In the News

Help could be on the way for Wilkes-Barre and other municipalities in Northeastern Pennsylvania struggling financially through the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

Mayors from Luzerne and Lackawanna counties held a virtual meeting with U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, to discuss the effects of the pandemic on their cities.

Cartwright expressed optimism relief would be forthcoming through President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Package. It includes $350 billion to state and local governments with budget shortfalls from revenue losses jeopardizing public services residents take for granted.

“They’re all at risk unless the federal government steps in,” Cartwright said.

Mayors George Brown of Wilkes-Barre, Paige Cognetti of Scranton, Kevin Coughlin of Nanticoke and Jeff Cusat of Hazleton participated in the hour-long discussion. Each one had the opportunity to highlight their particular concerns.

Brown brought up the city’s revenue loss, estimated to be between $3 million and $4 million for 2020 due to lower tax collections from businesses and the construction projects put on hold.

“He gets the message. He understands what municipalities are going through,” Brown said of Cartwright whose congressional district includes Wilkes-Barre.

Cartwright, who was reelected last year to his fifth term, added Brown raised a good point about how the proposed assistance would be delivered and whether there will be a population threshold requirement for direct aid, cities of 400,000 for example.

“I indicated the more we get directly to the cities, the happier I am,” Cartwright said.

The congressman said he “will be pushing hard to get the administration to make that number low” for direct grants rather than having the state distribute the funds.

The mayors began meeting regularly last year with the aim of sharing best practices to deal with issues common to their cities and speaking in a unified voice to state and federal lawmakers. Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo was unable to attend Friday’s meeting.

Cartwright asked if the group could be expanded to include mayors from Honesdale, Hawley, Milford and other municipalities in his district.

“We’re happy to do that,” Brown said. “We’re looking at, as I said Mr. Cartwright, power in numbers.”