SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— The Lackawanna County commissioners’ special election debate took place Thursday at the University of Scranton.
The three candidates faced off, answering questions from the panel and making their cases for the commissioner’s seat.
28/22 News reporter Avery Nape has more with a recap of the debate.
The three candidates each made their case for why they should be the one to take the third commissioner’s seat in the upcoming special election.
Thursday’s debate ahead of the Lackawanna County commissioner special election was relatively civil.
The three candidates, Democratic nominee Thom Whelby, Republican Chet Merli, and Independent Michael Cappelini, each made their case to voters.
All three agreed on several issues, especially the importance of cooperation among the commissioners.
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“The goal is not political, and it’s not personal; it’s about the taxpayer,” stated Merli.
“It’s like little kids in a sandbox just throwing sand at each other, and we clearly have to get away from that,” voiced Whelby.
“They’re right. It’s all about the governance. We need to be together; it does not matter, regardless of the letter next to your name,” added Cappelini.
The candidates answered questions from a panel of journalists, including 28/22 News reporter Connor Coar.
Topics included the state budget, the county tax reassessment, and even data centers. Cappellini and Whelby said they’ll take a stand against data center development.
“If a community does not want a data center, then they should be allowed to block that data center,” voiced Whelby.
“Right now, there’s a bill in the senate, bill 939, that literally takes the local municipality’s zoning power away from them,” said Cappelini.
Merli, who is chair of the Blakely Planning Commission and has some experience dealing with data center developers, believes Bill 939 “Doesn’t really have any teeth in it,” arguing that all municipalities are required to allow every legal use somewhere within their borders, including data centers.
“All that really does is say, you’re going to treat a data center like you’re going to treat anything else. And quite frankly, legally, you have to,” commented Merli.
Something Cappellini took issue with.
“I think the local municipalities will be happy to hear that you think it doesn’t have teeth to it. So that’s a good thing, and I hope that that is a message moving forward in your campaign,” said Cappelini.
But that’s about as fiery as things got. Cappellini and Whelby emphasized the importance of a special election rather than an appointment.
“I think if they have the choice of a decision, or rather an appointment made by a committee, versus an election made by the people, they’re going to choose the election made by the people,” added Whelby.
“I am here to serve as your county commissioner and to ensure that the voice of the people is heard with a free and fair election,” expressed Cappelini.
Merli, on the other hand, is convinced that the ongoing squabble regarding former commissioner McGloin’s seat doesn’t end here.
“I believe you’ll see legal challenge after legal challenge, and if any of us here win, I believe it will be contested depending on who the winner really is,” voiced Merli.
We couldn’t possibly cover every issue the candidates discussed tonight, so here is a link to the whole debate.
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