Citizens came to tell the Lehigh County Commissioners they were not happy with how the Nov. 5 general election was conducted at the commissioners meeting Nov. 13.

Lack of privacy was the chief complaint. Mark Spengler of Lower Macungie Township also questioned the restriction on having cellphones in the voting area.

In many cases at local polling places, voters were directed to an open table to fill out their paper ballot. There was no screened-off area to ensure privacy. Once a ballot was ready to be scanned by the newly purchased voting machines, in some cases a machine operator took the ballot and put it in the scanner, thus giving rise to another complaint of “no privacy.”

Omar Ray, a judge of election from Upper Saucon Township, said he, “wanted people to put in their own ballot.”

Matthew Schutter, a judge of election, thought that having a cellphone in the voting area was “a right.” Schutter was a candidate for county commissioner in the recent election.

In other business, commissioners approved appointments of Rev. Gus Al-Khal and Holly Gonzales to the Aging and Adult Services Advisory Council.

Commissioners also approved appointments of Alisa Baratta, Mary L. Tirrell and Rocco Zegallia to the Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Fund Committee.

Tom R. Stoudt, the executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, presented an annual report to the Lehigh County Commissioners.

“This is our 90th anniversary,” Stoudt said in opening remarks to the commissioners. He said the airport started in April 1929 and Amelia Earhart visited the following November. He said John F. Kennedy had also visited the airport in 1960.

Stoudt said Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority (A-B-E for Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton) is the fourth largest airport in Pennsylvania. The facility has four passenger airlines with operations at the airport: Allegiant, United, American and Delta. Between them the airlines offer 14 nonstop destinations.

In 2018, 792,794 passengers flew into or out of the airport, a 14.57-percent increase over the previous year. Air cargo operations handled 206 million pounds of freight last year. “It was about 20 million pounds 10 years ago,” Stoudt said in response to a question.

He said starting Feb. 13, 2020, Allegiant will offer the airport’s 14th nonstop flight to Sarasota, Fla. Other potential destinations for future flights are Boston, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. into Dulles Airport.

Stoudt said the airport has had 24 consecutive months of passenger growth through September representing a 16.64 percent increase from the previous year.

After Oct 1, 2020, all air passengers must have the new Real ID driver’s license to travel by air. Stoudt reminded the commissioners to get their identification updated.

The airport director also discussed potential non-aviation income possibilities from real estate development of 297 acres near Airport Road. He said a hotel and retail properties could be coming to the site.

In other business, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission led by Executive Director Becky A. Bradley attended the commissioners’ meeting.

The commissioners had a first reading of the Lehigh Planning Commissioner’s “Future LV: The Regional Plan.” A vote of approval will be held at the next regular meeting Nov. 26.

Some “key initiatives” the planners introduced include: an integrated water resources management plan, a regional housing plan update, a redesign of the MacArthur Road “multi-modal corridor,” an electric vehicle plan and an autonomous vehicle plan.