In Lehigh County controller race, it’s incumbent Pinsley vs. Smith Jr.
In Lehigh County, incumbent Democrat Mark Pinsley is facing Republican Robert E. Smith Jr. for a four-year term as controller in the Nov. 7 election.
The controller is the county’s fiscal watchdog, overseeing bookkeeping, maintaining records, conducting audits and offering suggestions for improving financial operations.
The office currently has eight staff members, seven of whom are auditors. Like the other three county row officers, the controller’s salary will be $87,700 in 2024 and will rise each year after that to $95,500 in 2027.
Pinsley of South Whitehall is seeking his second term in office.
“I’m trying to save taxpayers money or do things with that money that is better for the community as a whole,” he said in an interview. “I think there are more things we can do.”
Smith, a former Allentown School Board member and Allentown City Council member, is making his first run for controller.
Smith said his experience in managing people, working with payroll and spreadsheets, negotiating teacher contracts and reviewing school and city audits makes him qualified to helm the controller’s office.
“I’m the right person for the job,” he said in an interview.
Smith said Pinsley has ruffled feathers in his pursuit of some audits and is using the position as a stepping stone to run for higher office.
“I think you need someone who is not going to politicize the office,” Smith said.
Pinsley agrees he has taken a dogged approach to the job, conducting audits on subjects that have led to criticism for being outside the scope of his duties. But he said his reports also have had a positive impact.
"I believe in taking strong stands on issues and making the information transparent; sometimes that means not everyone agrees and many people don't like transparency. However, I always strive to listen, learn, and grow,” he said.
When asked about future political aspirations, Pinsley, who in four years twice ran for state senator, said, "... my primary motivation for running is to serve the people of this county to the best of my ability. If I do my job well and the people see fit to offer me greater responsibilities, I'll consider it an honor.”
Following is a look at the candidates. Information is based on interviews, campaign websites, Facebook pages, Linkedin sites, news articles, board meeting minutes and videos and profiles in the Voters Guide prepared by the League of Women Voters of Lehigh and Northampton counties.
Mark Pinsley – Incumbent - Democrat
Background
Pinsley, 53, grew up in Montgomery County. He earned a finance degree in 1996 from Northeastern University, a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University in 2002 and a certificate in ethics from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York in 2021.
Pinsley is president of DermaMed Solutions, a supplier of microdermabrasion and other aesthetic equipment that he co-founded in 2011. His partner is currently running the company.
Foray into politics
In 2017, Pinsley won a four-year term on the South Whitehall Board of Commissioners. The next year, he ran for state senator from the 16th District and lost to longtime incumbent Republican Pat Browne by 2,697 votes.
In 2019, Pinsley defeated two-term Republican incumbent Glenn Eckhart as controller with 50.99% of the vote.
In 2022, Pinsley made a second bid for the 16th Senate seat, facing Republican Jarrett Coleman, a Parkland School Board member who unexpectedly defeated Browne in the primary. Pinsley lost by nearly 12,000 votes in the election last November.
Pinsley was unopposed in the May 16 primary for controller. A campaign expense report filed by Friends of Mark Pinsley for May 2 to June 5 showed a negative balance of $29,607 carried over from his unsuccessful campaign for the 16th Senate, and a $5,000 contribution from Richard Koze of Kay Builders. The committee spent $11,898 and had a negative ending balance of $36,406.
Pinsley’s own report for May 2 to June 5 showed a negative balance of $58,058. Pinsley said the debt is tied to personal loans he made to his Senate campaigns. He said he helped fund his Senate runs because such campaigns are expensive and he didn’t get the financial support he hoped for from his party. Coleman raised $1.2 million for the race, mostly from in-kind donations, according to state campaign finance reports.
The Pennsylvania Working Families Party, which supports progressive candidates, has endorsed Pinsley’s candidacy.
Time in office
Pinsley describes himself as a progressive, saying it means he is someone who wants to move things forward.
Pinsley’s audit of 2019 prescription drug costs purchased through a contract with Highmark Blue Cross showed the county, which is self-insured for employee health care, could have saved $1.4 million, if, among other measures, drugs were purchased through the coupon site GoodRX.com.
Pinsley’s January 2021 report on the 2019 audit was criticized by Highmark, which, among other points, said the report did not indicate any overpayments or billing mistakes by Highmark or failure to perform its obligations.
Ed Hozza, county director of administration, in his response, said Pinsley wasn’t allowed to do third-party vendor audits and that GoodRX was not a useful comparison.
In 2022, Lehigh entered into a new contract for prescription drugs with Capital RX of New York City after the one with Highmark Blue Cross expired, saving $1.5 million a year.
In a Feb. 18, 2020, audit, Pinsley said the county would likely have to write off $450,000 in unpaid private pay billings from prior years at Cedarbrook, the county’s senior care facility.
Pinsley said he recommended a new procedure where an account receivable report is printed out every month for review.
In 2020, Pinsley called for a special criminal justice review committee after unsuccessfully pushing to conduct audits of the Lehigh County Jail and Lehigh Valley Pretrial Services, the county’s designated bail agency.
District Attorney Jim Martin and Lehigh County Judge Edward Reibman said Pinsley’s requests were not part of his duties. In 2020, Lehigh County Commissioners in a 5-3 vote rebuffed his efforts to have a clause allowing audits inserted into a new contract with the agency.
