Yesterday I attended the swearing in of Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski. It was a really nice ceremony, as it always is, and it was packed as it ever is. I’m quite proud of Tara, the county’s first woman to serve as County Executive, as I must admit that eight years ago I would have told you there was no way she’d be Executive, let alone in eight years. She worked really hard, she got pretty good at the politics, and she did it. Perseverance can pay off in this business. I look forward to giving my two cents to her transition team on disability issues in the county, as I hope to help someone else’s life be a little easier.
In Lehigh County, the story was similar. Josh Siegel became the youngest County Executive in PA history. Up until a few years ago, I don’t think I would have predicted this either. Josh had some tough runs for office in Allentown, and he had plenty of critics on the Allentown City Council, but he eventually got himself to the State House in Harrisburg, and he grew with the office. He’s one of the most visionary elected officials in the Lehigh Valley, and I am really looking forward to his tenure.
I should take a moment to congratulate my two friends who finished their terms as the Executives this week, Lamont McClure (Northampton) and Phil Armstrong (Lehigh). I was Executive Director of McClure’s Transition team eight years ago, and I advised him and his wife’s campaigns over the years. Whatever your misgivings are with Lamont’s style, the truth is that he is a remarkably consistent politician who focused on the three issues that the public actually cares about most, in an almost obsessive way- he did not raise taxes once in his eight years, he preserved a record amount of open farmland space, and he kept the county’s nursing home county owned. Yes, there were other political issues, such as supporting passenger rail to New York and Philadelphia, opposing continuing warehouse proliferation, and addressing federal overreach where he was right, but he stuck like glue to his bread and butter issues, and it was good for the public. As for Phil Armstrong, or as anyone who knows him says, “Uncle Phil”- what a fantastic guy. I managed his first run for Executive eight years ago, and I’ll be honest, I didn’t necessarily know we were going to win, but here he is. I think the best compliment anyone can give to him is that he taught and lived in the Whitehall community for decades, and voters of all political stripes came out to support him in big numbers there. Phil preserved and expanded the county nursing home, Cedarbrook, preserved open space, and managed a large, diverse, and sometimes unruly county politically through some major transitional years, particularly some politically tumultuous years in the county’s biggest city (Allentown) during his first term. I haven’t formally worked as an advisor to either in a few years now, but I think we need to all congratulate them on a job well done.
I always enjoy the ceremonies, mostly for the sidebars. The choral group was really good at Northampton. I also got a kick out of seeing who sat by who. I had to ask one aide to a statewide elected official if he was there as a family member (his uncle was being re-sworn in as a magistrate) or in his official capacity, since he was seated with his parents. There were Congressional candidates in the room, some seated with their campaign staff (hey, we all need friends), or whatever randoms sat with them in the back row (why not make friends?), or bothering me along the wall (No one offered my crippled ass a seat, this wearing long pants stuff sucks). There were cabinet officials all over the room, and their seating selections were interesting. There were state and municipal electeds all over the room, and you can tell who they like based on who they sat with (none of them sat with me). My best friend since childhood (who works at the county) was smart enough to not be seen sitting (or I guess standing) next to me, but my poor sister did get stuck with me. As I said, this is the weird stuff that interests me. I keep mental notes.
Anyway, congrats to all. Now on to 2026.
Apocalypse Vibes 