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WILKES-BARRE — The secretary of the Luzerne County Democratic Party has resigned, citing his friendship with state Sen. John Yudichak, who recently left the party.

Cameron Cox, 30, said new county Chairwoman Kathy Bozinski discussed the matter with him and he felt it would be best to step down.

“It’s difficult to juggle both sides,” Cox told the Times Leader. “Sen. Yudichak remains a close friend. I would have to distance myself from him if I were to stay on with the county party. I don’t want to create any conflicts of interest.”

Bozinski on Monday confirmed that Cox had tendered his resignation verbally on Friday, followed by an email on Monday.

The secretary’s position will now be filled by Jenis Walsh, who currently serves as 6th District Secretary and leader of the Luzerne County Young Democrats, Bozinski said.

“Cameron, like a few other Luzerne County Democratic Party officials, stepped down due to his relationship with Senator Yudichak, and choosing to honor a close, long time friendship is to his credit,” Bozinski said. “Cameron has been an asset to our party, and I hope he will continue to support the Luzerne County Democrats.”

Yudichak, I-Plymouth Township, left the Democratic Party last month to become an Independent — a move that sent shockwaves through the Democratic establishment.

The next week, John Pekarovsky stepped down as county party chairman. He was succeeded by Bozinski, who spoke about a vision for the party that included energizing the middle class, engaging with newcomers to the region and re-engaging with Trump voters.

Cox, who wrote that he submitted his resignation “with deep sadness,” said this has been “a troubling time for the Luzerne County Democratic Party.”

Cox added that he has been been involved with politics for a decade, having worked on some 19 political campaigns. He said he considers Yudichak, for whom he worked for as a field representative and on his campaigns, as a friend.

“It’s time to focus on my career,” said Cox, adding that he is working at Audi of Wyoming Valley and also as a campaign consultant for various candidates.

Asked about Cox’s resignation in a telephone interview on Monday, Yudichak said that the chair of the party is free to select his or her cabinet members, and added that he maintains a friendship with Bozinski.

“I’m confident that Kathy Bozinski will do a good job as chair of the Democratic Party in Luzerne County,” Yudichak said.

Regarding his decision to leave the party and become an Independent, Yudichak said it was “personal.”

“I just got tired with the extremism in both political parties,” Yudichak said. “There are too many radicals on both sides of the aisle. We have to be more civil to one another, build consensus and move the community forward.”

Cox said that when he first joined the county Democratic organization he worked on brainstorming how to attract and energize young people. In his email to Bozinski, he added that another one of his main focuses was bridging the growing gap between the Democratic Party and the Northeast Building Trade Unions due to a trend in union members voting Republican.

He also served as campaign manager for Anup Patel’s Luzerne County Council race this year. The Mountain Top Democrat was unsuccessful in that bid for office.

“It was an honor to be a part of a campaign that tried to attract not only the fantastic Indian community, but Democrats and Republicans alike who vote for the candidate not because of their purist ideals, but because they feel the candidate they are supporting is truly there for the betterment of the community,” Cox wrote to Bozinski.

Walsh, another young Democrat who has been active in campaign work, had been spokeswoman for George Brown’s Wilkes-Barre mayoral campaign until a team reorganization last summer.

Walsh
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_walsh_mug.jpg.optimal.jpgWalsh

Cox
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_CAMERON-COX.jpg.optimal.jpgCox
Cox cites friendship with Yudichak; Walsh will succeed him

By Bill O’Boyle and Roger DuPuis

[email protected]

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.