ALLENTOWN, Pa. – “So, it’s from the kitchen to the government center?” 69 News reporter Bo Koltnow asked Josh Siegel inside his Allentown home.
“Yes. This is my impromptu office,” he said while at his kitchen island table.
And kitchen table issues are what Siegel says he’ll be serving when he officially heads the county table as the Lehigh County Executive.
“The first one is housing. That’s going to be my biggest mission from day one, is making sure that Lehigh County, and the public sector in general, takes a bigger role in building more affordable housing,” he said.
His goal is 6,000 new affordable housing units in the next 20 years funded through a revolving self-sustaining housing fund that wouldn’t use taxpayer money.
“I believe in the old school mantra, the Democratic Party, the FDRs, the LBJ’s the JFK’s. I believe that the public sector is the one that’s supposed to step in and make sure that people have security and prosperity,” he said.
Siegel also wants to expand voting access, increase the number of drop boxes and improve public transportation.
It’s been a quick political ascension for the recently turned 32-year-old.
Elected to Allentown City Council in 2019, Seigel became a state representative in 2023, and now is Pennsylvania’s youngest ever county executive.
“I’m eternally cognizant of the fact that I have to prove that I have the emotional maturity and the vision to actually manage a large bureaucracy, which is why I put together a really extensive transition team,” he said of his position as being the youngest in the state to hold the county executive position.
Despite being criticized by some for being too vocal a critic of President Trump, Seigel won’t back down. He has a local resilience and response to Trump. 1 of 5 subcommittees within his 30-member transition team.
From immigration, cuts to social services, or health care, Seigel vows to protect all citizens from what he calls destructive policies coming out of the White House.
“I want to govern in a way that I believe is inspiring and inspirational for folks, no matter what side of the aisle they’re on. I’m trying to build a county that looks out for everyone,” he said
Siegel takes his seat Monday, January 5th.