Allentown City Council reelected Roger MacLean Wednesday to serve a second year as the board’s president.
MacLean, the city’s former police chief, has served on council since 2015. He narrowly won the president position with four votes from himself and council members Candida Affa, Ed Zucal and Courtney Robinson.
He beat out Councilman Daryl Hendricks, the board’s former vice president, who received three votes.
MacLean has been at the helm of the board during a critical period in the city’s history. He became acting mayor in March when then-Mayor Ed Pawlowski resigned following his conviction on federal corruption charges. MacLean served in the position for about a month until council picked Ray O’Connell as interim mayor.
MacLean, a Republican turned Democrat, has been outspoken about public safety issues as a member of council, although his positions vary. He sided with Police Chief Tony Alsleben in a request to expand the city’s pool of applicants for promotion to captain, citing his own difficulty in finding the right personnel during his time as chief.
But MacLean also balked at a request in the 2019 budget to create a full-time emergency management coordinator position. He cosponsored an amendment to keep the role part-time.
“My entire career this was handled by the fire department, and now all of a sudden we need this position?” MacLean said at the time. “I put safety of the citizens foremost, but I’m trying to save money and maximize services.”
MacLean initially voted against an omnibus amendment to cut the controversial 2019 budget by rolling back the proposed tax increase. But he ultimately voted for a similar amendment days later, saying he was unhappy with the idea of O’Connell’s spending plan becoming law by default.
MacLean also voted against a budget compromise in 2016, arguing that it increased the overall cost of the city’s budget, and in 2017, he cast one of two votes against the city’s new stormwater fee.
MacLean served on the Allentown Police Department for 40 years, eventually rising to the position of chief in 2006. He held the position until 2013, when he retired from the force and joined Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin’s office as an investigator.
MacLean stood with two other former members of law enforcement on council in May when he voted against a measure to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in the city. He cited Martin’s opposition to the bill before the vote.
MacLean’s seat on council is due for reelection in 2019. He said this week that he remains undecided on whether to seek a second term on the board, but also said he was “leaning towards it.”
Councilman Julio Guridy was elected council vice president on Wednesday. Guridy, an 18-year veteran of the board, beat out prior council vice president Candida Affa for the position by a 4-3 vote.
