Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti faces multiple potential challengers in her bid for re-election this year, but only one of them is from her own party.
In a surprise twist, former Scranton Councilman Gene Barrett switched to independent Tuesday, leaving Democrat Cognetti with only one primary election opponent.
Barrett, who announced his candidacy for mayor several weeks ago, was widely expected to challenge Cognetti for their party's mayoral nomination in the upcoming May 20 primary.
Instead, Cognetti will only face former Scranton School Director Bob Sheridan in the primary, and Barrett will run for mayor as an independent.
Barrett said he didn't think he could win a three-person primary, but could win the office as a third-party candidate.
"A three-Democrat primary race is in this situation, looking at the numbers, (it's) beneficial to the incumbent, so that's why I think this is a better choice," he said.
Barrett has until Aug. 1 to collect the necessary 207 signatures to get on the Nov. 4 election ballot.
On the Republican side, first-time political candidates Lynn Labrosky and Patricia Beynon and trucking business owner Bob Bolus filed petitions by the deadline Tuesday to run in their party's primary.
The primary winners and any third-party candidates will face each other in the Nov. 4 election.
Cognetti: 'Much more work to do'
In 2019, when Cognetti first ran for mayor, she ran as an independent before switching back to the Democrats before her 2021 reelection campaign.
In a statement announcing her candidacy, Cognetti, 44, who lives in the city’s Tripp Park neighborhood, portrayed an increasingly vibrant city under her leadership as she announced her re-election bid in early February.
She took credit for adding police officers, lowering construction costs, fighting utility increases, enhancing downtown, redeveloping pools and parks and other accomplishments.
“We have built an incredible team and have implemented a transparent, ethical, fiscally responsible operation that puts taxpayers first — but there is much more work to do,” she said in a statement. “You can see investments all over Scranton, both public and private. Bulldozers and cranes are a sign of progress and growth. Millions of dollars of infrastructure projects will come online this year and need to be completed in 2026.”
Cognetti won a seven-person special election in November 2019 to replace former Mayor Bill Courtright, who pleaded guilty to corruption and went to prison. She easily won re-election in 2021, walloping City Controller John Murray in the Democratic primary and Republican Darwin Lee Shaw II in November.
Sheridan vows to 'fight for neighborhoods'
Sheridan, 71, a resident of the city’s South Scranton neighborhood, ran for the Republican nomination for mayor in 2001, but lost to Bolus, who lost to Doherty in November.
Sheridan also ran unsuccessfully for district justice in 1999 and magisterial district judge in 2011. He won a Scranton School Board seat in 2009 and re-election in 2013. He lost a bid for a third four-year term in 2017.
Sheridan touted his background as a city police officer, school director, owner of a car repair garage and used car lot, constable and neighborhood group leader.
“If election Mayor of Scranton, I will fight for the neighborhoods, support real open government transparency and request public input on how their services can better provide for our residents,” Sheridan said in a statement announcing his campaign.
Labrosky cites high crime, homelessness
Labrosky, 52, of West Scranton, co-owns a South Scranton automobile repair shop with her husband, Jeff.
She’s unhappy with the city’s direction under Cognetti.
“The roads are awful, crime is high, homelessness, a lot of garbage around the city,” Labrosky said. “But we put in murals and pocket parks and things that are other than the things that are needed.”
Beynon: 'Taxes are crazy'
Beynon, 60, also of West Scranton, an accounting executive at Scartelli Construction, expressed similar sentiments.
“Taxes are crazy, and I don’t believe people have a voice in the city, and I’d like them to have a voice,” Beynon said.
Bolus wants to fill potholes
Bolus, 82, a resident of the city's East Mountain neighborhood, said the city badly needs new leadership. He promised to renovate Nay Aug Park, rebuild its swimming pool and pave city streets.
"I'll guarantee you you won't have a pothole in the city of Scranton," he said. "They will work 24/7 if they have to make sure these potholes are filled on a daily basis."
Besides losing to Sheridan in 2001, Bolus lost in the Republican mayor primary in 1989, the election that launched Jim Connors' career as a Republican mayor. Bolus also lost to Doherty in the 2009 Republican mayoral primary when Doherty received more write-in votes than Bolus received as a candidate on the ballot. He has unsuccessfully run for other offices, and was removed from the ballot at least once because of a felony conviction. Under state law, felony convictions prevent a candidate from serving in elected office. Bolus said he will ask the county court to clear his record so he can serve if elected.
Barrett cites energy, experience
Barrett, 77, who lives in the city’s Hill Section, served as a councilman between 1990 and 1998.
“I'm retired now, I'm in good health, I've got a lot of energy and certainly have all the prerequisites as far as experience is concerned, whether it's public, private, military and the list goes on,” Barrett said in an interview after announcing his candidacy.
Barrett said Cognetti squandered an opportunity to help the city grow more quickly with President Joe Biden, a Scranton native, in the White House, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey a Scranton resident and a congressman on the House Appropriations Committee, Matt Cartwright.
All three are now out of office.
“That money that we're getting is no different than any other community in the United States is getting,” he said. Any development has come from private developers “with little help, if any, from City Hall."
Casey has endorsed Cognetti.
"Mayor Paige Cognetti has delivered the honest, responsive government Scranton deserves, one that works as hard as the people it serves,” Casey said in a statement issued by Cognetti’s campaign.
Barrett once ran and owned Community Central Energy Corp., which provided the city and customers with steam-powered heat. Just as the company went out of business in 2006 amid declining customers, the Scranton Sewer Authority named Barrett as its executive director. He still had that job when the city sold its sewer system to Pennsylvania-American Water Co. in December 2016. He stayed with the water company until retiring.
Barrett ran for mayor in 2001 but finished a distant second in the Democratic primary to Doherty. Doherty went on to win in November, ending Connors' 12-year tenure. Connors finished third in the Democratic primary, well behind Barrett.
