Geoff Brace has announced he is seeking re-election to the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners in District 4.

The district includes neighborhoods in Allentown’s Center City and the West End.

“The year 2020 was an earthquake that shook our nation,” Brace said.

“In a dramatic way, it exposed the inequities and injustices we need to acknowledge and face.”

Throughout 2020, Brace introduced legislation to deliver aid to small businesses and community groups throughout Lehigh County slammed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, millions of dollars of relief found their way into the hands of people directly affected by the largest public health crisis in more than a century.

Additionally, Brace says he led efforts to advance criminal justice reform in Lehigh County by redirecting nearly $500,000 to bolster youth violence prevention efforts, re-entry services, homelessness prevention programs and make more resources available to the public defender’s office.

This was all done without raising property taxes or laying off any county employees during an economic crisis.

“The year 2021 is the year we begin to rebuild our communities, stronger than they ever were before,” Brace says. “We need to do so equitably. We need to do it responsibly.

“We need to do it with an eye on what Lehigh County will be in the year 2121, a century from today.

“None of us will be here then, but the decisions we make now can build a legacy that our grandchildren and great-great grandchildren will enjoy.”

First elected in 2013, Brace is in his second term.

He was unanimously elected chair of the board of commissioners at the Jan. 4 reorganization meeting.

In 2020, he was chair of the development and planning committee and vice chair of the governance committee.

In 2018, he served as vice chair of the board of commissioners.

When taking office in 2014, Brace was one of two Democrats on a Republican-dominated board.

Since then, Brace says he has worked tirelessly to build a stronger progressive majority, grounded in common sense, independent of special interests and focused on serving the best interests of Lehigh County.

Since taking office, Brace’s legislative efforts have included efforts to protect Lehigh County’s environment through a sustainable energy investment program for businesses and clean water through the Lehigh County Conservation District.

Brace says he has focused on strengthening the safety net that provides for seniors at Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation, human services for children and youth, mental health, intellectual disabilities and the homeless.

He worked with other commissioners to eliminate pay-to-play politics and supports campaign finance reform which ends the influence of big campaign dollars and special interests.

“I am eager to tackle the challenges we face and hope the voters of District 4 will be, too,” Brace says. “I look forward to fulfilling the mission of rebuilding our region in a way that reflects our shared values, where liberty and justice for all are more than the concluding part of the pledge we say at the beginning of our meetings.

“By focusing on a strong economic recovery, strong democracy and safe environment, we can achieve this mission in Lehigh County.”

Brace lives in Center City Allentown with his wife Sara, administrative director at the Volunteers of America Children’s Center, and their son, Isaac, attends the Allentown School District. His brother Doug is also a Center City resident.

Brace has been active as a volunteer on the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board, Old Allentown Preservation Association, Board of Governors at St. Luke’s Hospital Allentown, Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce (Downtown Allentown Business Alliance).

He is an ordained deacon at the Zion Liberty Bell UCC in Allentown where he was instrumental in starting a homeless breakfast ministry.

Brace is legislative assistant to state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-132nd, where he oversees legislation, policy and communication for the district.

He has developed extensive experience in community and economic development, having worked for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, Kutztown Community Partnership, Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and the West Chester Business Improvement District.

Brace says he uses these experiences to benefit Lehigh County and promote vibrant communities.