Former Lehigh County Commissioner Marc Grammes has announced he intends to do something no other county commissioner has ever done before: return as a Lehigh County commissioner elected to nonconsecutive terms.

Grammes served as an at-large commissioner 2004-08.

He resides in Slatedale, Washington Township, with his wife, Elizabeth, and their four children.

He is seeking to return as the District One commissioner, the seat now held by Commissioner Tom Creighton, who is not seeking re-election.

Grammes did not seek re-election at the end of his term, instead choosing to spend more time with his family.

“As much as I wanted to stay, we decided as a family that it was better to devote more time to each other,” he said. “You only get those moments once.”

Grammes said, as a commissioner, he was known for working across party lines to build consensus among fellow commissioners. He helped find ways to save Lehigh Valley Zoo and is a founding member of Lehigh Valley Zoological Society.

Grammes said he also worked with fellow commissioners to reopen and improve the Trexler Game Preserve to the people of the county, much as Gen. Harry Trexler intended.

“Commissioner Nick Englesson and I got together with Lee Creyer and Dave Arnold of the fish and boat commission, and stream samples were taken on the sections of the Jordan Creek running through the preserve,” Grammes said. “A couple of years later, thanks to the hard work of Lee Creyer and former Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham, the stream is stocked with trout, and there is a special section set aside each year for youth fishing and for veterans and individuals with disabilities.”

Grammes said he is best known for his tireless efforts to restore and rebuild Leaser Lake in Lynn Township.

He mentioned the strong role played and of mentoring he received from fellow Commissioner Jim Kelly and the late Sen. Jim Rhoades.

“One morning Sen. Rhoades and his aide, Champ Holman, drove up to the lake, and Commissioner Jim Kelly and I met with them.

Grammes credited Cunningham with making all the right connections with the state.

“He had one meeting with Gov. Rendell at Yocco’s on Liberty Street in Allentown,” Grammes said. “The topic of the lake came up, and from now on, I always maintain no one should ever underestimate the power of a Yocco’s hot dog!”

Grammes said he is proud to have worked with others in establishing the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation.

He also is proud of his efforts to keep taxes low and look for ways to save county dollars.

According to Lehigh County Controller Glenn Eckhart, “He also helped the county save millions of dollars by advocating and voting for a scaled down courthouse renovation project.”

An engineering consultant with extensive experience in the power generation industry, Grammes said he has the time and experience to devote to the job, the desire to make a difference and would become a positive force in government.