ALLENTOWN — The Lehigh County Board of Elections will meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday to confirm Michael Paston, a seasoned county government veteran, as Chief Clerk.

The meeting will be held in the Public Hearing Room of the Lehigh County Government Center, 17 South 7th Street, Allentown.

Paston, of Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County, will succeed longtime elections clerk Timothy Benyo, who resigned in March.

His start date is May 4, ahead of the May 19 Primary Election.

Because Lehigh is a swing county in a swing state, its elections often attract national and international scrutiny. County Executive Josh Siegel said Paston, selected after weeks of interviews with a field of candidates, stood out because of his professional background and experience in county government, including a stint in the elections role in Montgomery County.

“After an exhaustive search and interview process, I am happy to welcome Michael to Lehigh County as our next Chief Clerk,” Executive Siegel said. “Lehigh County has been lucky to have had steady leadership until Mr. Benyo and I have complete confidence that Michael is the right choice, able to step in and get to work on day one and not lose a step in running the May 19th primary.”

Paston, an attorney and tax professional, has been First Deputy Clerk of Courts for Bucks County since 2020. In that role he managed a 26-person independent office responsible for the criminal records of the court system; developed and managed a multimillion-dollar budget; and implemented a collections program that recovered millions of dollars for the county, state and crime victims.

Paston served the same role in Montgomery County from 2013 to 2019, overseeing a 38-person office.

In 2013, he led the county’s Voter Services department for the 2013 Primary Election, organizing the 425 county voting districts, machines and personnel, tallying absentee ballots, and handling political, mechanical and administrative questions. Processes were changed and implemented to comply with longstanding and new election laws.

Paston earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Penn State in 1985 and law degree from Temple University in 1989. In 2019 he received a certificate in the psychology of leadership from Cornell University.

From 1991-2001 he ran the Law Office of Michael J. Paston in Mount Laurel, N.J., a general practice firm with an emphasis on business litigation, taxation, municipal court, real estate, and family law.

He is president and consultant for the 501 Group of Fort Washington, which provides strategic planning for Pennsylvania school district referenda.

Paston served on the Upper Dublin School District Board of Directors from 2003 to 2011, including five years as board president. He is involved in a number of charitable and community groups.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Daniel Sheehan