On Nov. 21, just days before Thanksgiving, Lehigh County Board of Commissioners lauded District Attorney Jim Martin’s legacy. He prepares to retire in the next few weeks, after serving the residents of the county since January 1998.

A former president of the Bar Association of Lehigh County, Martin has been elected to six four-year terms to serve as district attorney.

Commissioners approved a motion to rename the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center the James B. Martin Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center.

Commissioner Antonio Pineda reflected on Martin’s legacy, saying, “I don’t know if there’s anyone [who] has done more to promote and make our community as safe as it is and a great place to live, with the safety that we have with District Attorney Martin. This is a very small way of saying thank you to the service he has given to our county.

“All the programs he has brought have done so much to make Lehigh County a great place to live,” he continued.

Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt added, “Whether you agree with him or disagree with him, he has done a lot for this county, including this RIIC, and I think it’s aptly named for something that he brought to the county, as Commissioner Pineda said, to make us safer, to help with our investigations that we need to do within Lehigh County.”

County Director of General Services Rick Molchany also addressed Martin’s work for the county: “We don’t name things often. His efforts in starting the RIIC are significant. He also fundraised extensively to lift this project forward, obtaining an excess of $5.2 million, and continues to receive grants from Homeland Security to help us on the all-important issues of gang violence and drug trafficking and now even human trafficking.

“His efforts were always in the best interests of improving public safety for the citizens and businesses that call Lehigh County home,” Molchany said of Martin, who worked with Molchany for 10 years.

In other business, bill 2023-54, establishing countywide nondiscrimination requirements for employment, housing, education, health care and public accommodations, creating a human relations commission and providing for investigation and enforcement of claims of discrimination, was deferred at sponsor Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi’s request to the Dec. 6 meeting.

According to Cole-Borghi, there have been discussions at the committee level on how the Sunshine Act could come into play, with possible amendments. This delay would allow for further consideration.

The Sunshine Act requires agencies to hold public meetings with proper advertising, allowing the public to attend before an official action is taken.