State Rep. Josh Siegel to run for Lehigh County executive
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State Rep. Josh Siegel, who serves in the 22nd House District, announced he is running for Lehigh County executive and will seek the Democratic nomination in the primary election next year.
“There is broad recognition that we need a new generation of leadership in the executive's office with the energy, experience and vision to address new challenges and continue our region's momentum and success," said Siegel, who spoke Tuesday at the Allentown headquarters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 375.
Siegel, 31, is the first candidate out of the gate for the seat held by two-term Democrat Phil Armstrong, who is prevented by the county Home Rule Charter from seeking reelection.
His decision might seem counterintuitive, especially since he was reelected last month to a second two-year term in the district that includes Allentown’s East Side and parts of Salisbury Township
Siegel said he is running for county executive because of his dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party’s “ineffective and unresponsive leadership,” saying it has lost all credibility, especially among working-class voters.
He sees local elected offices as the places where Democrats can reconnect with voters, saying they remain one of the remaining trusted institutions.
“The next generation of county executives, mayors, city councils and county commissioners must listen, govern well and effectively, validate people's pain and show we're working hard to address it,” he said in a campaign announcement.
Siegel said he is advocating a “One Lehigh” platform, which calls on public, private and nonprofit partners to work together to address the area's challenges and unify the region behind shared values and policies.
He said his platform covers a broad range of issues from investing in job creation, addressing rising housing costs and protecting farmland to enacting crime reduction strategies, strengthening local unions and addressing social isolation and mental health.
Siegel’s campaign announcement lists Democratic endorsements from Armstrong; state Reps. Mike Schlossberg (132nd), Peter Schweyer (134th) and Jeanne McNeill (133rd); Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio and Geoff Brace, chair of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners.
Siegel is a graduate of Phillipsburg High School and Seton Hall University, both in New Jersey.
In 2019, at age 25, he was elected to Allentown City Council. As a council member, he advocated for progressive causes, including sponsoring a unanimously passed bill that grants six weeks of paid leave to nonunion employees who give birth, father children or adopt children as long as they have worked for the city for a year.
Three years later, he was elected in the 22nd District, defeating Republican Robert E. Smith Jr., a former Allentown School Board member, with 63% of the vote.
The 22nd had no incumbent due to mandated redistricting. Siegel went unchallenged in this year’s primary and general elections.
Siegel is no stranger to county government. He was the public information officer for Lehigh County from December 2017 to February 2020. He became the assistant operations manager for Lehigh County in February 2020 under Controller Mark Pinsley.
Siegel lives in Allentown with his wife Sara.
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