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August 17, 2008

Area chair tackles GOP rebirth

By Bill O'Boyle boboyle@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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Democrats occupy all Luzerne County row offices. The county commissioners consist of two Democrats and one Republican. The region’s two U.S. Congressmen are Democrats – one a freshman who ended Republican control of the 10th District seat after more than 40 years and the other a 12-term incumbent in the 11th District.

Does this sound like an exciting time to be a Republican in Luzerne County?

Terry Casey, the new chairman of the Luzerne County Republican Party, thinks so.

Casey, 50, was elected to the post on June 19. He says he will run the organization by committee as he attempts to strengthen it.

“We’ve been talking about rebuilding the party for a long time,” Casey said. “There has been division for years and we decided to get all of the factions together. We are determined to be a well-organized, well-funded body that will work to get Republicans elected.”

The November general election could signal the re-birth of the Republican Party in the county, Casey said. If Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta defeats incumbent U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski in the 11th Congressional District race and Chris Hackett takes back the seat in the 10th District, Republicans can send a signal to the Democratic Party that voters are ready for a change.

“I can see this area going for John McCain over Barack Obama,” Casey said. “Most Democrats in this area are not radical liberals. Many of them are pro-life and have strong family values. They have a strong work ethic, want secure borders and believe in a strong military defense. That is not the definition of an Obama supporter.”

Casey is administrative vice president and regional manager of M&T Bank’s investment group. He lives in Dallas with his wife, Wendy, and their children Julie, 13, and Mike, 12. He said he has been interested in poltics for years and he wants to bring the party back through a coordinated effort, free of past divisiveness.

“That was then and this is now,” Casey said. “I want to put all of the differences behind us and work for the common good.”

Casey said the party needs to attract quality candidates like former county recorder of deeds Mary Dysleski and former county sheriff Barry Stankus.

“They were great candidates and great officeholders,” Casey said. “We need to keep them close and attract more candidates like them.”

Casey said Republicans have to get behind Hackett as he tries to win back the 10th District seat Chris Carney won in 2006, defeating Don Sherwood, after it was revealed that Sherwood had an extramarital affair. Sherwood held the seat for eight years and former Congressman Joe McDade held it for 36 years before that.

Hackett won a tough primary victory over Dan Meuser, president of Pride Mobility. Casey says the party should have been able to avoid the bitter battle between the two Republicans.

“The Republican Party in Luzerne County wasn’t strong enough to keep two strong candidates from running against each other,” Casey said. “As a result, we had a divisive primary. The outcome is what it is – Chris Hackett won. The charge now is to close ranks and help Chris Hackett win the seat back for the party.”

Casey said the 10th District race is one of the most important in the country.

“This race is about a greater good; not personal feelings,” Casey said.

Some Meuser supporters are actively working on Hackett’s behalf, he said, while others will stay in the background, but he believes vote Republican.

“Some Republicans have stepped back from the race,” Casey acknowledged. “But I can’t see any of them going out and working against Hackett. That would be against their political ideology.”

Casey said the November election could bode well for local Republicans should Hackett win and Barletta upset Kanjorski.

“If those two races go Republican, I think we would have a solid foundation to rebuild the party,” Casey said.

He believes reports that show Hackett leading and Barletta with an edge over Kanjorski.

“I think if Kanjorski had a 12- or 14-percent lead at this point – which he should – we would be hearing about it,” Casey said.

The party’s challenges in the county aren’t limited to national offices. In recent years, many Republicans on the Wilkes-Barre side of the Susquehanna River couldn’t even vote in primary elections because there were no candidates challenging the Democrats.

Steve Urban, Republican county commissioner, said he advised Casey to convene the party’s leadership committee, which is made up of all Republican elected officials, executive committee members and other district committee persons.

“To my knowledge, that committee has never met, even though it is a part of our by-laws,” Urban said. “Terry told me it’s his goal to unify the party and I believe he will. We need one Republican Party in the county and I believe that will happen.”

Urban said he thinks Barletta and Hackett can both win and if they do, the party will be strengthened.

“If both of them win, I think the party would really grow,” Urban said.

Casey said the party has a lot of work to do before the next county election, in 2011. To help the effort, he said a Republican Party headquarters will open in Wilkes-Barre, first in a temporary site in the Bicentennial Building, then moving to space in the new Intermodal Transportation Center when that is completed. An executive director will be hired to run the office. Sandy Kase is performing those duties on a temporary basis, Casey said.

“I had not been very active in the Republican Party, but I have become more involved in recent years,” Kase said. “I think the direction of the party will change with the opening of our headquarters and that will make a big difference in having a presence.”

Kase said the party is getting stronger and will continue to grow.

“I think Terry and the executive board are going in the right direction,” she said. “We are working toward a unified organization and will make the party a force in all future elections.”

Casey said a Web site also is being developed to keep people informed of what is going on throughout the county.

“It’s all a work in progress,” he said. “It will be an open and honest process, too. We want to avoid what happened in the 10th district primary race.”

Casey said wounds have healed after the bruising Hackett-Meuser contest, but he quickly added, “I don’t know if the scars will ever go away.”

Increasing registrations, fundraising and attracting quality candidates are high on Casey’s priority list. He wants to raise a minimum of $150,000 per year to support the party’s activities.

“If we are well-organized and well-financed, the candidates will come forward,” Casey said. “But there will be challenges. How do we get somebody to run for office in Wilkes-Barre City? People have to feel their vote will count.”

Casey declined to comment about how the party got to its current state beyond saying there was too much attention given state and national races and not enough to local races.

“I really don’t care to look back,” Casey said. “I think we have learned from the past and we are now ready to move forward. The climate for success couldn’t be more favorable.”

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