AAG Member Profile: Percey H. Dougherty

Percy H. Dougherty is Professor of Geography at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and newly re-elected County Commissioner of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. His county has a total population of approximately 320,000 and the district he represents includes Allentown and parts of Bethlehem. Percy holds a BS and M.Ed. in Geography from West Chester University and a PhD in Physical Geography and Geology from Boston University (1980). His major research interests are in caves and karst topography, planning, water resources, remote sensing, geography of wine, and geography of Central America. He has more than fifty publications; teaching awards; fellowships from NSF, NOAA, and NASA, and decades of service on local and state planning commissions, boards, and committees.

AAG: Congratulations on your re-election as County Commissioner. What inspired you to run for office?

PERCY: We were on a trip in Central America and I decided on this erupting volcano to run for county commission.

AAG: Just like that?

PERCY: Well, my university encourages us to spend about twenty-five percent of our time in community service. At first I got involved in community planning commissions in the townships. I found out that we had no real power as a recommending entity so I figured that we needed someone in there to make decisions regarding land use, the environment…

AAG: And now?

PERCY: Little did I know that nobody would listen to us either. Now I have to make all of these coalitions—it’s a the team effort. But at least as a member of the team, you are influencing policy and the direction that the county takes.

AAG: What were some of the major issues in your recent campaign?

PERCY: My advantage over my competitor was in our “green” campaign, but I also showed how I support economic development and smart growth. Other aspects included open space preservation, farmland preservation, and support for the old cities and boroughs. This shows that geographers have a lot to offer in the political area but not just as consultants. We need more geographers in public office—in elected positions where there is some decision-making capacity.

AAG: What have you been able to do from your position?

PERCY: I was one of the leaders in what we call the Green Future bond issue, a $30 million program to pay for farmland preservation and open space, to buy parks. The voters passed the resolution 2-1 two years ago.

AAG: What other major accomplishments?

PERCY: Getting my county and the adjacent county to go together on a joint GIS. Twelve years ago when I first ran, I aimed to bring my technical expertise to the office. When I got elected, I thought—I’ll just get this approved. Uh-uh. It took me eight years! I set up a blue ribbon panel and eventually we got things moving. Now it’s working very well. The county GIS department has been involved in transportation planning, human services, redistricting for voting, and other things.

AAG: So what is your biggest challenge right now?

PERCY: Probably what it has always been—keeping expenses down. Everyone wants everything and it takes money. Our budget is over $300 million a year, but there are so many services we have to fund. And the federal and state governments keep cutting back. This means either taxes have to go up or spending has to go down.

AAG: How do you balance your roles at the university and at the county?

PERCY: The university has been very good and gave me an open schedule to be county commissioner. It is a part-time position, but really a full-time job. As soon as you walk in the door there are people chasing you down the hall. It means I have to spend a lot of late afternoons, evenings and weekend times. Sometimes I have to have someone cover my classes.

AAG: Does it help your teaching?

PERCY: That’s an area where being a commissioner has helped. In our department we require students to do internships and I can help students find them better.

AAG: What about the connection to your research?

PERCY: I looked at this office as a major way in which I could hold back urban sprawl and support the reinvigoration of downtown Allentown. This is very geographical, all the mapping and environmental work. And not only locally, but I was also involved with state revisions of planning code. I serve on the state geologic survey too, and we are trying to get a State Geographer. Legislation has been introduced to set up a position. A lot of these little things add up.

AAG: This was your fourth time to be re-elected to a four-year position.

PERCY: In terms of land use planning, and the other things I’m fighting, it’s a long-term project. It takes years.

AAG: What next? Will you run for re-election again?

PERCY: We’ll have to wait and see.

AAG: Spoken like a good politician.