Northampton County residents will elect a new leader next month.
Executive Lamont G. McClure, a Democrat who is ending eight years in the post, chose not to seek a third term. He announced this year his intent to run in 2026 for the Lehigh Valley congressional seat held by Republican Ryan Mackenzie.
Voters will choose between Bethlehem Democrat Tara Zrinski, 50, who served six years on County Council before being elected county controller in 2023, and Wind Gap Republican Tom Giovanni, 72, who was first elected to council in 2019 to serve portions of the Slate Belt. He was reelected four years later.
The candidates have roots in the county, growing up and attending schools locally. Both have also held private sector jobs.
Zrinski has worked in education as a teacher and a solar-energy consultant. Giovanni owned an information technology company for more than 25 years and has chaired the Nazareth Mutual Insurance Co. board of directors, among other roles.
The executive’s duties include managing the county’s annual budget and a large workforce, and overseeing operations that include elections, the jail and Gracedale nursing home.
The next county executive will earn $105,000 annually, a 23.5% pay hike approved by council. They will be limited to two consecutive four-year terms for the first time, thanks to a 2023 voter referendum.
The election is Nov. 4. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 20.
Each candidate responded via email to five questions submitted by The Morning Call on several topics, including the Gracedale nursing home, elections and local development.
What follows are Zrinski’s and Giovanni’s responses, edited for clarity. They are in the order the candidates appear on the ballot.
Q: What would be the first thing you do after being sworn in as county executive, if you win?
Zrinski: On Nov. 5, I will begin by issuing executive directives that immediately increase transparency and streamline communication across all departments, ensuring the public has real-time access to county decisions and data. Within my first week, I will convene emergency roundtables with community leaders, workforce advocates, housing experts and environmental organizations to set bold, measurable goals on jobs, public health and sustainability.
I will present my Cabinet appointments within two weeks so we can move without delay in implementing modern, results-driven governance. My administration will waste no time proving that Northampton County is ready for accountable, innovative and people-first leadership.
Giovanni: I believe our community deserves leadership that is fiscally responsible and focused on real results. Our current administration is cutting services or furloughing employees when challenges arise. That’s not leadership; that’s managing decline. Northampton County needs a leader who puts seniors and working families first.
As a small-business owner and current member of the Northampton County Council, I know what it takes to balance a budget, prioritize essential services, and find innovative ways to reduce costs. Instead of raising taxes or forcing workers out of their jobs, I will demand accountability in every department, eliminate waste, and direct resources where they’re needed.
On Day 1, I will take my experience as a small-business owner and county councilman to the position of Northampton County executive. I will direct every department head to prepare options improving efficiency, eliminating costs and better serving the taxpayers of Northampton County. This is what the taxpayers of our community deserve.
Q: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been critical of the county’s policy of not allowing federal agents to enter Northampton County Courthouse and Jail to make an arrest without a legal warrant or a judge’s order, which the county has said is to protect due process rights. Would you maintain this policy? Why or why not?
Zrinski: I will champion Northampton County as a leader in safeguarding residents’ constitutional rights by strengthening policies that require all law enforcement actions on county property to be conducted strictly under judicial oversight — no exceptions. I will push for groundbreaking transparency measures that hold both local and federal authorities fully accountable, ensuring every arrest respects due process and community trust.
My administration will prioritize respectful, lawful policing practices that build trust and uphold the highest standards of justice for every member of the Northampton County community. This means convening with the sheriff, county solicitor and key law enforcement leaders to direct compliance with this legal standard, to initiate procedural updates, and to prepare and publicly release a clear, comprehensive statement or policy document outlining these rules for arrests and federal cooperation.
Giovanni: The safety of our citizens must come first. While due process is essential, the suspects in these cases have already been convicted of crimes. There is no good reason for the county to set up roadblocks to the arrest and deportation of criminal illegal immigrants who are detained in our prison.
Unfortunately, Northampton County’s policy does just that — restricting ICE agents from entering the prison and doing their job. This policy signals that our county is more interested in shielding individuals who have broken the law than in working with our federal partners to keep our neighborhoods safe. This creates an unsafe environment for Northampton County residents.
As county executive, I would work to reverse this policy and reestablish cooperation with ICE for the purposes of detaining criminal illegal aliens. When dangerous and violent individuals who are in our country illegally are in custody, local governments should not create barriers that risk putting them back on the streets.
Q: Northampton County has had several problems with elections since 2019, most recently with excessively long voting lines in November in south Bethlehem. What would you do as executive to ensure elections run smoothly?
Zrinski: On Day 1, I will launch a comprehensive election overhaul to restore voter confidence and end the chaos that plagued our county’s recent elections. I will immediately mandate rigorous, publicly transparent preelection testing for every voting machine, with independent observers to guarantee accuracy.
My administration will deploy additional early voting centers strategically in high-demand areas like Bethlehem and the Slate Belt, while aggressively recruiting and training a diverse, highly skilled poll workforce. We will implement robust contingency plans with ample emergency paper ballots stocked at every polling place.
Under my leadership, I will fight to have every vote in Northampton County count, and if that means additional staff to program machines within the county (instead of outsourcing), test machines and cure ballots, we will act so that every voter will experience fair and free elections. I am committed to restoring voter trust and confidence with a clear timeline for action and complete transparency.
