Election 2013

5 Seek GOP Nods for Lower Macungie Commissioner

Three incumbents and two challengers are seeking the Republican nomination for three Lower Macungie commissioner seats. The primary is Tuesday.

Three incumbents and two challengers are seeking the Republican nomination for three four-year terms on the Lower Macungie Board of Commissioners. The primary is Tuesday. Incumbents Ryan T. Conrad, Roger C. Reis and Ronald Eichenberg are seeking re-election. Challenging them for two of the seats are Ron Beitler and Brian Higgins. Patch sent a questionnaire to the five Republican candidates and is posting the replies of those who responded in their entirety. Click on the name of the candidate to read his information, including educational and family background as well as each candidate's vision for the township, qualifications and priorities. Roger C. Reis Ronald Eichenberg (Declined to Participate) Ron Beitler Brian Higgins Ryan T. Conrad …

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Ron Beitler

12:26 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013

20,000 dollars from a special interest group. (6800 each to the incumbents) Paying for an onslaught of TV ads, fake newsletters and ROBO calls. This is unprecedented money in a township election. http://www.mcall.com/news/local/eastpenn/mc-lower-mac-campaign-finance-reports-20130515,0,4889734.story Can a township election be bought and paid for by a special interest group? That is now what this …   more ›

Election 2013

Meet Lower Macungie Commissioner Candidate: Brian Higgins

Brian Higgins is one of five Republicans, including 3 incumbents, seeking their party's nomination for Lower Macungie commissioner.

Lower Macungie Commissioner’s Race Candidate: Brian Higgins  Age: 40  Family: Wife, 3 sons  Political party affiliation: Republican Tell us about your educational background:  Monmouth University, BA Communication  Tell us about your professional/business background:  Senior Oncology Specialist, ProStrakan, Inc.  Why are you running for Lower Macungie Commissioner? The Lower Macungie Board of Commissioners must consider the needs of all of the citizens, not just those who agree with them. The practice of selective zoning to meet the needs of the few, at the expense of many, needs to end. Wasteful spending in order to justify a previous poor decision, while neglecting the needs of more significant assets, needs to stop. All conflicts of …

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Lower Macungie Township

Ron Eichenberg Endorsed by Rep. Ryan Mackenzie

State Rep. endorses Ron Eichenberg's bid for re-election.

Lower Macungie Township Commissioner President Ron Eichenberg, who announced Wednesday that he will seek re-election in November has been endorsed by State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. "Ron has a keen awareness of the issues and a sincere desire to work on behalf of all residents in Lower Macungie," Mackenzie said as part of the announcement of Eichenberg's intention to run. "I am pleased to support and endorse him for re-election to the Board of Commissioners," Mackenzie said. So far, Eichenberg and two other candidates have announced interest in running for the township board of commissioners: Ron Beitler and Brian Higgins. The Primary Election is scheduled for May 21.

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Election 2013

Brian Higgins Announces Run for Lower Macungie Commissioner

Primary election to be held May 21

Republican Brian Higgins, 40, a pharmaceutical sales executive and nine-year resident of Lower Macungie Township, has announced his candidacy for one of the three township commissioner's seats that will be open in the fall. Higgins announced his intentions earlier this week in a written release. He is a husband and father of three boys, a graduate of Monmouth University, Higgins attended law school before collecting more than 18 years of business experience He has been president of the Lower Macungie Youth Association for the past three years and served on the township's Zoning Hearing Board during some of the board's most challenging cases. Higgins's statement expressed his willingness and desire to fill needs he says are not being met by…

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Public Comment Sought in Jaindl Case

Members of the township Zoning Hearing Board needed to hear from the public, but not one person showed up at the Sept. 21 meeting.

Zip. Zero. Nobody. Not one concerned citizen of the Lower Macungie community, not one member of the Friends for the Protection of Lower Macungie showed up the township Zoning Hearing Board on Sept. 21. The semi-judicial body is considering testimony surrounding the issue of whether the zoning ordinance passed in July 2010 that would allow 600 acres of township farmland is valid. Robert Rust, attorney for the appellants, opened the meeting by resting the appellants' case in order to preserve financial resources that are going to be needed to address the appeal of last week's Lehigh County Court decision that invalidated the changes to the zoning ordinance on procedural grounds. Attendance at some previous sessions has been sparse. Others …

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Zoning Chairman Decides Against Issuing Subpoenas to Twp. Commissioners

Zoning Hearing Board will continue to hear from township, appellants and intervenor on Wednesday.

The chairman of the Lower Macungie Zoning Hearing Board decided Wednesday not to issue subpoenas to the five township commissioners in the ongoing dispute surrounding a zoning amendment that would allow the development of more than 600 acres of farmland. Chairman Bill Royer said toward the end of the last hearing on Aug. 25 that he would make his decision before the hearing continues. His decision came with a very direct statement. “I have a strong belief that the public would benefit from hearing what the commissioners would have to say,” Zoning Hearing Board Chairman Bill Royer said. But he decided not to issue the subpoenas because, “Everything they said would be subject to legislative privilege,” he said. By that he meant that just …

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