create a housing production fund. This would allow the county to hire contractors to build more affordable housing in the region.
In one of Siegel’s Facebook posts, published the morning of Sept. 11, he called political violence “a cancer” and stated, “Charlie Kirk didn’t deserve to die” before detailing what he said was Kirk’s part in creating a “toxic political culture.”
He later condemned both the assassination of Charlie Kirk and what he called a broader era of political violence, while insisting Kirk should not be “martyred” or honored with moments of silence or a state holiday. His renewed comments came after backlash to his earlier statements about the right-wing activist.
The election for Lehigh County executive will be held on November 4th.
