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Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko announced Thursday that he is challenging incumbent Congressman Tom Marino, a fellow Republican.

Marino recently dropped out of the running to be President Trump’s drug czar after The Washington Post and CBS’ “60 Minutes” reported on a law that weakened the Drug Enforcement Administration’s authority to stop companies from distributing opioids. Marino, in his fourth term representing Northeastern Pennsylvania, played a key role in the law along with a handful of other Republicans.

McLinko said he is running for Congress because Washington has become a swamp of corruption, collusion and cronyism that is hurting working families and senior citizens.

“Our biggest challenge in rural Pennsylvania is the opioid crisis,” McLinko said. “Rather than standing up for his constituents who have been hit hard by this epidemic, Tom Marino made the opioid crisis worse. He solicited campaign contributions from big drug companies and then sponsored a bill that allowed them to flood our communities with opioids.”

McLinko went on to say, “I’ve sat in the living rooms of friends and family who have lost loved ones to this tragic addiction. I’m a loyal Republican, but after watching the ‘60 Minutes’ report and hearing from families across the district, it is obvious Tom Marino puts the interests of campaign contributors ahead of the health and safety of his constituents. His actions are indefensible. Republicans need to replace Tom Marino before Democrats defeat him in November.”

The referenced “60 Minutes” piece can be found at www.DougMcLinko.com.

Prior to serving as a county commissioner, McLinko ran several successful businesses and served as a Wysox Township supervisor. Wysox Township was one of the lowest-taxed municipalities in Pennsylvania when McLinko was chairman of the board of supervisors, he said. Under McLinko’s leadership, Bradford County now has one of the lowest county property tax rates in the state, no debt, and is recognized with a AAA bond rating, the release stated.

To learn more about McLinko, go to www.facebook.com/DougMcLinko and www.twitter.com/dougmclinko

McLinko
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_Doug-McLinko-2.jpg.optimal.jpgMcLinko

By Bill O’Boyle

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