Grassroots activists advocating for county-level insider trading bans proposed via ballot measures in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties gathered Tuesday in Scranton. Lackawanna County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether the county’s Home Rule Charter should be amended to “require specifically that the Lackawanna County Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics prohibit County elected officials and employees from engaging in individual stock trades or prediction market bets based on nonpublic information obtained in the course of their official County service.” The proposed amendment and an equivalent proposal in Luzerne County would also create a reporting requirement necessitating the production of an annual report on ethics complaints and stock trades involving county, state and federal elected officials who represent county residents. The progressive nonprofit Action Together NEPA spearheading the ballot-initiative efforts organized Tuesday’s event in Scranton where supporters called for “yes” votes on the referendums in the interest of public trust. “This campaign is about people power,” Action Together NEPA Communications Director Jessica Brittain said in a news release. “While politicians have failed to act, NEPA voters have shown overwhelming support for this campaign and are ready to vote yes on the ballot question to ban insider trading in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.”
Action Together NEPA Organizing Manager Yesenia Rodriguez holds up a sign during the event in Scranton Tuesday, October. 13, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Community leader and Lackawanna County resident Dwayne Heisler speaks during the Action Together NEPA event in Scranton Tuesday, October 13, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Veteran and social worker Amber Viola speaks during the Action Together NEPA event in Scranton Tuesday, October. 13, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Action Together NEPA Organizing Manager Yesenia Rodriguez holds up a sign during the event in Scranton Tuesday, October. 13, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)