ARTICLE
The Republican primary race for Lehigh County executive took a spirited turn Wednesday as Controller Glenn Eckhart and Commissioner Brad Osborne clashed during a televised debate. For the past two months, Eckhart and Osborne have avoided anything more than veiled jabs at one another in public. The gloves came off during the filming of a "Business Matters" episode at WFMZ's Salisbury Township studio. Osborne, of South Whitehall Township, accused Eckhart of opposing campaign finance reform because it would hamper his own election efforts. The law, passed in 2015, is intended to prevent politicians from trading government contracts for political donations by restricting donations from people who do business with the county. Eckhart, Osborne said, threatened to sue the county over the law. In response, commissioners amended the law in January to take investigations into potential violations out of the controller's hands and place them in the solicitor's control. "Only after you realized that your fundraising efforts in your campaign were going to be affected by anti-play-to-play legislation did you bring it up," Osborne charged. "It's clear you do not support anti-pay-to-play legislation." PICTURES: Lehigh County Executive Candidates Debate on Business Matters Show PHOTO GALLERY: Lehigh County Executive candidates Glenn Eckhart,left, and Brad Osborne, right, debated on another during a taping of Business Matter hosted by Tony Iannelli Wednesday afternoon. (AMY HERZOG / THE MORNING CALL) Eckhart said he threatened the lawsuit because his office needed to be a neutral observer in order to audit the process. His office could not be a check on the system and at the same time carry out the investigation, as the original version of the law dictated. He called the county law ineffective and unconstitutional, saying commissioners passed it to appeal to voters in an election year. Commissioners modeled the law after Philadelphia's, and Eckhart scoffed at the idea that Lehigh County should follow the City of Brotherly Love's lead. "There is so much corruption in the city of Philadelphia, in the statehouse, in the council, and we're saying this is great and somehow going to stop something from happening in Lehigh County?" he asked. Eckhart, of Salisbury Township, criticized the board — a body Osborne chaired for two years — and Executive Tom Muller for failing to effectively communicate with one another. The lack of leadership has led to infighting and stymied progress in Cedarbrook and elsewhere, he said. He cited his time as controller as proof that he can critique people and still maintain working relationships. "I don't poke them and keep poking them to make them upset at me. We work through the issues and we solve problems. We don't make it into a circus every other Wednesday night at commissioners' meetings," he said. Osborne agreed both the commissioners and Muller carried fault in a failed relationship. The solution, Osborne said, was to elect him executive. He has been backed by a Republican majority of the board, and he could build on that relationship in the future, he said. "What you really need is a board that you're willing to work with and an executive willing to work with that board," Osborne said. Osborne touted his record as a fiscal conservative, citing a history of tax cuts and rebates that have returned more than $27 million to county taxpayers. As executive, he said, he would look to build on that record. While he and the board have cut taxes over the past five years, the county's financial officers have consistently overestimated costs by millions of dollars. Eckhart questioned the credit Osborne and other commissioners have taken for the county's healthy finances. Commissioners have failed to match tax cuts to spending cuts, leaving it to management, rank-and-file employees and row officers like himself to pick up the slack, he said. The match-up between the veteran politicians was a late development in the election cycle. Osborne, long rumored to be eyeing the executive job, kicked off his campaign with a focused attack on Muller. The two have sparred for years, and Osborne framed his candidacy by painting Muller as a roadblock to progress. Muller unexpectedly backed out of the race, instead backing Whitehall Township Commissioner Phillips Armstrong, the only Democratic candidate. The shift in the political terrain prompted Eckhart to enter the campaign, turning the Republican primary into an unexpected heat. The debate is set to air on WFMZ at 7:30 p.m. April 17. No other debates between the two candidates have been scheduled. REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES Glenn Eckhart Position: Lehigh County controller Age: 50 Background: Former Lehigh County commissioner, former Salisbury Township commissioner, former Salisbury Township school director Brad Osborne Position: Lehigh County commissioner Age: 61 Background: Former South Whitehall Township commissioner, retired plant manager at G.E.O. Specialty Chemicals Click here to read the full article.