Giovanni: Unfortunately, Northampton County has faced repeated failures in our elections since 2019, from ballot misprints to machine malfunctions and, most recently, unacceptable wait times at some voting locations. These failures undermine confidence in our democratic system and discourage voter participation. Voters deserve leadership and accountability from local elected officials.
I will work with our elections office to make sure election integrity and efficiency is a top priority. First, I will hold our elections office accountable by demanding thorough testing of machines and procedures well before Election Day. No voter should ever serve as a “test case” for whether our system works.
Second, I will increase staffing and training at polling places, particularly in high-turnout areas, to prevent long lines and ensure ballots are processed quickly and accurately. Third, I will insist on stronger transparency by publishing clear postelection audits and communicating clearly with voters.
Q: Gracedale has been in the news for its finances, and — like many health care institutions — it has struggled with staffing since the pandemic. Should Gracedale remain in county hands? If so, what changes if any do you believe need to be made?
Zrinski: On the first day in office, I will reaffirm Northampton County’s commitment to keeping Gracedale Nursing Home county-owned and prioritize a comprehensive plan to enhance staff compensation, strengthen union partnerships, and reduce reliance on agency nurses to improve continuity and quality of care. My administration will initiate facility upgrades aimed at increasing private living spaces for residents to enhance dignity, quality and comfort.
Additionally, I will expand the Friends of Gracedale nonprofit organization from a volunteer-based board to having paid, accountable staff members whose priority will be fundraising. These skilled fundraising professionals, capable of securing external funds and developing community partnerships to support ongoing improvements and innovative services, will eliminate the need for county contributions to balance Gracedale’s budget.
I have a personal connection to Gracedale; my mother was a resident. I pledge my commitment to ensuring high-quality, compassionate care for every senior and their family. I want all Northampton residents to trust and be proud of Gracedale.
Giovanni: Gracedale is one of Northampton County’s most important institutions and fills a critical need for our most vulnerable seniors. Under my administration, Gracedale will remain in Northampton County hands, but it cannot continue to be mismanaged the way it has been in recent years. The poor leadership is not fair to our seniors or the employees that work there.
Everybody at Gracedale deserves support, dignity and accountability from leaders. Unfortunately, what we have gotten is rising costs, poor planning and ongoing staffing shortages that put an unfair strain on both workers and residents. This is also hurting other departments in Human Services by drawing away funds.
I will make fixing Gracedale a top priority. We must get serious about recruitment and retention. That means offering competitive wages, creating a positive work culture and cutting through bureaucratic delays that make hiring unnecessarily difficult. Then demand efficiency and accountability from management. Every tax dollar spent at Gracedale must go toward resident care and operational improvement, not waste or administrative bloat.
Finally, we must invest in innovation, whether that’s through partnerships with local nursing schools or technology to improve patient care. My family, including aunts, uncles and my mother, were residents of Gracedale.
Writing off Gracedale is not the answer. Many families and seniors rely on it, and deserve the best care we can provide. But keeping it in county hands comes with a responsibility to manage it well. I will bring a business-minded, results-driven approach that puts residents and employees first while protecting taxpayers.
Q: What do you believe the county’s role should be when it comes to using taxpayer funds to support private development and/or land preservation?
Zrinski: I believe the county’s role should be to create a vision for land development and preservation that is supported by people in the community. The county must be the intermediary between developers and the communities’ desires to shape the region, promoting a balanced approach to smart development. I would uphold Northampton County’s commitment to responsible stewardship of taxpayer funds by advancing a balanced, strategic approach to land preservation and smart growth.
Building on established partnerships with the conservation districts, Wildlands Conservancy, and farmland preservation boards, my administration will prioritize transparent decision-making with robust public comment hearings to ensure community and stakeholder buy-in, particularly where housing and warehouse developments impact environmental resources.
I will advocate for strong environmental stewardship standards and cautious use of Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance incentives to support only development that aligns with countywide conservation goals. I will establish policies that incentivize arts, culture and tourism throughout the county, designed to harness our region’s natural beauty and cultural heritage as sustainable assets to stimulate hotel tax revenue and reinvest in preservation and economic development initiatives.
These efforts will be coordinated closely with the County Council and relevant departments to ensure aligned, efficient implementation that addresses both current needs and future generations’ well-being. Northampton County will lead the region by proving that economic growth and environmental protection can, and must, go hand in hand — with urgency and bold vision from day one.
Giovanni: The role of county government officials is understanding that the money they spend is not their own; it is money from hard-working citizens in Northampton County. When it comes to private development, I do not believe the government should be in the business of picking winners and losers. Our focus should be on creating a fair playing field.
We need to keep taxes as low as possible, reduce red tape and invest in infrastructure that supports all businesses equally. By doing that, we promote growth in our local economy, which creates a better environment for Northampton County residences.
On land preservation, I believe the county does have a role but it should be limited. Northampton County’s farmland, open space, and natural resources should be protected for our residents. However, preservation efforts must be transparent, cost-effective and done in partnership with landowners, not by overreaching government mandates. We must ensure that preservation doesn’t come at the expense of taxpayers or economic growth. We have to have a balance between farm preservation, open space and economic growth.
I will make sure taxpayer money goes toward investments that benefit residents, public safety, infrastructure and a healthy environment. The government should serve the people; that will be my guiding principle in every decision.
Contact Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone at asalamone@mcall.com.
