Kerry Myers makes history as first African-American Northampton County Council President

EASTON, Pa. – Kerry Myers is taking over as president of Northampton County Council, making him the first African American to hold that leadership post.

Myers, a Democrat, was elected Tuesday at council’s first meeting of 2023. He made more news after council’s brief meeting, announcing that he will seek re-election to represent District 1, which covers the Easton area.

Rounding out council leadership is Ron Heckman, who took Myers’ previous spot as vice president. Former council President Lori Vargo Heffner did not seek re-election. Council voted to keep Chris Spadoni as its solicitor.

Myers approaches his new role with an open mind.

“I’m going to let council do their thing,” he said. “I’m here to lead but they are all individuals capable of making up their own minds. I will listen and learn and hopefully guide us in the right direction.”

Myers is a graduate of Easton Area High School and a U.S. Navy veteran. He said he’s come a long way from being “a kid in Southside Easton who didn’t go to college.”

“This is a proud day for myself and my family, and I can’t imagine what my parents would be thinking right now, seeing what their son has accomplished,” he said Tuesday.

Myers served in the Navy’s Presidential Honor Guard in Washington, D.C., participating in events at the White House, Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery. He spent a career in corporate sales in the food industry, and later worked at Lafayette College.

Democrats hold a 5-4 edge over Republicans on the nine-member council, but Myers said he will look beyond the Ds and Rs behind people’s names.

“My goal is to serve the people and go from there,” he said after Tuesday’s meeting. “We need to be civil. We need to do the job that people put us into office to do.”

County government controls the court system, Northampton County Prison, Gracedale nursing home, human services and a park system.

County Executive Lamont McClure’s administration runs the government and its 2,000-some employees, while council controls spending and provides oversight. Myers said he is ready to work with McClure.

“I have an olive branch,” Myers said, referring to the symbol of peace. “Whatever we need to do to get things done, we will do. We (council) are a separate entity. We will try to work with him. That’s the nature of having separate branches of government.”

At the same time, Myers conceded, “You can’t keep everybody happy. There is too much division in this country and we cannot allow it to happen here in Northampton County. We can’t allow what happens above us to occur here,” he said, referring to the federal government.

“We’re going to work together and we’re all going to be friends at the end of the meetings,” he said.

Myers has been coaching youth sports since he was a teenager, and he is president of the Alumni Varsity E Club, which supports Easton sports.

He also served on the Easton Area School Board, and while county government and its half-billion-dollar budgets present a challenge, he said school directors may have an even tougher job.

“The school board can be brutal because you’re dealing with people’s children,” he said. “That’s their priority, and the parents come at you with no filter.”

Myers represents District 1, which includes the City of Easton, Forks Township, Glendon, Palmer Township, Stockertown, Tatamy, West Easton and Wilson. He will run for re-election to a second four-year term. So far, no other candidates have entered the race.

Vice President Heckman is a former council president and former head of the county’s Human Services Department. He is an at-large member of council, meaning he is elected by the entire county.

The duties of council president are limited. According to the Home Rule Charter, Northampton County’s version of the Constitution: “The President shall preside at all meetings of the County Council at which he is present. In the event of the absence or incapacity of the President, the Vice President shall perform the functions of the President.”

And as McClure said Tuesday, “That’s it. That’s it.”

The final vote for Myers was 5-3-1, with Kevin Lott, Vargo Heffner, Tara Zrinski, Ron Heckman and Myers, all Democrats, in favor. Republicans Thomas Goffredo, Thomas Giovanni and John Brown voted for fellow Republican John Cusick, who abstained.

In favor of Heckman for vice president were Myers, Vargo Heffner, Cusick, Goffredo, Giovanni and Heckman himself. Zrinski received two votes and Brown voted for Cusick.

The vote to reappoint Solicitor Spadoni was easy, a unanimous 9-0.

Council’s next meeting will be Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the government center in Easton.

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