Amy Zanelli to Run for West Bethlehem/Fountain Hill Magistrate  

Fountain Hill – Amy Zanelli, the 2020 Lehigh County Commission Chair, has announced that she will run for District 31-1-06 Magistrate in the Pennsylvania Primary Election on May 18, 2021 to fill the seat of late Magistrate Wayne Maura. The magisterial district represents Fountain Hill and West Bethlehem.

In 2017, Zanelli was elected to the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners to represent District 3, a diverse section of the county encompassing South and East Allentown, Hanover Township, West Bethlehem, and Fountain Hill.  As the first openly gay  county commissioner, she focused on passage of important issues such as pay equity and non-discrimination policies and the renovation and sustainability of Cedarbrook Nursing Home.

Elected Chair during her third year, Amy gaveled down a tumultuous 2020 with not a single job or service lost, nor tax dollar raised.  Under her leadership, Lehigh County doubled its dollars invested in preserving farmland, ensuring cleaner air, cleaner water, and an improved quality of life for our future generations.  In addition, she helped to direct grant funding to seed progressive solutions to issues like homelessness and repeat criminal offenders.  With the funding of two new substance abuse recovery centers, by the end of her third year in office Zanelli fulfilled every campaign promise she made to the community.

Zanelli’s career, volunteer work, and personal achievements have always had a common thread of justice, fairness and a commitment to doing what’s right.  Whether it’s recognizing the plights of vulnerable children or seniors, understanding the often complex rules, regulations and procedures of governments and organizations, or making transparent the available options to solve a problem, Amy Zanelli is fair and just in both her actions and decision making.

Zanelli’s dedication to fairness and equality will be present in her court because she recognizes the challenges in the diverse district she will oversee. She will bring organization, efficiency and accessibility with:

• A bi-lingual staff will ensure that language is no barrier to a fair trial.
• A full-time court will be accessible to people of all working backgrounds.
• Case backlogs will be addressed and resolved.

Zanelli is dedicated to finding fair and just solutions and resolutions to help build a better, stronger community for all West Bethlehem and Fountain Hill residents.  A committee of attorneys was formed to support Zanelli in her run for magistrate. Committee members include Jim Fiorentino, former public defender; Lehigh County Commissioner and immigration attorney David Harrington; George Kounoupis and Nancy Hahalis, prominent employment lawyers; and Zac Cohen, attorney and candidate for Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas.

The announcement of Zanelli’s candidacy comes with a long list of endorsements  including Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez; Pennsylvania State Representatives Michael Schlossberg, Peter Schweyer and Jeanne McNeill; Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong- along with numerous members of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners, Bethlehem City Council, and Fountain Hill Boro Council.

Zanelli and her family moved from West Bethlehem to Fountain Hill in 2019.

 
www.AmyZanelli.com
https://www.facebook.com/AmyZanelli4Judge
 
Information provided to TVL by:
Carolynn Fedor

 

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