Don Cunningham: This is No Time for Petty Politics

After being sworn in at noon yesterday, Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham delivered his second inaugural address, calling for an end to petty politics. If you have an idea or a suggestion for Lehigh County, he wants to hear it.

I stand before you now -- as I stood before you four years ago -- grateful for the support of my family, friends, colleagues and constituents and mindful of the incredible responsibility bestowed upon me and my administration.

No one succeeds alone and my re-election is not just an affirmation of my candidacy, but of the many accomplishments of my administration and the hardworking employees of Lehigh County who get the job done every day, day in and day out – often in a thankless capacity and, unfortunately, all too often maligned for being government employees. For those who want to attack those who serve the public, I invite them to spend a day with the young mostly female social workers who go into some of the toughest domestic situations you can imagine and have to make decisions about removing children from their homes for their own benefit.

I invite them to spend a day with the corrections officers who keep us safe from the violent and dangerous of our community or to spend time with the nurses caring for the elderly and the dying – or those who clean the floors and change the bedpans at our nursing homes.

I am proud to work with them. Most of their jobs are much more difficult than mine. And they are the heart and soul of your county government.

We have been incredibly busy the past four years building a dynamic and vibrant county, one that embraces new ideas and invests wisely in building a more prosperous future.

Today, our county remains one of the most fiscally stable and prosperous counties in all of Pennsylvania, despite the difficult economic climate gripping most of America. That doesn’t happen by accident. People from across the region and country have chosen to move their families and businesses to Lehigh County. And they’ve chosen to stay.

There’s a reason for that. This is a county with a proud heritage and hearty people who have persevered in tough times and built a quality way of life for themselves and future generations. We have tried to do our part by managing taxpayers’ money well, considering the welfare and safety of all our residents, and focusing on creating a future even brighter than our past. Lehigh County can only grow, prosper and flourish if our residents grow, prosper and flourish. We cannot succeed through philosophies and ideologies but through sound policies and financial management that focuses on our most important asset – the people who live here, whether they are in our cities, our suburban townships or on our rolling farmlands.

Our policies must help keep people safe, protect our quality of life and help to create opportunity for people to help themselves. They must support our families as they grapple with social and economic stresses. That is the role of any government.

Government was created not to rule with impunity but to listen and then act in the best
interests of the majority. We are a union of many.

Etched in the walls of a monument reminding us of one of the most difficult times in our nation’s history, The Great Depression, are these words of Franklin Roosevelt: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” -- and – “In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice…the path of faith, the path of hope, the path of love toward our fellow man.”

Our nation rebounded during that time. And we are on our way to rebounding again.
You may have heard that Microsoft was founded during a Recession. So was Burger King, Hyatt and General Electric.

This goes to show that our economy has a remarkable ability to absorb shocks of all kinds, to recover, and to continue to grow. We will do that in Lehigh County.
With a challenging economy comes setbacks and opportunities and it will be up to us to discern the difference between the two.

But our entrepreneurial tradition will help. So will our heritage of hard work, frugality, ingenuity and a strong sense of community. But we need to be patient and flexible.

As we look ahead there is still much work to be done. But we have planned well and have many resources and partnerships to weather unforeseen challenges. And the foundation of our economic prosperity has been dug deep.

Our region knows about tough economic times…we’ve seen tough economic changes, the closing of Bethlehem Steel, higher unemployment.

As our priorities come into sharper focus, our differences should be blurred. More than ever we need to come together – Democrats, Independents and Republicans. Business leaders and labor leaders. People from our larger cities and smaller towns. Elected officials and citizens concerned about the future.

It’s a time look to the future, not point fingers.

A time to work harder, not fight more.

A time to tighten our belts, not sharpen our attacks.

The good news is … we have had job growth…we have had fiscally conservative leadership … we have implemented innovative plans to make our county better.
But it’s not enough.

Tough times demand tough decisions.

Like many of you I’m very frustrated when it comes to the financial and economic crises our country has experienced. Our economic problems were caused by decisions on Wall St. in New York or K-St in Washington. But many of the solutions have to come from local communities …from local leaders…from us.

I am not discouraged by the challenges we face I’m energized by them.

It is not what happens to you in life that leads to your success or failure it is how you react and respond to it. We know how to tackle a challenge and deal with challenging times. And we will do it again.

Since this is no time for petty politics. I want to put forth an offer from anyone who can hear the sound of my voice or anyone who can read this statement in the newspaper paper or on a computer.

If you have an idea, a vision, or a new solution. We want to hear it.

When it comes to saving tax money and growing our economy. I have an open mind, open ears and an open door.

If you have new ideas send them our way in the next 30 days…before February 4th. Democrat or Republican. Elected leader, community leader, county employee or high school student. Anyone.

When I was sworn in 4 years ago I set out my priorities as fiscal discipline, economic growth and regional cooperation.

We have had great success in those areas. Now is not the time to recount those successes. The voters bringing us back is recognition that we are on the right track but have more work to do.

My top priorities have not changed…, but the times have a bit.

My goals for the next four years are the same as those I laid out from this podium four years ago: Maintain fiscal discipline to insure that we give people the best government at the best price, help provide the tools to grow Lehigh County’s economy so we can have a bright and prosperous future; invest in public safety and maintain our quality of life – and do this while looking for cooperative ways to share services and find regional solutions to improve the overall efficiency of local government.

For the past four years we didn’t raise property taxes, despite rising costs and no revenue growth. And we did this without touching $20 million in cash reserves. I believe keeping taxes low and restraining spending leads to a more vibrant economy; it leads to new jobs; and it leads to better opportunities. That is always our goal; it will be more difficult to meet as we’ve seen no new revenue to the county for more than two years. But, I know that my Administration and our new Board of Commissioners will work hard to deliver quality government at a good price.
Lehigh County has a unique political history. Despite differences of party or ideologies; despite difference from where in the county we hail: the streets of the city or the dirt roads of our farms, we have worked together to find common ground to advance the common good.

My family has lived in this county for five generations. My great-grandfather migrated here to work in the steel mills, which are now tech-centers, commercial parks and casinos. On the ground in which my dad once poured hot metal my sons or daughter my develop software or create new medical technology.

We have seen our county change during that time. Many of our farms have become houses which have welcomed new residents and new businesses. We have reinvented ourselves. Our people have helped to win wars, beat back depressions and recessions and make this county a better place for the next generation.

And, that is our task as we embark on a new term and a new decade. We will build upon the hard work of those who came before us to leave our community, our county a better place for those who will come after us – and we will do it together.

Thank you for joining me here today. I look forward to working with you for the next four years and beyond.