County GOP endorsements likely

BILL O ’ BOYLE

boboyle@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE – For the first time in years, the Luzerne County Republican Party is planning to endorse candidates in the May primary.

The reason is due to the number of candidates that have expressed interest in running for office.

“I think there are a lot of people who think there is an opportunity now to change the county and they want to participate,” said Terry Casey, chairman of the county Republican Party. “For a long time, many Republicans and Democrats have felt it was useless to get involved because they felt a closed group of Democrats were running the county. This is the dawn of a new day; an opportunity to have effective change in county government.”

Casey said he isn’t sure how many Republicans will file nomination petitions by the March 10 deadline but is encouraged by the renewed interest in the GOP locally.

“Every day I hear of someone else who picked up petitions or who inquired about running,” Casey said in a prepared release. “If we have multiple candidates for the county row offices, which we expect, we will endorse.”

Casey noted that the county Republican headquarters on Public Square is open to all registered Republicans who would like to use the facility to make formal announcements or to hold campaign meetings.

Casey said the county GOP is working out details on its procedure for endorsing primary candidates. He said he hopes to have the system in place for a vote at the next executive committee meeting on March 11. An endorsement meeting has been set for March 19. A petition-signing event will be held sometime next week, Casey said, and it will be open to the public.