Cognetti has history of raising taxes
Editor: As voters in NEPA consider Mayor Paige Cognetti’s campaign for Congress, they should take a close look at her record, not just her campaign promises. Mayor Cognetti has raised taxes in Scranton multiple times, including in 2020, 2023, and again in 2024. That record stands in direct contrast to a recent campaign message, where she is once again promising to “fight new taxes.” Scranton residents have heard that line before, and we know how it turned out.
This pattern is part of a familiar Democrat playbook. She will run as a moderate but govern as a socialist. We’ve seen it nationally as well. In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger campaigned as a pragmatic centrist, only to back policies in her very first week that will drive massive spending and tax increases. Mayor Cognetti appears to be following the same script.Voters deserve honesty and consistency from their elected officials. If a candidate has already raised taxes repeatedly at the local level, it’s fair to question whether those same instincts would carry over to Washington.
Scranton and the rest of NEPA don’t need campaign slogans. We need leaders whose records match their rhetoric. Mayor Cognetti’s tax history should give voters serious pause as she seeks higher office.
Lorna Altavilla, Wilkes-Barre