Larissa Cleary Valonis, a school counselor with years of experience in political campaigns, was elected Tuesday as the new Lackawanna County Democratic Party chairperson.
Valonis, 41, an Archbald resident, defeated Lexie Kelly, 62, of Newton Twp., 165 votes to 133 to win the job of running the county party.
In an interview afterward, Valonis promised to bridge differences with Kelly and her supporters, which she does not expect will prove difficult.
Valonis said she would start work on that Wednesday with plans to have coffee with several friends who worked for Kelly’s election.
She wants to work with Democrats who are “doers” on “bridging this party and working together with everybody ... that really want(s) to make sure that Democrats win.”
“I’m excited to get to work on this new story, not even new chapter. We're moving forward, and we are going to bring the heat in November,” Valonis said.
Valonis is believed to be the first woman to serve as county Democratic chair, former chairman Chris Patrick said.
Kelly, a leader of Lackawanna United Democrats and a frequent Patrick critic, said she’ll have no problem working with Valonis.
“I just don't think we're as divided as people think. It's a small group of individuals that want to maintain a power base, and 98% of us want the same thing, and those 98% of us are going to work to get it done,” Kelly said. “We're going to work to get Democrats elected up and down the ballot.”
Process was open to public
The vote took place in a second-floor ballroom at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center in downtown Scranton.
For the first time in memory, the process was open to the public, with visitors allowed to watch and hear the candidates tout their credentials.
Valonis told the committee members she became involved in politics when Barack Obama first ran for president, worked on campaigns for state Sen. John Blake, state Rep. Kyle Mullins, county judge Mary Walsh Dempsey and District Attorney Brian Gallagher.
“And alongside so many of you, there's been 20 years of grassroots efforts, doors knocked, and races run. Everyone here tonight loves this party, including Lexi, who helped build something real in the Abingtons, and I have genuine respect for that, because this isn't about one slate winning; it's about what we build together starting now,” she said.
She noted only 53% of county Democrats cast ballots in 2024, even though 60% of registered voters were Democrats. She promised to run a party based on grassroots support.
“Not one voice from the top down, but a team of equals, people who can disagree honestly and still arrive at one shared vision, regular meetings, real committees, strategy grounded in data, not assumptions, and here's why that matters,” she said.
Recent controversy noted
Valonis thanked the state party for stepping in after controversy erupted when Patrick recently attempted to remove 76 committee members.
Kelly made similar arguments about conducting future campaigns, but noted she went to court to block Patrick's actions.
“Our mission in this party is clear: we work together to recruit candidates, train volunteers, raise money, and build the grassroots army that we need to win,” she said. “That's exactly the work that I've been doing for years as the president of the Abington Democrats. I co-founded the Abington Democrats with a few unifying principles: Welcome great ideas. Don't block them. Empower your members. Don't ignore them. Stand up for our values and our people, and let them both shine.”
After Kelly and Valonis finished speaking, 298 county Democratic committee members cast secret ballots for chair and other offices.
The voters included many recently elected committee members whom Patrick tried to remove from their seats because they supported non-Democrats in special and general elections last year.
Citing party by-laws, Patrick claimed he had the support of the state Democratic Party to remove 76 members, including Kelly.
State party chairman DePasquale ran the meeting
The state party ruled he didn’t have that authority because the county by-laws said he was supposed to complete the election of officers by June 24 but failed.
The state party also took over the process of selecting new officers. State party chairman Eugene DePasquale ran the meeting.
“I think there was a lot of appreciation in that room,” DePasquale said. “Obviously somebody wins, somebody doesn't. But there's a lot of appreciation for us stepping in, making sure that ... everyone had a voice; that it was an open, transparent process. I think that's going to make sure that we are a more unified party heading into November.”
DePasquale predicted party unity.
“I think you saw it tonight, that whatever differences there may be, that we're unified to make sure that we flip Congress, you know, flip the state Senate and races where that's an impact, and obviously hold the state House because we want to make sure that we get Gov. (Josh) Shapiro more allies in Harrisburg,” he said.
“We want to make sure that we are a check on the chaos and toxicity of the Trump administration by winning Congress,” DePasquale said.
