Don Cunningham is County Executive of Lehigh County, located in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania’s fastest-growing region, 3rd-largest metropolitan area and one of only four counties that elects a County Executive in Pennsylvania.
Since taking office in 2006, Cunningham has worked provide high quality government services to the residents of Lehigh County at the lowest possible price. Through sound fiscal management and focusing on keeping a tight lid on spending, the Cunningham Administration has created a five-year operating plan with no property tax increases.
Cunningham’s stewardship has produced an upgraded Moody’s bond rating of double A-2 for Lehigh County.
As Lehigh County Executive, Cunningham has focused on fixing infrastructure, public safety, and improving quality of life. He’s invested $10 million in a comprehensive plan to repair closed, damaged and unsafe bridges throughout Lehigh County.
Cunningham has advanced public safety through a regional centralized booking process, a first-in-Pennsylvania county-wide police communication system, and an upgraded 911 center with innovative reverse-911 and GPS technology.
Breaking new ground in community development, a new-AAA baseball stadium opened its doors under the Cunningham Administration. Owned by Lehigh County, Coca Cola Park is home to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, and continues to create regional pride in the Lehigh Valley.
Cunningham has focused on regional cooperation and smart growth. He created the Lehigh Valley’s first “Congress of Governments,” to allow shared services and cooperation across regional boundaries.
Under Cunningham, Lehigh County has become a leader in farmland and open space preservation. Now ranking third in the state in farmland preservation, Lehigh County continues to help farmers to be successful.
Also, the Cunningham Administration has worked closely with the Trexler Trust to plan and develop a system of trails to open the 1,100-acre Trexler Nature Preserve to passive recreation such as hiking and biking for the first time in its 70-year history.
Cunningham has also been a leader in the development of the Lehigh Valley Autism Resource Community Hub and a “safe house” which provides safe waiting area to comfort children who have been removed from their homes and are waiting for foster care placement.
Cunningham served in government as an elected or appointed official over the past thirteen years. He has served as a mayor, a city councilman, a state cabinet secretary and the president of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities.
Don is best known as the former mayor of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he led the economic renaissance of Bethlehem from a city that lost nearly 25 percent of its tax base with the closing of Bethlehem Steel Corp. to the city today with two flourishing downtown retail districts and $2 billion in new investment.
Don Cunningham lives in West Bethlehem and is a product of the Pennsylvania Public School System. His children all attend the same public school system that Don grew up in, and Don still lives in the same West Bethlehem neighborhood in Lehigh County where the Cunningham family has lived for five generations.