The LuLac Edition #171, March 9, 2007

PHOTO INDEX: COUNTY COMMISSIONER STEVE URBAN AND COUNTY COMMISSIONER CANDIDATE CHRISTINE KATSOCK. WILL THE GOP PLAY THE NAME GAME?

LUZERNE COUNTY:

THE NAME GAME

COMMISSIONERS RACE

Can the “name game” be the strategy behind a winning candidacy for Luzerne County Commissioner? Well, let’s look at the Democratic contenders, Skrepenak and Petrilla, the endorsed ones. Both have name recognition, the backing of the party and are known to both party regulars and casual drive by voters. The addition of Steve Flood to the Democratic field also adds a candidate with name recognition too. The question is whether Flood can overcome some obstacles set up by the organized party and whether he can sustain a hard charging campaign that will give him a number 2 slot. Very rarely does a Commissioner team running together get broken up by a third party, especially when it is endorsed. This will be Flood’s challenge in this race.
On the Republican side, you have a group of candidates who are vying to run with incumbent Steve Urban. Urban has been a “watchdog” with the Skrep/Vonderheid administration even when the trio started to play nice at the start of the term in 2004. He is joined on the Republican side by Hanover Area School Board member David Shipula, Mountaintop resident, Crestwood School Board member and community activist William Jones, plus William James, a contractor who has run for Commissioner and State Representative in past races. To me the most surprising entry into the fray is Christine Katsock. Katsock, after her last race for State Rep to Eddie Day Pashinski swore off future races. I thought that if she were to be enticed, one of the winnable races she could enter this time around would be either Wilkes Barre Council in one of the districts or even as a GOP contender for Mayor against Tom Leighton. Her loss margin against Leighton in 2003 was pretty impressive and this year she would have had the Mayor’s rudeness at council meetings, the snow storm debacle and the ignoring of the neighborhoods as core campaign issues. Instead she opts for a County wide race that will take her to Hazleton and Greater Pittston, areas where she is not as well known as in Wilkes Barre. My guess here is that Katsock is banking on her name recognition to pull her through as well as the gender vote that would give her the number 2 spot with Urban. There has been talk of a union with Urban but sources indicated last week that Urban might tab Bill Jones as a running mate. It will be interesting to see in the GOP primary at least whether the “name game” will work out county wide for Katsock or if various candidates well known in their districts prevail with fragmented majorities. If the latter instance happens, then anything can happen in the GOP race.

THE CITY SIDE

Here are the candidates running for office in the City of Wilkes Barre with a handicapper’s recap of what I think are their chances.

Mayor:

D Tom Leighton*--Has record of accomplishment with downtown renovations and relationships with important funding bodies. No one denies he has done good things but some of that is overshadowed by his treatment of citizens at public meetings, his slowness to acknowledge problems with the snow storm and his affinity for tax breaks for proposed economic development.
D Tim Grier –A local activist, Mr. Grier has to soften his image as an obstructionist for the sake of being one. His heart is in the right place and he is passionate in his core beliefs on how to improve the city. Grier’s challenge is to articulate his differences with Mayor Leighton and how he perceives the current administration has come up short. But he needs to do it with a velvet glove and not a huge hammer.
R Linda Stets- The question is whether Stets can stay focused on her mission: defeat Leighton. The last time, Christine Katsock came within 800 votes of beating Leighton. There is no reason to believe Stets can mount a campaign given the fact that unlike Katsock in 2003, she (Stets) has no primary opposition. If she or even Tim Grier focus on four things, 1. Ignoring of neighborhoods, 2. “I Believe”, 3. The snow removal problem and 4. The Mayor’s temperament, Mr. Leighton might be in for a dog fight.

City Council--District A:

The incumbents few terms on council and does she have a record for her neighborhood? She has been a decent city wide council member but has not been a top vote getter and standout. Her Democratic foes are Tim Grier and Rich Cronauer, one an activist and the other a businessman. Both insurgent Dems can pave the way for an easier Walter Griffith candidacy in the fall if they chip away at her incumbency and try to flesh out what if anything she’s done on City Council except criticize Tom McGroarty and rubber stamp Tom Leighton.

D Shirley Mario Vitanovec
R Walter Griffith
D Time Grier
D Rick Cronauer

City Council--District B:

Tony Thomas needs to get his anger under control. An affable guy in person, Thomas takes the slings and arrows of citizens too personally. He has been a passionate council member and has won many friends through the time he has served. His Democratic opponents don’t seem to be a threat but the use of the Reilly name might give him a closer race than expected. In the fall, the GOP’s challenge if Thomas wins renomination is to have him highlight his record on council and what, if anything, they can do better than Mr. Thomas.

D Tony Thomas Jr.*
D Ray Arellano
R Lisa McGlynn-Cope
R Vincent Guarneri
D Bruce Reilly

City Council--District C:

Tough race for everyone except Mrs. Kane. Even though she sullied herself a bit by trying to get her minions to overturn the district format in court, it appears she can be the big winner in the city after all. The exit of Jim McCarthy clears the field for her of experienced opposition. Sam Troy, Mayor Leighton’s personal punching bag needs to overcome Kane’s associations with the Democratic machine, the teachers union, city hall employees, those connected with her popular husband Magistrate Martin Kane and her own personality and style as a candidate. Unless Troy can overcome all of that, Kane’s general election foe, Peter Gagllardi will be presented the same set of challenges. The only hope for Troy and Gagllardi is to call Kane out on her record and have her specify what she has accomplished on council and what she will do in the new district.

D Kathy Kane*
D Sam Troy
R Peter Gagliardi

City Council--District D:

This race looks like an old city wide slate for at large council. You have 2 incumbents battling each other, one termer Bill Barrett and multi termer Mike McGinley. Is Barrett too inexperienced, has McGinley been there too long? McGinley won points for apologizing to Wilkes Barre residents regarding the snow storm. If these two break even among their own organizations, a second choice candidate might break through. Tim Anderson, an attractive articulate candidate can make an impact in the race as a newcomer. Then Joe Daniel, who has tried about three times for Council and came close the last time might squeak by too. First timers Bruce Szczecinski , James G. Taylor and Sarah McCaffrey have to be considered third tier candidates and save a few sacks of money and better name recognition, the aforementioned trio appear to have little chance in this race of political titans. In the fall, the candidacy of Linda Stetts for Council will not be taken seriously if she mounts an aggressive challenge in the Mayor’s race.

D Bill Barrett*
D Mike McGinley*
D Timothy Anderson
D Joe Daniel
D Bruce Szczecinski
D James G. Taylor
D Sarah McCaffrey
R Linda Stets

City Council--District E:

A wide open race, the two favorites have to be Charlotte Raup and Virgil Aregenta. Raup is well known for her crime watch activites and Argenta, running city wide before pulled a decent vote and has a core of supporters. Argenta however has some negatives in the neighborhood that most likely comes from being a landlord. J. Shelley Soltis who served two terms on Council was well known for wearing a silly cowboy hat but in a race as crowded as this, Soltis may pull enough of a vote (again with name recognition) to become the blast from the past. Ron Silkosky has a nice website, and Dems Merritt and Matello’s challenge is to become more well known in the district. Whoever wins in the Democratic primary will not have a cakewalk with former School Board member John Yencha waiting in the wings.

D Ron Silkosky
D Virgil Argenta
R John Yencha
D Charlotte Raup
D Mike Merritt
D J. Shelley Soltis
D Frank Matello Jr.

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