Urban to run for lt. gov.

By Sherry Long slong@timesleader.comStaff Writer

By this time next year, Luzerne County Commissioner might go by a new title – Lt. Gov. Steve Urban.

Urban confirmed Saturday he hopes to win the state’s next lieutenant governor’s seat if he can win the Republican primary in May and the general election in November.

After spending a decade in county government, the 57-year old said he’s discovered there are some issues affecting counties across the state that cannot be fixed at the local level. He says they must be fixed at the state level.

He believes by working in Harrisburg on a daily basis, he can help change how programs are funded as he points out that all judicial costs should be handled by the state, instead of putting the financial load of paying for district judges’ employees.

“It is a position in the state where you can work day-to-day with the senators, be close to the representatives and try to get issues like this accomplished….I don’t think the state senators and representatives really listen to the county commissioners,” Urban said.

Urban is just one of 11 people seeking the nomination during the primary, according to a list of unofficial candidates on the state Republican Party’s Web site. Candidates cannot begin circulating nomination petitions to seek any elected office until Feb. 16, according to the official election calendar from the state Bureau of Elections. Nomination paperwork must be filed before a candidate can be listed on the ballot.

He acknowledges he does not have statewide name recognition, but he added that he didn’t feel many of his competitors were well known either. Urban believes he will have a strong presence in counties throughout the northeast part of the state because he works with neighboring counties on flood mitigation, mental health and mental retardation as a county official.

To get his name and message out to people, Urban plans to travel across the state speaking with various organizations. He doesn’t feel this will hinder his duties as commissioner because he is always reachable by cell phone. He vows to mold his campaign schedule around his work schedule to keep his county job as his top priority.

Urban thinks county residents will understand that he will have to travel across Pennsylvania, which will limit his time in Luzerne County.

“I think if people realize what I am trying to accomplish is to help all the residents in the county out in general and other residents of the state who have similar type problems,” the Wilkes-Barre native said.

Urban said he plans to make a formal announcement in the next week, but he is waiting until a Web site, www.steveurbanforltgov.com/oswego4/, is complete.

Urban pointed out he has a history of public service. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1996 as a lieutenant colonel after serving more than 24 years on active duty, during which he worked in the Pentagon and served as an assistant professor of military science.

The Pennsylvania lieutenant governor is the second most powerful official in the state, behind the governor. If something should cause the governor to become unable to serve his post, the lieutenant governor automatically will take over. Lieutenant governors also preside over the Senate and cast votes to break a tie. They also serve as Chairperson of the Board of Pardons and the Local Government Advisory Committee of the Department of Community and Economic Development.

Urban apparently kept this a closely guarded secret because other county and courthouse officials were unaware of his plans.

County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla learned Urban was seeking state-wide office Saturday through media reports.

If Urban wins the state seat, county Court of Common Pleas judges would be required to appoint a registered Republican to fill his unexpired term. If he does not win the election, he will return to the county courthouse to fulfill his term that runs through the end of 2011.

However, all that hinges on the decisions being contemplated by the Luzerne County Government Study Commission. If the commission recommends later this year to change how the county government is formulated, there may not even be a commissioner post to fill.

Luzerne County Republican Chairman Terry Casey said he learned about Urban’s plan to run last weekend.

“Right now it is kind of early, Steve is putting his hat in the ring and I wish him luck,” Casey said.

The regional Republican caucus and state Republican Party will be holding meetings in the next two weeks to discuss which candidates to endorse.

Republican State Committee members will vote on endorsements during a Feb. 13 meeting in Harrisburg. The state committee can also decide not to endorse any of the lieutenant governor candidates and allow all them to run on equal footing, Casey said. Candidates that are endorsed will receive the full support of the Republican Party, Casey explained.

Committee members are elected by Republican voters in each county. Luzerne County has six committee members, two of whom are related to Urban. One is Linda Stets Urban, his wife, and the other is Steve J. Urban, his son.

Although this is Urban’s first attempt at seeking the state’s second highest office, it is not his attempt at pursuing loftier political goals.

He ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski in 1996, 1998 and 2000.

Urban is not the first Luzerne County resident to seek the lieutenant governor post.

Arthur H. James of Plymouth served as lieutenant governor from 1927 to 1931 before serving a four-year term as governor form 1939 to 1943. Two other governors also resided in Luzerne County – Gov. Henry Hoyt of Kingston from 1879 to 1883 and Gov. John S. Fine of Nanticoke from 1951 to 1955.

Sherry Long, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7159.