By Darryl R. Isherwood |OF THE MORNING CALL

May 20, 2009

Republican Lehigh County Commissioner Percy Dougherty cruised to a convincing victory over challenger Mark Prinzinger in the Lehigh County District 2 race Tuesday.

Dougherty won by 17 percentage points, 58-41, over East Penn School Board member Prinzinger in unofficial results.

In the other contested race, Republican Tom Creighton defeated Allen Cerullo by 10 percentage points in the race for District 1. Creighton will represent the GOP in the race for the commissioner's seat that will be vacated by retiring Republican Sterling Raber.

In District 2, Dougherty and Prinzinger battled for the fiscal conservative label. In an 11th-hour mailer, Prinzinger blasted Dougherty for increasing spending in the county during his tenure and compared the incumbent to recent GOP defector U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.

In his own mailer, Dougherty attacked Prinzinger for raising taxes as a member of the East Penn School Board while touting his own record of fiscal prudence.

Last night, Dougherty still seethed over Prinzinger's attack.

''I think this race was clouded by (Prinzinger's) last mailer which had many untruths in it and downright lies,'' he said. ''We'll move forward and keep increasing our core and I'm confident when we go to the general electorate we'll do very well.''

In District 1, Creighton and Cerullo ran a low-profile race, with Creighton casting his lot with Dougherty and other incumbent Republicans.

In District 2, the winner will face Democrat Mark Basist in November. The District 1 winner will square off against Democrat Jeanne McNeill.

At stake in November's general election will be control of the nine-member board of commissioners.

Republicans hold a 5-4 majority now, but Democrats have targeted District 1 and District 5, where Republican Glenn Eckhart faces a large Democratic registration margin, as seats that can be wrested from the GOP.

Democrats hope to pick up a seat, giving the party control of both the county executive's office and the board of commissioners.

darryl.isherwood@mcall.com

610-820-6533