Lehigh County Executive Joshua Siegel

Memorial Day is a solemn and heavy national recognition - we don’t celebrate, we reflect and remember the sacrifice of those who answered the call to serve our nation across the centuries.

It takes on special significance as we honor America’s 250th year and celebrate our independence and liberty. From the battles of Lexington and Concord, the blood soaked fields of Gettysburg, Antietam and Petersburg to the shores of Normandy and Iwo Jima and the sands of Iraq and Afghanistan - each generation of American’s has bled and died to protect freedom at home and abroad.

Our responsibility is to remember the fallen, carry on their legacy of service and appreciate the profound weight of war. The decision to send young men and women to foreign lands is one that should never be exercised outside of the highest and most immediate justifications. War is not to be glorified or celebrated, it a serious decision that carries real human costs.

Those who are willing to risk everything deserve our deepest gratitude and our highest respect. There is no greater way to respect their service than to ensure the highest sacrifice is truly for the protection of our nation and its people.

We deeply appreciate the strong effort by our local media (The Morning Call, WFMZ, Lehigh Valley News, Lehigh Valley Live, Armchair Lehigh Valley and others) to disseminate information on the clerical error that resulted in a disruption to the mail-in ballot process this week.

County Executive Josh Siegel (@executivejoshsiegel) We deeply appreciate the strong effort by our local media (The Morning Call, WFMZ, Lehigh Valley News, Lehigh Valley Live, Armchair Lehigh Valley and others) to disseminate information on the clerical error that resulted in a disruption to the mail-in ballot process this week. https://armchairlehigh...

https://executivejoshsiegel.substack.com/p/a-huge-blessing-executive-siegel

'A huge blessing': Executive Siegel signs paid family leave legislation Lehigh County employees will be able to take up to eight weeks off after welcoming a child without having to worry about a paycheck

No one should suffer in silence. Please share this with someone who is struggling or trying to help someone in crisis.

https://open.substack.com/pub/executivejoshsiegel/p/out-of-the-past-executive-siegel?r=7umo73&utm_medium=ios

Out of the past: Executive Siegel joins panel on obstacles to people striving to build lives after prison The concept of redemption took something of a hit 38 years ago when the old segregationist senator from South Carolina, Strom Thurmond, pushed through an amendment to the federal Fair Housing Act that gave landlords the power to deny housing to people convicted of distributing drugs.

https://open.substack.com/pub/executivejoshsiegel/p/county-joins-dozens-of-providers?r=7umo73&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

County joins dozens of providers to share resources on autism, intellectual disabilities at Lower Macungie event Lehigh County’s Office of Intellectual Disabilities was proud to partner with Lehigh Valley Supporting Families Collaborative on Thursday to connect community members with valuable resources at the Lower Macungie Community Center.

Ramona has been comforting crime victims for nearly a decade

Ramona says so long: The Lehigh County Courthouse comfort dog heads into well-deserved retirement The 11-year-old black Labrador comforted hundreds of victims and witnesses over nine years of service

https://executivejoshsiegel.substack.com/p/as-another-county-comes-aboard-lehigh

As another county comes aboard, Lehigh commissioners approve joint juvenile detention center plan The 6-3 vote means Lehigh will enter a 20-year contract with Berks, Delaware, Dauphin and Lackawanna counties to run the center near Reading

https://open.substack.com/pub/executivejoshsiegel/p/joint-juvenile-detention-center-isnt?r=7umo73&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Joint juvenile detention center isn't a perfect solution, but will serve a vital need Commissioners will vote Wednesday on whether to join three other counties to operate a centralized facility for youth in the criminal justice system