Lehigh County Commissioners passed an anti-fascism resolution by a narrow vote after hours of tense debate about whether the nonbinding declaration was a moral necessity or a divisive distraction.
Through hours of heated public comments Wednesday night, supporters of the resolution called on commissioners to take a stand to defend their neighbors, while opponents said the resolution would fuel division and distract from the commissioners’ duties.
After attempts to table or amend the resolution failed, commissioners voted 5-4 to pass it, with Sheila Alvarado, Geoff Brace, Zach Cole-Borghi, Jon Irons and April Riddick in favor and Ron Beitler, Sarah Fevig, Dan Hartzell and Antonio Pineda opposing.
Irons, who spearheaded the resolution, said Lehigh County is one of the most politically consequential regions in the country and the board’s speech is a matter of historical record.
“If we do not say the hard things until they are easy to say, then it’ll be too late for what we say to have an impact,” Irons said.
Entitled “Denouncing the rise of fascism and authoritarianism in the United States, and affirming the commitment of the Board of Commissioners to defending threatened Constitutional rights of Lehigh County residents,” the resolution says the, “Executive Branch of the United States has aggressively pursued an unprecedented and unconstitutional expansion of executive authority” but does not name President Donald Trump or the Republican Party.
In a forceful rejection of the resolution, Hartzell said its target is clear, saying, “This is not an anti-fascist resolution; it’s an anti-Trump resolution.”
Noting that the county draws the majority of its budget from the federal government, Hartzell expressed concern that the resolution could spark retaliation.
“If we do this, who knows whether some flunky in the White House sees that little Lehigh County in Allentown is doing this,” Hartzell said. “That could cause repercussion, and we could lose even more money than we think we are now.”
Brace said federal government actions have already jeopardized county services, leaving local authorities “left with the responsibility of figuring out what to do when something has gone awry.”
Brace also pushed back on arguments that discussion of the resolution fell outside the commissioners’ duty to focus on county services, saying, “We can walk, chew bubble gum, and do a whole host of things at the same time.”
Brace and Riddick did express doubts that the resolution was ready, with both supporting efforts to table it in an attempt to gain time to bridge divisions on the board.
Fevig said evidence of constituents’ divided opinions extended beyond those who showed up to speak, noting the commissioners had jointly received 53 emails in support of the resolution and 26 emails in opposition.
While Fevig praised Irons for showing “care, courage and inclusion” in building a coalition to support the resolution, she asked to be removed as co-sponsor.
“It’s tearing us apart in a way that I don’t like to see in the county,” Fevig said.
Supporters of the resolution said taking a stand against a federal government that has made their neighbors afraid to leave their house is how they are working to keep their community together.
“Fighting fascism is a way to be united,” said Lori Ramsey, an Emmaus resident who works to deliver food to vulnerable community members.
Bethlehem resident Bernardo Torres said his fellow immigrants are currently the ones under attack but that the nature of fascism is that threats to liberty grow.
“The moral and the human value of your decision, I think, is very important to protect everybody,” Torres said.
Opponents of the resolution said it mischaracterizes the government and insults Republicans.
Jeff Barber of North Whitehall Township said fascism does not exist in the United States today. He said he’s proud of his Syrian and German heritage and noted that there are many proud Republicans among the Syrian community in the Lehigh Valley.
“Nothing tangible will change” as a result of the resolution, Barber said, arguing that commissioners should focus on county services and avoid making national political statements in order to serve their constituents.
“This is exactly why people lose trust,” Barber said.
South Whitehall Township resident and former Parkland School Board candidate George Rivera also said national politics does not belong in municipal government and questioned why county residents feel under attack.
“You’re confusing your depression of who your president is with oppression,” Rivera said.
Forks Township resident Elianis Gautier said it would be a great mistake to ignore or minimize the danger community members face.
“Silence has the same weight as words,” Gautier said.
After the meeting, Irons told The Morning Call that he hopes the resolution will put pressure on other people in positions of power to stand together and be prepared to confront the kind of aggressive federal actions that other cities have seen.
“That’s how we’re going to stay strong as a region and as a county,” Irons said.
The resolution includes a clause calling for a copy to be sent to U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and David McCormick and U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, whose spokesperson criticized the measure.
“Instead of using their positions to address important local issues, which is what they were elected to do, some local elected officials are choosing to politicize their positions and increase polarization in all levels of government,” Mackenzie’s spokesperson Arnaud Armstrong said via email prior to the meeting. “Congressman Mackenzie remains laser-focused on working with his colleagues to find bipartisan solutions to the actual problems facing the people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos.”