Voters choose to reject GOP’s Lynch
Congratulations to incumbent Lamont McClure for his apparent victory in Tuesday’s election for Northampton County executive.
Let’s hope his triumph over Republican challenger Steve Lynch is a sign the county’s voters have had enough of Trumpian politicians.
Lynch followed the
Donald Trump playbook. He campaigned mostly by waving flags and talking about restoring personal freedoms that supposedly have been stolen during the coronavirus pandemic — an issue that is well beyond the authority of the county executive.
He got national attention for what he said in August at a rally in Harrisburg, where he railed against school boards that were forcing students to wear masks.
“I’m going in with 20 strong men,” Lynch said. “I’m gonna speak in front of the school board and I’m gonna give them an option.
“They can leave or they can be removed. And then after that we’re gonna replace them with nine parents and we’re gonna vote down the mask mandates that evening.”
Those comments were shameful. After the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, it’s irresponsible for any public official or candidate to suggest the use of force to impose their political will on others.
After his comments, the Northampton Area School District asked county sheriff ’s deputies to provide extra security at its next school board meeting where Lynch, who lives in the district, spoke.
The majority of Northampton County voters appear to have rejected his bluster. Unofficial results had McClure, a Democrat from Bethlehem Township, leading by about 8,000 votes Wednesday morning.
Now, will the county GOP leadership get the message and recruit better candidates in the future, someone who actually wants to be county executive? Lynch campaigned as if he was running for Congress, state legislator or governor.
The county party can’t stop candidates from running, but it can recruit and support those with broader appeal. In this election, Lynch sadly was
the type of candidate tfor whom the party was looking.
“I think they are going to carry this movement over . ... They’re going to want MAGA leaders in all forms of government,” party chair Lee Snover said in December.
Lynch campaigned mostly about matters well beyond what an executive can control.
“I plan on giving a voice to people who are not OK with being told how they are going to live their lives,” he said when he announced his candidacy in February. “It is not the government’s authority to tell us how we are going to do things.
“This past year, we have seen our businesses, our families and our communities upended and destroyed by the Wuhan virus along with the tyrannical government that starts right at the top with Gov. Wolf and permeates throughout weak elected officials at Northampton County.”
The state and school boards decide how to combat the coronavirus, including whether to require masks.
State officials decide whether businesses can be shut down or have restrictions during a public health crisis.
If he had been elected county executive, Lynch could have complained about those issues. But he couldn’t have done anything more about them than any other citizen.
The primary functions of county government in Pennsylvania are operating the criminal justice system and prison; running programs that protect and serve children, senior citizens, the disabled and other vulnerable people; and conducting elections.
Preservation of farms and open space isn’t a core function, but it has become a focus in Northampton County amid rampant warehouse development.
The GOP slate of five County Council candidates ran a unified campaign on local issues including preserving open space; improving Gracedale, the county-run nursing home Gracedale; cutting taxes; and supporting police and first responders.
And you know what? It looks like two of them could win.
Five seats are open. As of Wednesday morning, two Republicans were in the top five vote-getters, including former county executive John Brown. Those results also were unofficial.
Republican judicial candidates were popular with Northampton County voters too. Megan Sullivan was leading the state Superior Court race. Stacy Marie Wallace was leading the Commonwealth Court race.
Northampton voters have a history of choosing their candidates based on their qualifications, not their party. And Lynch gave voters no confidence he could lead the county, or even was interested in the issues it faces.
Candidates can’t rely on party-line voting in the county.
In 2008 and 2012, the county voted for Democrat Barack Obama. In 2016, voters favored Trump. In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden won.
The county executive’s office has likewise rotated between the parties. Since 1994, there have been five executives, two Republican and three Democrats.
The county’s voters didn’t reject GOP candidates Tuesday. They just rejected Lynch, whose style unfortunately had been embraced by the county party. I hope party leaders get the message.