Lehigh County Commissioner Jon Irons, one of the most progressive voices on the board, is stepping down from his post next week.
Irons, who was elected on a platform of increasing housing affordability and ending mass incarceration, said his resignation comes ahead of a planned moved to Atlanta, where his family relocated for work.
Irons’ resignation will be effective July 9 and comes in the third year of his term. Irons was elected in 2023 to an at-large position.
In an open letter to constituents and fellow commissioners, Irons said he was grateful for the opportunity to make an impact on residents’ lives.
“One of greatest lessons I’ve taken from my time on the board is that the role of elected leadership is much more than campaigns, policies, and governance,” he wrote. “Representative democracy puts elected leaders at a critical nexus between people and power. And to be clear, power is not something we should shy away from. Power is turning ideas, and votes, and pain, into action; it’s the movement from the intangible to the tangible.”
County Executive Josh Siegel said Irons will be missed.
“Jon has been a tremendous ally and a voice of compassion and empathy on the board,” Siegel said. “There is a covenant between the governed and the governing, and I think Jon understands that there’s an obligation that the public sector has to the people, to provide and create opportunity, to intervene in moments of crisis, to actually act and lead boldly, I think that’s a valuable perspective which, unfortunately, we’re now losing.”
During his time on the board, Irons sponsored a budget amendment to double the Community Intervention Specialist program that sends social workers out to follow up with police calls throughout the county and authored a resolution denouncing the rise of fascism in the United States.
He co-sponsored the county’s nondiscrimination ordinance and a ballot referendum to expand and diversify the Board of Elections. As chair of the Courts and Corrections Committee, Irons led conversations on jail and criminal justice data, developed policy recommendations to address concerns about solitary confinement in the jail, and instituted reporting requirements for the jail’s healthcare provider.
He voted no to the question of whether Lehigh County should join a regional juvenile detention center, arguing against the measure during a heated hearing in April. The agreement was approved 6-3.
Irons sponsored numerous grants to advance affordable housing programs, and address food insecurity and the root causes of crime and poverty.
“The work of local government is narrow and niche, but it has a profound impact on people’s lives across the county. While I wish that I had more time to work on improving the lives of county residents, I am proud of the work that I was able to accomplish alongside community organizers and my colleagues on the board,” Irons said in a statement.
The Board of Commissioners will solicit applications to fill the vacancy and appoint a new commissioner to complete his term, which runs through 2027. Siegel will not be involved in the process, but said he hopes the new member will share Irons’ values, and not use the seat as a political stepping stone.
“Whoever we appoint to fill Jon’s seat should be someone that reflects the spirit and mindset of his tenure and shares his philosophy of governance and leadership. I don’t want to see it become some kind of insider baseball where the person with the most connections or the most ties gets a shot at an easy opportunity. It should be someone who is a strong contributing member, someone like Jon who is going to lead and legislate,” Siegel said.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.