‘We can use some fresh faces and fresh ideas’

The Pike County Democratic Committee announced this week that Lehman Township resident Christa Caceres will be on the ballot in November as a Democratic nominee for Pike County Commissioner.

Caceres replaces a candidate who was nominated in the May primary but subsequently withdrew from the race.

Caceres, 52, a longtime community volunteer, serves on the boards of directors of the Pocono Mountains United Way, Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce, Greater Pike Community Foundation and, until recently, was president of the Monroe County NAACP chapter.

She will be on the ballot facing Republican incumbent Commissioners Ronald R. Schmalzle and Matthew M. Osterberg.

‘Take Pike County into the future’

“Christa Caceres is going to be a great county commissioner,” said Lisa Miller, chair of the Pike County Democratic Committee. She is well-known in much of the county, well-respected and has a proven track record of bringing people together and getting things accomplished for Pike Countians.

“Lehman Township has 20 percent of Pike County’s population,” Miller added. “When Christa is elected in November, it will be only the second time in more than 125 years that a Lehman Township resident has served as a Pike County Commissioner. It is time.”

That one time was in the 1950s.

“I am honored to have the confidence of the Pike County Democratic Committee and look forward to a positive and vigorous campaign,” said Caceres. “I have respect for the incumbent commissioners, but we’ve had a lot of the same folks with similar perspectives in charge for a long time to take Pike County into the future.”

About the candidate

Caceres and her family live in Saw Creek Estates, where she serves as vice president of the property owners association, overseeing 150 employees and an annual budget of more than $5 million. She and her husband, Enrique, who is the purchasing director at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, have been married 19 years. They are often seen in the baseball stands cheering on her son, Josiah, 14.

If elected, she will be the only commissioner with children in the local public school system.

Until recently, Caceres was a constituent services manager for U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, helping residents navigate the Veterans, Social Security and other federal bureaucracies. Previously her career was in the insurance industry.

She has long been active in Democratic politics, having run for the 189th district in the Pennsylvania Legislature in 2018, serving on the Pike County Democratic Committee and chairing the Lehman Township Democratic Committee.

The Pocono Mountains United Way honored Christa with their 2022 Community Impact Award and in 2021, East Stroudsburg University honored her with their Martin Luther King Community Service Award.

‘I think she will enjoy a lot of bi-partisan support’

Milford Mayor Sean Strub described Caceres as highly competent and someone whp has a vision for Pike County’s future.

“She enjoys the confidence of Governor Josh Shapiro, who recently appointed her as Vice-Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on African-American affairs, as well as the Pike County Commissioners, who appointed her as the founding chair of the Pike County Commission on Women,” the mayor added. “I think she will enjoy a lot of bi-partisan support.”

Essential information

To stay informed about her campaign, email ChristaForPike@gmail.com or text/call 646-642-4915.