Tara Zrinski starts Norco executive campaign with Lamont McClure’s endorsement
Update: This story fixes the link to the photo gallery, which did not work in the original.
Tara Zrinski kicked off her campaign for Northampton County executive Thursday night in Bethlehem by picking up a key endorsement from current executive and fellow Democrat Lamont McClure.
“It is my great honor tonight to not only introduce Tara Zrinski, the next county executive of Northampton County, but to heartedly endorse her for that job,” said McClure, who last week announced he would not seek reelection to a third term as he looks to serve the public in other ways.
McClure said Zrinski, a former county commissioner and now the county controller, passed his three-part test on key issues: She voted to cut the real estate tax in 2022, which he called “Tara’s tax cut”; voted for open space and farmland preservation and the creation of three county parks; and supported keeping Gracedale Nursing Home under county ownership.
“So, as you can see, Tara does check all the boxes,” McClure said. “She's good on taxes, she's good on farmland and open space preservation. And she's good at our moral obligation, the preservation of Gracedale as a county home.”
Two former county executives, Democrats Glenn Reibman and Gerald Seyfried, were also at the rally at United Steelworkers Union’s Van Bittner Hall to support Zrinski.
Zrinski isn’t the only Democrat seeking to replace McClure.
Amy Cozze, 42, of Bethlehem, announced Monday she will seek the party’s nomination, setting up a May 20 primary contest.
Cozze, who served in McClure’s administration as elections director and chief registrar from 2019 through March 2022, most recently worked as a senior staff member for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who lost the November election to Republican Dave McCormick.
Amy Cozze, former Casey staffer, running for Norco executive
Republican county Commissioner Thomas Giovanni, 71, of Plainfield Township who was elected to his third, four-year term last November, announced last week he is running for county executive.
To view more photos of the event, click here
Zrinski, 49, of Bethlehem, said she didn’t expect McClure to leave office at the end of this year.
“I did not anticipate running for county executive this soon, although it was, you know, on my Bingo card later,” she said, prompting laughs from the crowd.
“But throughout my career, I have never shied away from a challenge, and I cannot deny the opportunity to lead Northampton County into a future that builds on the strong foundation we have today.”
After serving six years as a county commissioner, Zrinski was elected county controller in November 2023. She said her first year in that role “has been a journey of learning and growth, not just professionally, but also in understanding what our county needs to thrive.”
If elected county executive, Zrinski pledged to maintain county ownership of Gracedale, work with community groups to address social and economic issues, retain county employees to meet increased demand for county services, use artificial intelligence to help, but not replace, county workers, and continue preserving farmland and open space.
“I'm ready to make history as the first woman elected to the office of county executive,” she said. “To be clear, this is not about my gender. It is about my preparedness, my skills, my unwavering … dedication to public service.”