Lehigh County Commissioner Dr. Percy H. Dougherty will be seeking another term to represent District 2 on the nine person board. The district covers Lower Macungie, Upper Macungie, Alburtis and South Whitehall.

Dougherty, 69, is a resident of Shepherd Hills and a retired Kutztown University professor. He has a Ph.D. in physical geography and geology from Boston University with a specialization in water resources and limestone landforms. He taught courses in environmental studies, planning, landforms, aerial photography, field techniques and Latin America.

"My educational background and experience as a professor are an asset in addressing problems on the county level such as smart growth, planning, zoning, flooding, sinkholes, mapping and disaster preparedness. The mapping systems I convinced the county to institute allowed us to do most of the recent reassessment inhouse and save the taxpayers nearly $5 million," Dougherty said.

Dougherty is active in the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania of which he is a past president. He is a member of the energy, environment and land use committee at both the state and national levels and represents county commissioners on the Pennsylvania State Geologic Survey.

He was also appointed by the past governor to serve on the Pennsylvania local government affairs committee.

Dougherty is active in community organizations and is past chair of the Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission and the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. In addition he is past chair of the Shepherd Hills Homeowners Association, and currently serves on the boards of the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown Symphony, Wildlands Conservancy, Pennsylvania Sinfonia and the Lehigh County Senior Citizens Center.

One area he has addressed over the years is responsible spending and keeping taxes in check.

"I have never voted for a tax increase and I have been a leader in looking for ways to make the county more efficient," Dougherty said. "In the 2013 budget , I helped broker a compromise that resulted in a tax reduction for our citizens and a $500,000 cut in county spending."

Although a fiscal conservative, Dougherty believes cuts cannot be made that impact the quality of life that we enjoy in Lehigh County.

"Special needs in human services, especially for the aged and children, must be strengthened through cooperation with the state. Support for parks, recreation, open space and farmland preservation are also important to the quality of life of our citizens. A good quality of life is also necessary to attract new businesses and jobs. Increasing the economic base of the county through economic development is the key to increasing county revenue so taxes can remain stable."

Dougherty has been a firm supporter of economic development and was the sponsor of legislation enabling the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, as well as legislation for the Keystone Opportunity Zone that resulted in construction of the PPL Building, Butz Building, Promenade Shoppes and the headquarters of Olympus.

While supporting economic development, he is a firm believer in protecting the environment.

"Smart growth and economic development are not inconsistent. Good planning, infilling of developed areas and redevelopment of the urban core makes economic sense, while protecting open space and farmland for the future. Urban sprawl results in more traffic, more flooding, more schools and higher taxes," Dougherty said. "The people of District 2 deserve a candidate who has the knowledge of county government, leadership skills, educational background and life experience to serve them well. As a retired professor, I have the time to spend on the time consuming position which a person in a full-time job does not. Based on my record of proven results, I am the candidate who can best serve the residents of District 2."