The Republican primary race for Lehigh County executive took a spirited turn Wednesday as Controller Glenn Eckhart and Commissioner Brad Osborne clashed during a televised debate.
For the past two months, Eckhart and Osborne have avoided anything more than veiled jabs at one another in public. The gloves came off during the filming of a "Business Matters" episode at WFMZ's Salisbury Township studio.
Osborne, of South Whitehall Township, accused Eckhart of opposing campaign finance reform because it would hamper his own election efforts. The law, passed in 2015, is intended to prevent politicians from trading government contracts for political donations by restricting donations from people who do business with the county.
Eckhart, Osborne said, threatened to sue the county over the law. In response, commissioners amended the law in January to take investigations into potential violations out of the controller's hands and place them in the solicitor's control.
"Only after you realized that your fundraising efforts in your campaign were going to be affected by anti-play-to-play legislation did you bring it up," Osborne charged. "It's clear you do not support anti-pay-to-play legislation."
PICTURES: Lehigh County Executive Candidates Debate on Business Matters Show PHOTO GALLERY: Lehigh County Executive candidates Glenn Eckhart,left, and Brad Osborne, right, debated on another during a taping of Business Matter hosted by Tony Iannelli Wednesday afternoon.
(AMY HERZOG / THE MORNING CALL) Eckhart said he threatened the lawsuit because his office needed to be a neutral observer in order to audit the process. His office could not be a check on the system and at the same time carry out the investigation, as the original version of the law dictated.
He called the county law ineffective and unconstitutional, saying commissioners passed it to appeal to voters in an election year. Commissioners modeled the law after Philadelphia's, and Eckhart scoffed at the idea that Lehigh County should follow the City of Brotherly Love's lead.
"There is so much corruption in the city of Philadelphia, in the statehouse, in the council, and we're saying this is great and somehow going to stop something from happening in Lehigh County?" he asked.
Eckhart, of Salisbury Township, criticized the board — a body Osborne chaired for two years — and Executive Tom Muller for failing to effectively communicate with one another. The lack of leadership has led to infighting and stymied progress in Cedarbrook and elsewhere, he said. He cited his time as controller as proof that he can critique people and still maintain working relationships.
"I don't poke them and keep poking them to make them upset at me. We work through the issues and we solve problems. We don't make it into a circus every other Wednesday night at commissioners' meetings," he said.
Osborne agreed both the commissioners and Muller carried fault in a failed relationship. The solution, Osborne said, was to elect him executive. He has been backed by a Republican majority of the board, and he could build on that relationship in the future, he said.
"What you really need is a board that you're willing to work with and an executive willing to work with that board," Osborne said.
Osborne touted his record as a fiscal conservative, citing a history of tax cuts and rebates that have returned more than $27 million to county taxpayers. As executive, he said, he would look to build on that record. While he and the board have cut taxes over the past five years, the county's financial officers have consistently overestimated costs by millions of dollars.
Eckhart questioned the credit Osborne and other commissioners have taken for the county's healthy finances. Commissioners have failed to match tax cuts to spending cuts, leaving it to management, rank-and-file employees and row officers like himself to pick up the slack, he said.
The match-up between the veteran politicians was a late development in the election cycle. Osborne, long rumored to be eyeing the executive job, kicked off his campaign with a focused attack on Muller. The two have sparred for years, and Osborne framed his candidacy by painting Muller as a roadblock to progress.
Muller unexpectedly backed out of the race, instead backing Whitehall Township Commissioner Phillips Armstrong, the only Democratic candidate. The shift in the political terrain prompted Eckhart to enter the campaign, turning the Republican primary into an unexpected heat.
The debate is set to air on WFMZ at 7:30 p.m. April 17. No other debates between the two candidates have been scheduled.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Glenn Eckhart
Position: Lehigh County controller
Age: 50
Background: Former Lehigh County commissioner, former Salisbury Township commissioner, former Salisbury Township school director
Brad Osborne
Position: Lehigh County commissioner
Age: 61
Background: Former South Whitehall Township commissioner, retired plant manager at G.E.O. Specialty Chemicals