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NORRISTOWN — When thinking about his time as a Montgomery County Commissioner, Ken Lawrence Jr. takes inspiration from Broadway, quoting a line from Hamilton.
“He says, ‘What’s a legacy planting seeds in the garden you may never see?’ I think I’ll be able to see some of those things. I think there’s projects that are online now,” Lawrence said in an interview marking the end of his tenure as commissioner.
“I haven’t really thought about what my legacy would be,” he added. “I hope that people feel that I served well and honorably.”
The two-term Democratic Montgomery County commissioner reflected on the political path taken over the last seven years, and initiatives related to transportation, infrastructure and employee advocacy were top of mind.
Lawrence, 52, offered some words of wisdom to members of the new administration as three new members now sit on the governing board tasked with serving more than 850,000 constituents residing in the state’s third most populous county.
“Do the right thing. Don’t be afraid to make hard decisions,” Lawrence said. “Everyone’s not going to agree with every decision that’s made, but if you lead with your heart and (try) to focus on what’s best for the county, then I don’t think you can go wrong.”
Lawrence’s journey
Lawrence’s interest in politics began at an earlhy age. Born in Exton, Chester County, Lawrence’s family moved to Towamencin Township in 1984. His father ran his own insurance company, his mother worked at Merck (then Merck Sharp & Dohme) pharmaceuticals. Lawrence and his father both enjoyed reading about current events and political biographies, with Doris Kearns-Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,” and former President Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land” spotlighted as some of his favorites.
“I always had an interest in politics. I always liked reading political biographies. My dad would bring the newspaper home. It was ‘The Bulletin’ back then,” Lawrence said in an early 2023 interview with MediaNews Group.
He attended North Penn High School and participated in the 1988 mock political convention where students stumped for political candidates. Lawrence remembered being assigned Pat Robinson, a Republican Baptist minister who ran for president that year.
“I don’t know who won that convention, but it was certainly not Pat Robinson. I remembered that we made a huge banner that said ‘endorsed by God’ and … they made us take it down,” he said. “So it was a show stopper.”
Lawrence graduated in 1989 and went on to attend Montgomery County Community College, and then Temple University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Lawrence gained some introductory political experience, interning with former Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel and then-U.S. Rep. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky.
He worked on campaigns and had dreams of becoming a state representative in Harrisburg.
“I can’t say that when I was interning in the commissioners office that ‘hey, I want to be a county commissioner one day,’ but life comes full circle, and it came around, and I’m glad I had this opportunity. I’m really privileged to have had the opportunity to serve,” Lawrence said.
Appointed when Shapiro left
That opportunity presented itself in 2017 when a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners was left vacant by the now-Gov. Josh Shapiro, the former board chairman who was elected to serve as Pennsylvania’s attorney general.
After serving out his appointed term, Lawrence was then elected in 2019. He was the first African-American elected to serve as a county commissioner in Montgomery County.
He was sworn in as commissioner in 2020, along with Democratic Chairwoman Val Arkoosh, and Republican Commissioner Joe Gale.
Prior to entering the county’s political arena, Lawrence spent time in the private sector working at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, Merck and Temple University. Lawrence also had his own public affairs consulting company and in 2008, he received a master’s in public administration from University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government.
Just a few months into his first elected term in office, he was faced with the obstacle of governing during a global public health crisis and a historic presidential election.
“2020 should have counted for two years,” Lawrence said, adding “I think a lot of people focused on county government that year, under a microscope, under very challenging circumstances.”
‘Hunger and homelessness’
Lawrence described himself as a “collegial” politician who brought “more of a private sector approach” to the role, with his interests focusing on transportation, infrastructure and personnel. He was appointed to vice chairman and chairman throughout his time in office.
“I didn’t have a checklist,” Lawrence said. “Transportation and infrastructure and economic development were huge, but as I learned more, and grew more, hunger and homelessness have become major issues for me…”
Participating in the food stamp challenge was an impactful experience for Lawrence, who was tasked with spending $4.75 per day on food in 2017 as more than 100,000 people were dealing with food insecurity.
He also participated in the county’s annual Point-in-Time Count, a federally-mandated initiative that gives a glimpse into homelessness on one night in a given area.
“We can talk about homelessness, but actually seeing it, actually seeing people sleeping under bridges … it’s convinced me to try to work harder on those issues as well,” he said.
Lawrence committed his final year in office to combatting homelessness in Montgomery County, launching a task force that took place from April to November 2023. The 46-member working group brought people together from varying spaces to brainstorm solutions to the county’s complex problem.
