The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber recently held their annual mayors' dinner at Art Quest in Bethlehem and awarded me the mayor of the year award.

I really feel this honor is to our community at large, and what a great community it is! Our borough officials work with incredible dedication to making our community the best that it can be. Our police department and our volunteer firefighters strive to keep our community safe. Our borough workers continue to keep our town beautiful. Our committed volunteers work diligently to bring music to our park in the summer, our community festival in the fall and Christmas in the Park in December. Many local volunteer groups raise money for various organizations by sponsoring 5K or 10K runs throughout the community. Our Concourse Club continues to sponsor a basket sale and home tours and then uses the proceeds to aid various nonprofits in the area.By giving me this award, they have offered the spotlight to all these groups. Hopefully, this will encourage people to visit our town and spend the day enjoying the beautiful town of Palmerton.The Chamber of Commerce has greatly impacted our area and continues to help many communities in their effort to improve our towns. My thanks to the chamber for all their efforts.Sincerely,Chris OliviaMayor of Palmerton