On Tuesday, incumbent Democrat candidate Zach Cole-Borghi is leading Republican challenger Jacqueline Rivera for the District 3 commissioner seat.
Cole-Borghi, a lifelong Bethlehem resident, was elected to the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners in 2021, where he was also facing Jacqueline Rivera.
Cole-Borghi graduated from East Stroudsburg University and previously served as director for the Northeast Community Center and also serves as a Bethlehem Right to Know Officer.
In August, Cole-Borghi was arrested on drug charges as part of a three-year, multi-state investigation that culminated in 22 arrests, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.
He was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, according to officials.
Cole-Borghi was taken into custody at his Bethlehem City Hall office, where he also served as the city’s right-to-know officer, by the Lehigh County Drug Task Force with assistance from Bethlehem Police and other agencies.
Cole-Borghi has denied the allegations.
“I never sold drugs to anyone. I vehemently deny any suggestion to the contrary,” he said.
Cole-Borghi does not currently have a campaign website, but has confirmed that he is not resigning as a commissioner.
Jacqueline Rivera says on her campaign website that Cole-Borghi has been a very “absent Commissioner,” never present in the district.
“He took his position of service to our community for granted and I am surprised that he ran for re-election,” she says on the website.
Rivera has been a resident of Lehigh County for over 32 years. She is a graduate of Louis E. Dieruff High School and studied Business Administration at Lehigh Carbon Community College.
On her website, she lists her priorities as a Lehigh County Commissioner, including reducing unnecessary government spending, supporting public safety, supporting small businesses and working families, and defending election integrity.
District 3 represents Hanover Township, Catasauqua, Fountain Hill, and parts of Allentown and Bethlehem.
Get all the 2025 election results at 69 News Election Central.