By DOUGLAS GRAVES

Special to The Press

Trust in the people who are surrounding you,” said Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong, speaking at Coca-Cola Stadium on Feb. 20.

Armstrong already had the audience’s attention because he made a grand entrance to the room.

Dressed in a Highlander jacket and kilt, he was escorted in by bagpipers.

“We got rid of party politics. We’ve gotten along with all our municipalities. We’ve gotten along with the board [of Commissioners] and we’ve gotten things done and that’s very, very important.”

His second and last term as executive ends this year and will conclude eight years in office.

With the help of the Chamber’s Senior Vice President for Allentown Initiatives Brittney Ciardi, who held topic cards for the audience’s benefit, Armstrong quickly went through a substantial list of accomplishments during his past seven-and-half years in office.

Cedarbrook

Armstrong said Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation, South Whitehall, has been designated a Five Star facility and received national recognition.

“We have two and in our senior home they have gotten the five-star rating,” Armstrong said.

“They have been picked by Newsweek magazine and U.S. News & World Report as one of the best nursing homes in the state of Pennsylvania.”

He also spoke of the under construction “E-Wing Project” which will increase capacity at Cedarbrook by 240 beds.

The construction will add 145,000 square feet of floor space with four stories and accommodate 249 residents.

Public Defender’s Office

Armstrong touted the Public Defender’s “Pardon Me” program, saying 111 people were accepted into the program in 2024.

These individuals are being matched with coaches to help them find jobs.

He said the program has a 98 percent success rate. ”

“Those people don’t end up on our tax burdens as people in our jail,” he said. “It’s a great program.

“Our Public Defender’s Office, besides the Pardon Me Project, gives a day, a community day, where they provide food, clothing, and free legal advice to all the members of our community.”

Risk Management

“We said we needed to bring in a new position, a risk management position and we did,” Armstrong said.

According to documents released by Armstrong’s staff, a study was done to look for areas where Lehigh County may be over or under insured.

The study included analyzing deductible limits and out-of-pocket expenses to see if they could be adjusted to reduce costs of premiums.

“I really am very proud that we have done this in our risk management,” he said.

Human Resources

“[We] started what we call the Sparks Program,” Armstrong said, adding it is a program supporting positive attitude and relationships.

“I want people to want to come to work,” Armstrong said. “I want people to enjoy working and I want to have an atmosphere where we do this.

“And, this department has brought in health fairs, and different fun activities.

“They even eat lunch with me.”

Procurement

“We make sure that if we’re shopping with the vendor that you’re going to do the correct job,’ the executive said. “You’re going to have the correct employees to meet the standard that we want to have happen. “I’m very, very proud that we do this.”

Veterans Affairs

“We have a fantastic Veterans Affairs Office,” Armstrong noted. “Not a very large one, but a small but efficient veterans department.

“We want to make sure our veterans of Lehigh County get all the benefits and all the programs that are offered to them and that they are never left behind in our department.

“Tom Applebach does a fantastic job on making sure that happens.”

Department of Corrections

Armstrong said the county has contracted with the Lehigh Valley Workforce Board to initiate a Linking to Employment Activities PreRelease program in the Lehigh County Jail which assists inmates to navigate the job market.

He lauded a Medication Assisted Treatment program which recently received a grant to aid in conducting a drug and alcohol case management program for inmates with substance abuse problems.

The Lehigh County Executive said his administration initiated a Community Correction Supervision program to help incarcerated people live in their own homes, being supervised and monitored by a global position system.

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Editor’s note: PART II next week.