McClure Sez No to Third Term as NorCo Exec

Earlier this month, I told you that rumors were spreading through NorCo's courthouse that Executive Lamont McClure had decided against seeking a third term. This is in spite of a $166,000 warchest heading into an election year. This is in spite of telling radio host Brad Osborne in December that he would seek re-election. It turns out that the rumors were correct. Yesterday he told WFMZ-TV69 that he will be riding off into the sunset. He later told me as well. The WFMZ-TV69 story reports that McClure's decision was "unexpected." It was actually the worst kept secret in the courthouse.  

He would likely have no primary opponent, so he could continue raising money for the general election. So why bow out?  In 2023, Northampton County voters, and by a 82.8% margin, approved a change to the Home Rule Charter limiting the Executive to two consecutive terms. Legally, that has no application to McClure because it applies prospectively. But I know that this plebiscite has had an impact on his thinking. He worries that seeking a third term might defy the express will of the voters. Plus, quite frankly, it's a grueling and thankless job. The longer you are in, the fewer friends you have. No NorCo Exec has lasted three terms. 

There were some corollary rumors. State Senator Lisa Boscola seriously considered the county's top spot and made numerous calls about what would be expected. Once she learned that it would be difficult for her to be poolside at the country club by noon in the summer, her desire to leave a comfortable job vanished. 

Democrats have reportedly talked Controller Tara Zrinski into running even though she's only served one year in that position. Though this is very much against her own will, she will still be defined by Republicans as a job hopper who runs for every seat that becomes available. I hope that the Democrats who persuaded her to run are willing to support her with some serious campaign money. 

And yes, there will be a Republican candidate. I've been tolf to expect an announcement very soon, possibly as early as today. 

So what will McClure do?  He told me he might return to the practice of law or "explore other options to consider serving the public."

That would certainly include a run for Congress to challenge recently elected Ryan Mackenzie in next year's midterms. 

Susan Wild, who was defeated by Mackenzie, fell off the planet after that race, especially after it was reported that she had leaked an investigative report into another Congress member. But she's back. On Martin Luther King Day, she was at Shiloh Baptist Church in Easton, shaking hands everywhere she went.

Except for McClure. She snubbed him.