Lehigh County Board of Commissioners interviewed Republican candidates Nov. 24 to replace Nathan Brown, of the fifth district, who resigned. The governance committee, chaired by Commissioner Geoff Brace, conducted the interviews.

The candidates interviewed were Nathan Mercer, Diana Englis, Joe Vichot and Jeffrey Dutt.

Mercer said he wants a “chance to serve the community,” to see “that people have a voice” and expressed support for farmland preservation.

“I have a growing interest in politics and feel this would be a good opportunity to serve my neighbors in Lehigh County,” his resume stated. “I believe I can make unbiased decisions to help improve the quality and prosperity of the citizens in Lehigh County. I have lived in Lehigh County for over 10 years and worked in and around Lehigh County for over 15 years. I work well with other people regardless of political affiliation. After all, it is not just about the political party in Lehigh County. It is the citizens we choose to serve.”

Mercer is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree at DeSales University.

Englis said she sees serving on the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners as “an opportunity to take her desire for community service to a higher level.”

She described herself as a moderate Republican. She said she learned from her father, former Bethlehem mayor, that “working across the party line leads to progress.”

Englis said she opposes tax increases because increases will add to the COVID-19 burden. She said she would support responsible residential and commercial development.

“I am a lifelong Lehigh Valley resident, growing up in Bethlehem and attending Lehigh University,” her resume said. “After graduating from Lehigh University with a [Bachelor of Science] in chemical engineering, I began working at Fuller Company (which became FLSmidth in 2001).”

Englis said she has “been very involved in the community through volunteering at St. Luke’s [University] Health Network, Southern Lehigh School District, the Saucon Rail-Trail Advisory Commission and serving on the board of directors at the Southern Lehigh Public Library since 2016.”

Vichot, a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, he said he is a member of the Lehigh County Republican Committee and “is able to work well with everybody.”

He said taxation is an important issue for him, as is “limited government.”

“Balancing the budget is the job we need to do,” Vichot said.

He also expressed concern with the “integrity of the election system.”

Vichot said he could “bring fresh insight” to the job of commissioner. He assured the commissioners his international travel schedule could be managed to ensure he would have the time necessary to devote to the job of commissioner.

Vichot has a Bachelor of Arts in industrial engineering and a master’s degree in management from the University of Tennessee.

Dutt said he would like to see Lehigh County school districts come together to “enhance curriculum to improve the Lehigh County work force.”

According to his resume, “In 2015, I was elected to the board of commissioners in Whitehall Township. During my time on the board, I was the only Republican but effectively and cooperatively worked with my colleagues to pass three no-tax-increase budgets, legislation to start a senior center in Whitehall and secured a grant to begin the process of preserving historic Hokendauqua. I also sat on many committees during my tenure as commissioner. I was the secretary of the Whitehall veterans memorial committee, a member of the MacArthur 75th (anniversary) committee, a member of the fall festival committee and eventually president of Whitehall Active Community Center.”

He is currently a social studies teacher at Louis E. Dieruff High School, Allentown. Dutt has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Mansfield University and a master’s degree in special education from Lehigh University. He is a former adjunct professor at Lehigh Carbon Community College and DeSales University.

“I will bring a dedication to representing my constituency and a long history of hard work to the position,” Dutt said.

The governance committee voted to forward all names, without recommendation, to the board of commissioners to consider.