To the Editor:

In the race for Lehigh County executive, I am blessed to have worked with both candidates.

Both are good men. Although we disagree on issues from time to time, I consider both friends.

As a two-term county commissioner, I have served four years in county government with each candidate. However, only one of these candidates is experienced in the role of county executive. His name is Phillips Armstrong. He is the clear choice in the upcoming election.

Under Executive Armstrong’s leadership, Lehigh County has increased our commitment to open space, trails and farmland preservation and directed millions of state and federal dollars toward small businesses and nonprofits.

He worked directly with health care providers to efficiently enable testing and vaccine distribution in the midst of a pandemic and renewed our commitment to our elderly by ending years of political uncertainty at Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation with a renovation project worthy of our four-star quality care.

He has lifted our most vulnerable, our homeless and our veterans in need. He committed more than half a million dollars to our volunteer fire departments and emergency medical responders and has overseen the modernization of our county 911 center.

Executive Armstrong is a man of vision and action, not party or politics. The office demands nothing less. We would be foolish to set aside the experience and leadership of Executive Phillips Armstrong simply for the sake of change.

Marc Grammes

vice chair, Lehigh County Board of Commissioners