Upper Milford Township Supervisor Moore launches her campaign to run for Lehigh Co. commissioner
Upper Milford Township Supervisor Joyce Moore kicked off her campaign for Lehigh County commissioner Wednesday, saying she wanted to bring her experience in finance and farmland preservation to the county’s legislative branch.
Moore, a financial consultant and small-business owner entering her fourth year on the township board of supervisors, said she would focus on balancing farmland and open space preservation with development in the county.
Finding that sweet spot would ensure residents’ quality of life without turning away high-paying jobs that can support families, she said in a news release. Lehigh County ranks third in the state in the amount of preserved farmland, but it has continued to be targeted for warehouses and logistic centers thanks to its highway system and proximity to the Interstate 95 corridor.
“I wish to continue my record of service by putting my experience towards supporting our county in its standing as one of the premier counties in the commonwealth while serving with both diligence and passion,” said Moore, a Democrat who served on Glendon Borough Council in the 1990s.
Before the pandemic, Moore had been a semiregular attendee of county commissioner meetings. She often voiced her support for plans presented by
Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong, including his failed 2019 tax hike proposal and a proposed $5 fee vehicle registration fee that commissioners refused to take up.
The District 5 seat represents Coopersburg, Emmaus, Macungie, and Lower Milford, Salisbury, Upper Milford and Upper Saucon townships, and parts of Allentown. While the board of commissioners has swung to Democrats in recent years, District 5 reliably backed Republicans for years. In 2017, no Democrats entered the race.
County commissioners this monthappointed Republican Jeffrey Dutt to serve as the District 5 commissioner following the resignation of Nathan Brown. Dutt, a former Whitehall Township commissioner now living in Emmaus, has not formally announced he will run for the position in 2021 but indicated he would during his interview with commissioners Nov. 24.
All five district seats will be up for grabs in Lehigh County this year. Commissioners Geoff Brace and Amy Zanelli are expected to seek reelection. Antonio Pineda, a Whitehall Township Republican, is running for the District 1 seat held by retiring Commissioner Marc Grammes. District 2 Commissioner Percy Dougherty has also announced his retirement, but no candidate has formally entered that race yet.