Pinsley said he is concerned that people charged with minor, nonviolent crimes are being held in prison because they can’t afford to post bail. He also feels that the county is overcharging inmates for telephone calls.
Pinsley defended his push for accountability, saying the criminal justice system is one of the county’s biggest expenses and that he should be able to look at third-party vendor contracts.
In 2022, Pinsley, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that opened the door to end abortion rights, called on Lehigh County to end banking services with Wells Fargo Bank because of its PAC contributions to anti-abortion candidates and organizations. The bank’s PAC also has given money to pro-choice Democrats.
On July 13, 2022, the commissioners voted 6-3 to seek information on changing banks. Commissioners supporting the idea discussed the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on abortion. They also talked about the need to ensure the county is getting the best services for its millions in bank holdings, and about the possibility of using a local or regional bank.
In July 2023, the county put out a request for proposal for banking services. The proposals are under review and will be forwarded to the county commissioners for their consideration.
“We should focus on banks that don’t give to either side,” Pinsley said, adding that it could be difficult to achieve and that Wells Fargo could end up winning the contract again.
On Aug. 23, Pinsley released a report on misdiagnosed cases of child medical abuse and its impact on county services. The report alleged the state’s Northeast region, which includes the Lehigh Valley, had an “alarming” number of misdiagnosed cases of what was once called Munchausen syndrome – which led to the removal of children from their parents’ care and the involvement of Children and Youth Services, the courts and other county offices.
Though he did not name a doctor or facility by name, Lehigh Valley Health Network’s John Van Brakle Child Advocacy Center is the only child protective service program in the area. According to The Morning Call, LVHN issued a statement saying it disagreed “wholeheartedly” with Pinsley’s conclusions. The Morning Call also reported that an unsigned statement issued by the county Department of Human Services said it was “comfortable with the County’s handling” of the cases.
On the night of the report’s release, dozens of people attended the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners meeting, where parents, some in tears, shared stories about the impact of false medical child abuse reports on their lives.
The next day, parents and others, carrying signs, protested outside the center over the treatment of parents involved in the alleged cases. They also appeared before Northampton County Council.
On Sept. 8, LVHN announced that it had hired a new director after a yearlong search, The Morning Call reported.
Pinsley noted that LVHN made no mention of the pending leadership change in its initial statement.
“Whether this change was planned or not, my primary focus remains to enhance the current processes and procedures of Children and Youth. To guarantee transparency and accountability, I urge the county to collaborate with SEIU [the union that represents Children andcaseworkers] and engage an independent third party to comprehensively review the operations, processes, and procedures within Children and Youth Services,” he said in an email.
Robert E. Smith Jr. – Republican
Background
Smith, 61, was born in Queens, N.Y., and attended Middlesex County College in New Jersey and earned a certificate from New York University. He and his wife Eva moved to the East Side of Allentown in 1992 with their three children. His daughter, Jacqueline Rivera, is a Republican candidate for Lehigh County commissioner. “We just went door-to door-together,” he said.
Smith is a program specialist for Newvitae Wellness and Recovery.
Foray into politics
Smith became a member of the Allentown Human Relations Commission in 1994, serving four years. He ran for Allentown City Council in 1995 and 1997 and lost. In 1998, he was appointed to a vacant seat on council. He served 14 months before losing a primary election to Republican Pam Varkony in 1999. He ran and lost the Republican primary for mayor of Allentown in 2001.
In 2003, Smith ran for a seat on the Allentown School Board and won. He served for 16 years until being defeated in 2019. That year, Smith, the lone Republican on the board, was unable to cross-file as a Democrat because of a petition challenge. In January 2022, Smith unsuccessfully sought to be appointed to a vacant position on the board.
In 2022, Smith ran unopposed in the Republican primary for 22nd House District, which had no incumbent due to redistricting and now mostly includes all of East Allentown and parts of Salisbury Township.
At the time Smith said one of the reasons he was running was to make sure voters had a choice. Smith was defeated last November by Democrat Joshua Siegel, then an Allentown City Council who captured 63.62% of the vote in the district that is about 70% Democratic.
Smith was unopposed in the May 16 primary for controller. His campaign expense report for May 2 to June 5 lists $1,520 in contributions, including $1,100 from himself. He had $1,155 left.
Running for controller
Smith said as controller he wants to make sure taxpayers know where their money is going.
Smith said he believes that family values shape communities, according to his bio on the Lehigh County Republican Committee website. “We need our elected officials to be leaders who understand our communities, will fight to rebuild our economy and make sure the government does what it was intended for which is to protect the rights of all its citizens,” he said.
On his campaign website, he outlined his vision for “real opportunities.”
“The county as a whole – and all our communities individually – face real challenges. There also are real opportunities, not just to fix problems but for our communities to thrive and prosper,” the campaign website says.
Smith further called for transparent action.
“Processes and protocols are essential to good governance but too often they’re developed or implemented in ways that work against the people they’re supposed to help,” he wrote.
“The county controller is in a position to see where that’s happening and identify cost-effective solutions, make recommendations, and take transparent action within the office’s areas of responsibility,” he said on his website.