Doug Reichley

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Doug Reichley
Judge of the
Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas
for Lehigh County
Assumed office
2012
Member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 134th district
In office
January 7, 2003[1] – December 30, 2011[2]
Preceded byJane S. Baker
Succeeded byRyan Mackenzie
Personal details
Born1961 (age 62–63)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceEmmaus, Pennsylvania
EducationLafayette College (BA)
Penn State Dickinson Law (JD)
OccupationAttorney
Websitehttp://repreichley.com

Douglas Reichley (born 1961) is a politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania; he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2002, representing the 134th district.[3] He sat on the House Appropriations, Consumer Affairs, Health and Human Services and Professional Licensure Committees and was also a member of the House Republican Policy Committee. In 2011, he was elected Judge on the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas.

Early life[edit]

Reichley was born in 1961 in Washington D.C. and graduated from the Thomas S. Wootton High School in 1979.[2] Reichley graduated from Lafayette College as part of their class of 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in government/law and was admitted to Dickinson Law School where he graduated in 1986 with a Juris Doctor.[2]

Reichley worked as an associate attorney for Lightner Law Offices in Wescosville before being named Assistant District Attorney of Lehigh County from 1989 to 2000 and Philadelphia County from 2000 to 2001.[2]

Political career[edit]

Pennsylvania House[edit]

Reichley would be elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 134th district as a Republican.[2] Reichley would serve five consecutive terms and serve on the Select Committee on Information Security and the Commission on Sentencing.[2] Additionally, he was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee as the Vice-Chairman, and also served on the Consumer Affairs, Health and Human Services, Judiciary, Professional Licensure, Transportation, and Urban Affairs committees.[4] He would also be named State Public Official of the Year for 2010.[4]

Reichley would be endorsed by The Morning Call in his 2006 reelection bid against Democrat Christopher Casey, a previously unsuccessful candidate for Upper Macungie Supervisor.[5]

Reichley notably fought for the investigative department of the Pennsylvania gaming control board to become independent from the board itself, arguing that the department cannot function if it is still held responsible to the board it is supposed to be investigating.[6] At the time in 2008 the gaming control board was embroiled in multiple scandals regarding casinos making campaign contributions.[6] Reichley argued that the investigative department should instead be under the control of the Pennsylvania Attorney General, however, his motion would be defeated at the urging of State Senator Jay Costa due to the ability of the attorney general to accept campaign contributions.[6]

In 2009 Reichley opposed a taxpayer funded health insurance program arguing that taxpayer funding was an "unreliable funding source" and that instead a private sector approach, where private companies would receive tax credits for insurance.[7] He also argued that since the tax credit system was already in place it would be more efficient than creating an entirely new government program.[7]

One of Reichley's last acts as a legislature would be to advocate for November to be named Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and for an increase in government resources to support those with the disease.[8]

Reichley would resign from the house on December 30, 2011 after being elected as a Judge to the Court of Common Pleas.[2] Due to his resignation a special election would be held, with five local Republican community leaders vying for Reichley's position, with Ryan Mackenzie, son of Milou Mackenzie, winning the primary to go on and defeat Democrat Patrick Slattery.[9][10][11]

Lehigh County judge[edit]

In June 2012 Reichley spoke at an event hosted by the Concerned East Penn Taxpayers Association in his hometown of Emmaus reflecting on his career in the house, and his new positions on the Pennsylvania Constitution.[12]

Reichley would be subject to a scandal on November 6, 2014, when he volunteered to serve on the Lower Macungie Township parks board to help make decisions about the township's parks and recreation offerings.[13] Reichley argued that the parks board was "the least likely board to pose a conflict of interest" with his job as a judge.[13] However, it was quickly revealed that as per the Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct "a judge shall not accept appointment to a governmental committee, board, commission or other governmental position unless it is one that concerns the law, the legal system or the administration of justice" and Reichley withdrew his application early in the morning on November 7th.[14]

Personal[edit]

Reichley has served many posts in his community as president of the Allentown YMCA/YWCA, the Emmaus Kiwanis and on the board of the Lehigh Valley Crime Victims’ Council. He has also been an instructor at the Allentown Police Academy, Northampton County Community College, and DeSales University and even taught fellow prosecutors at meetings of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys’ Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "SESSION OF 2003 - 187TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2003-01-07.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Douglas G. Reichley". Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  3. ^ "REICHLEY, Douglas G." (PDF). Pennsylvania General Assembly. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2023 – via Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ a b "Judge Douglas G. Reichley". Lehigh County Court of common pleas. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  5. ^ "General Election 2006 ** State Rep. Douglas Reichley well qualified to continue serving 134th House District". The Morning Call. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Lawmaker: Separate investigators from gaming board ** Rep. Doug Reichley tells task force that the process is "inherently flawed.'". The Morning Call. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b "PA House considers expanding state funded health insurance program". WHYY-FM. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Reichley promotes November as Alzheimer's Awareness Month". WFMZ-TV. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  9. ^ Petty, Precious. "Don Cunningham urges state official to call special election to fill Doug Reichley's seat". The Express-Times. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  10. ^ Petty, Precious. "Republicans say pension, property tax reform top issues at 134th District debate in Emmaus". The Express-Times. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  11. ^ Petty, Precious. "Republican Ryan Mackenzie defeats Democrat Patrick Slattery in 134th District special election". The Express-Times. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  12. ^ Petty, Precious. "Lehigh County Judge Doug Reichley to speak at Emmaus event". The Express-Times. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  13. ^ a b Petty, Precious. "Lehigh County judge applies for volunteer position on Lower Macungie parks board". The Express-Times. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  14. ^ Petty, Precious. "Lehigh County judge withdraws application to serve on municipal parks board". The Express-Times. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Representative Reichley's Web Profile" http://repreichley.com
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