“The task force itself wrapped up, but I think the seeds that were planted there will continue to grow,” Lawrence said. “We’ve had projects that have come directly out of the task force with some of our municipalities stepping up with ‘Code Blue’ shelters. West Norriton has plans now to do a shelter.”
“I think we’ll see the fruits of the relationships that were developed by that, and that’s really what I wanted to do … put a spotlight on the issue and to bring people to the table to discuss it,” he continued.
Government is slow
Among the many lessons learned throughout his tenure in county politics, a revelation that “government can move slowly sometimes” stuck out to him. The process can be frustrating when dealing with aging infrastructure in a county with a large geographic footprint.
“But I also think decisions that are made or not made can cascade down. It took years for our bridges to get into the conditions that they were in,” Lawrence said. “We’ve taken steps to fix them but I would hope that future administrations … can do preventative work … and not get to a point where it becomes a crisis.”
The position of governing at the county level can be a difficult one as Lawrence soon realized that the authority is somewhat limited.
“Nobody understands what county government does,” Lawrence said. “People have differing opinions, and sometimes people feel that we have a lot more power than we actually do to do things. We can’t tell school boards what to do. We can’t tell local municipalities what to do.
“We can work with them, we can advise, we can cajole, but there’s a lot of different levels of government here to work,” he continued. “I think people should understand civics better and understand how all our governing bodies work better. I feel that county government can be very lean at times, that we don’t have enough people to do some of the things that we need to do.”
Return to private sector
Lawrence announced in early 2023 that he did not plan to seek re-election. The 2023 general election brought a new administration to the board. Commissioners’ Chairwoman Jamila Winder — a Democrat who was previously appointed in early 2023 to finish out Arkoosh’s term after she left to serve in Shapiro’s cabinet — worked with Lawrence for the remainder of his term. Democrat and Vice Chairman Neil Makhija and Republican Commissioner Tom DiBello round out the new board.
Lawrence finished his term on Dec. 31, 2023, and started 2024 with a new job, returning to the private sector to work as senior vice president of corporate affairs for Highmark Blue Shield health insurer.
“They’re not as well known in the southeast, but they’re a huge company. So this is an opportunity to help them develop relationships and their reputation in southeastern PA, which is what I’ve really done all through my career,” Lawrence said. “That’s what I did at Merck. That’s what I did when I had my business. Temple was more statewide. So I’m excited (about) joining Highmark and what the future will hold there.”
Lawrence stressed he’s not going anywhere. Lawrence has lived in Plymouth Township for more than 20 years with his wife Jen, and sons Justin and Josh, as well as dogs Chewie and Koda.
“I certainly could not have done this without the support of my family, my wife, first and foremost,” Lawrence said of his time legislating and campaigning for two terms. He noted that “during my time here both my boys have graduated from high school. One has graduated from college. One is in college. To some degree they grew up with me in this role.”
He still plans to remain active in the community, serving on the SEPTA Transportation Board. His time as a commissioner also afforded him an opportunity to become an “ambassador for Montgomery County,” highlighting various local amenities including breweries, eateries and places for outdoor activities. But he also enjoys watching “Yellowstone” and “House of the Dragon” in his free time.
“Sometimes I just like to be at home watching Netflix with my wife and my dogs. We’re empty nesters right now,” Lawrence said, adding that “I’m an all around Philly sports fan. I’m a huge Temple booster, but I like to be active, and Montgomery County provides that opportunity.”
Lawrence’s legacy?
Lawrence paused when asked what about his legacy. There wasn’t one particular thing that came to mind, he said, rather several facets of his legacy that distilled down to his drive to help people as a public servant.
“I think during my time as a commissioner I’ve learned to use my voice more,” Lawrence said. “I think in the beginning, I was cautious sometimes on speaking on issues that weren’t necessarily related to county government, but I think when people look at you as a leader you have an obligation to speak out on issues even if it doesn’t directly impact what you’re working on at the time.”
Lawrence said he hopes more people will develop an interest in government.
“I feel like I knew a lot about county government when I became a commissioner, but I feel like I know a lot more now, and I think I wish more people had the opportunity to serve, (to) bring in different experiences and go back to their career,” Lawrence said. “So I’m glad I’ve been able to model that.”
He also hoped to pay it forward and strengthen public participation in politics.
“I feel as the first African-American commissioner, I’ve seen over the last seven years a number of African-Americans elected at the local level, and I think I’ve tried to do that politically as well as encourage people to get involved and to run,” he said. “I think diversity in our government at all levels is important … I think that’ll be part of my legacy as well.”
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