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By STEPHEN R. LEVINE slevine@leader.net.
Wednesday, January 26, 2000 Page: 3A
WILKES-BARRE – Luzerne County minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban did
what many in the county thought he would: announced a third run for Congress
on Tuesday.
Urban, who was sworn into his first elected office as county commissioner
on Jan. 3, began circulating nominating petitions for a congressional run
within days. He will challenge U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke for
congressman of the 11th Congres sional District.
Urban, a Republican, failed to unseat Kanjorski in 1998 and 1996.
The end of the day Tuesday was the deadline for filing nominating
petitions, but Gov. Tom Ridge extended that deadline by executive order until
today because of a major snow storm.
Kanjorski filed his nominating petitions Monday.
As of Tuesday, the following incumbents had filed in state representative
races: 116th District, Todd A. Eachus, D-Butler Township; 117th District,
George C. Hasay Jr., R-Shickshinny; 118th District, Thomas Tigue,
D-Hughestown; 119th District, John T. Yudichak, D-Plymouth; 120th District,
Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston; 121st District, Kevin Blaum, D-Wilkes-Barre; and
122nd District, Keith McCall, D-Mahoning Township.
As of Tuesday, the following challengers had filed in the races for state
representative: 118th District, Eric F. Villano, Republican, Pittston
Township; 119th District, Luzerne County Prothonotary Carolee Medico,
Republican, Swoyersville; 120th District, Shirley Moyer, Republican, Kingston
Township; and 121st District, Stephen J. Urban (Commissioner Urban’s son),
Republican, Wilkes-Barre. This marks his second run at Blaum.
Stephan A. Urban said he hand-delivered more than 1,450 signatures of
registered Republican voters in Harrisburg early Tuesday morning.
The minimum number of signatures necessary for candidacy is 1,000. Urban
said he collected more than 100 signatures he didn’t turn in, in addition to
the ones he filed.
Though he lost to Kanjorski in 1996 and 1998, Urban said he thinks the
incumbent is vulnerable on issues ranging from the economy to the environment
to Social Security reform.
He said while much of the country is enjoying unprecedented prosperity,
Northeastern Pennsylvania is in decline and Kanjorski, as a member of
congress, should take some responsibility for it.
“One of my concerns is lower-wage jobs coming into the area. The economy
of this area hasn’t grown like the rest of the country has,” he said.
Urban also challenged Kanjorski’s plan to raise money for cleaning up the
region’s culm banks through the selling of bonds, and said the congressman
hasn’t done enough to get funding already in place for that purpose.
“There is a trust fund in the Office of Surface Mines with $1.2 billion in
it,” he said. “The question is why isn’t more coming back here?”
Urban said although the region votes overwhelmingly Democratic, he believes
many of its residents hold conservative views that are in line with Republican
ideals.
Kanjorski, who has won every race since 1984, could not be reached for
comment.
Call Levine at 831-7305.