Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure delivering his 2018 State of the County address at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) will once again host the “State of the County” addresses for both Lehigh and Northampton counties in the upcoming months.

Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong will presents State of the County Address during a mixer and networking event on Feb. 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. inside the PNC Club Level at the Coca-Cola Park in Allentown.

The following month, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure will present his State of the County Address at a breakfast mixer and networking event on March 27 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.

Both events are free to attend, but pre-registration is required. Click here to register for the Lehigh County event, and click here to register for the Northampton County event. Maps and directions for both addresses are also available.

Phillips Armstrong delivering his 2018 State of the County address at the Coca-Cola Park in Allentown.

These events come in addition to the 2019 LVEDC Annual Meeting, which will be held on March 19 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. This event highlights economic development projects and activity over the past year and recognizes the companies and people that have contributed to the region’s economic success.

There is also no cost to attend the 2019 LVEDC Annual Meeting, but registration is required. Please visit this website to find the registration form.

Both Armstrong and McClure were newly elected to their positions in 2017. LVEDC previously hosted each of their first State of the County events as well.

During his first address, McClure stressed the importance of serving the most vulnerable members of the population through the county’s core fundamental responsibilities, including running the Gracedale Nursing Home, providing a court system, and running the county prison

“I didn’t run to be a cookie-cutter county executive; I did not run to run for higher office,” McClure said. “I ran because in my 10 years on Northampton County Council I noticed a sclerosis in county government, in the authority of its boards and the power structure of the Lehigh Valley. It’s time to change that. I’m going to change it.”

Armstrong, in his first address, discussed early accomplishments of the administration, including approval of a Cedarbrook Nursing Home construction plan, and an administrative notice he signed prohibiting discrimination on the basis of someone’s gender identity.

“I hope that you will find that your trust has not been misplaced, and that my door is always open to you, the residents of Lehigh County,” Armstrong said. “And to those who are newer to our county, we want to make sure that we tell every worker, every business, and every culture that you are welcome here.”

McClure, a Bethlehem Township resident, previously served on Northampton County Council from 2006 to 2015, where he was an outspoken advocate for keeping the Gracedale Nursing Home under county ownership. He was an attorney with the Bethlehem-based Law Offices of Peter Angelos.

Armstrong was the president of the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners before his election to county executive, having served on the board since 2014. He had a 40-year career as a social studies teacher and coach in the Whitehall-Coplay School District, and chaired the high school’s social studies department prior to his retirement.