After seven rounds of voting, the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners appointed former Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong Sr. to fill the at-large commissioner vacancy created by the resignation of Jon Irons.

With seven commissioners present and Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi absent because of a death in the family, board rules required a majority vote of commissioners in office to make the appointment. Roll-call votes continued until one of the 10 candidates received five votes.

Early voting showed a clear divide between support for Sean Ziller, of North Whitehall Township, and Armstrong, of Whitehall Township. In the third round, Commissioner Sheila Alvarado changed her vote from Juan Vargas, of South Whitehall Township, to Ziller, resulting in a 3-3 split between Ziller and Armstrong, with Commissioner Keith Miller voting for himself.

Before and during the voting process, several residents commented on the appointment.

Michael O’Hare cited Cole-Borghi’s frequent remote participation in meetings and said the board should prioritize selecting a commissioner committed to attending meetings in person.

Another resident referenced negative comments about Armstrong circulating on social media and said many community members preferred a candidate such as Ziller, whom she described as bringing fresh ideas and a stronger emphasis on technological innovation.

By the sixth round of voting, Alvarado switched her support from Ziller to Armstrong. In the seventh and final round, Chair Geoff Brace also changed his vote to Armstrong, giving Armstrong the five votes needed for appointment.

In addition to Alvarado and Brace, Armstrong received support from Commissioners Ron Beitler, Dan Hartzell and Antonio Pineda.

In other business, commissioners unanimously approved revisions to the county’s Act 101 solid waste management plan and adopted the 2027-31 Lehigh County capital plan.

Commissioners also reappointed Anthony Branco and Joyce K. Moore to the Lehigh County Human Relations Commission. Their terms expire July 31, 2029.

Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the county executive to implement changes to the county’s 2027 and 2028 employee healthcare plans.

Citing rising healthcare costs, Brace said it became “clear that we had to find a balancing act for premiums, co-pays and what we are asking taxpayers to shoulder for the costs of employee benefits. The proposal brings that into what I think is a pretty close alignment to reasonable shared burdens.”

The board of commissioners is next scheduled to meet 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26.