MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA (KYW Newsradio) — Montgomery County’s new commissioners will be sworn in next month, but two outgoing commissioners said their final farewells this week at the board’s last meeting of the year.
Board Chair Democrat Ken Lawrence didn’t seek reelection and Republican Joe Gale lost in the primary.
Lawrence was on the board for seven years. He said Montgomery County is where he’s from, and that it made him the man that he is today.
“It's been an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to get back to the place that has given me so much.”
Vice Chair Jamilla Winder thanked Lawrence, saying not only has he done great work on affordable housing, awareness of homelessness, and making sure county employees made a fair wage, but he was the first African American on Montgomery County’s Board of Commissioners.
“Oftentimes, I never see anyone that looks like me in positions of power that are making decisions that affect everyday residents,” she said. “And so when you made history in 2017, I had no idea that you would be paving the way for little me.”
“...I'm glad that I'm proud to call you a friend.”
Gale thanked not only his supporters but his detractors.
“People that challenged me and ran against me that worked tirelessly to stop it and try to defeat me — they made me a better person,” he said.
“All the negativity that I had to deal with, I actually don't look at it as a negative. In fact, I think it might sound crazy, but I thank those that have worked against me over the years.”
Winder will stay on the board and be joined by Democrat Neil Makija and Republican Tom DiBello.