Mailers from political action committees target Luzerne County Council race

Two recent campaign mailers stand out in the Luzerne County Council race because they were generated by non-local political action committees.

The most recent, put out by the Pennsylvania DemocracyFIRST PAC, tells voters they can’t trust “scary Stephen Urban,” with the word scary used six times on the mailer along with ominous images of a male holding a baseball bat.

“Do we really want someone charged with assault in a position of power?” it said.

Urban is scheduled to stand trial in county court after the Nov. 7 general election election on two counts of simple assault and a single count of soliciting to tamper with or fabricate evidence on connection with an Aug. 25 incident. In a hearing held Wednesday, a 12-year-old boy testified Urban chased him and his friends with a baseball bat, while Urban’s attorney said his client did not utter any threats or strike anyone with the bat.

Urban said Wednesday he cannot discuss his pending case because it is still awaiting adjudication, but he questioned if he is being singled out as a prime target by both parties through PACs because he was the top vote-getter among Republicans in the primary election.

He also noted the timing of the mailer the day of his hearing, saying the mailer arrived at his home on Wednesday.

The DemocracyFIRST PAC website, democracyfirstpromise.org, said it is an “issue advocacy organization dedicated to restoring public trust in our electoral system and democratic institutions, protecting free and fair elections and renewing the pro-democracy consensus in American politics.”

The group is building a “cross-partisan, ideologically diverse coalition to restore the political consensus for the standards, expectations, and democratic norms for elected officials and candidates seeking elected office,” it said.

Six county council seats are up for grabs, and 12 candidates will appear on the ballot: Democrats Patty Krushnowski, Michelle Rothenbecker, Jimmy Sabatino, Joanna Bryn Smith, Brittany Stephenson and Maryann Velez and Republicans Thomas Dombroski, Harry Haas, LeeAnn McDermott, Matthew Mitchell, Kimberly Platek and Urban.

The DemocracyFIRST PAC’s website says it is supporting seven candidates in this county’s council race — all six Democrats and Republican Dombroski.

To be chosen, it said candidates must make a pledge to adhere to four “pro-democracy principles,” that include supporting voting rights, denouncing political violence against opponents and election workers and accepting certified final election results.

More targets

Another mailing funded by the Open Democracy PAC told voters to say “game over” to five of the six Republican contenders, excluding only Dombroski.

It made a range of assertions about the five, saying, “We can’t let these Republicans play politics on the county council.”

The Open Democracy PAC website, opendemocracypac.com, says it invests in candidates “that will champion voting rights where these battles are being waged.”

“We must support candidates at every level of the ballot who are willing to stand up for Americans’ access to fair, secure, and accessible elections,” it said.

Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo, a Republican who has more than two years left in his term, said he does not find it surprising that outside PACs are getting involved in a local race.

“This county is like a bellwether for the state, and some would like to see more Democrats on council,” Lombardo said.

Tim McGinley is the lone seated Democrat on the 11-member council, and his term runs out the end of this year. He cannot seek re-election due to a consecutive three-term limit in the county’s home rule charter. The charter did not set up a requirement for party minority/majority representation on council.

Lombardo does not believe the PAC mailers will have an effect on swaying voters. The upcoming election will be a “watershed moment” determining if council is going to be “solid red” or return to more of a mix of both parties, he said.