There are two candidates for the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners, District 1, which comprises Coplay, Slatington, Heidelberg, Lynn, Lowhill, North Whitehall, Washington, Weisenberg and Whitehall.

Democrat Luke Savage and Republican Antonio Pineda will go head-to-head for that seat on Nov. 2.

The candidates were asked to respond to the following question in 100 words or less:

Should Lehigh County have a health bureau to handle the next pandemic?

Luke Savage

I do believe that Lehigh County should have a health department. We are lucky to live in a region with multiple options for quality health care, yet there are still many people that fall through the cracks. All of Lehigh County would benefit from a health department that is focused on assessing and improving the health of our entire population. Individual citizens, businesses, school districts and places of worship would all benefit from dedicated health care professionals whose responsibilities include managing the current pandemic and planning for future health care challenges.

Antonio Pineda

The question is whether having a county health bureau would have significantly altered how the county responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and whether such a bureau is necessary moving forward.

We are blessed with two nationally ranked health systems that worked together to lead our region through the pandemic. Additionally, our two largest cities - Allentown and Bethlehem - have their own health bureaus. There isn’t a need for a county health bureau. Establishing one only creates more bureaucracy rather than solve problems.

The financial investment in such a program is better suited for other services that our county’s residents need.