Meet the Candidate: Mike Welsh

Government is trying to be too many things and needs to get back to its essential functions, according to Mike Welsh, GOP candidate for Lehigh County commissioner.

“I believe government should be focused on core services and some things we’re doing aren’t really reflective of that,” said Welsh, one of eight Republicans running for four at-large seats.

For county government, that means concentrating on human services, law enforcement, the courts and prisons, for example, and spending less on the arts, the Lehigh Valley Zoo and other ventures that could be handled by community groups and the private sector, Welsh said.

That’s the approach Commissioner Chairman Dean Browning has taken, Welsh said. Browning has been targeted for defeat by a slate of four fellow Republicans who were unhappy that he didn’t vote to send the 2011 budget back to County Executive Don Cunningham for steep cuts last October and the county wound up with a 16 percent tax hike. GOP commissioner candidates Vic Mazziotti, David Najarian, Scott Ott and Lisa Scheller have said they want to unseat Browning.

“After looking at it, I would have voted the same way [as Browning],” Welsh said. “I thought the budget was pretty fair and it even actually cuts back on things that are not core services.”

Browning voted his conscience and didn’t allow himself to be controlled by party leadership, Welsh said. “Too often in politics you see people voting to please a group of people to stay in office,” Welsh said.

Asked about whether he’d support the creation of a bi-county health department, Welsh said the county doesn’t have the money to start a new agency and its advocates haven’t made the case that it would be cost effective. “I’m not so sure the benefits have been clearly defined well enough,” he said.

The county has to negotiate contracts with four unions this year -- the prison guards, human services workers, Cedarbrook nursing home staff and courthouse employees – and some commissioner candidates have said they favor a pay freeze for a least some period of the contracts. Welsh said since he isn’t part of the process and hasn’t heard the particulars, he couldn’t say specifically whether he’d support a freeze. But, he said, “there needs to be a realization on all sides of the economic reality that we’re working in.”

This is Welsh’s second run for county commissioner; the first time was in 2009 to represent District 5. He was defeated in the general election by Democrat Dan McCarthy. Before that, Welsh challenged state Rep. Jennifer Mann for the 132^nd District that represents parts of Allentown but lost in the 2008 Election. 

Born and raised in Paoli, Welsh came to the Lehigh Valley to attend DeSales University where he majored in business management, graduating in 1985. He met his wife, Nancy, there and settled in Allentown. They have three children.

Welsh has worked in the insurance field for 23 years and is currently an independent insurance agent in South Whitehall Township. He said his business background would help inform his decisions in county government. “A big part of managing your own business is managing costs, there are always challenges,” he said.

Return to Meet the GOP Candidates

Here are the candidate profiles:

Dean Browning

Norma Cusick

Vic Mazziotti

David C. Najarian

Brad Osborne

Scott Ott

Lisa Scheller

Mike Welsh