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By STEPHEN R. LEVINE slevine@leader.net.
Sunday, January 30, 2000 Page: 3A
Candidates have filed nominating petitions for seven state House seats
representing Luzerne County communities in Harrisburg. None of the races will
be contested in the April 4 primary because no more than one Democrat and one
Republican have filed in each race.
The races will be decided during the November general election. Running
uncontested in the 117th District is state Rep. George Hasay Jr.,
R-Shickshinny. Incumbent state Rep. Keith R. McCall, D-Lansford, is running
unopposed in the 122nd District.
The races are for two-year terms in the House of Representatives paying
$60,672.09 per year.
Among the challengers, several enjoy some name recognition. Republican
Carolee Medico of Swoyersville, Luzerne County prothonotary, is running for
representative of the 119th District, a seat held by first-term Democrat John
T. Yudichak of Plymouth.
Republican Stephen J. Urban of Wilkes-Barre is running to represent the
121st District, a seat held by Kevin Blaum, D-Wilkes-Barre. Urban challenged
Blaum in 1998 and waged an unsuccessful campaign for Wilkes-Barre mayor,
losing badly to Mayor Tom McGroarty in November. Blaum in his 10th consecutive
term, was first elected in 1980.
Also hoping to defeat an incumbent is Republican Shirley A. Moyer. Moyer,
55, of Kingston Township, is running in the 120th District against state Rep.
Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston. Moyer is married with two grown children, a
daughter and son.
Moyer has served as a Kingston Township supervisor for the past six years,
and is president of the Luzerne County Association of Township Officials and a
liaison to the American Red Cross. She was a longtime legislative assistant
for Frank Coslett, who once represented the 120th District.
“I was encouraged by a lot of my friends and colleagues to run because of
my background and qualifications,” she said. She is employed as a secretary
for a state agency.
Eric F. Villano of Pittston hopes traditional values will appeal to voters.
Villano, a Republican, running for representative of the 118th District, faces
incumbent Thomas M. Tigue, D-Hughestown, who is serving his 10th consecutive
term.
Villano’s only previous run for public office was an unsuccessful bid for
the Pittston Area School BoardMD112. He said school choice and lowering school
taxes will be among his campaign planks.
He favors tax credits for the cost of sending children to private schools
and believes senior citizens and others who don’t use the public schools
shouldn’t have to support them.
“I believe in a user-based tax credit system,” he said.
Villano, 33, is married with four children, two of whom are old enough to
attend school. He said if he didn’t have to pay school taxes he would send his
children to private school. He is an mechanic for Hertz Rent A Car and
previously worked in wastewater treatment. Villano is not related to Luzerne
County Republican Chairwoman Lynette Villano.
Republican Susan Parrick-Cox, 36, Butler Township, hopes to unseat two-term
incumbent Todd A. Eachus, D-Butler Township, in the 116th District.
Parrick-Cox was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1996
and is a state director for Eastern Pennsylvania for Republican U.S. Sen. Rick
Santorum.
“The senator is enthusiastic and supports what he knows has been a goal of
mine for several years,” she said.
Parrick-Cox said she’d be committed to lowering taxes and bringing jobs to
the Greater Hazleton area.
Call Levine at 831-7305.