Former Lehigh County Commissioner Daniel McCarthy has been named county director of administration for Executive Thomas Muller.

Commissioners at their Feb. 26 meeting voted 5-4 to approve McCarthy's appointment. Voting in opposition were Commissioners Vic Mazziotti, Scott Ott, Lisa Scheller and Michael Schware.

The appointment came after two months of questions and reservations regarding whether Mc-Carthy was the proper fit for the position.

Those voting against the appointment cited an increase in pension for McCarthy. He will be entitled to a pension of $28,000 per year, along with $1,900 annually as a commissioner and $8,500 per year as director of administration.

McCarthy's annual salary as director of administration will be $94,744.

Ott said he was opposed to the appointment pointing to political cronyism and McCarthy's $6,500 donation to Muller's campaign last year.

"The common term is cronyism," Ott said. "That he was a major contributor, if not the major contributor in the last cycle for executive."

Muller specifically pointed to Scheller's husband, Wayne Woodman, who donated more to Ott's campaign, as well as to Mazziotti's and Schware's campaigns in the past.

"To bring up his $6,500 campaign is almost nonsense given how your campaign was funded," Muller said.

Mazziotti said he would have voted for McCarthy had he answered some of Mazziotti's questions regarding McCarthy cashing out money from his current 12 years worth of county pension in order to begin anew.

Schware said his vote in opposition was attributed to McCarthy's failure to promise in writing he would not insert his 12 years of service as commissioner into the pension later.

"You've given me no choice but to vote no," Schware said.

McCarthy most recently served 12 years as a commissioner.

In other business, commissioners expanded the Lehigh County Authority Board of Directors to nine members. Two of the nine members represent Allentown.