I’m supporting Paige Cognetti for Congress because she has proven she knows how to stop public corruption.
As mayor, she ended the need to have “connections” to get city contracts or a city job.
She hired workers based on merit. She settled outstanding litigation—which she inherited as mayor—that sought $184 million in city funds. Her work on the litigation saved Scranton $180 million in potential costs.
Her efforts lifted Scranton’s credit rating from junk bond ratings to A-minus ratings, thereby cutting city debt nearly in half from $112 million to $59 million. Jobs are up 10 percent (about 4,600) while city expenditures have stayed relatively flat. She cut housing construction permit fees up to 70 percent and made it easier to do business in Scranton. As a result, 1,100 more housing units exist.
While Paige did all this, incumbent Rob Bresnahan made money on his position in Congress by selling hospital and Medicaid-related holdings while voting for deep cuts. He invested in data centers. Contrary to his 2024 campaign promise to ban congressional stock trading, Bresnahan was one of Congress’s most active investors during his freshman year in Congress. According to an investigation by the New York Times, Bresnahan “appeared to benefit from the consequences of his own votes on the House floor.”
Paige wants to clean up Washington by banning Congressional stock trading and corporate PAC money in elections (she accepts none). She is in favor of imposing an 18-year term limit for Congress.
Isn’t it time that we had competent and honest members of Congress?
Susan Olds
Blooming Grove, PA