Hey All!

Thank you so much for visiting my page. I want to thank all of my friends and family for their support and encouragement, especially my  wonderful significant other (and better half), Clarisse Calizo, who has helped me every step of the way. I hope to give you a little information about my background and let you know why I am running for Lehigh County Commissioner.

To begin, I was raised in the Lehigh Valley, starting with Miller Heights Elementary School and then going on to graduate from Freedom High School in 2009. While in high school, I organized the first Young Democrats club and worked with the Obama Campaign in 2008.

I went on to Penn State for college and studied Political Science. While there, I participated heavily in student government. My focus was on facilities, the infrastructure and transportation around University Park. After college, I went on to attend the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. While there, I had the opportunity to work with the Penn State Law Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. It was through this work that I found my passion for Immigration Law.

After graduating law school in 2016, I took some time off to work with For Our Future, which focuses on environmental and labor issues. Part of my job was canvassing in Upper Bucks County, where I did rural voter outreach mostly. Once I passed the PA Bar Exam, I began work as an Immigration Attorney. I now work in Allentown, where I help people from across the world get status in the United States; this rewarding job also gives me the privilege of learning from people around the world about their lives, home countries, and experiences along their immigration journey. My work means I am constantly fighting for the rights of my clients in both state and federal courts. I will bring the same zealous advocacy to my work as a Lehigh County Commissioner.

 

When I am not working, I am volunteering with the organization Lehigh Valley For All. Our group has nearly one hundred members and thousands of supporters across the Lehigh Valley. Our group has organized rallies to support women’s rights, environmental concerns, school safety, and immigrants’ rights. We have also helped elect and support progressive candidates across the Lehigh Valley and I am so proud of our amazing group of volunteers.

Why I am running

I am running for Lehigh County Commissioner because I see a need in our county for a government that is focused on people first. We need to ensure that our community members, regardless of race, income, sex, gender, and background have a government that works for them. We must protect our most vulnerable in our community and ensure that when someone falls on hard times, they have the platform on which to lift themselves up. We need to ensure that our local government is not beholden to the wealthy and powerful, but answers to the working people that call Lehigh County home. I am running because we need to ensure that the laws apply equally, and that our neighbors, friends, and community members feel that their rights are preserved and their voices are heard. As an attorney, I have stood up to the injustices of the system and zealously advocated for the clients I work for. Let me work for you, the people of Lehigh County. I hope you will join me as I work towards a government focused on Community, Transparency, and Justice.

Sincerely,

Dave Harrington