Republican candidates for Congress speak in Sayre

SAYRE -- In speeches Sunday in Sayre, three candidates argued why their backgrounds would make them the best Republican to face off against U.S. Rep. Carney in the fall election, and two of them blasted the incumbent.

Chris Carney "votes 91 percent of the time with Nancy Pelosi," said one of the candidates, Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk. "He wants you to believe he's a blue-dog Democrat. Frankly, he's nothing more than Nancy Pelosi's lap dog."

Voters in the May primary will decide which of the three candidates will win the Republican nomination for Congress.

The speeches were given at the Bradford County Republican Committee's annual Lincoln Day Dinner, and they were limited to three minutes each due to the large number of candidates and surrogates for candidates who spoke at the dinner.

Derk touted his record as a county commissioner.

"I'm the only candidate (among the three Republicans running for Carney's seat) that has a record of being a fiscal conservative as a county commissioner," Derk told the 95 Republicans at the dinner. "I balance $15 million budgets (as a Snyder County commissioner) and I never raise taxes for Snyder County."

"I've lived in the 10th District my whole life," Derk said. "I am a fiscal conservative and a social conservative."

Derk also said that the way that Carney wins elections is "with negative campaigning."

"I'm a young new face in politics, and I think that's what we need," Derk said. "I don't have any baggage."

Republican congressional candidate David Madeira said that the way Carney interacted with a citizen at a town hall meeting in Dixon City shows how Carney often does not deal with his constituents in an "adult" and responsible manner.

At the town hall meeting, the citizen said she works with people with special needs and asked Carney if the health care legislation that was being proposed in Congress would take care of people with special needs.

Carney assured her that the legislation would address people with special needs, according to Madeira.

Then the citizen asked an "adult" question, which was "how much coverage" would be provided to people with special needs, according to Madeira.

Carney then responded, "As much as you need," according to Madeira.

"Well, lollipops and unicorns for everyone!" Madeira said sarcastically, adding that Carney was not willing to talk to this woman on an adult level.

Republican congressional candidate Tom Marino, who is a former U.S. attorney, said he has "common sense" and the experience to be the Republican candidate to face off against Carney in November.

Marino said he came from a lower-middle class background, and that his father was a fireman and janitor. Marino said he worked at factories for 12 years before entering college.

He said he and his wife put him through college and law school in five years, instead of seven "not because I am a genius, but because that's all we had money for."

Marino said he is running for Congress because he is "frustrated and tired of what's going on in Washington."

He said the health care legislation that Congress may pass "is a disaster."

"No one has read the entire bill," Marino said, who was also the district attorney for Lycoming County for 10 years.

"I don't want a bureaucrat in Washington telling senior citizens that they can't have a hip replacement or a heart transplant because they're getting up in age," Marino said.

Marino also said it would be a "disgrace" to try terrorists in civil court.

"It's dangerous," he said. "They just want to make a statement."

He said the terrorists are "criminals" and "killers" and should be tried in a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and once convicted, should be executed.

State Rep. Tina Pickett said that she and Sen. Gene Yaw presented citations from the Pennsylvania House and Senate to former Bradford County Sheriff Steven Evans at the dinner to honor his long years of service to the county and for keeping the county safe during that time.

The Bradford County Republican Committee also presented a plaque to Evans for his service to the county and the Republican Party.

The Bradford County Republican Committee also presented the annual Ellen M. Turrell award to Shirley Rockefeller, Bradford County Register and Recorder of Deeds.

The award is given to someone who has dedicated a lot of time and effort to the Bradford County Republican Committee, said Eric Matthews, chairman of the Bradford County Republican Committee.

On Feb. 16, the Bradford County Republican Committee voted to not make endorsements of candidates running in the May 2010 primary, Matthews said.

However, Matthews said that it is only "very rarely" that the county Republican Committee endorses candidates in a primary.

The dinner was held at the Best Western inn.

When asked for comment about statements made about Carney at the dinner, Carney spokesman Josh Drobnyk issued the following statement:

"Congressman Carney is focused on improving our economy through tax cuts for families and small businesses. He stands up for the needs of our region every day in Congress and will never stop fighting for the many worthy projects throughout our community. He took particular pride in the National Journal ratings Friday that found him to be among the most bipartisan members in Congress. It is that display of bipartisanship that recently led Republican leaders in Washington to approach Congressman Carney about switching parties. He believes, however, that his job is not about a political party. It is about doing the right thing every day for the people he represents."

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or email: jloewnstein@thedailyreview.com